Thursday, October 21, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Matt Harvey (15-8) vs. Jon Lester (11-14)

The New York Mets take on the Chicago Cubs on Thursday at Wrigley Field in Game 5 of the NLCS pending the outcome of Game 4 tonight. The Mets send Matt Harvey to the mound to face Jon Lester of the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has New York at +105 and Chicago at -115. The over/under was set at 9. The Mets have a 86-77 over/under record and a 89-80 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cubs have a 74-85 over/under record and a 85-85 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 50% of the time.

The Mets show up with a 96-74 record, including 44-41 on the road. Matt Harvey has an earned run average of 2.72 and is 15-8 so far on the season while having a 1.03 WHIP. He's pitched 202 innings thus far while surrendering 167 hits over that time and when he starts, the Mets are 19-12. The Mets are also 18-12 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 4.7 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.48 and they have given up 398 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 446 and walked 170 batters this season while opposing teams hit .230 against them. New York has a team average of 8.19 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.33 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.42, they are 4th in the league.

New York ranks 28th in the league in team batting average at .244 while hitting .253 on the road. The Mets hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311 which is good for 22nd in baseball. With 159 hits, Curtis Granderson leads the team while his team ranks 27th in hits per game with 8.28.

Chicago is 51-33 at home while holding a 101-69 overall record on the season. Jon Lester is starting this game 11-14 for the season with an earned run average of 3.41 and a WHIP of 1.12. He's pitched 219 innings thus far while surrendering 196 hits over that time in which the Cubs are 17-17. The Cubs are also 10-20 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 3.6 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.38 and they have given up 450 base hits on the year. The Cubs bullpen has struck out 511 batters and walked 183 this season while opposing teams have hit .230 against them. Chicago has a team average of 7.84 hits per game and are averaging 8.92 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.39, they are 3rd in the league.

They rank 30th in the league in team batting average with a .243 average while hitting .238 at home. The Cubs hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 14th in baseball. With 167 hits, Anthony Rizzo leads the team while his team ranks 29th in hits per game with 8.19.

New York has a team fielding percentage of .986 after having committed 88 errors with 1,599 assists and 4,388 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Cubs have accumulated 111 errors while having 1,669 assists and 4,384 put outs leading to a .982 fielding percentage.

New York Mets Betting Trends

The New York Mets are 86-77 against the over/under so far this season

The New York Mets are 89-80 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 74-85 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 85-85 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

New York Mets

10/21/15 P Matt Harvey Tricep is upgraded to probable for next start
10/11/15 3B Ruben Tejada Knee out for season
09/26/15 3B Juan Uribe Chest out indefinitely
08/05/15 P Rafael Montero Rotator Cuff Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/30)
07/29/15 P Jenrry Mejia Suspension out for season
06/04/15 RF Cesar Puello Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)
05/14/15 P Buddy Carlyle Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/12)
04/06/15 P Joshua Edgin Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
04/06/15 P Zack Wheeler Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season

Chicago Cubs

10/15/15 SS Addison Russell Hamstring expected to miss NLCS
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Mets

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