Monday, March 13, 2017

Roger Dean Stadium

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Probable Pitchers: Charlie Morton vs. Michael Wacha

The Houston Astros visit Roger Dean Stadium on Monday, March 13, 2017 to play the St. Louis Cardinals in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Charlie Morton for the Astros and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals.

The opening line for this matchup has Houston at +100 and St. Louis at -120. The Astros had a 73-81-8 over/under record and a 72-90-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 44% of the time. The Cardinals were 75-87-0 against the run line and had a 83-73-6 over/under record. They covered the spread 46% of the time.

The Astros are coming off a 84-78 record in 2016, including 41-40 on the road. Starting pitcher Charlie Morton had a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 4.15 and a WHIP of 1.33. He had 19 strikeouts over his 17.1 innings pitched and he gave up 15 hits last season. He allowed 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.09. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 3.56 and they gave up 475 base hits on the year. Teams hit .227 against the bullpen while being struck out 617 times and walking 153 times last season. As a team, Houston allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine innings. They were 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.07. The Astros pitchers collectively gave up 1,441 base hits and 663 earned runs. They allowed 181 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff walked 453 batters and struck out 1,396. They walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit was 3.85.

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As a team Houston batted .247, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .255 average away from home. The Astros held a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which was good for 19th in baseball. They ranked 23rd in baseball with 8.44 hits per game. George Springer is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .261 with an on-base percentage of .359. He had 168 hits last season along with 116 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He struck out 178 times and walked 88 times. Jose Altuve hit .338 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .396. He totaled 216 hits while scoring 108 runs and he drove in 96. He walked 60 times and struck out on 70 occasions. The Astros had 1,367 hits, including 291 doubles and 198 home runs. They stole 102 bases and were thrown out stealing 44 times. Houston walked 554 times last season and they struck out 1,452 times as a unit. They left 1,086 men on base and had a team OPS of .735. They scored 4.47 runs per contest and scored a total of 724 runs last year.

St. Louis had a 38-43 home record and a 86-76 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 5.09, Michael Wacha had a 7-7 record and a 1.48 WHIP last season. He had 114 strikeouts over the 138 innings he pitched during which he gave up 159 hits. He allowed 10.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.91. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 3.62 and they gave up 443 base hits on the year. Teams hit .227 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 506 times and walking 190 times last season. As a team, St. Louis allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine innings. They were 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Cardinals pitchers as a team surrendered 1,432 base knocks and 656 earned runs last season. They gave up 159 home runs last year and they gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff walked 475 hitters and struck out 1,290. They gave up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.32 while their FIP as a staff was 3.88.

As a team, they batted .255, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Cardinals held a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which was good for 11th in baseball. They ranked 13th in baseball with 8.73 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup after batting .271 with an OBP of .380. He had 128 hits last year along with 81 runs scored and 68 RBI. He struck out 108 times and walked on 81 occasions. Stephen Piscotty hit .273 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .343. He collected 159 hits while scoring 86 runs and driving in 85. He earned a walk 51 times and punched out 133 times. The Cardinals as a unit had 1,416 base hits, including 300 doubles and 225 homers. They had 35 stolen bases and were thrown out 26 times. St. Louis as a team walked 526 times last year and they struck out 1,318 times. They had 1,113 men left on base and had an OPS of .768. They scored 4.81 runs per game and totaled 779 runs last season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros were 73-81-8 against the over/under last season

The Houston Astros were 72-90-0 against the run line last season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals were 83-73-6 against the over/under last season

The St. Louis Cardinals were 75-87-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

No key injuries to report

St. Louis Cardinals

02/20/17 P Alex Reyes Elbow out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros +100

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