Thursday, May 26, 2016

Nationals Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Joe Ross

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Nationals Park on Thursday to play the Washington Nationals. The probable starters are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Joe Ross for the Nationals. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +118 and Washington at -128. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 28-16-2 over/under record and a 23-23-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Nationals are 25-21-0 against the run line and have a 20-21-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 24-22 record, including 11-8 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.16. He has 33 strikeouts over his 55.1 innings pitched and he has given up 52 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.39. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.62 and they have given up 119 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen while being struck out 150 times and walking 51 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.57 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.76 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.17. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 389 base hits and 189 earned runs. They have allowed 42 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 139 batters and struck out 352. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.81.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .267, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .276 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .459 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.22 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .250 and his on-base percentage is at .378. He has 41 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 32 runs batted in. He's struck out 39 times and has walked 32 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .304 and he has an on-base percentage of .385. He has totaled 48 hits so far while scoring 17 runs and he's driven in 18. He has walked 20 times and has struck out 18 times. The Cardinals have 424 hits, including 96 doubles and 61 home runs. They've stolen 14 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. St. Louis has walked 164 times this season and they've struck out 361 times as a unit. They've left 339 men on base and have a team OPS of .800. They score 5.43 runs per contest and have scored a total of 250 runs so far this year.

Washington comes into this matchup with a 13-8 home record and a 28-18 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.70, Joe Ross has a 3-4 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 37 strikeouts over the 46.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 43 hits. He has allowed 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.41. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.59 and they have given up 98 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Nationals bullpen while being struck out 130 times and walking 41 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.48 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.39 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.90. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 348 base knocks and 135 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 41 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a staff has walked 127 hitters and struck out 437. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 3.28.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .242 average at home. The Nationals hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.22 hits per contest. Bryce Harper comes into this matchup batting .246 and he has an OBP of .432. He has 34 hits this year along with 28 runs scored and 31 RBI. He's struck out 34 times and has walked on 48 occasions. Daniel Murphy is hitting .392 and he has an OBP of .424. He has collected 67 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 30. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 20 times. The Nationals as a unit have 378 base hits, including 72 doubles and 55 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 11 times. Washington as a team has walked 179 times this year and they have struck out 359 times. They've had 331 men left on base and have an OPS of .731. They score 4.33 runs per game and have totaled 199 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 28-16-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 23-23-0 against the run line so far this season

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 20-21-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 25-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

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 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)

Washington Nationals

04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Tony's Pick: Take the Nationals

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