Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ryan Vogelsong vs. Mike Montgomery

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Wednesday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Ryan Vogelsong for the Pirates and Mike Montgomery for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +172 and Chicago at -182. The over/under was set at 8. The Pirates have a 71-55-3 over/under record and a 63-66-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Cubs are 71-59-0 against the run line and have a 60-63-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Pirates head into this matchup with a 67-62 record, including 33-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 3.02 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 39 strikeouts over his 50.2 innings pitched and he has given up 44 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.51. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.38 and they have given up 418 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen while being struck out 402 times and walking 179 times this season. As a team, Pittsburgh has allowed 9.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.49 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Pirates pitchers have collectively given up 1,170 base hits and 527 earned runs. They have allowed 141 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 429 batters and struck out 968. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.30.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .245 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.81 hits per game. Jordy Mercer comes into this game hitting .258 and his on-base percentage is at .337. He has 111 hits this season along with 55 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He's struck out 69 times and has walked 47 times. Starling Marte is hitting .307 and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 142 hits so far while scoring 68 runs and he's driven in 45. He has walked 23 times and has struck out 99 times. The Pirates have 1,136 hits, including 222 doubles and 123 home runs. They've stolen 99 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 39 times. Pittsburgh has walked 426 times this season and they've struck out 1,070 times as a unit. They've left 916 men on base and have a team OPS of .731. They score 4.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 588 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 46-19 home record and a 83-47 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.60, Mike Montgomery has a 4-5 record and a 1.21 WHIP. He has 76 strikeouts over the 79.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 67 hits. He has allowed 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.49. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.52 and they have given up 305 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 412 times and walking 161 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.97 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.87 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 913 base knocks and 410 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 132 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 405 hitters and struck out 1,160. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 3.79.

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 12th in the league while putting together a .251 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 14th in baseball with 8.83 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .305 and he has an OBP of .402. He has 150 hits this year along with 109 runs scored and 89 RBI. He's struck out 126 times and has walked on 65 occasions. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .392. He has collected 140 hits so far while he's scored 77 runs and drove in 91. He has earned a walk 64 times and has punched out 87 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,148 base hits, including 239 doubles and 165 homers. They have 52 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Chicago as a team has walked 528 times this year and they have struck out 1,091 times. They've had 980 men left on base and have an OPS of .779. They score 5.1 runs per game and have totaled 663 runs so far this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 71-55-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 63-66-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 60-63-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 71-59-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

08/29/16 P Gerrit Cole Elbow 15-day DL (8/25)
08/21/16 3B Jung-ho Kang Shoulder 15-day DL (8/20)
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 Pirates

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