Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jake Arrieta vs. Carlos Martinez

The Chicago Cubs visit Busch Stadium on Wednesday to play the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable starters are Jake Arrieta for the Cubs and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -162 and St. Louis at +152. The over/under was set at 7. The Cubs have a 24-17-2 over/under record and a 26-17-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 61% of the time. The Cardinals are 23-22-0 against the run line and have a 27-16-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Cubs head into this matchup with a 29-14 record, including 15-8 on the road. Starting pitcher Jake Arrieta has a 8-0 record with an earned run average of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.84. He has 63 strikeouts over his 63 innings pitched and he has given up 33 hits so far this season. He has allowed 4.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.47. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.09 and they have given up 79 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .186 against the bullpen while being struck out 131 times and walking 57 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.97 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.68. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 277 base hits and 117 earned runs. They have allowed 32 home runs this season and they allow 0.7 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 135 batters and struck out 388. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 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 .255, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .263 average away from home. The Cubs hold a .420 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .356 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.7 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .239 and his on-base percentage is at .374. He has 38 hits this season along with 29 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 25 times and has walked 29 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .271 and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 46 hits so far while scoring 30 runs and he's driven in 31. He has walked 20 times and has struck out 37 times. The Cubs have 374 hits, including 78 doubles and 50 home runs. They've stolen 23 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Chicago has walked 209 times this season and they've struck out 338 times as a unit. They've left 344 men on base and have a team OPS of .776. They score 5.47 runs per contest and have scored a total of 235 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this matchup with a 13-13 home record and a 24-21 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.56, Carlos Martinez has a 4-4 record and a 1.15 WHIP. He has 35 strikeouts over the 48 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 38 hits. He has allowed 7.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.21. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.48 and they have given up 112 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .219 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 144 times and walking 49 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.43 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.71 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 3.99. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 374 base knocks and 177 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 133 hitters and struck out 342. 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 3.79.

As a team, they are batting .268, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .261 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .462 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .342 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 6th in baseball with 9.27 hits per contest. Matt Carpenter comes into this matchup batting .253 and he has an OBP of .382. He has 41 hits this year along with 29 runs scored and 32 RBI. He's struck out 38 times and has walked on 32 occasions. Yadier Molina is hitting .306 and he has an OBP of .384. He has collected 48 hits so far while he's scored 17 runs and drove in 18. He has earned a walk 19 times and has punched out 18 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 417 base hits, including 93 doubles and 61 homers. They have 14 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 7 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 161 times this year and they have struck out 356 times. They've had 332 men left on base and have an OPS of .804. They score 5.49 runs per game and have totaled 247 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 24-17-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 26-17-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 27-16-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 23-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

05/24/16 RF Jason Heyward Hip is upgraded to expected to be in the starting lineup Tuesday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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