Saturday, April 9, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Cody Anderson vs. Chris Sale

The Cleveland Indians visit U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday to play the Chicago White Sox. The probable starters are Cody Anderson for the Indians and Chris Sale for the White Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Cleveland at +150 and Chicago at -160. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Indians had a 79-80-2 over/under record last season and a 79-82-0 run line mark, meaning they covered 49% of the time. The White Sox were 77-85-0 against the run line and had a 76-79-7 over/under record. They covered the spread 48% of the time.

The Indians head into this matchup coming off a 81 - 80 season, including 42-39 on the road. Starting pitcher Cody Anderson had a 7 - 3 record with an earned run average of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.11. He had 44 strikeouts over his 91.1 innings pitched and he also gave up 77 hits over that time period. He allowed 7.6 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.27. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.12 and they gave up 416 base hits on the year. Teams hit .239 against the bullpen while being struck out 438 times and walking 150 times last season. As a team, Cleveland allowed 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.84 batters per nine. They were 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.68. The Indians pitchers collectively gave up 1,274 base hits and 584 earned runs last year. They allowed 161 home runs last season and they allowed 1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a pitching staff walked 425 batters and struck out 1,407. They walked 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.19 and their FIP as a unit was 3.62.

As a team, Cleveland batted .256, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .239 average away from home. The Indians held a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which was good for 6th in baseball. They ranked 12th in baseball with 8.66 hits per game. Carlos Santana hit .231 last season and his on-base percentage was at .357. He had 127 hits last season along with 72 runs scored and 85 runs batted in. He struck out 122 times and walked 108 times. Jason Kipnis hit .303 and he had an on-base percentage of .372 last year. He totaled 171 hits while scoring 86 runs and he drove in 52. He walked 57 times and struck out 107 times. The Indians had 1,395 hits, including 303 doubles, 29 triples, and 141 home runs. They stole 86 bases while they were thrown out stealing 28 times. Cleveland walked 533 times last season and they struck out 1,157 times as a unit. They left 1,147 men on base and had a team OPS of .725. They scored 4.16 runs per contest and scored a total of 669 runs last season.

Chicago comes into this matchup after having a 40-41 home record and a 76 - 86 overall mark last year. With an earned run average last season of 3.41, Chris Sale will come into this game after holding a 13 - 11 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He had 274 strikeouts over the 208.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 185 hits. He allowed 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 2.73. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.67 and they gave up 425 base hits last year. Teams hit .250 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 423 times and walking 176 times last season. As a team, Chicago allowed 8.94 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.42 batters per nine. They were 14th in the league in team earned run average at 3.98. The White Sox pitchers as a team surrendered 1,443 base knocks and 643 earned runs last season. They gave up 162 home runs last year and they gave up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff walked 474 hitters and struck out 1,359. They gave up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.32 while their FIP as a staff was 3.82.

As a team, they hit .250, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .247 average at home. The White Sox held a .380 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306 which was good for 27th in baseball. They ranked 16th in baseball with 8.52 hits per contest. Jose Abreu batted .290 last season and he had an OBP of .347. He had 178 hits last year along with 88 runs scored and 101 RBI. He struck out 140 times and walked on 39 occasions. Todd Frazier hit .255 and he had an OBP of .309. He collected 158 hits last year while he scored 82 runs and drove in 89. He earned a walk 44 times and punched out 137 times. The White Sox as a unit had 1,381 base hits last year, including 260 doubles, 27 triples, and 136 homers. They had 68 stolen bases while they were thrown out 42 times. Chicago as a team walked 404 times last year and they struck out 1,231 times. They had 1,065 men left on base and had an OPS of .686. They scored 3.84 runs per game and totaled 622 runs last season.

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians were 79-80-2 against the over/under last season

The Cleveland Indians were 79-82-0 against the run line last season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox were 76-79-7 against the over/under last season

The Chicago White Sox were 77-85-0 against the run line last season

Injuries to Watch

Cleveland Indians

04/05/16 P Tommy Hunter Side Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (3/26)
04/04/16 3B Lonnie Chisenhall Arm out indefinitely
04/04/16 LF Michael Brantley Shoulder out indefinitely

Chicago White Sox

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take the White Sox

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald