Friday, May 13, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano vs. Jason Hammel

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Friday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Pirates and Jason Hammel for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +125 and Chicago at -135. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 21-11-1 over/under record and a 16-17-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Cubs are 22-11-0 against the run line and have a 20-11-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 67% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 18-15 record, including 11-8 on the road. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has a 3-1 record with an earned run average of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.37. He has 39 strikeouts over his 35 innings pitched and he has given up 29 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.51. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.22 and they have given up 111 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the bullpen while being struck out 99 times and walking 58 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.87 batters per nine. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.31. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 294 base hits and 144 earned runs. They have allowed 41 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 138 batters and struck out 263. They walk 4.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.44 and their FIP as a unit is 4.63.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .278, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .283 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .360 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.82 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .248 and his on-base percentage is at .353. He has 32 hits this season along with 23 runs scored and 14 runs batted in. He's struck out 34 times and has walked 19 times. Starling Marte is hitting .336 and he has an on-base percentage of .387. He has totaled 44 hits so far while scoring 19 runs and he's driven in 14. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 30 times. The Pirates have 324 hits, including 66 doubles and 34 home runs. They've stolen 20 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Pittsburgh has walked 133 times this season and they've struck out 257 times as a unit. They've left 276 men on base and have a team OPS of .793. They score 4.94 runs per contest and have scored a total of 163 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 12-5 home record and a 25-8 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.85, Jason Hammel has a 4-0 record and a 1.15 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 34 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 25 hits. He has allowed 6.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.23. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.59 and they have given up 61 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .191 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 101 times and walking 40 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.43 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.64. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 215 base knocks and 89 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 24 home runs this year and they give up 0.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 97 hitters and struck out 293. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.04 while their FIP as a staff is 3.23.

As a team, they are batting .263, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .241 average at home. The Cubs hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .368 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.97 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .275 and he has an OBP of .424. He has 33 hits this year along with 27 runs scored and 29 RBI. He's struck out 18 times and has walked on 26 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .285 and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 37 hits so far while he's scored 24 runs and drove in 22. He has earned a walk 15 times and has punched out 30 times. The Cubs as a unit have 296 base hits, including 67 doubles and 37 homers. They have 19 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Chicago as a team has walked 172 times this year and they have struck out 258 times. They've had 271 men left on base and have an OPS of .800. They score 5.94 runs per game and have totaled 196 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 21-11-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-17-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 20-11-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 22-11-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

04/14/16 P Cory Luebke Hamstring 15-day DL (4/14)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)

Chicago Cubs

05/06/16 CF Matt Szczur Hamstring 15-day DL (5/3)
04/28/16 C Miguel Montero Back 15-day DL (4/25)
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 Pirates

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