Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs. Carlos Martinez

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Wednesday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at +120 and St. Louis at -130. The over/under was set at 8. The Cubs have a 7-6-0 over/under record and a 10-3-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 77% of the time. The Cardinals are 6-7-0 against the run line and have a 8-5-0 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 10-3 record, including 6-1 on the road. Starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 2.84 and a WHIP of 0.95. He has 10 strikeouts over his 12.2 innings pitched and he has given up 11 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 1.78. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.40 and they have given up 17 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .160 against the bullpen while being struck out 34 times and walking 6 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.33 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.79 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.24. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 82 base hits and 29 earned runs. They have allowed 8 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 25 batters and struck out 114. They walk 1.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 0.92 and their FIP as a unit is 2.70.

As a team, Chicago is batting .248, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .280 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.23 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .174 and his on-base percentage is at .345. 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 .328. He has totaled 13 hits so far while scoring 9 runs and he's driven in 6. He has walked 6 times and has struck out 12 times. The Cubs have 107 hits, including 22 doubles and 14 home runs. They've stolen 6 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Chicago has walked 64 times this season and they've struck out 103 times as a unit. They've left 95 men on base and have a team OPS of .758. They score 5.85 runs per contest and have scored a total of 76 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 4-3 home record and a 7-6 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.46, Carlos Martinez has a 2-0 record and a 1.08 WHIP. He has 11 strikeouts over the 13 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 10 hits. He has allowed 6.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.35. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.35 and they have given up 25 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .181 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 46 times and walking 19 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.12 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.59 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 3.87. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 105 base knocks and 50 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 6 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 44 hitters and struck out 111. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.12.

As a team, they are batting .268, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .291 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .490 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.46 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .255 and he has an OBP of .417. He has 12 hits this year along with 9 runs scored and 11 RBI. He's struck out 12 times and has walked on 10 occasions. Kolten Wong is hitting .211 and he has an OBP of .256. He has collected 8 hits so far while he's scored 6 runs and drove in 2. He has earned a walk 2 times and has punched out 8 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 123 base hits, including 31 doubles and 21 homers. They have 4 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 2 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 52 times this year and they have struck out 113 times. They've had 101 men left on base and have an OPS of .842. They score 6.54 runs per game and have totaled 85 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 7-6-0 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 10-3-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 8-5-0 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 6-7-0 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

04/04/16 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 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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