Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Busch Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Carlos Martinez

The Chicago Cubs head to Busch Stadium on Wednesday to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The probable pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals. The opening line for this game has Chicago at -136 and St. Louis at +126. The over/under is 7.5. The Cubs have a 65-71-7 over/under mark and a 76-67-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cardinals are 66-77-0 against the run line and have a 76-61-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Cubs head into this game with a 92-51 record, and they are 41-31 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Lester has a 16-4 record with an ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of 1.04. He has 171 strikeouts during his 176 innings pitched and he has given up 136 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.55. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.40 and they have allowed 326 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the pen while they've been struck out 453 times and walked 175 times this year. As a unit, Chicago has given up 6.85 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 hitters per nine. They are 1st in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.05. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 987 base hits and 443 earned runs. They have allowed 145 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 444 batters and struck out 1,266. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.11 and their FIP as a unit is 3.80.

As a team, Chicago is hitting .254, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .259 average on the road. The Cubs have a .426 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .341 which is good for 2nd in the league. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.64 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this game hitting .291 and his on-base percentage is at .388. He has 152 hits this season along with 86 runs scored and 98 runs batted in. He's struck out 94 times and has walked 68 times. Kris Bryant is hitting .298 and he has an on-base percentage of .393. He has totaled 161 hits so far while scoring 113 runs and he's driven in 94. He has walked 69 times and has struck out 136 times. The Cubs have 1,236 hits, including 259 doubles and 176 home runs. They've stolen 57 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Chicago has walked 576 times this season and they've struck out 1,192 times as a unit. They've left 1,065 men on base and have a team OPS of .767. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 713 runs so far this year.

St. Louis comes into this game with a 32-40 home mark and a 75-68 overall record. With an ERA of 3.05, Carlos Martinez has a 14-7 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 144 strikeouts over the 171.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 145 hits. He has allowed 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.65. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.60 and they have given up 373 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Cardinals bullpen while being struck out 434 times and walking 167 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.77 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.95 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,249 base knocks and 574 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 137 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 417 hitters and struck out 1,133. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 3.85.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .252 average at home. The Cardinals hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.77 hits per contest. Stephen Piscotty comes into this matchup batting .278 and he has an OBP of .348. He has 143 hits this year along with 79 runs scored and 81 RBI. He's struck out 115 times and has walked on 47 occasions. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .311 and he has an OBP of .375. He has collected 110 hits so far while he's scored 64 runs and drove in 57. He has earned a walk 34 times and has punched out 54 times. The Cardinals as a unit have 1,255 base hits, including 267 doubles and 205 homers. They have 32 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. St. Louis as a team has walked 474 times this year and they have struck out 1,160 times. They've had 995 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They score 4.88 runs per game and have totaled 698 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 65-71-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 76-67-0 against the run line so far this season

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 76-61-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 66-77-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

08/12/16 P Pedro Strop Knee 15-day DL (8/11)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)

St. Louis Cardinals

09/05/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 60-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/10/16 P Michael Wacha Shoulder 15-day DL (8/9)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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