Monday, April 4, 2016

Angel Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Garrett Richards

The Chicago Cubs visit Angel Stadium on Monday to play the Los Angeles Angels. The probable starters are Jake Arrieta for the Cubs and Garrett Richards for the Angels. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -125 and Los Angeles at +115. The over/under was set at 6.5. The Cubs had a 75-85-11 over/under record last season and a 85-86-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 50% of the time. The Angels were 75-92-0 against the run line and had a 80-82-5 over/under record. They covered the spread 45% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup coming off a 97 - 65 season, including 48-33 on the road. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta had a 22 - 6 record with an earned run average of 1.77 and a WHIP of 0.87. He had 236 strikeouts over his 229 innings pitched and he also gave up 150 hits over that time period. He allowed 5.9 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 2.35. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.38 and they gave up 450 base hits on the year. Teams hit .230 against the bullpen while being struck out 511 times and walking 183 times last season. As a team, Chicago allowed 7.86 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.93 batters per nine. They were 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.41. The Cubs pitchers collectively gave up 1,276 base hits and 546 earned runs last year. They allowed 134 home runs last season and they allowed 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff walked 407 batters and struck out 1,431. They walked 2.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.15 and their FIP as a unit was 3.30.

As a team, Chicago batted .242, good for 30th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Cubs held a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which was good for 14th in baseball. They ranked 29th in baseball with 8.18 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo hit .278 last season and his on-base percentage was at .387. He had 163 hits last season along with 94 runs scored and 101 runs batted in. He struck out 105 times and walked 78 times. Kris Bryant hit .275 and he had an on-base percentage of .369 last year. He totaled 154 hits while scoring 87 runs and he drove in 99. He walked 77 times and struck out 199 times. The Cubs had 1,341 hits, including 272 doubles, 30 triples, and 171 home runs. They stole 95 bases while they were thrown out stealing 37 times. Chicago walked 567 times last season and they struck out 1,518 times as a unit. They left 1,165 men on base and had a team OPS of .719. They scored 4.25 runs per contest and scored a total of 689 runs last season.

Los Angeles comes into this matchup after having a 49-32 home record and a 85 - 77 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 3.65, Garrett Richards will come into this game after holding a 15 - 12 record and a 1.24 WHIP. He had 176 strikeouts over the 207.1 innings he pitched during which he gave up 181 hits. He allowed 7.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.86. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.86 and they gave up 458 base hits last year. Teams hit .245 against the Angels bullpen while being struck out 452 times and walking 163 times last season. As a team, Los Angeles allowed 8.16 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine. They were 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.49. The Angels pitchers as a team surrendered 1,355 base knocks and 630 earned runs last season. They gave up 166 home runs last year and they gave up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Los Angeles as a staff walked 466 hitters and struck out 1,221. They gave up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.26 while their FIP as a staff was 4.06.

As a team, they hit .250, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Angels held a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which was good for 5th in baseball. They ranked 26th in baseball with 8.3 hits per contest. Mike Trout batted .299 last season and he had an OBP of .402. He had 172 hits last year along with 104 runs scored and 90 RBI. He struck out 158 times and walked on 92 occasions. Albert Pujols hit .244 and he had an OBP of .307. He collected 147 hits last year while he scored 85 runs and drove in 95. He earned a walk 50 times and punched out 72 times. The Angels as a unit had 1,331 base hits last year, including 243 doubles, 21 triples, and 176 homers. They had 52 stolen bases while they were thrown out 34 times. Los Angeles as a team walked 435 times last year and they struck out 1,150 times. They had 1,013 men left on base and had an OPS of .702. They scored 4.08 runs per game and totaled 661 runs last season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs were 75-85-11 against the over/under last season

The Chicago Cubs were 85-86-0 against the run line last season

Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends

The Los Angeles Angels were 80-82-5 against the over/under last season

The Los Angeles Angels were 75-92-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder out indefinitely
03/30/16 SS Javier Baez Thumb out indefinitely
03/30/16 P Jake Arrieta Thumb expected to start Monday vs. Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels

03/31/16 P C.J. Wilson Shoulder out indefinitely

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