Thursday, September 1, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jeff Samardzija vs. Mike Montgomery

The San Francisco Giants visit Wrigley Field on Thursday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jeff Samardzija for the Giants and Mike Montgomery for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has San Francisco at +145 and Chicago at -155. The over/under was set at 8. The Giants have a 62-64-5 over/under record and a 60-71-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cubs are 72-59-0 against the run line and have a 60-64-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Giants head into this matchup with a 71-60 record, including 34-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija has a 11-9 record with an earned run average of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 125 strikeouts over his 166.2 innings pitched and he has given up 157 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.17. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.75 and they have given up 355 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 326 times and walking 132 times this season. As a team, San Francisco has allowed 8.32 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.89 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Giants pitchers have collectively given up 1,091 base hits and 490 earned runs. They have allowed 135 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. San Francisco as a pitching staff has walked 359 batters and struck out 1,036. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.88.

As a team, San Francisco is batting .261, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .253 average away from home. The Giants hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .333 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 7th in baseball with 8.99 hits per game. Buster Posey comes into this game hitting .296 and his on-base percentage is at .374. He has 125 hits this season along with 70 runs scored and 60 runs batted in. He's struck out 53 times and has walked 53 times. Brandon Crawford is hitting .276 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. He has totaled 126 hits so far while scoring 56 runs and he's driven in 77. He has walked 46 times and has struck out 94 times. The Giants have 1,178 hits, including 229 doubles and 109 home runs. They've stolen 65 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. San Francisco has walked 472 times this season and they've struck out 893 times as a unit. They've left 970 men on base and have a team OPS of .738. They score 4.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 589 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 47-19 home record and a 84-47 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 3.48. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.51 and they have given up 306 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 413 times and walking 161 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.95 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.84 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.08. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 917 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 406 hitters and struck out 1,165. 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 3.78.

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 .433 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 .305 and he has an OBP of .401. He has 151 hits this year along with 109 runs scored and 89 RBI. He's struck out 127 times and has walked on 65 occasions. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .294 and he has an OBP of .391. He has collected 141 hits so far while he's scored 78 runs and drove in 93. He has earned a walk 64 times and has punched out 88 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,153 base hits, including 240 doubles and 166 homers. They have 53 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Chicago as a team has walked 531 times this year and they have struck out 1,098 times. They've had 985 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They score 5.08 runs per game and have totaled 666 runs so far this season.

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 62-64-5 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 60-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 60-64-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 72-59-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

San Francisco Giants

08/30/16 CF Denard Span Neck left last game, "?" Wednesday vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
08/29/16 P Derek Law Elbow 15-day DL (8/28)
08/27/16 P Jake Peavy Back 15-day DL (8/21)
08/23/16 LF Gregor Blanco Shoulder 15-day DL (8/22)
08/19/16 P Matt Cain Back 15-day DL (8/18)
08/02/16 RF Mac Williamson Shoulder 15-day DL (8/1)
07/29/16 P Josh Osich Forearm 15-day DL (7/24)
07/07/16 P Cory Gearrin Shoulder 15-day DL (7/6)
06/30/16 P Christopher Heston Oblique 60-day DL (6/29)
06/11/16 2B Kelby Tomlinson Thumb 15-day DL (6/9)

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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Giants

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