Sunday, September 11, 2016
Minute Maid Park
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Mike Fiers
The Chicago Cubs visit Minute Maid Park on Sunday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Jake Arrieta for the Cubs and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -170 and Houston at +145. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cubs have a 64-69-7 over/under record and a 74-66-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Astros are 64-77-0 against the run line and have a 64-69-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.
The Cubs head into this matchup with a 90-50 record, including 39-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has a 16-6 record with an earned run average of 2.84 and a WHIP of 1.05. He has 168 strikeouts over his 174 innings pitched and he has given up 115 hits so far this season. He has allowed 5.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.41. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 322 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the bullpen while being struck out 447 times and walking 172 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.83 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.06. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 974 base hits and 435 earned runs. They have allowed 140 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 434 batters and struck out 1,245. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.11 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.
As a team, Chicago is batting .255, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .261 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .342 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.69 hits per game. Kris Bryant comes into this game hitting .302 and his on-base percentage is at .398. He has 159 hits this season along with 113 runs scored and 93 runs batted in. He's struck out 133 times and has walked 69 times. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .294 and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 150 hits so far while scoring 85 runs and he's driven in 97. He has walked 67 times and has struck out 91 times. The Cubs have 1,217 hits, including 255 doubles and 172 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 30 times. Chicago has walked 563 times this season and they've struck out 1,163 times as a unit. They've left 1,050 men on base and have a team OPS of .769. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 699 runs so far this year.
Houston comes into this matchup with a 39-30 home record and a 74-67 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.29, Mike Fiers has a 10-6 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 116 strikeouts over the 149 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 165 hits. He has allowed 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.55. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.47 and they have given up 408 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 520 times and walking 115 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.02 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.52 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,278 base knocks and 573 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 164 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 373 hitters and struck out 1,208. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.89.
As a team, they are batting .248, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .236 average at home. The Astros hold a .422 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .259 and he has an OBP of .363. He has 145 hits this year along with 107 runs scored and 75 RBI. He's struck out 152 times and has walked on 81 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .339 and he has an OBP of .401. He has collected 189 hits so far while he's scored 96 runs and drove in 92. He has earned a walk 55 times and has punched out 66 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,198 base hits, including 260 doubles and 177 homers. They have 94 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 38 times. Houston as a team has walked 500 times this year and they have struck out 1,286 times. They've had 967 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They score 4.59 runs per game and have totaled 647 runs so far this season.
Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Chicago Cubs are 64-69-7 against the over/under so far this season
The Chicago Cubs are 74-66-0 against the run line so far this season
Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 64-69-8 against the over/under so far this season
The Houston Astros are 64-77-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Chicago Cubs
08/12/16 P Pedro Strop Knee 15-day DL (8/11)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)
Houston Astros
09/09/16 SS Carlos Correa Shoulder "?" Saturday vs. Chicago Cubs
09/06/16 P Dallas Keuchel Shoulder out indefinitely
08/13/16 LF Preston Tucker Shoulder 15-day DL (8/11)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)
Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Read more articles by Josh Schonwald
Get all of Today's Free MLB Picks
Get all of Today's Expert MLB Picks