Saturday, September 24, 2016

PNC Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Joe Ross vs. Ivan Nova

The Washington Nationals head to PNC Park on Saturday to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable pitchers are Joe Ross for the Nationals and Ivan Nova for the Pirates. The opening line for this game has Washington at -147 and Pittsburgh at +137. The over/under is 8. The Nationals have a 70-74-8 over/under mark and a 77-75-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Pirates are 72-80-0 against the run line and have a 83-65-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Nationals head into this game with a 89-63 record, and they are 43-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Joe Ross has a 7-5 record with an ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 84 strikeouts during his 98.1 innings pitched and he has given up 100 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.42. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.28 and they have allowed 389 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the pen while they've been struck out 449 times and walked 149 times this year. As a unit, Washington has given up 7.76 base hits per nine innings while striking out 9.09 hitters per nine. They are 2nd in the Majors 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 hitting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .256 average on the road. The Nationals have a .426 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .324 which is good for 10th in the league. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.66 hits per contest. 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 game with a 36-38 home mark and a 76-76 overall record. With an ERA of 4.19, Ivan Nova has a 12-7 record and a 1.25 WHIP. He has 120 strikeouts over the 152.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 163 hits. He has allowed 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.2. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have given up 506 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the Pirates bullpen while being struck out 491 times and walking 212 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.14 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.55 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,387 base knocks and 629 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 169 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 494 hitters and struck out 1,146. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.38 while their FIP as a staff is 4.28.

As a team, they are batting .258, 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 8.86 hits per contest. Starling Marte comes into this matchup batting .311 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 152 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 .257 and he has an OBP of .336. He has collected 145 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 1,346 base hits, including 267 doubles and 146 homers. They have 105 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 43 times. Pittsburgh as a team has walked 526 times this year and they have struck out 1,238 times. They've had 1,095 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They score 4.56 runs per game and have totaled 693 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 83-65-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 72-80-0 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

09/23/16 LF Starling Marte Back doubtful Friday vs. Washington Nationals
09/22/16 SS Jordy Mercer Forearm "?" Friday vs. Washington Nationals
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 Pirates

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