Sunday, May 29, 2016

Nationals Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Stephen Strasburg

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Nationals Park on Sunday to play the Washington Nationals. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +155 and Washington at -165. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cardinals have a 30-17-2 over/under record and a 26-23-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Nationals are 25-24-0 against the run line and have a 21-23-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 25-24 record, including 12-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 2-5 record with an earned run average of 5.04 and a WHIP of 1.57. He has 48 strikeouts over his 55.1 innings pitched and he has given up 65 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.77. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.63 and they have given up 124 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the bullpen while being struck out 159 times and walking 54 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.58 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.81 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 414 base hits and 202 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 147 batters and struck out 377. They walk 3 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 3.86.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .264, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .267 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .456 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 9.1 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 .284 and he has an on-base percentage of .366. 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 20 times. The Cardinals have 446 hits, including 97 doubles and 67 home runs. They've stolen 14 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 7 times. St. Louis has walked 171 times this season and they've struck out 381 times as a unit. They've left 353 men on base and have a team OPS of .793. They score 5.41 runs per contest and have scored a total of 265 runs so far this year.

Washington comes into this matchup with a 14-10 home record and a 29-20 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.79, Stephen Strasburg has a 8-0 record and a 1.06 WHIP. He has 86 strikeouts over the 67.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 54 hits. He has allowed 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.35. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.54 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .205 against the Nationals bullpen while being struck out 135 times and walking 41 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.33 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.23 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.89. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 363 base knocks and 143 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 45 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a staff has walked 134 hitters and struck out 457. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 3.36.

As a team, they are batting .243, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .239 average at home. The Nationals hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.14 hits per contest. Bryce Harper comes into this matchup batting .245 and he has an OBP of .423. He has 36 hits this year along with 30 runs scored and 32 RBI. He's struck out 37 times and has walked on 48 occasions. Daniel Murphy is hitting .393 and he has an OBP of .427. He has collected 70 hits so far while he's scored 26 runs and drove in 30. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 22 times. The Nationals as a unit have 399 base hits, including 73 doubles and 58 homers. They have 26 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 12 times. Washington as a team has walked 182 times this year and they have struck out 380 times. They've had 349 men left on base and have an OPS of .722. They score 4.14 runs per game and have totaled 203 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 30-17-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 26-23-0 against the run line so far this season

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 21-23-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 25-24-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
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 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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Nationals

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn