Sunday, April 24, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel vs. Alfredo Simon

The Chicago Cubs visit Great American Ball Park on Sunday to play the Cincinnati Reds. The probable starters are Jason Hammel for the Cubs and Alfredo Simon for the Reds. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -168 and Cincinnati at +158. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cubs have a 10-7-0 over/under record and a 13-4-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 77% of the time. The Reds are 7-10-0 against the run line and have a 11-6-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 41% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 13-4 record, including 9-2 on the road. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 1.00 and a WHIP of 1.11. He has 15 strikeouts over his 18 innings pitched and he has given up 13 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.7. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 1.91 and they have given up 21 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .158 against the bullpen while being struck out 42 times and walking 10 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.11 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.49 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.08. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 103 base hits and 35 earned runs. They have allowed 10 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 36 batters and struck out 143. They walk 2.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.92 and their FIP as a unit is 2.75.

As a team, Chicago is batting .251, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .273 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.47 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .194 and his on-base percentage is at .351. He has 12 hits this season along with 12 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. He's struck out 11 times and has walked 12 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .268 and he has an on-base percentage of .325. He has totaled 19 hits so far while scoring 13 runs and he's driven in 14. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 16 times. The Cubs have 144 hits, including 29 doubles and 22 home runs. They've stolen 8 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 4 times. Chicago has walked 85 times this season and they've struck out 136 times as a unit. They've left 124 men on base and have a team OPS of .776. They score 6.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 105 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this matchup with a 7-4 home record and a 8-9 overall mark. With an earned run average of 12.15, Alfredo Simon has a 0-1 record and a 2.55 WHIP. He has 9 strikeouts over the 6.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 12 hits. He has allowed 16.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 7.38. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 6.89 and they have given up 65 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 53 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 8.88 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.41. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 146 base knocks and 89 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 30 home runs this year and they give up 1.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 77 hitters and struck out 120. They give up a walk 4.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.51 while their FIP as a staff is 5.81.

As a team, they are batting .236, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .229 average at home. The Reds hold a .382 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .294 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 7.47 hits per contest. Joey Votto comes into this matchup batting .180 and he has an OBP of .271. He has 11 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 .286 and he has an OBP of .313. He has collected 18 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 127 base hits, including 33 doubles and 13 homers. They have 12 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 4 times. Cincinnati as a team has walked 42 times this year and they have struck out 112 times. They've had 86 men left on base and have an OPS of .676. They score 4 runs per game and have totaled 64 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 10-7-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 13-4-0 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 11-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 7-10-0 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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs

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