Friday, August 21, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Shelby Miller (5-9) vs. Kyle Hendricks (6-5)

The Chicago Cubs welcome the Atlanta Braves to Wrigley Field on Friday. Shelby Miller is the probable starter for the Braves and he'll face Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +212 and Chicago at -230. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Braves have a 60-53 over/under record and a 64-56 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cubs have a 50-60 over/under record and a 54-64 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 46% of the time.

The Braves come into this game with a 53-67 record, and they are 21-43 away from home. Starting pitcher Shelby Miller holds a 5-9 record with an earned run average of 2.43 and a WHIP of 1.16. He's pitched 152 innings thus far while surrendering 124 hits over that time and when he starts, the Braves are 10-14. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 7-16. The team is averaging 2.7 runs when he starts. The bullpen has given up 354 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 4.34. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen while being struck out 315 times and walking 142 times this season. As a team, Atlanta has allowed 9.13 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.31 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.15.

Atlanta is batting .252 as a team, which is good for 17th in the league and hitting .253 away from home. The Braves on-base percentage sits at .313, which puts them at 17th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .363. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.5 hits per game and Nick Markakis leads the team with 136.

With a 67-51 overall record, Chicago will come into this game 34-26 at home. With an earned run average of 3.97, Kyle Hendricks will come into this game holding a 6-5 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He's pitched 131.1 innings thus far while surrendering 129 hits over that time in which the Cubs are 13-10. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 12-11. The team is averaging 3.9 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has given up 343 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.44. Teams are hitting .235 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 373 times and walking 138 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.68 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.53.

They are batting .241 as a team, which is good for 29th in the league and hitting .233 at home. The Cubs on-base percentage sits at .318, which puts them at 13th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .386. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.16 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 124.

In terms of team defense, the Braves have a fielding percentage of .986 with 63 total errors, 1,182 assists and 3,175 put outs. For the home team, they hold a .983 team fielding percentage while committing 77 errors, accumulating 1209 assists and compiling 3,203 put outs.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 60-53 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 64-56 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 50-60 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 54-64 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta Braves

08/05/15 P Jason Frasor Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
07/29/15 P Manny Banuelos Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/25)
07/11/15 P Jason Grilli Achilles Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (7/17); out for season
06/04/15 P Daniel Winkler Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/5)
06/02/15 P Paco Rodriguez Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/30)
05/19/15 2B Philip Gosselin Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/18)
04/07/15 P Josh Outman Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
04/04/15 P Mike Minor Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27); out for season
04/04/15 P Shae Simmons Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (2/20), out for season
04/04/15 P Chris Withrow Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (2/21)

Chicago Cubs

08/17/15 P Dan Haren Ankle "?" next start
07/29/15 P Neil Ramirez Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
04/15/15 2B Tommy La Stella Ribs Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/9)
04/06/15 P Jacob Turner Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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