Saturday, August 22, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Williams Perez (4-4) vs. Dan Haren (8-8)

The Atlanta Braves visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Williams Perez for the Braves and Dan Haren for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Atlanta at +208 and Chicago at -226. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Braves have a 61-53 over/under record and a 64-57 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cubs are 55-64 against the run line and have a 51-60 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Braves come into this game with a 53-68 record, and they are 21-44 away from home. Williams Perez has a 4-4 record on the season, an earned run average of 4.34 and a 1.50 WHIP. He's pitched 74.2 innings thus far while surrendering 75 hits over that time and when he starts, the Braves are 5-7. The Braves are also 6-5 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 3.7 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.30 and they have given up 355 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the bullpen while being struck out 319 times and walking 143 times this season. As a team, Atlanta has allowed 9.14 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.34 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.18.

Atlanta ranks 17th in the league in team batting average at .252 while hitting .253 on the road. The Braves hold a .362 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.5 hits per game and Nick Markakis leads the team with 136.

With a 68-51 overall record, Chicago will come into this game 35-26 at home. Dan Haren has a record of 8-8 while sporting an earned run average of 3.62 on the year with a 1.13 WHIP. He's pitched 144 innings thus far while surrendering 135 hits over that time in which the Cubs are 11-13. The Cubs are also 13-10 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.43 and they have given up 347 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 377 times and walking 139 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.51.

They rank 28th in the league in team batting average with a .241 average while hitting .234 at home. The Cubs hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.17 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 124.

Atlanta has a team fielding percentage of .986 after having committed 63 errors with 1,190 assists and 3,199 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .983 team fielding percentage while committing 78 errors, accumulating 1220 assists and compiling 3,230 put outs.

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 61-53 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 64-57 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 51-60 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 55-64 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 expected to start Saturday vs Atlanta Braves
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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