Thursday, April 7, 2016

Chase Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Rubby De La Rosa

The Chicago Cubs visit Chase Field on Thursday to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Rubby De La Rosa for the Diamondbacks. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -118 and Arizona at +108. The over/under was set at 9. The Cubs had a 75-85-11 over/under record last season and a 85-86-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 50% of the time. The Diamondbacks were 84-78-0 against the run line and had a 80-74-8 over/under record. They covered the spread 52% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup coming off a 97 - 65 season, including 48-33 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey had a 13 - 10 record with an earned run average of 2.77 and a WHIP of 1.21. He had 175 strikeouts over his 218 innings pitched and he also gave up 211 hits over that time period. He allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.57. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.38 and they gave up 450 base hits on the year. Teams hit .230 against the bullpen while being struck out 511 times and walking 183 times last season. As a team, Chicago allowed 7.86 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.93 batters per nine. They were 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.41. The Cubs pitchers collectively gave up 1,276 base hits and 546 earned runs last year. They allowed 134 home runs last season and they allowed 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff walked 407 batters and struck out 1,431. They walked 2.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.15 and their FIP as a unit was 3.30.

As a team, Chicago batted .242, good for 30th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Cubs held a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which was good for 14th in baseball. They ranked 29th in baseball with 8.18 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo hit .278 last season and his on-base percentage was at .387. He had 163 hits last season along with 94 runs scored and 101 runs batted in. He struck out 105 times and walked 78 times. Kris Bryant hit .275 and he had an on-base percentage of .369 last year. He totaled 154 hits while scoring 87 runs and he drove in 99. He walked 77 times and struck out 199 times. The Cubs had 1,341 hits, including 272 doubles, 30 triples, and 171 home runs. They stole 95 bases while they were thrown out stealing 37 times. Chicago walked 567 times last season and they struck out 1,518 times as a unit. They left 1,165 men on base and had a team OPS of .719. They scored 4.25 runs per contest and scored a total of 689 runs last season.

Arizona comes into this matchup after having a 39-42 home record and a 79 - 83 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 4.67, Rubby De La Rosa will come into this game after holding a 14 - 9 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He had 150 strikeouts over the 188.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 193 hits. He allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.81. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.56 and they gave up 539 base hits last year. Teams hit .241 against the Diamondbacks bullpen while being struck out 514 times and walking 214 times last season. As a team, Arizona allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.46 batters per nine. They were 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Diamondbacks pitchers as a team surrendered 1,450 base knocks and 659 earned runs last season. They gave up 182 home runs last year and they gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Arizona as a staff walked 500 hitters and struck out 1,215. They gave up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.33 while their FIP as a staff was 4.21.

As a team, they hit .264, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .270 average at home. The Diamondbacks held a .414 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which was good for 7th in baseball. They ranked 4th in baseball with 9.22 hits per contest. Paul Goldschmidt batted .321 last season and he had an OBP of .435. He had 182 hits last year along with 103 runs scored and 110 RBI. He struck out 151 times and walked on 118 occasions. Yasmany Tomas hit .273 and he had an OBP of .305. He collected 111 hits last year while he scored 40 runs and drove in 48. He earned a walk 17 times and punched out 110 times. The Diamondbacks as a unit had 1,494 base hits last year, including 289 doubles, 48 triples, and 154 homers. They had 132 stolen bases while they were thrown out 44 times. Arizona as a team walked 490 times last year and they struck out 1,312 times. They had 1,153 men left on base and had an OPS of .738. They scored 4.44 runs per game and totaled 720 runs last season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs were 75-85-11 against the over/under last season

The Chicago Cubs were 85-86-0 against the run line last season

Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Trends

The Arizona Diamondbacks were 80-74-8 against the over/under last season

The Arizona Diamondbacks were 84-78-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder out indefinitely
03/30/16 SS Javier Baez Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/25)

Arizona Diamondbacks

04/04/16 P Josh Collment Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/28)
04/02/16 CF A.J. Pollock Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/2)
03/20/14 P Patrick Corbin Elbow out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take the Diamondbacks

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