Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jimmy Nelson vs. Jon Lester

The Milwaukee Brewers head to Wrigley Field on Wednesday to take on the Chicago Cubs. The probable pitchers are Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this game has Milwaukee at +220 and Chicago at -265. The over/under is 8. The Brewers have a 55-54-7 over/under mark and a 60-56-0 run line record, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Cubs are 61-55-0 against the run line and have a 54-56-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Brewers head into this game with a 52-64 record, and they are 19-35 on the road. Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson has a 6-12 record with an ERA of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.49. He has 108 strikeouts during his 137 innings pitched and he has given up 139 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.9. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.89 and they have allowed 391 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the pen while they've been struck out 367 times and walked 156 times this year. As a unit, Milwaukee has given up 9.21 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.47 hitters per nine. They are 20th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.26. The Brewers pitchers have collectively given up 1,053 base hits and 487 earned runs. They have allowed 132 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 397 batters and struck out 854. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.45.

As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .249, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .245 average on the road. The Brewers have a .404 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .328 which is good for 8th in the league. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.21 hits per contest. Jonathan Villar comes into this game hitting .302 and his on-base percentage is at .386. He has 128 hits this season along with 63 runs scored and 41 runs batted in. He's struck out 127 times and has walked 59 times. Ryan Braun is hitting .328 and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 120 hits so far while scoring 61 runs and he's driven in 65. He has walked 36 times and has struck out 66 times. The Brewers have 952 hits, including 177 doubles and 129 home runs. They've stolen 128 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 40 times. Milwaukee has walked 440 times this season and they've struck out 1,104 times as a unit. They've left 796 men on base and have a team OPS of .732. They score 4.15 runs per contest and have scored a total of 481 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this game with a 41-19 home mark and a 73-43 overall record. With an ERA of 2.93, Jon Lester has a 12-4 record and a 1.09 WHIP. He has 139 strikeouts over the 141.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 115 hits. He has allowed 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.83. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have given up 263 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 345 times and walking 140 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.82 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.12. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 816 base knocks and 367 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 120 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 349 hitters and struck out 1,026. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .246 average at home. The Cubs hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.68 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .291 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 121 hits this year along with 71 runs scored and 85 RBI. He's struck out 78 times and has walked on 62 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .288 and he has an OBP of .383. He has collected 126 hits so far while he's scored 90 runs and drove in 72. He has earned a walk 56 times and has punched out 121 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,007 base hits, including 216 doubles and 144 homers. They have 49 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 28 times. Chicago as a team has walked 479 times this year and they have struck out 986 times. They've had 873 men left on base and have an OPS of .775. They score 5.08 runs per game and have totaled 589 runs so far this season.

Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends

The Milwaukee Brewers are 55-54-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Milwaukee Brewers are 60-56-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 54-56-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 61-55-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Milwaukee Brewers

08/09/16 P Junior Guerra Elbow 15-day DL (8/4)
07/25/16 3B Will Middlebrooks Leg 15-day DL (7/25)
06/10/16 RF Domingo Santana Elbow 15-day DL (6/8)
05/27/16 P Chris Capuano Elbow 60-day DL (4/2)
04/04/16 LF Rymer Liriano Facial 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Zach Jones Shoulder 60-day DL (3/31)
04/02/16 P Yhonathan Barrios Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Sean Nolin Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Chicago Cubs

08/14/16 P John Lackey Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
08/12/16 P Pedro Strop Knee expected to miss 4-6 weeks
07/16/16 P Trevor Cahill Knee 15-day DL (7/9)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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