Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Citizens Bank Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Vincent Velasquez

The Chicago Cubs visit Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday to play the Philadelphia Phillies. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Vincent Velasquez for the Phillies. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -190 and Philadelphia at +180. The over/under was set at 8. The Cubs have a 28-26-2 over/under record and a 35-21-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 63% of the time. The Phillies are 28-30-0 against the run line and have a 25-31-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 48% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 40-16 record, including 18-8 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey has a 6-2 record with an earned run average of 2.88 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has 76 strikeouts over his 75 innings pitched and he has given up 54 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.19. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.26 and they have given up 109 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .201 against the bullpen while being struck out 159 times and walking 65 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.42 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.01 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.58. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 362 base hits and 146 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season and they allow 0.8 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 164 batters and struck out 507. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.04 and their FIP as a unit is 3.32.

As a team, Chicago is batting .255, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .271 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.59 hits per game. Ben Zobrist comes into this game hitting .326 and his on-base percentage is at .438. He has 60 hits this season along with 39 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 28 times and has walked 38 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 62 hits so far while scoring 42 runs and he's driven in 41. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 53 times. The Cubs have 481 hits, including 99 doubles and 67 home runs. They've stolen 26 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 15 times. Chicago has walked 250 times this season and they've struck out 463 times as a unit. They've left 425 men on base and have a team OPS of .775. They score 5.41 runs per contest and have scored a total of 303 runs so far this year.

Philadelphia comes into this matchup with a 15-15 home record and a 28-30 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.67, Vincent Velasquez has a 5-2 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 73 strikeouts over the 61.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 56 hits. He has allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.57. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have given up 158 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the Phillies bullpen while being struck out 181 times and walking 79 times this season. As a team, Philadelphia has allowed 8.37 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.93 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.90. The Phillies pitchers as a team have surrendered 478 base knocks and 223 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 72 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Philadelphia as a staff has walked 164 hitters and struck out 510. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.25 while their FIP as a staff is 4.00.

As a team, they are batting .234, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .227 average at home. The Phillies hold a .369 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .288 which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 30th in baseball with 7.59 hits per contest. Odubel Herrera comes into this matchup batting .320 and he has an OBP of .428. He has 65 hits this year along with 32 runs scored and 17 RBI. He's struck out 42 times and has walked on 38 occasions. Maikel Franco is hitting .250 and he has an OBP of .298. He has collected 52 hits so far while he's scored 18 runs and drove in 31. He has earned a walk 15 times and has punched out 38 times. The Phillies as a unit have 440 base hits, including 76 doubles and 50 homers. They have 23 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 20 times. Philadelphia as a team has walked 137 times this year and they have struck out 457 times. They've had 340 men left on base and have an OPS of .658. They score 3.24 runs per game and have totaled 188 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 28-26-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 35-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 25-31-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Philadelphia Phillies are 28-30-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

06/06/16 LF Jorge Soler Hamstring injured last game, "?" Tuesday vs. Philadelphia Phillies05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season04/04/16 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)

Philadelphia Phillies

06/07/16 P Jerad Eickhoff Ankle is upgraded to expected to start Tuesday vs. Chicago Cubs05/01/16 P Dalier Hinojosa Hand 15-day DL (4/29)04/24/16 P Charlie Morton Hamstring 60-day DL (4/24); out for season04/14/16 P Daniel Stumpf Suspension 80-game suspension03/31/16 LF Aaron Altherr Wrist 60-day DL (4/2)03/31/16 P Matt Harrison Back 60-day DL (4/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs

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