Friday, September 2, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Matt Cain vs. Jon Lester

The San Francisco Giants visit Wrigley Field on Friday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Matt Cain for the Giants and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has San Francisco at +203 and Chicago at -220. The over/under was set at 8. The Giants have a 62-65-5 over/under record and a 61-71-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Cubs are 72-60-0 against the run line and have a 61-64-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Giants head into this matchup with a 72-60 record, including 34-30 on the road. Starting pitcher Matt Cain has a 4-8 record with an earned run average of 5.81 and a WHIP of 1.55. He has 66 strikeouts over his 83.2 innings pitched and he has given up 99 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.38. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.73 and they have given up 359 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .244 against the bullpen while being struck out 330 times and walking 134 times this season. As a team, San Francisco has allowed 8.32 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.91 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.73. The Giants pitchers have collectively given up 1,100 base hits and 492 earned runs. They have allowed 136 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. San Francisco as a pitching staff has walked 362 batters and struck out 1,047. 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 3.87.

As a team, San Francisco is batting .261, good for 9th 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 .373. He has 126 hits this season along with 71 runs scored and 62 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 .342. He has totaled 127 hits so far while scoring 56 runs and he's driven in 77. He has walked 47 times and has struck out 95 times. The Giants have 1,187 hits, including 233 doubles and 109 home runs. They've stolen 65 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. San Francisco has walked 475 times this season and they've struck out 898 times as a unit. They've left 979 men on base and have a team OPS of .738. They score 4.49 runs per contest and have scored a total of 593 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 48-19 home record and a 85-47 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.70, Jon Lester has a 14-4 record and a 1.07 WHIP. He has 160 strikeouts over the 160 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 126 hits. He has allowed 7.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.57 and they have given up 312 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .215 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 419 times and walking 166 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.87 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.10. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 926 base knocks and 415 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 414 hitters and struck out 1,177. 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 3.77.

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 .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 .307 and he has an OBP of .402. He has 153 hits this year along with 111 runs scored and 90 RBI. He's struck out 128 times and has walked on 66 occasions. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .293 and he has an OBP of .390. He has collected 141 hits so far while he's scored 79 runs and drove in 93. He has earned a walk 65 times and has punched out 88 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,161 base hits, including 242 doubles and 167 homers. They have 53 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Chicago as a team has walked 537 times this year and they have struck out 1,103 times. They've had 993 men left on base and have an OPS of .778. They score 5.09 runs per game and have totaled 672 runs so far this season.

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 62-65-5 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 61-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 61-64-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 72-60-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

San Francisco Giants

08/31/16 CF Denard Span Neck "?" Thursday vs. Chicago Cubs
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)

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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Giants

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