Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Jake Arrieta

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Wednesday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +255 and Chicago at -285. The over/under was set at 7. The Cardinals have a 39-27-3 over/under record and a 36-33-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Cubs are 41-27-0 against the run line and have a 33-33-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 60% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 36-33 record, including 21-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 2-7 record with an earned run average of 4.56 and a WHIP of 1.41. He has 70 strikeouts over his 81 innings pitched and he has given up 84 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.5. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 168 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen while being struck out 204 times and walking 70 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.73 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.00. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 574 base hits and 273 earned runs. They have allowed 65 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 190 batters and struck out 528. 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 3.82.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .264, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .273 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .448 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336 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 .297 and his on-base percentage is at .419. He has 69 hits this season along with 45 runs scored and 42 runs batted in. He's struck out 50 times and has walked 47 times. Yadier Molina is hitting .269 and he has an on-base percentage of .341. 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 630 hits, including 130 doubles and 91 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 14 times. St. Louis has walked 237 times this season and they've struck out 533 times as a unit. They've left 487 men on base and have a team OPS of .785. They score 5.26 runs per contest and have scored a total of 363 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 25-9 home record and a 47-21 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.74, Jake Arrieta has a 11-1 record and a 0.95 WHIP. He has 101 strikeouts over the 93 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 57 hits. He has allowed 5.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.46. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.30 and they have given up 136 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .204 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 188 times and walking 82 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.01 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.61. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 452 base knocks and 182 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 53 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 200 hitters and struck out 615. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.06 while their FIP as a staff is 3.33.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .245 average at home. The Cubs hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .351 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.69 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .273 and he has an OBP of .400. He has 65 hits this year along with 43 runs scored and 53 RBI. He's struck out 39 times and has walked on 40 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .274 and he has an OBP of .365. He has collected 71 hits so far while he's scored 52 runs and drove in 48. He has earned a walk 30 times and has punched out 67 times. The Cubs as a unit have 591 base hits, including 125 doubles and 86 homers. They have 29 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Chicago as a team has walked 293 times this year and they have struck out 576 times. They've had 504 men left on base and have an OPS of .782. They score 5.38 runs per game and have totaled 366 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 39-27-3 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 36-33-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 33-33-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 41-27-0 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)
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

06/20/16 CF Dexter Fowler Hamstring 15-day DL (6/18)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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