Saturday, June 18, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jon Niese vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jon Niese for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +203 and Chicago at -220. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 41-24-1 over/under record and a 30-36-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cubs are 39-25-0 against the run line and have a 32-30-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 61% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 33-33 record, including 15-18 on the road. Starting pitcher Jon Niese has a 6-3 record with an earned run average of 4.60 and a WHIP of 1.45. He has 54 strikeouts over his 76.1 innings pitched and he has given up 86 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.21. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.06 and they have given up 215 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the bullpen while being struck out 184 times and walking 96 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.24 batters per nine. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.32. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 600 base hits and 286 earned runs. They have allowed 79 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 238 batters and struck out 479. They walk 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.58.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .270, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .256 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .416 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343 which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.41 hits per game. Starling Marte comes into this game hitting .332 and his on-base percentage is at .374. He has 80 hits this season along with 35 runs scored and 25 runs batted in. He's struck out 56 times and has walked 7 times. Gregory Polanco is hitting .291 and he has an on-base percentage of .374. He has totaled 69 hits so far while scoring 44 runs and he's driven in 39. He has walked 33 times and has struck out 53 times. The Pirates have 621 hits, including 125 doubles and 61 home runs. They've stolen 47 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 17 times. Pittsburgh has walked 226 times this season and they've struck out 537 times as a unit. They've left 510 men on base and have a team OPS of .760. They score 4.7 runs per contest and have scored a total of 310 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 22-8 home record and a 44-20 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.89, Jon Lester has a 8-3 record and a 0.95 WHIP. He has 85 strikeouts over the 85.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 64 hits. He has allowed 6.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.85. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.32 and they have given up 127 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .203 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 177 times and walking 78 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.51 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.84 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.60. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 420 base knocks and 171 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 49 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 187 hitters and struck out 568. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.35.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .239 average at home. The Cubs hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .347 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.64 hits per contest. Ben Zobrist comes into this matchup batting .316 and he has an OBP of .425. He has 68 hits this year along with 46 runs scored and 39 RBI. He's struck out 35 times and has walked on 42 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .273 and he has an OBP of .360. He has collected 68 hits so far while he's scored 48 runs and drove in 45. He has earned a walk 28 times and has punched out 64 times. The Cubs as a unit have 553 base hits, including 118 doubles and 77 homers. They have 28 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Chicago as a team has walked 271 times this year and they have struck out 547 times. They've had 467 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They score 5.38 runs per game and have totaled 344 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 41-24-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 30-36-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 32-30-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 39-25-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

06/16/16 LF Starling Marte Facial "?" Friday vs. Chicago Cubs
06/14/16 P Gerrit Cole Tricep 15-day DL (6/9)
06/11/16 C Francisco Cervelli Hand 15-day DL (6/10)
05/24/16 P Ryan Vogelsong Eye 60-day DL (5/24)
03/31/16 C Elias Diaz Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Chicago Cubs

06/09/16 2B Tommy La Stella Hamstring 15-day DL (6/8)
06/07/16 LF Jorge Soler Hamstring 15-day DL (6/6)
05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
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 Pirates

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