Sunday, June 28, 2015

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel (5-2) vs. Carlos Martinez (8-3)

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Sunday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jason Hammel for the Cubs and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at +125 and St. Louis at -135. The over/under was set at 7. The Cubs, with a 32-40 run line record, cover the spread 44% of the time. They also have a 28-38 over/under record. The Cardinals have a 26-44 over/under record and a 40-33 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 55% of the time.

The Cubs come into this game with a 39-33 record, and they are 19-18 away from home. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel holds a 5-2 record with an earned run average of 2.65 and a WHIP of 0.94. The Cubs are 7-7 over his 91.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 70 hits over that time period. Against the over/under, the Cubs are 5-9 in his starts. His teammates are averaging 3.9 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 191 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 3.02. Teams are hitting .226 against the bullpen while being struck out 210 times and walking 88 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.45.

Chicago ranks 21st in the league in team batting average at .246 while hitting .254 on the road. The Cubs on-base percentage sits at .320, which puts them at 14th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .390. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.43 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 82.

With a 49-24 overall record, St. Louis will come into this game 27-7 at home. With an earned run average of 2.89, Carlos Martinez will come into this game holding a 8-3 record and a 1.26 WHIP. The Cardinals have a record of 11-3 over the 87.1 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 74 hits. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 5-7 when he starts. His teammates score an average of 4.6 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 186 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.07. Teams are hitting .235 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 189 times and walking 69 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.65.

They rank 6th in the league in team batting average with a .263 average while hitting .274 at home. The Cardinals on-base percentage sits at .328, which puts them at 5th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .402. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.93 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 81.

In terms of team defense, the Cubs have a fielding percentage of .980 with 54 total errors, 741 assists and 1,958 put outs. For the home team, they hold a .985 team fielding percentage while committing 41 errors, accumulating 714 assists and compiling 1,973 put outs.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 28-38 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 32-40 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 26-44 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 40-33 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

06/27/15 P Tsuyoshi Wada Shoulder expected to miss 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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