Saturday, September 19, 2015

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha (16-5) vs. Trevor Cahill (0-3)

The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs on Saturday at Wrigley Field. Michael Wacha is the probable starter for the Cardinals and he'll face Trevor Cahill of the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at -110 and Chicago at +125. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cardinals, with a 74-72 run line record, cover the spread 51% of the time. They also have a 59-77 over/under record. The Cubs have a 66-71 over/under record and a 71-75 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 49% of the time.

The Cardinals show up with a 92-54 record, including 42-30 on the road. Michael Wacha has an earned run average of 2.96 and is 16-5 so far on the season while having a 1.15 WHIP. The Cardinals are 20-7 over his 167.1 innings pitched and he's also given up 146 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 13-13. The team is averaging 5.1 runs when he starts. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.66 and they have given up 395 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 410 and walked 162 batters this season while opposing teams hit .237 against them. St. Louis has a team average of 8.32 hits allowed per game and are averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 2.86, they are 1st in the league.

St. Louis is batting .254 as a team, which is good for 14th in the league and hitting .249 away from home. The Cardinals hold a .393 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 13th in baseball. With 147 hits, Jason Heyward leads the team while his team ranks 15th in hits per game with 8.64.

Chicago is 43-28 at home while holding a 85-61 overall record on the season. Trevor Cahill is starting this game 0-3 for the season with an earned run average of 6.23 and a WHIP of 1.47. The Cubs have a record of 4-6 over the 34.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 38 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 0-1. The team is averaging 4.2 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.51 and they have given up 421 base hits on the year. The Cubs bullpen has struck out 462 batters and walked 169 this season while opposing teams have hit .235 against them. Chicago has a team average of 8.14 hits per game and are averaging 8.72 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.54, they are 6th in the league.

They are batting .244 as a team, which is good for 29th in the league and hitting .238 at home. The Cubs hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 14th in baseball. With 147 hits, Anthony Rizzo leads the team while his team ranks 27th in hits per game with 8.29.

St. Louis has a team fielding percentage of .984 after having committed 89 errors with 1,460 assists and 3,980 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Cubs have accumulated 98 errors while having 1,514 assists and 3,946 put outs leading to a .982 fielding percentage.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 59-77 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 74-72 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 66-71 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 71-75 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

09/18/15 LF Matt Holliday Head left last game, "?" Saturday vs. Chicago Cubs
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

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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