Monday, September 5, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Adam Wainwright vs. Chad Kuhl

The St. Louis Cardinals visit PNC Park on Monday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals and Chad Kuhl for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -122 and Pittsburgh at +112. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cardinals have a 73-55-6 over/under record and a 61-73-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Pirates are 64-69-0 against the run line and have a 73-57-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 70-64 record, including 40-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has a 9-8 record with an earned run average of 4.53 and a WHIP of 1.34. He has 129 strikeouts over his 163 innings pitched and he has given up 175 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.58. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.57 and they have given up 345 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .225 against the bullpen while being struck out 405 times and walking 159 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.68 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.95 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,160 base hits and 538 earned runs. They have allowed 124 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 394 batters and struck out 1,062. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.82.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .256 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .446 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.81 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .275 and his on-base percentage is at .348. He has 134 hits this season along with 73 runs scored and 73 runs batted in. He's struck out 106 times and has walked 45 times. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .312 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 110 hits so far while scoring 64 runs and he's driven in 57. He has walked 34 times and has struck out 54 times. The Cardinals have 1,182 hits, including 249 doubles and 192 home runs. They've stolen 30 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 21 times. St. Louis has walked 449 times this season and they've struck out 1,089 times as a unit. They've left 942 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 4.87 runs per contest and have scored a total of 653 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 34-32 home record and a 67-66 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.70, Chad Kuhl has a 3-2 record and a 1.17 WHIP. He has 32 strikeouts over the 48.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 44 hits. He has allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.36. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 430 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 412 times and walking 190 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.02 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.49 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,200 base knocks and 544 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 144 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 446 hitters and struck out 996. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.30.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .269 average at home. The Pirates hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.76 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .312 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 149 hits this year along with 70 runs scored and 46 RBI. He's struck out 101 times and has walked on 23 occasions. Jordy Mercer is hitting .260 and he has an OBP of .336. He has collected 116 hits so far while he's scored 56 runs and drove in 51. He has earned a walk 47 times and has punched out 71 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,165 base hits, including 229 doubles and 125 homers. They have 101 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 42 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 445 times this year and they have struck out 1,099 times. They've had 948 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They score 4.49 runs per game and have totaled 597 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-55-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 61-73-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 73-57-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-69-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/30/16 P Mike Leake Skin Rash 15-day DL (8/22)
08/17/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/10/16 P Michael Wacha Shoulder 15-day DL (8/9)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
08/02/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Thumb 15-day DL (8/1)
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 60-day DL (7/7)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Pittsburgh Pirates

08/29/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow 15-day DL (8/25)
08/21/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Shoulder 15-day DL (8/20)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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