Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Wrigley Field

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Probable Pitchers: Scott Kazmir vs. Jake Arrieta

The Los Angeles Dodgers visit Wrigley Field on Tuesday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Scott Kazmir for the Dodgers and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Los Angeles at +212 and Chicago at -230. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Dodgers have a 22-25-3 over/under record and a 22-28-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Cubs are 30-18-0 against the run line and have a 26-20-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 63% of the time.

The Dodgers head into this matchup with a 27-24 record, including 14-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 4.84 and a WHIP of 1.30. He has 60 strikeouts over his 57.2 innings pitched and he has given up 53 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.14. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.51 and they have given up 112 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .198 against the bullpen while being struck out 148 times and walking 56 times this season. As a team, Los Angeles has allowed 9.01 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.37 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.27. The Dodgers pitchers have collectively given up 364 base hits and 179 earned runs. They have allowed 46 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a pitching staff has walked 141 batters and struck out 463. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.09 and their FIP as a unit is 3.43.

As a team, Los Angeles is batting .256, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .271 average away from home. The Dodgers hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.6 hits per game. Adrian Gonzalez comes into this game hitting .299 and his on-base percentage is at .376. He has 53 hits this season along with 19 runs scored and 26 runs batted in. He's struck out 41 times and has walked 23 times. Corey Seager is hitting .275 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 55 hits so far while scoring 31 runs and he's driven in 24. He has walked 17 times and has struck out 35 times. The Dodgers have 426 hits, including 79 doubles and 50 home runs. They've stolen 15 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Los Angeles has walked 174 times this season and they've struck out 395 times as a unit. They've left 358 men on base and have a team OPS of .698. They score 4.39 runs per contest and have scored a total of 224 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 17-6 home record and a 34-14 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.72, Jake Arrieta has a 9-0 record and a 0.90 WHIP. He has 67 strikeouts over the 68 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 40 hits. He has allowed 5.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.73. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.05 and they have given up 93 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .198 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 139 times and walking 58 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.55 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.79 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.63. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 317 base knocks and 128 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 37 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 146 hitters and struck out 424. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.07 while their FIP as a staff is 3.38.

As a team, they are batting .261, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .251 average at home. The Cubs hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .359 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.9 hits per contest. Ben Zobrist comes into this matchup batting .351 and he has an OBP of .451. He has 59 hits this year along with 36 runs scored and 35 RBI. He's struck out 22 times and has walked on 32 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .286 and he has an OBP of .375. He has collected 54 hits so far while he's scored 37 runs and drove in 37. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 42 times. The Cubs as a unit have 427 base hits, including 87 doubles and 58 homers. They have 24 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 12 times. Chicago as a team has walked 230 times this year and they have struck out 388 times. They've had 376 men left on base and have an OPS of .790. They score 5.69 runs per game and have totaled 273 runs so far this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 22-25-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are 22-28-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 26-20-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 30-18-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Los Angeles Dodgers

05/30/16 CF Trayce Thompson Back "?" Tuesday vs. Chicago Cubs
05/24/16 P Chin-Hui Tsao Tricep 15-day DL (5/22)
05/03/16 P Josh Ravin Suspension expected to miss 80 games
04/23/16 P Yimi Garcia Bicep 60-day DL (4/23)
04/11/16 LF Scott Van Slyke Back 15-day DL (4/10)
04/05/16 P Brandon McCarthy Elbow 60-day DL (2/19)
04/05/16 P Frankie Montas Ribs 60-day DL (2/20)
04/04/16 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (3/25)
04/03/16 3B Alex Guerrero Knee 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Hyun-Jin Ryu Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 LF Andre Ethier Leg 60-day DL (3/25)

Chicago Cubs

05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs

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