Saturday, July 16, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yu Darvish vs. Jason Hammel

The Texas Rangers visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Yu Darvish for the Rangers and Jason Hammel for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +117 and Chicago at -127. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 48-37-5 over/under record and a 53-37-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 59% of the time. The Cubs are 45-43-0 against the run line and have a 46-38-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 54-36 record, including 25-21 on the road. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 2.87 and a WHIP of 1.15. He has 19 strikeouts over his 15.2 innings pitched and he has given up 12 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.73. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 5.10 and they have given up 320 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .276 against the bullpen while being struck out 225 times and walking 109 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.25 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.55 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.42. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 828 base hits and 396 earned runs. They have allowed 118 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 307 batters and struck out 587. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.89.

As a team, Texas is batting .267, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .254 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 9.13 hits per game. Ian Desmond comes into this game hitting .322 and his on-base percentage is at .375. He has 113 hits this season along with 65 runs scored and 55 runs batted in. He's struck out 94 times and has walked 28 times. Nomar Mazara is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .330. He has totaled 86 hits so far while scoring 36 runs and he's driven in 36. He has walked 22 times and has struck out 53 times. The Rangers have 822 hits, including 142 doubles and 111 home runs. They've stolen 53 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 20 times. Texas has walked 239 times this season and they've struck out 668 times as a unit. They've left 567 men on base and have a team OPS of .755. They score 4.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 443 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 26-14 home record and a 53-35 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.46, Jason Hammel has a 7-5 record and a 1.13 WHIP. He has 79 strikeouts over the 96.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 79 hits. He has allowed 7.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.55. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.84 and they have given up 202 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .212 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 263 times and walking 111 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.09 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.88 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.31. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 627 base knocks and 296 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 92 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 274 hitters and struck out 782. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.14 while their FIP as a staff is 3.89.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .242 average at home. The Cubs hold a .438 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.74 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .299 and he has an OBP of .416. He has 92 hits this year along with 54 runs scored and 63 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 50 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .286 and he has an OBP of .384. He has collected 94 hits so far while he's scored 73 runs and drove in 65. He has earned a walk 44 times and has punched out 87 times. The Cubs as a unit have 769 base hits, including 161 doubles and 120 homers. They have 33 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Chicago as a team has walked 375 times this year and they have struck out 763 times. They've had 666 men left on base and have an OPS of .786. They score 5.23 runs per game and have totaled 460 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 48-37-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 53-37-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 46-38-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 45-43-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

07/14/16 P Keone Kela Elbow 60-day DL (4/20); expected to be activated Friday vs Chicago Cubs
07/13/16 P Yu Darvish Shoulder 15-day DL (6/9); expected to be acitvated & start Saturday vs Chicago Cubs
07/07/16 C Bryan Holaday Thumb 15-day DL (7/5)
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 15-day DL (6/21)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Chicago Cubs

07/08/16 P Jason Hammel Hand left last game, "?" for next scheduled start
07/06/16 C David Ross Concussion 7-day DL (7/5)
07/03/16 2B Chris Coghlan Ribs 15-day DL (7/3)
06/21/16 P Clayton Richard Finger 15-day DL (6/21)
06/20/16 CF Dexter Fowler Hamstring 15-day DL (6/19)
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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Rangers

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