Friday, September 18, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Lance Lynn (11-10) vs. Dan Haren (9-9)

The Chicago Cubs welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to Wrigley Field on Friday. The Cardinals send Lance Lynn to the mound to face Dan Haren of the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -105 and Chicago at -105. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cardinals, with a 73-72 run line record, cover the spread 50% of the time. They also have a 58-77 over/under record. The Cubs are 70-75 against the run line and have a 65-71 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Cardinals come into this game with a 91-54 record, and they are 41-30 away from home. Lance Lynn has a 11-10 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.17 and a 1.36 WHIP. The Cardinals are 15-12 over his 156 innings pitched and he's also given up 154 hits over that time period. Against the over/under, the Cardinals are 7-19 in his starts. The team is averaging 3 runs when he starts. The bullpen's earned run average is currently 2.54 and they've given up 386 hits on the season. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen while being struck out 402 times and walking 157 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.33 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.09 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.86.

St. Louis is batting .253 as a team, which is good for 15th in the league and hitting .247 away from home. Ranked at 11th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cardinals sit at .322 and they hold a .392 team slugging percentage. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.61 hits per game and Jason Heyward leads the team with 146.

With a 84-61 overall record, Chicago will come into this game 43-28 at home. Dan Haren has a record of 9-9 while sporting an earned run average of 3.87 on the year with a 1.19 WHIP. The Cubs have a record of 14-15 over the 169.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 165 hits. Against the over/under, the Cubs are 17-11 when he starts. The team is averaging 4.3 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen's earned run average is currently at 3.56 and they have given up 414 hits on the season. Teams are hitting .236 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 449 times and walking 166 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.12 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.52.

They are batting .243 as a team, which is good for 29th in the league and hitting .238 at home. Ranked at 14th in the league in on-base percentage, the Cubs sit at .318 and they hold a .399 team slugging percentage. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.23 hits per game and Anthony Rizzo leads the team with 144.

The Cardinals have committed 89 errors and have combined for 1,450 assists and 3,953 put outs leading to a .984 team fielding percentage. For the home team, they hold a .982 team fielding percentage while committing 98 errors, accumulating 1,499 assists and compiling 3,919 put outs.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 58-77 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-72 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 65-71 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 70-75 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

09/12/15 C Cody Stanley Suspension expected to miss 80 games
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 60 day disabled list (4/25); out for season

Chicago Cubs

09/17/15 RF Jorge Soler Oblique has been activated
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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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