Tag: Matt Carpenter

Matt Carpenter improbably broke his bat BEFORE hitting a fastball

This was so bizarre.

Wondering how hard MLB players swing a bat? I guess that’s what we can attribute this weirdness to on Sunday: St. Louis Cardinals vet Matt Carpenter took a fastball from Bryse Wilson that broke his bat.

But replays showed something bizarre — the ball didn’t break the bat! It was broken as Carpenter took his swing before it hit the fastball! That’s a fluky thing that you won’t see happen that often, and what’s more, the bat landed in the grass, embedded into the dirt. It was quite the sequence.

Here’s the whole thing, with some slow-mo to help you see what happened.

MLB fans can’t get enough of Matt Carpenter’s awesome mustache

Is that Don Mattingly?

Matt Carpenter is back in the majors with the New York Yankees after spending his first 11 years with the St. Louis Cardinals.

And he’s brought an awesome mustache with him

Gone is the beard that Carpenter has sported in the past. And in its place is a glorious stache that has a lot of people thinking about why Don Mattingly has time traveled from around 1988.

Carpenter has also hit a couple of dingers in his first five games in the Bronx, so fans are doubly happy.

Let’s take a look at this thing and how MLB fans are now buzzing about it:

Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals sports betting odds and lines, with MLB betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (0-2) visit the St. Louis Cardinals (2-0) Sunday at Busch Stadium for a 2:15 p.m. ET first pitch. We analyze the Pirates-Cardinals MLB betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Pirates at Cardinals: Projected starting pitchers

RHP Mitch Keller vs. RHP Dakota Hudson

Keller in 2019: 1-5, 7.13 ERA in 11 starts as a rookie.

  • Career vs. Cardinals: Never faced St. Louis before.
  • 5 road starts in 2019: 1-3, 11.14 ERA (26 ER, 21 IP).

Hudson in 2019: 16-7, 3.35 ERA in 33 games, including one start.

  • 2019 vs. Pirates: 1-0, 4.24 ERA (8 ER, 17 IP) in four games (three starts).
  • Career vs. Pirates: 2-0, 3.38 ERA (8 ER in 21 1/3 IP) in seven total appearances (three starts).

Special West Virginia betting line! Bet $1. Win $100! If either the Cardinals or Pirates hit a homer Sunday, you win. Sign up in West Virginia at BetMGM to place your legal MLB wagers and cash in on this promotional line. Bet now

Pirates at Cardinals: Key injuries

(List of injuries around the league)

Pirates

  • SP Chris Archer (shoulder) out
  • OF Gregory Polanco (COVID-19) doubtful

Cardinals

  • RP Giovanny Gallegos (travel restrictions) doubtful
  • RP Jordan Hicks (elbow) out

Pirates at Cardinals: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 5:40 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Pirates 8, Cardinals 5

Moneyline (ML)

The PIRATES at +140 to pull off an upset is just a terrible price. Mathematically it says that team wins 41% of the time, however, the Cardinals beat Pittsburgh in 14 of 19 meetings in 2019, and have won the first two games this season.

So, the only gaming logic I can muster up to bet the Pirates here is that they are so poorly priced BetMGM is trying to get us to take the Cardinals. You know bookmakers are always trying to sucker us.

And you know what? I am betting on this logic. We got first win of the season motivation, plus four of the five Pirates wins over the Cardinals last season being in St. Louis, on our side.

Here’s the thing though, because of writing deadlines I am giving this pick out now. But the Pirates (+140) will get juicier so maybe wait closer to first pitch before wagering. BET PIRATES (+140).

New to sports betting? A $100 bet on the Pirates (+140) earns a $140 profit if they upset the Cardinals.

Run line/Against the spread (ATS)

Since we are taking the Pirates (+1.5, -154) on the upset because of bizarro pricing, we are PASSING on the run line. Let me explain. This could go bad because Pittsburgh is bad — the Pirates had the fifth-worst run line record in the MLB last season (75-87). Plus, they gave up the third-most runs.

It’s outrageous to pay -154 for a measly +1.5 runs against a Cardinals team projected to have six more wins this season than the Pirates. St. Louis also beat Pittsburgh by two-plus runs nine times in 2019. AVOID THE RUN LINE.

Over/Under (O/U)

Oh, we LOVE the OVER 9 (-110). Pittsburgh played the most Overs in MLB last year (93-63-6 O/U) and had the fourth-highest percentage of Overs in division games and road games.

The Cardinals starter — Hudson — is talented but hasn’t exactly dominated Pittsburgh in his limited action against them. The Pirates’ current lineup slashed .298 BA/.364 OBP/.404 slugging percentage in 47 at-bats against Hudson, according to DailyBaseballData.com. There weren’t a lot of runs put up, but maybe they’re due? 

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Matt Carpenter, Dillon Dingler named Ohio State baseball captains for 2020

Ohio State baseball chose its captains for the 2020 season. Both Matt Carpenter and Dillon Dingler will lead the team.

In preparation for the college baseball season that’s set to open up in about three weeks, the Ohio State baseball team has named its 2020 team captains. Both infielder Matt Carpenter and catcher Dillon Dingler were chosen by their teammates last week.

“Both Carp and Ding have the pulse of the locker room,” said coach Greg Beals. “They each have a great feel for the game and they know how to win. Both are well-deserving of their roles as captain.”

Both are upper-classmen. As a fifth-year senior, Carpenter has already appeared in 67 games, including starting 41 one season ago. He batted .257 last year with eight doubles, two triples, 25 runs scored, and 15 RBIs. He is a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Dingler was selected as a captain as a sophomore last year as well. He was named Second-Team All-Big Ten and was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team last year. He has appeared in 102 games with 88 total starts. In two seasons, he has accumulated 17 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 62 runs scored, and 36 RBIs. He is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and a 2019 Academic-All Big Ten Selection.

The team should be in good hands with this duo leading the team in 2020.