Wednesday, September 7, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Jameson Taillon

The St. Louis Cardinals head to PNC Park on Wednesday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has St. Louis at +116 and Pittsburgh at -126. The over/under is 8. The Cardinals have a 74-56-6 over/under mark and a 63-73-0 run line record, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Pirates are 64-71-0 against the run line and have a 75-57-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this game with a 72-64 record, and they are 42-27 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 9-9 record with an ERA of 4.56 and a WHIP of 1.27. He has 108 strikeouts during his 152 innings pitched and he has given up 169 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.88. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.56 and they have allowed 354 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the pen while they've been struck out 411 times and walked 159 times this year. As a unit, St. Louis has given up 8.72 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.96 hitters per nine. They are 11th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,183 base hits and 546 earned runs. They have allowed 126 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 400 batters and struck out 1,079. 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 3.82.

As a team, St. Louis is hitting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .256 average on the road. The Cardinals have a .447 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .327 which is good for 10th in the league. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.82 hits per contest. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .275 and his on-base percentage is at .348. He has 136 hits this season along with 77 runs scored and 75 runs batted in. He's struck out 108 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 1,201 hits, including 256 doubles and 196 home runs. They've stolen 31 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 21 times. St. Louis has walked 457 times this season and they've struck out 1,108 times as a unit. They've left 957 men on base and have a team OPS of .774. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 670 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a 34-34 home mark and a 67-68 overall record. With an ERA of 3.25, Jameson Taillon has a 3-4 record and a 1.07 WHIP. He has 67 strikeouts over the 83 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 77 hits. He has allowed 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.52 and they have given up 447 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 418 times and walking 194 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.47 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,225 base knocks and 558 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 150 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 456 hitters and struck out 1,009. 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 4.36.

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 .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.76 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .311 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 151 hits this year along with 71 runs scored and 46 RBI. He's struck out 103 times and has walked on 23 occasions. Jordy Mercer is hitting .260 and he has an OBP of .335. He has collected 117 hits so far while he's scored 57 runs and drove in 51. He has earned a walk 47 times and has punched out 71 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,183 base hits, including 233 doubles and 127 homers. They have 101 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 42 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 447 times this year and they have struck out 1,110 times. They've had 959 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They score 4.47 runs per game and have totaled 603 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 74-56-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 63-73-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 75-57-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 64-71-0 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), expected to be activated & start Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates

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