Friday, September 30, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Tyler Glasnow vs. Carlos Martinez

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Busch Stadium on Friday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Tyler Glasnow for the Pirates and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +179 and St. Louis at -189. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 88-66-4 over/under record and a 73-85-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cardinals are 73-85-0 against the run line and have a 82-70-6 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 Tyler Glasnow has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.64. He has 20 strikeouts over his 18.1 innings pitched and he has given up 21 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.47. 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 9.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.65 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 1,456 base hits and 660 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 1,208. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.29.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .259, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.88 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .256 and his on-base percentage is at .336. 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 68 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 1,403 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 552 times this season and they've struck out 1,295 times as a unit. They've left 1,150 men on base and have a team OPS of .739. They score 4.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 721 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 34-43 home record and a 82-76 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.15, Carlos Martinez has a 15-9 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 165 strikeouts over the 188.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 164 hits. He has allowed 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.7. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.67 and they have given up 430 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 484 times and walking 187 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.92 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.93 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,399 base knocks and 646 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 465 hitters and struck out 1,244. 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 3.92.

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 .298 and he has an OBP of .367. He has 116 hits this year along with 68 runs scored and 65 RBI. He's struck out 59 times and has walked on 39 occasions. Stephen Piscotty is hitting .274 and he has an OBP of .344. He has collected 155 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 1,376 base hits, including 289 doubles and 218 homers. They have 35 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 26 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 512 times this year and they have struck out 1,288 times. They've had 1,084 men left on base and have an OPS of .764. They score 4.77 runs per game and have totaled 754 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 88-66-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 73-85-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 82-70-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-85-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/28/16 RF Gregory Polanco Neck "?" Thursday vs. Chicago Cubs
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

09/28/16 2B Kolten Wong Shoulder "?" Thursday vs. Cincinnati Reds
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

Josh's Pick: Take the Pirates

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