Monday, August 29, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Steven Brault vs. Jake Arrieta

The Pittsburgh Pirates head to Wrigley Field on Monday to take on the Chicago Cubs. The probable pitchers are Steven Brault for the Pirates and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this game has Pittsburgh at +108 and Chicago at -118. The over/under is 8.5. The Pirates have a 70-54-3 over/under mark and a 61-66-0 run line record, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Cubs are 71-57-0 against the run line and have a 59-62-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 56% of the time.

The Pirates head into this game with a 66-61 record, and they are 32-31 on the road. Starting pitcher Steven Brault has a 0-1 record with an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.60. He has 8 strikeouts during his 10 innings pitched and he has given up 11 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.35. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have allowed 404 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .241 against the pen while they've been struck out 390 times and walked 175 times this year. As a unit, Pittsburgh has given up 9.04 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.47 hitters per nine. They are 15th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.09. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 1,148 base hits and 519 earned runs. They have allowed 138 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 423 batters and struck out 948. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.38 and their FIP as a unit is 4.30.

As a team, Pittsburgh is hitting .257, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .245 average on the road. The Pirates have a .401 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .329 which is good for 5th in the league. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.79 hits per contest. Jordy Mercer comes into this game hitting .261 and his on-base percentage is at .340. He has 110 hits this season along with 54 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He's struck out 68 times and has walked 46 times. Starling Marte is hitting .303 and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 137 hits so far while scoring 67 runs and he's driven in 44. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 98 times. The Pirates have 1,116 hits, including 221 doubles and 118 home runs. They've stolen 95 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 37 times. Pittsburgh has walked 417 times this season and they've struck out 1,049 times as a unit. They've left 897 men on base and have a team OPS of .730. They score 4.55 runs per contest and have scored a total of 578 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this game with a 45-19 home mark and a 82-46 overall record. With an ERA of 2.62, Jake Arrieta has a 16-5 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 158 strikeouts over the 161.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 106 hits. He has allowed 5.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.3. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.58 and they have given up 296 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 397 times and walking 157 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.85 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.11. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 896 base knocks and 403 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 130 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 396 hitters and struck out 1,136. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 3.80.

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .250 average at home. The Cubs hold a .434 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.8 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .303 and he has an OBP of .395. He has 147 hits this year along with 107 runs scored and 89 RBI. He's struck out 124 times and has walked on 61 occasions. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .299 and he has an OBP of .396. He has collected 139 hits so far while he's scored 76 runs and drove in 89. He has earned a walk 63 times and has punched out 85 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,127 base hits, including 235 doubles and 163 homers. They have 52 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Chicago as a team has walked 518 times this year and they have struck out 1,069 times. They've had 957 men left on base and have an OPS of .780. They score 5.12 runs per game and have totaled 655 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 70-54-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 61-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 59-62-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 71-57-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

08/27/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow expected to miss next scheduled start Monday vs Chicago Cubs
08/21/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Shoulder 15-day DL (8/20)
07/24/16 P Tyler Glasnow Shoulder 15-day DL (7/24)
07/04/16 C Chris Stewart Knee 15-day DL (7/2)

Chicago Cubs

08/19/16 P Hector Rondon Tricep 15-day DL (8/17)
08/19/16 P John Lackey Shoulder 15-day DL (8/15)
08/18/16 2B Chris Coghlan Ribs 15-day DL (8/17)
08/17/16 P Joe Smith Hamstring 15-day DL (8/17)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs

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