Friday, April 22, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Jon Moscot

The Chicago Cubs visit Great American Ball Park on Friday to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Jon Moscot for the Reds. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -184 and Cincinnati at +174. The over/under was set at 8. The Cubs have a 8-7-0 over/under record and a 11-4-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 73% of the time. The Reds are 7-8-0 against the run line and have a 9-6-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 11-4 record, including 7-2 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 2.21 and a WHIP of 0.84. He has 19 strikeouts over his 20.1 innings pitched and he has given up 13 hits so far this season. He has allowed 5.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.04. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.02 and they have given up 21 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .165 against the bullpen while being struck out 41 times and walking 10 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.89 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.29. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 98 base hits and 34 earned runs. They have allowed 9 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 31 batters and struck out 132. They walk 2.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.97 and their FIP as a unit is 2.66.

As a team, Chicago is batting .236, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .255 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .382 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 7.8 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .189 and his on-base percentage is at .348. He has 10 hits this season along with 9 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. He's struck out 10 times and has walked 10 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .233 and he has an on-base percentage of .303. He has totaled 14 hits so far while scoring 9 runs and he's driven in 7. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 13 times. The Cubs have 117 hits, including 23 doubles and 15 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Chicago has walked 74 times this season and they've struck out 124 times as a unit. They've left 110 men on base and have a team OPS of .723. They score 5.4 runs per contest and have scored a total of 81 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this matchup with a 7-2 home record and a 8-7 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.76, Jon Moscot has a 0-0 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He has 2 strikeouts over the 5.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 6 hits. He has allowed 9.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 7.98. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.04 and they have given up 48 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 45 times and walking 32 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 8.24 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.48 batters per nine. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.78. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 119 base knocks and 69 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 23 home runs this year and they give up 1.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 66 hitters and struck out 108. They give up a walk 4.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.42 while their FIP as a staff is 5.43.

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Reds hold a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.13 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .182 and he has an OBP of .270. He has 10 hits this year along with 5 runs scored and 7 RBI. He's struck out 14 times and has walked on 7 occasions. Jay Bruce is hitting .293 and he has an OBP of .311. He has collected 17 hits so far while he's scored 8 runs and drove in 15. He has earned a walk 1 time and has punched out 13 times. The Reds as a unit have 122 base hits, including 33 doubles and 12 homers. They have 11 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Cincinnati as a team has walked 37 times this year and they have struck out 101 times. They've had 80 men left on base and have an OPS of .716. They score 4.2 runs per game and have totaled 63 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 8-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 11-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 9-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 7-8-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

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)

Cincinnati Reds

04/19/16 P Alfredo Simon Bicep "?" for next scheduled start
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 15-day DL (3/27)
04/04/16 P Anthony DeSclafa Oblique 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Homer Bailey Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 C Kyle Skipworth Ankle 15-day DL (3/31)
04/03/16 P John Lamb Back 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Michael Lorenzen Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Reds

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