Sunday, May 15, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Sunday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +130 and Chicago at -140. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Pirates have a 22-11-1 over/under record and a 16-18-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 23-11-0 against the run line and have a 21-11-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 68% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 18-16 record, including 11-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 3.78 and a WHIP of 1.35. He has 32 strikeouts over his 33.1 innings pitched and he has given up 33 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.11. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.10 and they have given up 113 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen while being struck out 101 times and walking 58 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 8.89 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.93 batters per nine. They are 22nd in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 305 base hits and 152 earned runs. They have allowed 44 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 142 batters and struck out 272. They walk 4.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 4.70.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .279, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .284 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .434 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .361 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 2nd in baseball with 9.85 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen comes into this game hitting .261 and his on-base percentage is at .361. He has 35 hits this season along with 24 runs scored and 16 runs batted in. He's struck out 34 times and has walked 19 times. Starling Marte is hitting .338 and he has an on-base percentage of .388. He has totaled 46 hits so far while scoring 20 runs and he's driven in 14. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 31 times. The Pirates have 335 hits, including 69 doubles and 35 home runs. They've stolen 23 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 11 times. Pittsburgh has walked 137 times this season and they've struck out 265 times as a unit. They've left 285 men on base and have a team OPS of .794. They score 4.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 167 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 13-5 home record and a 26-8 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.96, Jon Lester has a 4-1 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 42 strikeouts over the 46 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 37 hits. He has allowed 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.39. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have given up 64 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .195 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 101 times and walking 42 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.56 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.78 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.65. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 226 base knocks and 92 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 25 home runs this year and they give up 0.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 101 hitters and struck out 301. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.06 while their FIP as a staff is 3.25.

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .246 average at home. The Cubs hold a .439 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .368 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.03 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .274 and he has an OBP of .419. He has 34 hits this year along with 28 runs scored and 29 RBI. He's struck out 19 times and has walked on 26 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .284 and he has an OBP of .364. He has collected 38 hits so far while he's scored 25 runs and drove in 24. He has earned a walk 15 times and has punched out 31 times. The Cubs as a unit have 307 base hits, including 69 doubles and 40 homers. They have 19 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Chicago as a team has walked 176 times this year and they have struck out 267 times. They've had 276 men left on base and have an OPS of .807. They score 6.03 runs per game and have totaled 205 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 22-11-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-18-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 21-11-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 23-11-0 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)
04/08/16 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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