Monday, July 6, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey (6-5) vs. Jon Lester (4-6)

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Monday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cardinals and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +113 and Chicago at -123. The over/under was set at 0. The Cardinals have a 29-48 over/under record and a 43-37 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Cubs are 35-44 against the run line and have a 31-42 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Cardinals come into this game with a 52-28 record, and they are 22-17 away from home. John Lackey has an earned run average of 3.30 and is 6-5 so far on the season while having a 1.24 WHIP. The Cardinals are 9-7 over his 103.2 innings pitched and he's also given up 103 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 6-10. The team is averaging 3.5 runs when he starts. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 2.18 and they've given up 207 hits on the season. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen while being struck out 213 times and walking 76 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.17 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.07 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.62.

St. Louis is batting .260 as a team, which is good for 7th in the league and hitting .254 away from home. Ranked at 5th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cardinals sit at .325 and they hold a .394 team slugging percentage. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.81 hits per game and Jhonny Peralta leads the team with 90.

With a 43-36 overall record, Chicago will come into this game 21-16 at home. Jon Lester is starting this game 4-6 for the season with an earned run average of 3.74 and a WHIP of 1.33. The Cubs have a record of 9-7 over the 96.1 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 100 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 5-10. The team is averaging 2.9 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 2.90 and they have given up 203 hits on the season. Teams are hitting .220 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 236 times and walking 98 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.64 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.36.

They are batting .241 as a team, which is good for 26th in the league and hitting .232 at home. Ranked at 15th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cubs sit at .317 and they hold a .382 team slugging percentage. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.24 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 85.

The Cardinals have committed 46 errors and have combined for 792 assists and 2,174 put outs leading to a .985 team fielding percentage. For the home team, they hold a .981 team fielding percentage while committing 58 errors, accumulating 801 assists and compiling 2,147 put outs.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 29-48 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 43-37 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 31-42 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 35-44 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

07/03/15 CF Jon Jay Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/1)
07/01/15 P Matt Belisle Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/26)
06/30/15 P Jaime Garcia Groin "?" for next scheduled start Tuesday
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 60 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

Chicago Cubs

07/05/15 1B Anthony Rizzo Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday vs. Miami Marlins
06/29/15 P Tsuyoshi Wada Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/23)
04/17/15 3B Mike Olt Wrist Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/15)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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