Saturday, April 23, 2016

Petco Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Cesar Vargas

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Petco Park on Saturday to play the San Diego Padres. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Cesar Vargas for the Padres. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -166 and San Diego at +156. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cardinals have a 9-6-0 over/under record and a 7-8-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Padres are 8-8-0 against the run line and have a 8-7-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 8-7 record, including 3-3 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 1-0 record with an earned run average of 2.76 and a WHIP of 1.47. He has 15 strikeouts over his 16.1 innings pitched and he has given up 21 hits so far this season. He has allowed 11.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 1.75. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.44 and they have given up 28 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .176 against the bullpen while being struck out 55 times and walking 22 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.84 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.68. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 115 base hits and 55 earned runs. They have allowed 7 home runs this season and they allow 0.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 54 batters and struck out 132. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 3.04.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .266, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .242 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .478 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 9.27 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .236 and his on-base percentage is at .382. He has 13 hits this season along with 9 runs scored and 11 runs batted in. He's struck out 14 times and has walked 10 times. Kolten Wong is hitting .209 and he has an on-base percentage of .294. He has totaled 9 hits so far while scoring 7 runs and he's driven in 2. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 9 times. The Cardinals have 139 hits, including 35 doubles and 22 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 3 times. St. Louis has walked 58 times this season and they've struck out 131 times as a unit. They've left 115 men on base and have a team OPS of .826. They score 6.07 runs per contest and have scored a total of 91 runs so far this year.

San Diego comes into this matchup with a 3-6 home record and a 6-10 overall mark. Cesar Vargas will be making his season debut for the Padres. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.36 and they have given up 52 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the Padres bullpen while being struck out 51 times and walking 23 times this season. As a team, San Diego has allowed 8.75 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.81 batters per nine. They are 24th in the league in team earned run average at 4.53. The Padres pitchers as a team have surrendered 141 base knocks and 73 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 16 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. San Diego as a staff has walked 57 hitters and struck out 142. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.37 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

As a team, they are batting .234, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .212 average at home. The Padres hold a .348 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .299 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.06 hits per contest. Matt Kemp comes into this matchup batting .254 and he has an OBP of .262. He has 15 hits this year along with 7 runs scored and 13 RBI. He's struck out 11 times and has walked on 1 occasion. Jon Jay is hitting .281 and he has an OBP of .343. He has collected 18 hits so far while he's scored 5 runs and drove in 8. He has earned a walk 6 times and has punched out 16 times. The Padres as a unit have 129 base hits, including 18 doubles and 13 homers. They have 12 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 6 times. San Diego as a team has walked 48 times this year and they have struck out 153 times. They've had 108 men left on base and have an OPS of .648. They score 3.81 runs per game and have totaled 61 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 9-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 7-8-0 against the run line so far this season

San Diego Padres Betting Trends

The San Diego Padres are 8-7-1 against the over/under so far this season

The San Diego Padres are 8-8-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 SS Jhonny Peralta Thumb 15-day DL (3/25)
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 P Mitch Harris Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

San Diego Padres

04/21/16 2B Cory Spangenberg Quad 15-day DL (4/20)
04/21/16 P Robbie Erlin Elbow 15-day DL
04/11/16 3B Yangervis Solarte Hamstring 15-day DL (4/10)
04/09/16 P Tyson Ross Shoulder 15-day DL (4/5)
04/08/16 P Matt Thornton Achilles 15-day DL (4/4)
04/04/16 P Buddy Baumann Back 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jonathan Edwards Hip 15-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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