Tuesday, September 6, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Luke Weaver vs. Ryan Vogelsong

The St. Louis Cardinals head to PNC Park on Tuesday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Luke Weaver for the Cardinals and Ryan Vogelsong for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has St. Louis at -124 and Pittsburgh at +114. The over/under is 8.5. The Cardinals have a 73-56-6 over/under mark and a 62-73-0 run line record, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Pirates are 64-70-0 against the run line and have a 74-57-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this game with a 71-64 record, and they are 41-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Luke Weaver has a 1-2 record with an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.33. He has 26 strikeouts during his 21 innings pitched and he has given up 21 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.15. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.55 and they have allowed 349 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the pen while they've been struck out 408 times and walked 159 times this year. As a unit, St. Louis has given up 8.7 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.96 hitters per nine. They are 9th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.01. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,171 base hits and 540 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 399 batters and struck out 1,071. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 3.81.

As a team, St. Louis is hitting .255, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .254 average on the road. The Cardinals have a .445 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .326 which is good for 10th in the league. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.79 hits per contest. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .275 and his on-base percentage is at .347. He has 135 hits this season along with 75 runs scored and 73 runs batted in. He's struck out 107 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 1,187 hits, including 250 doubles and 194 home runs. They've stolen 31 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 21 times. St. Louis has walked 452 times this season and they've struck out 1,101 times as a unit. They've left 947 men on base and have a team OPS of .772. They score 4.87 runs per contest and have scored a total of 658 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 34-33 home mark and a 67-67 overall record. With an ERA of 3.56, Ryan Vogelsong has a 3-4 record and a 1.33 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 55.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 50 hits. He has allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.67. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.46 and they have given up 437 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 413 times and walking 192 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.03 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.48 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.10. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,211 base knocks and 549 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 148 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 451 hitters and struck out 1,002. 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 4.34.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .268 average at home. The Pirates hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.74 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .309 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 149 hits this year along with 70 runs scored and 46 RBI. He's struck out 102 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 1,171 base hits, including 232 doubles and 125 homers. They have 101 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 42 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 446 times this year and they have struck out 1,102 times. They've had 953 men left on base and have an OPS of .728. They score 4.46 runs per game and have totaled 597 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-56-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 62-73-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 74-57-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

09/05/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 60-day DL (8/14)
08/30/16 P Mike Leake Skin Rash 15-day DL (8/22)
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)
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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Pirates

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