Saturday, April 23, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Dan Straily

The Chicago Cubs visit Great American Ball Park on Saturday to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Dan Straily for the Reds. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -166 and Cincinnati at +156. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cubs have a 9-7-0 over/under record and a 12-4-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 75% of the time. The Reds are 7-9-0 against the run line and have a 10-6-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 12-4 record, including 8-2 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey has a 3-0 record with an earned run average of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.17. He has 22 strikeouts over his 19.2 innings pitched and he has given up 18 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.88. 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 6.18 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.71 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.14. 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 35 batters and struck out 138. They walk 2.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.93 and their FIP as a unit is 2.67.

As a team, Chicago is batting .250, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .272 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .351 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.44 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .186 and his on-base percentage is at .333. He has 11 hits this season along with 11 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. He's struck out 11 times and has walked 10 times. Dexter Fowler is hitting .393 and he has an on-base percentage of .521. He has totaled 22 hits so far while scoring 14 runs and he's driven in 11. He has walked 13 times and has struck out 15 times. The Cubs have 135 hits, including 26 doubles and 20 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Chicago has walked 80 times this season and they've struck out 131 times as a unit. They've left 119 men on base and have a team OPS of .767. They score 6.06 runs per contest and have scored a total of 97 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this matchup with a 7-3 home record and a 8-8 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.70, Dan Straily has a 0-0 record and a 0.83 WHIP. He has 12 strikeouts over the 13.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 5 hits. He has allowed 3.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.01. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.75 and they have given up 59 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 50 times and walking 36 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 8.87 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.45 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.31. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 137 base knocks and 82 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 28 home runs this year and they give up 1.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 72 hitters and struck out 115. They give up a walk 4.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.50 while their FIP as a staff is 5.77.

As a team, they are batting .241, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .235 average at home. The Reds hold a .389 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .299 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 7.62 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .172 and he has an OBP of .258. 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 .283 and he has an OBP of .313. He has collected 17 hits so far while he's scored 8 runs and drove in 15. He has earned a walk 2 times and has punched out 14 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 41 times this year and they have struck out 107 times. They've had 82 men left on base and have an OPS of .687. They score 3.94 runs per game and have totaled 63 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 9-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 12-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 10-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 7-9-0 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 Cubs

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