Saturday, July 18, 2015

Turner Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester (4-8) vs. Manuel Banuelos (1-0)

The Chicago Cubs visit Turner Field on Saturday to play the Atlanta Braves. The Cubs send Jon Lester to the mound to face Manuel Banuelos of the Braves. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -138 and Atlanta at +128. The over/under was set at 7. The Cubs, with a 39-48 run line record, cover the spread 45% of the time. They also have a 34-46 over/under record. The Braves are 50-39 against the run line and have a 47-38 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Cubs come into this game with a 47-40 record, and they are 22-20 away from home. Jon Lester has an earned run average of 3.59 and is 4-8 so far on the season while having a 1.26 WHIP. He's pitched 110.1 innings thus far while surrendering 109 hits over that time and when he starts, the Cubs are 9-9. The Cubs are also 5-11 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 2.6 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.13 and they have given up 224 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the bullpen while being struck out 257 times and walking 106 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.62 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.31.

As a team, Chicago is batting .239, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .374 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.09 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 93.

With a 42-47 overall record, Atlanta will come into this game 23-17 at home. Manuel Banuelos is starting this game 1-0 for the season with an earned run average of 0.75 and a WHIP of 0.92. He's pitched 12 innings thus far while surrendering 7 hits over that time in which the Braves are 2-0. The Braves are also 0-2 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 3 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.40 and they have given up 264 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the Braves bullpen while being struck out 241 times and walking 110 times this season. As a team, Atlanta has allowed 9.09 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.44 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.04.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .253 average at home. The Braves hold a .368 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.65 hits per game and Nick Markakis leads the team with 98.

Chicago has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 60 errors with 890 assists and 2,363 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .985 team fielding percentage while committing 48 errors, accumulating 899 assists and compiling 2,359 put outs.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 34-46 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 39-48 against the run line so far this season

Atlanta Braves Betting Trends

The Atlanta Braves are 47-38 against the over/under so far this season

The Atlanta Braves are 50-39 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

07/17/15 C Miguel Montero Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list
07/10/15 P Jason Hammel Hamstring left last game, probable next start
06/29/15 P Tsuyoshi Wada Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/23)
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)

Atlanta Braves

07/11/15 P Jason Grilli Achilles out for season
06/27/15 P Williams Perez Foot Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/27)
06/23/15 1B Freddie Freeman Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/18)
06/04/15 P Daniel Winkler Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/5)
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)
04/06/15 P Bronson Arroyo Elbow 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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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