Tuesday, July 26, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs. James Shields

The Chicago Cubs visit U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday to play the Chicago White Sox. The probable starters are Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs and James Shields for the White Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -150 and Chicago at +140. The over/under was set at 9.5. The Cubs have a 47-46-4 over/under record and a 50-47-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The White Sox are 45-53-0 against the run line and have a 43-50-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 59-38 record, including 29-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 9-6 record with an earned run average of 2.27 and a WHIP of 1.04. He has 96 strikeouts over his 111 innings pitched and he has given up 85 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.32. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 218 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the bullpen while being struck out 289 times and walking 119 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.03 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.87 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.25. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 684 base hits and 319 earned runs. They have allowed 100 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 301 batters and struck out 860. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.13 and their FIP as a unit is 3.83.

As a team, Chicago is batting .255, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .265 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.65 hits per game. Kris Bryant comes into this game hitting .284 and his on-base percentage is at .379. He has 104 hits this season along with 79 runs scored and 65 runs batted in. He's struck out 97 times and has walked 46 times. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .287 and he has an on-base percentage of .394. He has totaled 99 hits so far while scoring 59 runs and he's driven in 75. He has walked 50 times and has struck out 66 times. The Cubs have 839 hits, including 178 doubles and 124 home runs. They've stolen 41 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 23 times. Chicago has walked 405 times this season and they've struck out 828 times as a unit. They've left 727 men on base and have a team OPS of .775. They score 5.09 runs per contest and have scored a total of 494 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 26-24 home record and a 48-50 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.99, James Shields has a 4-12 record and a 1.51 WHIP. He has 81 strikeouts over the 115.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 126 hits. He has allowed 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.26. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.62 and they have given up 280 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 274 times and walking 140 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.83 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.84 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 859 base knocks and 391 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 110 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 333 hitters and struck out 763. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.28.

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .255 average at home. The White Sox hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.51 hits per contest. Melky Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .301 and he has an OBP of .346. He has 104 hits this year along with 43 runs scored and 44 RBI. He's struck out 41 times and has walked on 25 occasions. Adam Eaton is hitting .277 and he has an OBP of .362. He has collected 106 hits so far while he's scored 47 runs and drove in 34. He has earned a walk 40 times and has punched out 72 times. The White Sox as a unit have 833 base hits, including 159 doubles and 97 homers. They have 47 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. Chicago as a team has walked 285 times this year and they have struck out 790 times. They've had 676 men left on base and have an OPS of .714. They score 4.06 runs per game and have totaled 398 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 47-46-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 50-47-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox are 43-50-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago White Sox are 45-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

07/25/16 SS Addison Russell Heel injured last game, "?" Monday vs. Chicago White Sox
07/16/16 P Trevor Cahill Knee 15-day DL (7/9)
07/03/16 2B Chris Coghlan Ribs 15-day DL (7/3)
06/07/16 LF Jorge Soler Hamstring 15-day DL (6/6)
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)

Chicago White Sox

07/24/16 P Chris Sale Suspension "?" for next scheduled start Thursday vs. Chicago Cubs
07/09/16 P Carlos Rodon Wrist 15-day DL (7/6)
07/05/16 C Alex Avila Hamstring 15-day DL (7/6)
07/01/16 3B Matt Davidson Foot 60-day DL (6/30)
06/21/16 P Zach Putnam Elbow 15-day DL (6/21)
06/10/16 CF Austin Jackson Knee 15-day DL (6/10)
05/06/16 P Jacob Petricka Hip 60-day DL (5/2)
04/27/16 C Kevan Smith Pelvis 15-day DL (4/24)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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