Friday, August 7, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake (9-6) vs. Jon Lester (6-8)

The Chicago Cubs host the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field on Friday. The Giants send Mike Leake to the mound to face Jon Lester of the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has San Francisco at +135 and Chicago at -145. The Giants, with a 58-49 run line record, cover the spread 54% of the time. They also have a 52-47 over/under record. The Cubs have a 41-57 over/under record and a 48-58 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 45% of the time.

The Giants head into this matchup with a 59-48 record, including 29-25 on the road. Mike Leake has an earned run average of 3.52 and is 9-6 so far on the season while having a 1.17 WHIP. In his starts, the Giants are 11-11 over his 143 innings pitched this season while giving up 131 hits during those innings. The Giants are also 11-11 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 4 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 295 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 3.31. Opposing teams are hitting .237 against the Giants bullpen while walking 96 times and striking out 265 times. San Francisco is averaging 7.1 strikeouts per game while getting 8.57 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 12th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.67.

San Francisco ranks 3rd in the league in team batting average at .273 while hitting .276 on the road. The Giants on-base percentage sits at .329, which puts them at 4th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .413. Buster Posey leads the team in hits with 122 while the team ranks 2nd in baseball with 9.46 hits per game.

With a 27-24 home record, Chicago will hope to improve on their 58-48 overall mark. Jon Lester is starting this game 6-8 for the season with an earned run average of 3.26 and a WHIP of 1.17. In his starts, the Cubs are 11-10 and he has allowed 123 hits over 132.2 innings pitched this season. The Cubs are also 5-14 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 2.7 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has given up 298 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.41. Opposing teams are hitting .234 against the Cubs bullpen while walking 127 times and striking out 317 times. Chicago is averaging 8.56 strikeouts per game while getting 8.07 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.42.

They rank 29th in the league in team batting average with a .239 average while hitting .227 at home. The Cubs on-base percentage sits at .315, which puts them at 15th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .374. Anthony Rizzo leads the team in hits with 113 while the team ranks 28th in baseball with 8.09 hits a game.

In terms of team defense, the Giants have a fielding percentage of .987 with 53 total errors, 1,137 assists and 2,873 put outs. The Cubs have committed 71 errors on the season with 1098 assists and 2,879 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .982 on the year.

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 52-47 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 58-49 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 41-57 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 48-58 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

San Francisco Giants

08/05/15 C Buster Posey Rest expected to miss Thursday vs. Chicago Cubs
08/04/15 2B Joe Panik Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
07/31/15 P Tim Hudson Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/31)
07/20/15 C Andrew Susac Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/19)
07/01/15 P Tim Lincecum Forearm Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/28)
06/18/15 2B Marco Scutaro Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/17); out for season

Chicago Cubs

07/29/15 P Neil Ramirez Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
07/17/15 C Miguel Montero Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/12)
04/15/15 2B Tommy La Stella Ribs Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/9)
04/06/15 P Jacob Turner Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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