Sunday, September 4, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Johnny Cueto vs. John Lackey

The San Francisco Giants visit Wrigley Field on Sunday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Johnny Cueto for the Giants and John Lackey for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has San Francisco at +115 and Chicago at -125. The over/under was set at 8. The Giants have a 63-66-5 over/under record and a 63-71-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 72-62-0 against the run line and have a 62-65-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Giants head into this matchup with a 72-62 record, including 34-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Johnny Cueto has a 14-5 record with an earned run average of 2.98 and a WHIP of 1.10. He has 163 strikeouts over his 184.1 innings pitched and he has given up 165 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.1. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.71 and they have given up 364 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen while being struck out 338 times and walking 139 times this season. As a team, San Francisco has allowed 8.31 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 1,113 base hits and 499 earned runs. They have allowed 136 home runs this season and they allow 1 homers per nine innings as a staff. San Francisco as a pitching staff has walked 372 batters and struck out 1,061. They walk 2.8 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 .259, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Giants hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.9 hits per game. Brandon Crawford comes into this game hitting .274 and his on-base percentage is at .339. He has 128 hits this season along with 56 runs scored and 77 runs batted in. He's struck out 96 times and has walked 47 times. Buster Posey is hitting .292 and he has an on-base percentage of .371. He has totaled 126 hits so far while scoring 72 runs and he's driven in 62. He has walked 55 times and has struck out 54 times. The Giants have 1,193 hits, including 236 doubles and 111 home runs. They've stolen 65 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 29 times. San Francisco has walked 480 times this season and they've struck out 908 times as a unit. They've left 985 men on base and have a team OPS of .734. They score 4.46 runs per contest and have scored a total of 598 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 50-19 home record and a 87-47 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.41, John Lackey has a 9-7 record and a 1.04 WHIP. He has 156 strikeouts over the 158.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 122 hits. He has allowed 6.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.72. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.53 and they have given up 312 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 424 times and walking 166 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.81 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 932 base knocks and 419 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 134 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 419 hitters and struck out 1,187. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 3.79.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .250 average at home. The Cubs hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.76 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .292 and he has an OBP of .388. He has 143 hits this year along with 80 runs scored and 93 RBI. He's struck out 89 times and has walked on 65 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .305 and he has an OBP of .402. He has collected 154 hits so far while he's scored 112 runs and drove in 91. He has earned a walk 68 times and has punched out 128 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,174 base hits, including 246 doubles and 167 homers. They have 54 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Chicago as a team has walked 547 times this year and they have struck out 1,117 times. They've had 1,008 men left on base and have an OPS of .776. They score 5.07 runs per game and have totaled 679 runs so far this season.

San Francisco Giants Betting Trends

The San Francisco Giants are 63-66-5 against the over/under so far this season

The San Francisco Giants are 63-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 62-65-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 72-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

San Francisco Giants

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)
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) expected to be activated & start Sunday vs. San Francisco Giants
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 Giants

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