Thursday, May 19, 2016

Miller Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel vs. Junior Guerra

The Chicago Cubs visit Miller Park on Thursday to play the Milwaukee Brewers. The probable starters are Jason Hammel for the Cubs and Junior Guerra for the Brewers. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -155 and Milwaukee at +145. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Cubs have a 22-13-2 over/under record and a 24-13-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 65% of the time. The Brewers are 17-22-0 against the run line and have a 23-14-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 27-10 record, including 13-4 on the road. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel has a 5-0 record with an earned run average of 1.77 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 36 strikeouts over his 40.2 innings pitched and he has given up 33 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.99. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.56 and they have given up 67 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .191 against the bullpen while being struck out 108 times and walking 46 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.98 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.66. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 239 base hits and 100 earned runs. They have allowed 27 home runs this season and they allow 0.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 111 batters and struck out 334. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.05 and their FIP as a unit is 3.25.

As a team, Chicago is batting .259, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .275 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .360 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.78 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .265 and his on-base percentage is at .399. He has 36 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. He's struck out 21 times and has walked 26 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .274 and he has an on-base percentage of .354. He has totaled 40 hits so far while scoring 27 runs and he's driven in 26. He has walked 16 times and has struck out 33 times. The Cubs have 325 hits, including 72 doubles and 44 home runs. They've stolen 21 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 8 times. Chicago has walked 183 times this season and they've struck out 288 times as a unit. They've left 291 men on base and have a team OPS of .792. They score 5.84 runs per contest and have scored a total of 216 runs so far this year.

Milwaukee comes into this matchup with a 11-11 home record and a 17-22 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.00, Junior Guerra has a 2-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 18 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 13 hits. He has allowed 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.22. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.14 and they have given up 139 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .267 against the Brewers bullpen while being struck out 114 times and walking 61 times this season. As a team, Milwaukee has allowed 9.82 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.92 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.05. The Brewers pitchers as a team have surrendered 373 base knocks and 192 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 58 home runs this year and they give up 1.5 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a staff has walked 145 hitters and struck out 263. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.52 while their FIP as a staff is 5.14.

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .265 average at home. The Brewers hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333 which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.1 hits per contest. Ryan Braun comes into this matchup batting .364 and he has an OBP of .429. He has 48 hits this year along with 21 runs scored and 28 RBI. He's struck out 21 times and has walked on 15 occasions. Jonathan Lucroy is hitting .311 and he has an OBP of .377. He has collected 41 hits so far while he's scored 23 runs and drove in 16. He has earned a walk 13 times and has punched out 26 times. The Brewers as a unit have 316 base hits, including 68 doubles and 43 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 12 times. Milwaukee as a team has walked 160 times this year and they have struck out 368 times. They've had 270 men left on base and have an OPS of .738. They score 4.38 runs per game and have totaled 171 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 22-13-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 24-13-0 against the run line so far this season

Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends

The Milwaukee Brewers are 23-14-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Milwaukee Brewers are 17-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
05/06/16 CF Matt Szczur Hamstring 15-day DL (5/3)
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)

Milwaukee Brewers

04/28/16 P Matt Garza Shoulder 60-day DL (4/2)
04/04/16 P Corey Knebel Oblique 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 LF Rymer Liriano Facial 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Zach Jones Shoulder 60-day DL (3/31)
04/02/16 P Yhonathan Barrios Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Sean Nolin Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
03/30/16 P Will Smith Knee 15-day DL (3/25)

Josh's Pick: Take the Brewers

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