Saturday, May 21, 2016

AT&T Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Matt Cain

The Chicago Cubs visit AT&T Park on Saturday to play the San Francisco Giants. The probable starters are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Matt Cain for the Giants. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -149 and San Francisco at +139. The over/under was set at 7. The Cubs have a 22-15-2 over/under record and a 24-15-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 62% of the time. The Giants are 21-22-0 against the run line and have a 21-22-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 49% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 28-11 record, including 14-5 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 1.88 and a WHIP of 0.97. He has 51 strikeouts over his 52.2 innings pitched and he has given up 39 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.14. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 72 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .188 against the bullpen while being struck out 120 times and walking 54 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.06 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.66. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 253 base hits and 106 earned runs. They have allowed 29 home runs this season and they allow 0.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 123 batters and struck out 358. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.06 and their FIP as a unit is 3.27.

As a team, Chicago is batting .257, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .268 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .360 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.74 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .255 and his on-base percentage is at .398. He has 36 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. He's struck out 23 times and has walked 28 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .273 and he has an on-base percentage of .356. He has totaled 42 hits so far while scoring 27 runs and he's driven in 26. He has walked 18 times and has struck out 36 times. The Cubs have 341 hits, including 76 doubles and 45 home runs. They've stolen 22 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 10 times. Chicago has walked 197 times this season and they've struck out 312 times as a unit. They've left 313 men on base and have a team OPS of .786. They score 5.67 runs per contest and have scored a total of 221 runs so far this year.

San Francisco comes into this matchup with a 11-10 home record and a 25-18 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.87, Matt Cain has a 0-5 record and a 1.48 WHIP. He has 33 strikeouts over the 46 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 57 hits. He has allowed 11.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.49. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.98 and they have given up 115 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Giants bullpen while being struck out 93 times and walking 39 times this season. As a team, San Francisco has allowed 9.02 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.03 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.77. The Giants pitchers as a team have surrendered 392 base knocks and 163 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 35 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. San Francisco as a staff has walked 108 hitters and struck out 349. They give up a walk 2.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.40.

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .269 average at home. The Giants hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.88 hits per contest. Buster Posey comes into this matchup batting .275 and he has an OBP of .331. He has 38 hits this year along with 19 runs scored and 15 RBI. He's struck out 17 times and has walked on 13 occasions. Brandon Belt is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .425. He has collected 41 hits so far while he's scored 20 runs and drove in 22. He has earned a walk 32 times and has punched out 28 times. The Giants as a unit have 382 base hits, including 64 doubles and 38 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 12 times. San Francisco as a team has walked 168 times this year and they have struck out 277 times. They've had 316 men left on base and have an OPS of .736. They score 4.44 runs per game and have totaled 191 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 22-15-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 24-15-0 against the run line so far this season

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 21-22-0 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 21-22-0 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)

San Francisco Giants

04/22/16 SS Ehire Adrianza Foot 60-day DL (4/15)
04/19/16 P George Kontos Elbow 15-day DL (4/18)
04/15/16 P Sergio Romo Elbow 15-day DL (4/11)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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