Friday, September 23, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gio Gonzalez vs. Jameson Taillon

The Washington Nationals visit PNC Park on Friday to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are Gio Gonzalez for the Nationals and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at +110 and Pittsburgh at -120. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Nationals have a 70-74-8 over/under record and a 77-75-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Pirates are 72-79-0 against the run line and have a 83-64-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 89-63 record, including 43-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez has a 11-10 record with an earned run average of 4.48 and a WHIP of 1.30. He has 162 strikeouts over his 168.2 innings pitched and he has given up 166 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.78. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.28 and they have given up 389 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the bullpen while being struck out 449 times and walking 149 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 7.76 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.09 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.43. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 1,182 base hits and 522 earned runs. They have allowed 143 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 432 batters and struck out 1,386. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.18 and their FIP as a unit is 3.53.

As a team, Washington is batting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .256 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.66 hits per game. Daniel Murphy comes into this game hitting .347 and his on-base percentage is at .391. He has 184 hits this season along with 88 runs scored and 104 runs batted in. He's struck out 57 times and has walked 35 times. Wilson Ramos is hitting .303 and he has an on-base percentage of .352. He has totaled 142 hits so far while scoring 56 runs and he's driven in 79. He has walked 35 times and has struck out 74 times. The Nationals have 1,317 hits, including 253 doubles and 193 home runs. They've stolen 110 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 35 times. Washington has walked 499 times this season and they've struck out 1,163 times as a unit. They've left 1,037 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.69 runs per contest and have scored a total of 713 runs so far this year.

Pittsburgh comes into this matchup with a 36-38 home record and a 76-75 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.39, Jameson Taillon has a 4-4 record and a 1.14 WHIP. He has 74 strikeouts over the 93 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 92 hits. He has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 504 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 488 times and walking 211 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.17 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.53 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,383 base knocks and 626 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 167 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 491 hitters and struck out 1,136. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.28.

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .271 average at 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 9th in baseball with 8.88 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .310 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 151 hits this year along with 71 runs scored and 46 RBI. He's struck out 104 times and has walked on 23 occasions. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .255 and he has an OBP of .335. He has collected 143 hits so far while he's scored 79 runs and drove in 75. He has earned a walk 64 times and has punched out 136 times. The Pirates as a unit have 1,341 base hits, including 266 doubles and 145 homers. They have 105 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 43 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 523 times this year and they have struck out 1,229 times. They've had 1,090 men left on base and have an OPS of .739. They score 4.58 runs per game and have totaled 692 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 70-74-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 77-75-0 against the run line so far this season

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 83-64-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 72-79-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

09/22/16 2B Daniel Murphy Leg "?" Friday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
09/12/16 P Mat Latos Hamstring "?" for next scheduled start
09/09/16 P Stephen Strasburg Elbow out indefinitely
08/18/16 P Sammy Solis Shoulder 15-day DL (8/16)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Pittsburgh Pirates

09/20/16 LF Starling Marte Back out indefinitely
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 15-day DL (9/10), out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Nationals

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