Friday, April 29, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg vs. Mike Leake

The Washington Nationals visit Busch Stadium on Friday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals and Mike Leake for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at -110 and St. Louis at +100. The over/under was set at 7. The Nationals have a 7-11-2 over/under record and a 11-9-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The Cardinals are 11-10-0 against the run line and have a 14-7-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 14-6 record, including 6-3 on the road. Starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg has a 3-0 record with an earned run average of 2.17 and a WHIP of 0.93. He has 31 strikeouts over his 29 innings pitched and he has given up 20 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.15. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.08 and they have given up 42 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the bullpen while being struck out 57 times and walking 18 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.75 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.53 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.31. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 140 base hits and 48 earned runs. They have allowed 13 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 60 batters and struck out 177. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 3.15.

As a team, Washington is batting .237, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .236 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .318 and his on-base percentage is at .434. He has 21 hits this season along with 15 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. He's struck out 10 times and has walked 15 times. Yunel Escobar is hitting .281 and he has an on-base percentage of .347. He has totaled 25 hits so far while scoring 10 runs and he's driven in 7. He has walked 8 times and has struck out 10 times. The Nationals have 160 hits, including 34 doubles and 23 home runs. They've stolen 9 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 3 times. Washington has walked 71 times this season and they've struck out 166 times as a unit. They've left 138 men on base and have a team OPS of .711. They score 4.1 runs per contest and have scored a total of 82 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 5-4 home record and a 12-9 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.64, Mike Leake has a 0-2 record and a 1.57 WHIP. He has 17 strikeouts over the 22.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 28 hits. He has allowed 11.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.1. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.25 and they have given up 48 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 73 times and walking 28 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.26 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.11 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 3.86. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 171 base knocks and 80 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 14 home runs this year and they give up 0.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 72 hitters and struck out 168. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.56.

As a team, they are batting .283, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .282 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .504 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .362 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 10.05 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .253 and he has an OBP of .411. He has 19 hits this year along with 14 runs scored and 16 RBI. He's struck out 19 times and has walked on 17 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .333 and he has an OBP of .419. He has collected 25 hits so far while he's scored 8 runs and drove in 10. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 11 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 211 base hits, including 44 doubles and 33 homers. They have 9 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 82 times this year and they have struck out 170 times. They've had 162 men left on base and have an OPS of .866. They score 6.52 runs per game and have totaled 137 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 7-11-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 11-9-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 14-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 11-10-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

04/28/16 P Joe Ross Finger "?" for next scheduled start
04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
04/07/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Nationals

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