Friday, September 9, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Joseph Musgrove

The Chicago Cubs head to Minute Maid Park on Friday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Joseph Musgrove for the Astros. The opening line for this game has Chicago at -137 and Houston at +127. The over/under is 8. The Cubs have a 64-68-7 over/under mark and a 73-66-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Astros are 64-75-0 against the run line and have a 63-68-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Cubs head into this game with a 89-50 record, and they are 38-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 15-4 record with an ERA of 2.61 and a WHIP of 1.04. He has 164 strikeouts during his 169 innings pitched and he has given up 129 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.65. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.42 and they have allowed 322 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the pen while they've been struck out 444 times and walked 172 times this year. As a unit, Chicago has given up 6.89 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.82 hitters per nine. They are 1st in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.08. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 967 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 1,235. 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 3.80.

As a team, Chicago is hitting .256, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .262 average on the road. The Cubs have a .427 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .343 which is good for 2nd in the league. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.72 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this game hitting .302 and his on-base percentage is at .397. He has 158 hits this season along with 112 runs scored and 91 runs batted in. He's struck out 132 times and has walked 68 times. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .295 and he has an on-base percentage of .390. He has totaled 150 hits so far while scoring 85 runs and he's driven in 97. He has walked 66 times and has struck out 91 times. The Cubs have 1,212 hits, including 254 doubles and 171 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 30 times. Chicago has walked 560 times this season and they've struck out 1,155 times as a unit. They've left 1,043 men on base and have a team OPS of .770. They score 5.01 runs per contest and have scored a total of 697 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 39-29 home mark and a 74-65 overall record. With an ERA of 5.06, Joseph Musgrove has a 2-3 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 35 strikeouts over the 37.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 42 hits. He has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.52. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.41 and they have given up 401 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 512 times and walking 111 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 9.04 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.54 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,264 base knocks and 561 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 162 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 364 hitters and struck out 1,195. 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 3.87.

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 22nd in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .258 and he has an OBP of .361. He has 142 hits this year along with 105 runs scored and 75 RBI. He's struck out 150 times and has walked on 80 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .344 and he has an OBP of .406. 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 64 times. The Astros as a unit have 1,182 base hits, including 257 doubles and 175 homers. They have 91 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 37 times. Houston as a team has walked 497 times this year and they have struck out 1,267 times. They've had 959 men left on base and have an OPS of .745. They score 4.6 runs per game and have totaled 640 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 64-68-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 73-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 63-68-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 64-75-0 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

09/07/16 SS Carlos Correa Shoulder expected to miss Thursday vs. Cleveland Indians
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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