Sunday, June 12, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Jon Niese

The St. Louis Cardinals head to PNC Park on Sunday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Jon Niese for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has St. Louis at +115 and Pittsburgh at -125. The over/under is 8. The Cardinals have a 38-21-2 over/under mark and a 33-28-0 run line record, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Pirates are 29-32-0 against the run line and have a 38-22-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this game with a 33-28 record, and they are 18-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 4-4 record with an ERA of 4.22 and a WHIP of 1.18. He has 47 strikeouts during his 74.2 innings pitched and he has given up 74 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.68. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have allowed 152 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the pen while they've been struck out 190 times and walked 66 times this year. As a unit, St. Louis has given up 8.46 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.84 hitters per nine. They are 18th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.20. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 510 base hits and 253 earned runs. They have allowed 60 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 175 batters and struck out 473. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 3.90.

As a team, St. Louis is hitting .267, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .271 average on the road. The Cardinals have a .457 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .338 which is good for 4th in the league. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.28 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .285 and his on-base percentage is at .399. He has 61 hits this season along with 44 runs scored and 42 runs batted in. He's struck out 47 times and has walked 39 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .268 and he has an on-base percentage of .345. He has totaled 56 hits so far while scoring 22 runs and he's driven in 22. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 26 times. The Cardinals have 567 hits, including 121 doubles and 82 home runs. They've stolen 15 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. St. Louis has walked 211 times this season and they've struck out 474 times as a unit. They've left 434 men on base and have a team OPS of .796. They score 5.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 337 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 18-13 home mark and a 32-29 overall record. With an ERA of 3.93, Jon Niese has a 6-2 record and a 1.39 WHIP. He has 49 strikeouts over the 71 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 75 hits. He has allowed 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.08. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.15 and they have given up 193 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 170 times and walking 93 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.88 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.15 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.22. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 545 base knocks and 259 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 71 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 227 hitters and struck out 439. They give up a walk 3.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.56.

As a team, they are batting .274, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .289 average at home. The Pirates hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .351 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.62 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .249 and he has an OBP of .331. He has 59 hits this year along with 37 runs scored and 25 RBI. He's struck out 64 times and has walked on 27 occasions. Starling Marte is hitting .322 and he has an OBP of .366. He has collected 73 hits so far while he's scored 33 runs and drove in 22. He has earned a walk 7 times and has punched out 54 times. The Pirates as a unit have 587 base hits, including 118 doubles and 57 homers. They have 46 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 17 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 221 times this year and they have struck out 493 times. They've had 489 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They score 4.85 runs per game and have totaled 296 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 38-21-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 33-28-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 38-22-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 29-32-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
05/15/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (5/13)
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Pittsburgh Pirates

06/10/16 C Francisco Cervelli Hand left last game, "?" Saturday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/10/16 P Gerrit Cole Tricep left last game, "?" next start
05/26/16 P Arquimedes Caminero Quad 15-day DL (5/25)
05/24/16 P Ryan Vogelsong Eye 60-day DL (5/24)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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