Thursday, August 18, 2016
Wrigley Field
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Zach Davies vs. Jake Arrieta
The Milwaukee Brewers head to Wrigley Field on Thursday to take on the Chicago Cubs. The probable pitchers are Zach Davies for the Brewers and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this game has Milwaukee at +268 and Chicago at -300. The over/under is 8. The Brewers have a 55-56-7 over/under mark and a 60-58-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Cubs are 63-55-0 against the run line and have a 54-58-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.
The Brewers head into this game with a 52-66 record, and they are 19-37 on the road. Starting pitcher Zach Davies has a 9-5 record with an ERA of 3.80 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 96 strikeouts during his 123 innings pitched and he has given up 119 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.88. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.91 and they have allowed 402 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the pen while they've been struck out 372 times and walked 162 times this year. As a unit, Milwaukee has given up 9.2 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.41 hitters per nine. They are 19th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.26. The Brewers pitchers have collectively given up 1,069 base hits and 495 earned runs. They have allowed 133 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 406 batters and struck out 861. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.
As a team, Milwaukee is hitting .248, good for 22nd in the league while putting together a .242 average on the road. The Brewers have a .401 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .327 which is good for 9th in the league. They rank 27th in baseball with 8.14 hits per contest. Jonathan Villar comes into this game hitting .299 and his on-base percentage is at .384. He has 129 hits this season along with 63 runs scored and 41 runs batted in. He's struck out 130 times and has walked 60 times. Ryan Braun is hitting .325 and he has an on-base percentage of .388. 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 67 times. The Brewers have 961 hits, including 177 doubles and 130 home runs. They've stolen 131 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 41 times. Milwaukee has walked 450 times this season and they've struck out 1,120 times as a unit. They've left 811 men on base and have a team OPS of .728. They score 4.08 runs per contest and have scored a total of 482 runs so far this year.
Chicago comes into this game with a 43-19 home mark and a 75-43 overall record. With an ERA of 2.55, Jake Arrieta has a 14-5 record and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 149 strikeouts over the 148 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 101 hits. He has allowed 6.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.05. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.66 and they have given up 268 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 351 times and walking 145 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.95 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.08. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 825 base knocks and 368 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 121 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 359 hitters and struck out 1,042. 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 .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .247 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 8.67 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .292 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 124 hits this year along with 71 runs scored and 85 RBI. He's struck out 79 times and has walked on 62 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .290 and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 129 hits so far while he's scored 91 runs and drove in 73. He has earned a walk 57 times and has punched out 121 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,023 base hits, including 219 doubles and 145 homers. They have 50 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 29 times. Chicago as a team has walked 488 times this year and they have struck out 993 times. They've had 888 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They score 5.06 runs per game and have totaled 597 runs so far this season.
Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends
The Milwaukee Brewers are 55-56-7 against the over/under so far this season
The Milwaukee Brewers are 60-58-0 against the run line so far this season
Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Chicago Cubs are 54-58-6 against the over/under so far this season
The Chicago Cubs are 63-55-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
Milwaukee Brewers
08/17/16 P Michael Blazek Forearm 15-day DL (8/14)
08/16/16 P Chase Anderson Quad left last game, "?" for next scheduled start
08/16/16 LF Ryan Braun Leg is not expected to be in the starting lineup Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs
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
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)
Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs
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