Thursday, September 15, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jimmy Nelson vs. Mike Montgomery

The Milwaukee Brewers visit Wrigley Field on Thursday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers and Mike Montgomery for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Milwaukee at +201 and Chicago at -218. The over/under was set at 8. The Brewers have a 68-70-7 over/under record and a 77-68-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Cubs are 76-68-0 against the run line and have a 65-72-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Brewers head into this matchup with a 64-81 record, including 25-45 on the road. Starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson has a 7-14 record with an earned run average of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.51. He has 125 strikeouts over his 163 innings pitched and he has given up 168 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.03. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 470 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen while being struck out 434 times and walking 194 times this season. As a team, Milwaukee has allowed 9.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.38 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Brewers pitchers have collectively given up 1,292 base hits and 593 earned runs. They have allowed 164 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Milwaukee as a pitching staff has walked 486 batters and struck out 1,051. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 4.44.

As a team, Milwaukee is batting .245, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .242 average away from home. The Brewers hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.05 hits per game. Ryan Braun comes into this game hitting .309 and his on-base percentage is at .373. He has 142 hits this season along with 73 runs scored and 82 runs batted in. He's struck out 86 times and has walked 45 times. Jonathan Villar is hitting .292 and he has an on-base percentage of .373. He has totaled 155 hits so far while scoring 81 runs and he's driven in 55. He has walked 68 times and has struck out 158 times. The Brewers have 1,167 hits, including 220 doubles and 169 home runs. They've stolen 160 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 49 times. Milwaukee has walked 549 times this season and they've struck out 1,374 times as a unit. They've left 977 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 598 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 51-20 home record and a 92-52 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.74, Mike Montgomery has a 4-5 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 83 strikeouts over the 88.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 72 hits. He has allowed 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.78. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.38 and they have given up 327 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 455 times and walking 176 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.85 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.82 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.06. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 994 base knocks and 447 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 147 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 447 hitters and struck out 1,277. They give up a walk 3.1 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 .253, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Cubs hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.61 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .297 and he has an OBP of .391. He has 162 hits this year along with 113 runs scored and 94 RBI. He's struck out 138 times and has walked on 69 occasions. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .289 and he has an OBP of .386. He has collected 152 hits so far while he's scored 86 runs and drove in 98. He has earned a walk 69 times and has punched out 94 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,240 base hits, including 260 doubles and 177 homers. They have 57 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 31 times. Chicago as a team has walked 584 times this year and they have struck out 1,199 times. They've had 1,075 men left on base and have an OPS of .766. They score 4.97 runs per game and have totaled 715 runs so far this season.

Milwaukee Brewers Betting Trends

The Milwaukee Brewers are 68-70-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Milwaukee Brewers are 77-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 65-72-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 76-68-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Milwaukee Brewers

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

08/12/16 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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Brewers

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