Monday, April 18, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Mike Leake

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Monday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Mike Leake for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at +101 and St. Louis at -111. The over/under was set at 8. The Cubs have a 7-4-0 over/under record and a 9-2-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 82% of the time. The Cardinals are 6-5-0 against the run line and have a 8-3-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 9-2 record, including 5-1 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 5.68 and a WHIP of 1.42. He has 11 strikeouts over his 12.2 innings pitched and he has given up 14 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.39 and they have given up 15 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .161 against the bullpen while being struck out 27 times and walking 5 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.57 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.84 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.46. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 72 base hits and 27 earned runs. They have allowed 6 home runs this season and they allow 0.5 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 21 batters and struck out 86. They walk 1.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.94 and their FIP as a unit is 2.82.

As a team, Chicago is batting .259, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .282 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .370 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.64 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .200 and his on-base percentage is at .360. He has 8 hits this season along with 8 runs scored and 11 runs batted in. He's struck out 10 times and has walked 9 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .250 and he has an on-base percentage of .340. He has totaled 11 hits so far while scoring 8 runs and he's driven in 5. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 10 times. The Cubs have 95 hits, including 18 doubles and 13 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Chicago has walked 62 times this season and they've struck out 88 times as a unit. They've left 85 men on base and have a team OPS of .796. They score 6.45 runs per contest and have scored a total of 71 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 3-2 home record and a 6-5 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.97, Mike Leake has a 0-1 record and a 1.84 WHIP. He has 7 strikeouts over the 10.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 15 hits. He has allowed 13.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.23. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.43 and they have given up 21 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .175 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 41 times and walking 19 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.69 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 88 base knocks and 45 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 5 home runs this year and they give up 0.5 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 42 hitters and struck out 95. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 3.24.

As a team, they are batting .281, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .328 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .514 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .366 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 4th in baseball with 10.09 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .244 and he has an OBP of .404. He has 10 hits this year along with 8 runs scored and 10 RBI. He's struck out 10 times and has walked on 8 occasions. Kolten Wong is hitting .200 and he has an OBP of .250. He has collected 7 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 2. He has earned a walk 2 times and has punched out 7 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 111 base hits, including 27 doubles and 19 homers. They have 4 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 2 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 47 times this year and they have struck out 96 times. They've had 86 men left on base and have an OPS of .880. They score 7.36 runs per game and have totaled 81 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 7-4-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 9-2-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 8-3-0 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 6-5-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

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)

St. Louis Cardinals

04/17/16 RF Jeremy Hazelbaker Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday vs. Cincinnati Reds
04/17/16 LF Matt Holliday Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday vs. Cincinnati Reds
04/17/16 C Yadier Molina Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday vs. Cincinnati Reds
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 SS Jhonny Peralta Thumb 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
04/04/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 2B Ruben Tejada Quad 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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