Monday, June 20, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jaime Garcia vs. John Lackey

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Monday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jaime Garcia for the Cardinals and John Lackey for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +150 and Chicago at -160. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 39-26-2 over/under record and a 35-32-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Cubs are 40-26-0 against the run line and have a 32-32-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 61% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 35-32 record, including 20-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia has a 4-6 record with an earned run average of 3.93 and a WHIP of 1.34. He has 63 strikeouts over his 75.2 innings pitched and he has given up 76 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.57. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 163 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the bullpen while being struck out 200 times and walking 69 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.37 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.74 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 555 base hits and 267 earned runs. They have allowed 63 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 187 batters and struck out 513. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit is 3.84.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .264, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .274 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .447 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335 which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.12 hits per game. Matt Carpenter comes into this game hitting .296 and his on-base percentage is at .412. He has 67 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 42 runs batted in. He's struck out 48 times and has walked 43 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .274 and he has an on-base percentage of .346. He has totaled 63 hits so far while scoring 24 runs and he's driven in 24. He has walked 24 times and has struck out 30 times. The Cardinals have 612 hits, including 129 doubles and 87 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 12 times. St. Louis has walked 227 times this season and they've struck out 521 times as a unit. They've left 471 men on base and have a team OPS of .783. They score 5.31 runs per contest and have scored a total of 356 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 24-8 home record and a 46-20 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.66, John Lackey has a 7-2 record and a 0.93 WHIP. He has 91 strikeouts over the 88 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 61 hits. He has allowed 6.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.99. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.21 and they have given up 129 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .200 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 182 times and walking 79 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.48 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.92 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.57. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 431 base knocks and 174 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 50 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 194 hitters and struck out 591. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.05 while their FIP as a staff is 3.34.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .240 average at home. The Cubs hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .350 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.61 hits per contest. Ben Zobrist comes into this matchup batting .315 and he has an OBP of .426. He has 70 hits this year along with 47 runs scored and 40 RBI. He's struck out 36 times and has walked on 44 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .274 and he has an OBP of .362. He has collected 69 hits so far while he's scored 49 runs and drove in 46. He has earned a walk 29 times and has punched out 64 times. The Cubs as a unit have 568 base hits, including 123 doubles and 81 homers. They have 29 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Chicago as a team has walked 289 times this year and they have struck out 559 times. They've had 490 men left on base and have an OPS of .777. They score 5.36 runs per game and have totaled 354 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 39-26-2 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 35-32-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 32-32-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 40-26-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
05/15/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 15-day DL (5/13)
04/04/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 15-day DL (4/1)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 15-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
04/04/16 CF Thomas Pham Oblique 15-day DL (4/4)

Chicago Cubs

06/18/16 CF Dexter Fowler Leg left last game, "?" Sunday vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
06/09/16 2B Tommy La Stella Hamstring 15-day DL (6/8)
06/07/16 LF Jorge Soler Hamstring 15-day DL (6/6)
05/18/16 P Joe Nathan Elbow 60-day DL (5/17)
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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