Saturday, June 4, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edwin Escobar vs. Jason Hammel

The Arizona Diamondbacks visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Edwin Escobar for the Diamondbacks and Jason Hammel for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Arizona at +242 and Chicago at -265. The over/under was set at 8. The Diamondbacks have a 31-22-3 over/under record and a 26-30-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cubs are 32-20-0 against the run line and have a 27-23-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 62% of the time.

The Diamondbacks head into this matchup with a 24-32 record, including 15-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Edwin Escobar has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 18.90 and a WHIP of 3.30. He has 2 strikeouts over his 3.1 innings pitched and he has given up 10 hits so far this season. He has allowed 27 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.63. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 196 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the bullpen while being struck out 168 times and walking 83 times this season. As a team, Arizona has allowed 9.54 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.81 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.76. The Diamondbacks pitchers have collectively given up 539 base hits and 269 earned runs. They have allowed 63 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Arizona as a pitching staff has walked 198 batters and struck out 441. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 4.32.

As a team, Arizona is batting .265, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .271 average away from home. The Diamondbacks hold a .435 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.3 hits per game. Paul Goldschmidt comes into this game hitting .263 and his on-base percentage is at .419. He has 50 hits this season along with 28 runs scored and 33 runs batted in. He's struck out 57 times and has walked 50 times. Jean Segura is hitting .301 and he has an on-base percentage of .332. He has totaled 68 hits so far while scoring 28 runs and he's driven in 27. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 33 times. The Diamondbacks have 521 hits, including 103 doubles and 62 home runs. They've stolen 36 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 13 times. Arizona has walked 167 times this season and they've struck out 455 times as a unit. They've left 394 men on base and have a team OPS of .762. They score 4.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 254 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 20-7 home record and a 37-15 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.09, Jason Hammel has a 6-1 record and a 1.16 WHIP. He has 50 strikeouts over the 56 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 43 hits. He has allowed 6.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.33. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.15 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .196 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 148 times and walking 60 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.35 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.58. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 333 base knocks and 136 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 40 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 154 hitters and struck out 460. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.04 while their FIP as a staff is 3.36.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .243 average at home. The Cubs hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .354 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.63 hits per contest. Ben Zobrist comes into this matchup batting .339 and he has an OBP of .439. He has 60 hits this year along with 37 runs scored and 35 RBI. He's struck out 27 times and has walked on 33 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .279 and he has an OBP of .364. He has collected 57 hits so far while he's scored 39 runs and drove in 40. He has earned a walk 23 times and has punched out 49 times. The Cubs as a unit have 449 base hits, including 88 doubles and 63 homers. They have 26 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 15 times. Chicago as a team has walked 239 times this year and they have struck out 430 times. They've had 395 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They score 5.46 runs per game and have totaled 284 runs so far this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Trends

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 31-22-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 26-30-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 27-23-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 32-20-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Arizona Diamondbacks

06/02/16 LF Yasmany Tomas Knee "?" Friday vs. Chicago Cubs
05/28/16 P Shelby Miller Finger 15-day DL (5/25)
05/27/16 P Rubby De La Rosa Elbow 15-day DL (5/26)
05/15/16 RF David Peralta Wrist 15-day DL (5/9)
04/02/16 CF A.J. Pollock Elbow 60-day DL (4/2), out for season

Chicago Cubs

06/02/16 P Jason Hammel Hamstring is upgraded to expected to start Saturday vs Arizona Diamondbacks
05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Diamondbacks

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