Friday, August 12, 2016
Wrigley Field
For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here
Probable Pitchers: Adam Wainwright vs. Jake Arrieta
The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Friday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Adam Wainwright for the Cardinals and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +172 and Chicago at -182. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 61-47-6 over/under record and a 53-61-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 60-52-0 against the run line and have a 51-55-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.
The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 60-54 record, including 32-21 on the road. Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright has a 9-6 record with an earned run average of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.32. He has 112 strikeouts over his 143 innings pitched and he has given up 152 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.33. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 278 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the bullpen while being struck out 326 times and walking 123 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.65 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.62 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.01. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 983 base hits and 455 earned runs. They have allowed 102 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 318 batters and struck out 866. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 3.78.
As a team, St. Louis is batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .261 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.81 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .278 and his on-base percentage is at .347. He has 114 hits this season along with 62 runs scored and 61 runs batted in. He's struck out 85 times and has walked 37 times. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .312 and he has an on-base percentage of .376. He has totaled 110 hits so far while scoring 64 runs and he's driven in 57. He has walked 34 times and has struck out 54 times. The Cardinals have 1,005 hits, including 220 doubles and 153 home runs. They've stolen 26 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 391 times this season and they've struck out 894 times as a unit. They've left 807 men on base and have a team OPS of .772. They score 4.95 runs per contest and have scored a total of 564 runs so far this year.
Chicago comes into this matchup with a 39-17 home record and a 71-41 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.59, Jake Arrieta has a 13-5 record and a 1.03 WHIP. He has 143 strikeouts over the 142.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 97 hits. He has allowed 6.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.98. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.47 and they have given up 247 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 332 times and walking 131 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.77 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 782 base knocks and 349 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 111 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 336 hitters and struck out 984. They give up a walk 3 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 3.73.
As a team, they are batting .254, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .243 average at home. The Cubs hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.62 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .288 and he has an OBP of .397. He has 115 hits this year along with 69 runs scored and 81 RBI. He's struck out 78 times and has walked on 60 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .284 and he has an OBP of .384. He has collected 119 hits so far while he's scored 85 runs and drove in 70. He has earned a walk 56 times and has punched out 115 times. The Cubs as a unit have 966 base hits, including 208 doubles and 137 homers. They have 49 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 27 times. Chicago as a team has walked 463 times this year and they have struck out 953 times. They've had 843 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They score 5.04 runs per game and have totaled 564 runs so far this season.
St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends
The St. Louis Cardinals are 61-47-6 against the over/under so far this season
The St. Louis Cardinals are 53-61-0 against the run line so far this season
Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Chicago Cubs are 51-55-6 against the over/under so far this season
The Chicago Cubs are 60-52-0 against the run line so far this season
Injuries to Watch
St. Louis Cardinals
08/11/16 1B Matt Adams Shoulder "?" Thursday vs. Chicago Cubs
08/10/16 P Michael Wacha Shoulder 15-day DL (8/9)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 15-day DL (7/31), likely out for season
08/02/16 SS Aledmys Diaz Thumb 15-day DL (8/1)
07/27/16 P Trevor Rosenthal Rotator Cuff 15-day DL (7/26)
07/07/16 C Brayan Pena Knee 60-day DL (7/7)
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season
Chicago Cubs
07/16/16 P Trevor Cahill Knee 15-day DL (7/9)
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)
Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals
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