Saturday, October 1, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chad Kuhl vs. Jaime Garcia

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Saturday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Chad Kuhl for the Pirates and Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals. The Pirates have a 88-67-4 over/under record and a 73-86-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cardinals are 73-86-0 against the run line and have a 82-71-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 78-80 record, including 40-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Chad Kuhl has a 5-4 record with an earned run average of 4.25 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 48 strikeouts over his 65.2 innings pitched and he has given up 65 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.12. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 541 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen while being struck out 527 times and walking 229 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.21 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.65 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.17. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 1,460 base hits and 661 earned runs. They have allowed 175 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 522 batters and struck out 1,213. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.28.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .258, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.84 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .255 and his on-base percentage is at .337. He has 150 hits this season along with 81 runs scored and 77 runs batted in. He's struck out 140 times and has walked 69 times. Starling Marte is hitting .311 and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 152 hits so far while scoring 71 runs and he's driven in 46. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 104 times. The Pirates have 1,405 hits, including 277 doubles and 151 home runs. They've stolen 106 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 44 times. Pittsburgh has walked 554 times this season and they've struck out 1,299 times as a unit. They've left 1,153 men on base and have a team OPS of .738. They score 4.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 722 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 35-43 home record and a 83-76 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.67, Jaime Garcia has a 10-13 record and a 1.38 WHIP. He has 150 strikeouts over the 171.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 179 hits. He has allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.49. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.68 and they have given up 435 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 489 times and walking 188 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.93 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.95 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.11. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,411 base knocks and 649 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 157 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 468 hitters and struck out 1,255. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 3.91.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .250 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.7 hits per contest. Aledmys Diaz comes into this matchup batting .301 and he has an OBP of .371. He has 118 hits this year along with 69 runs scored and 65 RBI. He's struck out 59 times and has walked on 40 occasions. Stephen Piscotty is hitting .274 and he has an OBP of .345. He has collected 156 hits so far while he's scored 84 runs and drove in 83. He has earned a walk 51 times and has punched out 131 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,385 base hits, including 292 doubles and 220 homers. They have 35 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 26 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 515 times this year and they have struck out 1,299 times. They've had 1,093 men left on base and have an OPS of .765. They score 4.77 runs per game and have totaled 758 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 88-67-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 73-86-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 82-71-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-86-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/29/16 C Francisco Cervelli Hand "?" Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
09/29/16 RF Gregory Polanco Neck "?" Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
09/29/16 P Neftali Feliz Arm out for season
09/28/16 LF Starling Marte Back out indefinitely
09/25/16 P AJ Schugel Shoulder 60-day DL (9/23)
09/14/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 60-day DL (9/13)
09/14/16 C Elias Diaz Knee 60-day DL (9/13), out for season
09/14/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow 60-day DL (9/13), out for season
09/12/16 2B Josh Harrison Groin 60-day DL (9/10), out for season

St. Louis Cardinals

09/29/16 2B Kolten Wong Shoulder "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/05/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 60-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates

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