Monday, May 23, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Adam Wainwright

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Monday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -110 and St. Louis at +100. The over/under was set at 7. The Cubs have a 24-15-2 over/under record and a 25-16-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 61% of the time. The Cardinals are 22-21-0 against the run line and have a 26-15-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 29-12 record, including 15-6 on the road. Starting pitcher John Lackey has a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 3.31 and a WHIP of 0.98. He has 52 strikeouts over his 54.1 innings pitched and he has given up 41 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.07. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.12 and they have given up 77 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .188 against the bullpen while being struck out 125 times and walking 56 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.45 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.98 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.68. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 268 base hits and 112 earned runs. They have allowed 30 home runs this season and they allow 0.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 130 batters and struck out 372. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 3.24.

As a team, Chicago is batting .258, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .270 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .359 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.83 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .245 and his on-base percentage is at .382. He has 37 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. He's struck out 24 times and has walked 28 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .364. He has totaled 46 hits so far while scoring 29 runs and he's driven in 31. He has walked 19 times and has struck out 36 times. The Cubs have 362 hits, including 78 doubles and 50 home runs. They've stolen 22 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Chicago has walked 203 times this season and they've struck out 324 times as a unit. They've left 328 men on base and have a team OPS of .790. They score 5.66 runs per contest and have scored a total of 232 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 12-12 home record and a 23-20 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.92, Adam Wainwright has a 4-3 record and a 1.53 WHIP. He has 31 strikeouts over the 51.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 65 hits. He has allowed 11.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.61 and they have given up 107 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 141 times and walking 47 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.31 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.91 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 3.94. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 352 base knocks and 167 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 41 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 127 hitters and struck out 335. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.26 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

As a team, they are batting .272, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .268 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .466 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .346 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.44 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .256 and he has an OBP of .385. He has 40 hits this year along with 29 runs scored and 32 RBI. He's struck out 36 times and has walked on 31 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .313 and he has an OBP of .394. He has collected 47 hits so far while he's scored 16 runs and drove in 18. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 16 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 406 base hits, including 91 doubles and 58 homers. They have 14 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 7 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 158 times this year and they have struck out 337 times. They've had 322 men left on base and have an OPS of .812. They score 5.6 runs per game and have totaled 241 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 24-15-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 25-16-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 26-15-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 22-21-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

05/21/16 RF Jason Heyward Hip expected to miss 3-5 days
05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for 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

05/15/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (5/13)
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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs

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