Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel vs. Michael Wacha

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Tuesday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jason Hammel for the Cubs and Michael Wacha for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -111 and St. Louis at +101. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Cubs have a 24-16-2 over/under record and a 26-16-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 62% of the time. The Cardinals are 22-22-0 against the run line and have a 27-15-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 29-13 record, including 15-7 on the road. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel has a 5-1 record with an earned run average of 2.31 and a WHIP of 1.20. He has 43 strikeouts over his 46.2 innings pitched and he has given up 38 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.35. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.05 and they have given up 78 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .187 against the bullpen while being struck out 129 times and walking 57 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.41 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.91 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.65. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 272 base hits and 113 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 134 batters and struck out 377. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 3.25.

As a team, Chicago is batting .255, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .263 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .356 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.69 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .240 and his on-base percentage is at .379. He has 37 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. He's struck out 25 times and has walked 29 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .277 and he has an on-base percentage of .362. 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 365 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 205 times this season and they've struck out 332 times as a unit. They've left 334 men on base and have a team OPS of .780. They score 5.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 232 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 12-13 home record and a 23-21 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.03, Michael Wacha has a 2-4 record and a 1.46 WHIP. He has 44 strikeouts over the 51.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 57 hits. He has allowed 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.48. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.56 and they have given up 110 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .220 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 142 times and walking 48 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.42 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.75 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.01. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 365 base knocks and 174 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 41 home runs this year and they give up 0.9 home runs per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a staff has walked 129 hitters and struck out 336. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.27 while their FIP as a staff is 3.81.

As a team, they are batting .270, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .265 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .464 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .344 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.36 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .258 and he has an OBP of .385. He has 41 hits this year along with 29 runs scored and 32 RBI. He's struck out 37 times and has walked on 31 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .307 and he has an OBP of .387. 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 17 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 412 base hits, including 93 doubles and 59 homers. They have 14 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 7 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 160 times this year and they have struck out 345 times. They've had 328 men left on base and have an OPS of .807. They score 5.52 runs per game and have totaled 243 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 24-16-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 26-16-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 27-15-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 22-22-0 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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Cubs

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