Friday, June 17, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. Michael Wacha

The Texas Rangers head to Busch Stadium on Friday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals. The opening line for this game has Texas at -113 and St. Louis at +103. The over/under is 8. The Rangers have a 36-29-1 over/under mark and a 40-26-0 run line record, meaning they cover 61% of the time. The Cardinals are 35-30-0 against the run line and have a 39-24-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Rangers head into this game with a 41-25 record, and they are 17-15 on the road. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 6-1 record with an ERA of 3.14 and a WHIP of 1.27. He has 81 strikeouts during his 83 innings pitched and he has given up 73 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.98. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.99 and they have allowed 224 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .277 against the pen while they've been struck out 169 times and walked 72 times this year. As a unit, Texas has given up 8.8 base hits per nine innings while striking out 6.8 hitters per nine. They are 12th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.03. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 581 base hits and 266 earned runs. They have allowed 82 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 210 batters and struck out 449. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.61.

As a team, Texas is hitting .266, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .251 average on the road. The Rangers have a .433 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .322 which is good for 16th in the league. They rank 9th in baseball with 9.08 hits per contest. Adrian Beltre comes into this game hitting .271 and his on-base percentage is at .324. He has 61 hits this season along with 30 runs scored and 40 runs batted in. He's struck out 25 times and has walked 17 times. Elvis Andrus is hitting .288 and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 64 hits so far while scoring 30 runs and he's driven in 26. He has walked 16 times and has struck out 27 times. The Rangers have 599 hits, including 112 doubles and 82 home runs. They've stolen 43 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Texas has walked 173 times this season and they've struck out 469 times as a unit. They've left 411 men on base and have a team OPS of .755. They score 4.86 runs per contest and have scored a total of 321 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 15-18 home mark and a 35-30 overall record. With an ERA of 4.91, Michael Wacha has a 2-6 record and a 1.45 WHIP. He has 63 strikeouts over the 73.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 78 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.49. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.78 and they have given up 158 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .221 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 196 times and walking 68 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.75 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.09. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 540 base knocks and 263 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 62 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 183 hitters and struck out 498. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.25 while their FIP as a staff is 3.86.

As a team, they are batting .267, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .259 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .454 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .337 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.25 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .288 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 64 hits this year along with 44 runs scored and 42 RBI. He's struck out 48 times and has walked on 39 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .278 and he has an OBP of .352. He has collected 62 hits so far while he's scored 24 runs and drove in 23. He has earned a walk 24 times and has punched out 28 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 602 base hits, including 127 doubles and 87 homers. They have 16 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 11 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 221 times this year and they have struck out 509 times. They've had 460 men left on base and have an OPS of .792. They score 5.43 runs per game and have totaled 353 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 36-29-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 40-26-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 39-24-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 35-30-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

06/16/16 3B Adrian Beltre Hamstring is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Oakland Athletics
06/14/16 P Yu Darvish Shoulder 15-day DL (6/9)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 15-day DL (5/23)
05/08/16 P AJ Griffin Shoulder 15-day DL (5/8)
04/21/16 P Keone Kela Elbow 60-day DL (4/20)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

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 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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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