Saturday, June 27, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Donn Roach (0-0) vs. Michael Wacha (9-3)

The St. Louis Cardinals welcome the Chicago Cubs to Busch Stadium on Saturday. Donn Roach is the probable starter for the Cubs and he'll face Michael Wacha of the Cardinals. The Cubs have a 28-37 over/under record and a 31-40 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Cardinals are 40-32 against the run line and have a 26-43 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 39-32 record, including 19-17 on the road. Donn Roach is making his season debut for the Cubs after being recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The bullpen has given up 188 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 3.00. The bullpen has struck out 208 and walked 86 batters this season while opposing teams hit .225 against them. Chicago has a team average of 8.1 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.47, they are 5th in the league.

Chicago ranks 21st in the league in team batting average at .245 while hitting .253 on the road. The Cubs on-base percentage sits at .319, which puts them at 14th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .390. With 82 hits, Anthony Rizzo leads the team while his team ranks 19th in hits per game with 8.38.

With a 26-7 home record, St. Louis will hope to improve on their 48-24 overall mark. Michael Wacha has a record of 9-3 while sporting an earned run average of 2.85 on the year with a 1.09 WHIP. He's pitched 88.1 innings thus far while surrendering 76 hits over that time in which the Cardinals are 11-3. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 6-7. His teammates score an average of 5 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 182 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.10. The Cardinals bullpen has struck out 186 batters and walked 69 this season while opposing teams have hit .234 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.16 hits per game and are averaging 8.03 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.67, they are 1st in the league.

They rank 6th in the league in team batting average with a .265 average while hitting .277 at home. The Cardinals on-base percentage sits at .329, which puts them at 5th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .402. With 81 hits, Jhonny Peralta leads the team while his team ranks 9th in hits per game with 8.97.

In terms of team defense, the Cubs have a fielding percentage of .980 with 53 total errors, 731 assists and 1,931 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Cardinals have accumlated 41 errors while having 707 assists and 1,943 put outs leading to a .985 fielding percentage.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 28-37 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 31-40 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 26-43 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-32 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

06/26/15 SS Starlin Castro Personal is upgraded to probable Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/25/15 CF Dexter Fowler Ankle "?" Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/25/15 3B Kris Bryant Flu left last game, "?" Friday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
06/23/15 P Tsuyoshi Wada Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start Saturday vs. St Louis Cardinals
06/03/15 RF Jorge Soler Ankle Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/2)
04/17/15 3B Mike Olt Wrist Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/15)
04/17/15 P Neil Ramirez Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/16)
04/15/15 2B Tommy La Stella Ribs Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/9)
04/06/15 P Jacob Turner Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

St. Louis Cardinals

06/09/15 LF Matt Holliday Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (06/10)
05/27/15 1B Matt Adams Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (05/26), out for regular season
05/03/15 P Jordan Walden Bicep Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/30)
04/28/15 P Adam Wainwright Achilles Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/25); out for season
04/04/15 LF Tommy Pham Quad Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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