Saturday, October 10, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks (8-7) vs. Jaime Garcia (10-6)

The St. Louis Cardinals welcome the Chicago Cubs to Busch Stadium on Saturday in Game 2 of the NLDS. Kyle Hendricks is the probable starter for the Cubs and he'll face Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at +115 and St. Louis at -105. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cubs have a 71-82 over/under record and a 82-81 run line mark, meaning they cover 50% of the time. The Cardinals are 81-81 against the run line and have a 66-85 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 98-65 record, including 49-33 on the road. Kyle Hendricks has an earned run average of 3.95 and is 8-7 so far on the season while having a 1.16 WHIP. The Cubs are 19-13 over his 180 innings pitched and he's also given up 166 hits over that time period. Against the over/under, the Cubs are 16-16 in his starts. He is getting 4 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.38 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 511 and walked 183 batters this season while opposing teams hit .230 against them. Chicago has a team average of 7.83 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.83 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.34, they are 3rd in the league.

As a team, Chicago is batting .244, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .398 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 12th in baseball. With 163 hits, Anthony Rizzo leads the team while his team ranks 28th in hits per game with 8.27.

With a 55-26 home record, St. Louis will hope to improve on their 100-62 overall mark. Jaime Garcia is starting this game 10-6 for the season with an earned run average of 2.43 and a WHIP of 1.05. The Cardinals have a record of 13-7 over the 129.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 106 hits. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 6-13 when he starts. He is getting 3.1 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.82 and they have given up 442 base hits on the year. The Cardinals bullpen has struck out 466 batters and walked 183 this season while opposing teams have hit .238 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.35 hits per game and are averaging 8.17 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.94, they are 1st in the league.

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .262 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 13th in baseball. With 160 hits, Jason Heyward leads the team while his team ranks 14th in hits per game with 8.56.

Chicago has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 111 errors with 1,669 assists and 4,384 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Cardinals have accumulated 96 errors while having 1,617 assists and 4,394 put outs leading to a .984 fielding percentage.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 71-82 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 82-81 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 66-85 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 81-81 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)
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)

St. Louis Cardinals

10/08/15 C Yadier Molina Thumb is upgraded to probable Friday vs. Chicago Cubs
09/26/15 P Carlos Martinez Shoulder out for season
09/12/15 C Cody Stanley Suspension expected to miss 80 games
05/03/15 P Jordan Walden Bicep Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/30)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Guy Bruhn