Thursday, September 10, 2015

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta (18-6) vs. Adam Morgan (5-5)

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday. Jake Arrieta is the probable starter for the Cubs and he'll face Adam Morgan of the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -301 and Philadelphia at +269. The over/under was set at 8. The Cubs, with a 65-72 run line record, cover the spread 47% of the time. They also have a 61-68 over/under record. The Phillies have a 75-53 over/under record and a 68-71 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 49% of the time.

The Cubs come into this game with a 80-57 record, and they are 37-29 away from home. Jake Arrieta has a 18-6 record on the season, an earned run average of 2.03 and a 0.92 WHIP. In his starts, the Cubs are 20-8 over his 191 innings pitched this season while giving up 132 hits during those innings. Against the over/under, the Cubs are 8-15 in his starts. He is getting 4.1 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.64 and they have given up 401 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 423 and walked 160 batters this season while opposing teams hit .240 against them. Chicago has a team average of 8.2 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.67 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.56, they are 6th in the league.

As a team, Chicago is batting .242, good for 30th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 14th in baseball. With 139 hits, Anthony Rizzo leads the team while his team ranks 28th in hits per game with 8.18.

With a 54-85 overall record, Philadelphia will come into this game 31-36 at home. Adam Morgan has a record of 5-5 while sporting an earned run average of 4.42 on the year with a 1.24 WHIP. In his starts, the Phillies are 7-6 and he has allowed 75 hits over 73.1 innings pitched this season. Against the over/under, the Phillies are 6-6 when he starts. He is getting 4.2 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.82 and they have given up 473 base hits on the year. The Phillies bullpen has struck out 440 batters and walked 192 this season while opposing teams have hit .259 against them. Philadelphia has a team average of 10.08 hits per game and are averaging 7.16 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 4.84, they are 29th in the league.

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .252 average at home. The Phillies hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which is good for 28th in baseball. With 149 hits, Ben Revere leads the team while his team ranks 13th in hits per game with 8.66.

Chicago has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 93 errors with 1,403 assists and 3,704 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Phillies have accumulated 96 errors while having 1,341 assists and 3,681 put outs leading to a .981 fielding percentage.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 61-68 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 65-72 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 75-53 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 68-71 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

08/25/15 P Jason Motte Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/24)
08/25/15 RF Jorge Soler Oblique Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/24)
07/29/15 P Neil Ramirez Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
04/06/15 P Jacob Turner Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Philadelphia Phillies

09/03/15 RF Domonic Brown Concussion out indefinitely
09/01/15 P Matt Harrison Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (7/31), out for season
08/28/15 P Elvis Araujo Groin Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (8/28), out for season
08/19/15 3B Maikel Franco Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/12)
07/21/15 P Chad Billingsley Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (7/19), out for season
04/06/15 P Jonathan Pettibone Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/06/15 P Mario Hollands Arch Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
04/04/15 P Cliff Lee Arm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/16)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs

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