Saturday, August 13, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Luke Weaver vs. Kyle Hendricks

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Luke Weaver for the Cardinals and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +207 and Chicago at -225. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 61-48-6 over/under record and a 54-61-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 60-53-0 against the run line and have a 51-56-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 60-55 record, including 32-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Luke Weaver will be making his season debut for St. Louis. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.43 and they have given up 282 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .218 against the bullpen while being struck out 332 times and walking 126 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.66 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.63 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.00. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 994 base hits and 459 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 324 batters and struck out 876. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .260 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 8.82 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .277 and his on-base percentage is at .345. He has 115 hits this season along with 62 runs scored and 61 runs batted in. He's struck out 87 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 1,015 hits, including 222 doubles and 155 home runs. They've stolen 26 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. St. Louis has walked 395 times this season and they've struck out 906 times as a unit. They've left 817 men on base and have a team OPS of .772. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 567 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 40-17 home record and a 72-41 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.17, Kyle Hendricks has a 11-7 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 112 strikeouts over the 133 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 101 hits. He has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.35. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 252 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 338 times and walking 134 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.97 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.79 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.07. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 792 base knocks and 352 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 113 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 340 hitters and struck out 996. 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 3.75.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 16th in the league while putting together a .244 average at home. The Cubs hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 16th in baseball with 8.65 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .290 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 117 hits this year along with 70 runs scored and 82 RBI. He's struck out 78 times and has walked on 61 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .285 and he has an OBP of .383. He has collected 121 hits so far while he's scored 86 runs and drove in 70. He has earned a walk 56 times and has punched out 118 times. The Cubs as a unit have 977 base hits, including 210 doubles and 137 homers. They have 49 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 27 times. Chicago as a team has walked 469 times this year and they have struck out 963 times. They've had 855 men left on base and have an OPS of .770. They score 5.03 runs per game and have totaled 568 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 61-48-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 54-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 51-56-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 60-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb is downgraded to out indefinitely
08/11/16 1B Matt Adams Shoulder 15-day DL (8/10)
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

08/12/16 P Pedro Strop Knee expected to miss 4-6 weeks
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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