Sunday, July 17, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. John Lackey

The Texas Rangers visit Wrigley Field on Sunday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and John Lackey for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at +123 and Chicago at -133. The over/under was set at 8. The Rangers have a 48-38-5 over/under record and a 53-38-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 58% of the time. The Cubs are 46-43-0 against the run line and have a 46-39-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 54-37 record, including 25-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 9-2 record with an earned run average of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.33. He has 109 strikeouts over his 112 innings pitched and he has given up 102 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.56. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 5.06 and they have given up 321 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .276 against the bullpen while being struck out 227 times and walking 112 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.52 batters per nine. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 835 base hits and 401 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 312 batters and struck out 590. They walk 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.5 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 .266, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .428 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 9.09 hits per game. Ian Desmond comes into this game hitting .319 and his on-base percentage is at .374. 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 29 times. Nomar Mazara is hitting .282 and he has an on-base percentage of .329. He has totaled 87 hits so far while scoring 36 runs and he's driven in 36. He has walked 22 times and has struck out 54 times. The Rangers have 827 hits, including 142 doubles and 111 home runs. They've stolen 53 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 21 times. Texas has walked 241 times this season and they've struck out 674 times as a unit. They've left 574 men on base and have a team OPS of .751. They score 4.87 runs per contest and have scored a total of 443 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 27-14 home record and a 54-35 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.70, John Lackey has a 7-5 record and a 1.11 WHIP. He has 120 strikeouts over the 116.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 93 hits. He has allowed 7.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.79. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 204 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 266 times and walking 111 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.84 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.28. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 632 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 276 hitters and struck out 788. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.13 while their FIP as a staff is 3.88.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .242 average at home. The Cubs hold a .436 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .348 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.72 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .298 and he has an OBP of .414. He has 93 hits this year along with 55 runs scored and 63 RBI. He's struck out 54 times and has walked on 50 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .285 and he has an OBP of .383. He has collected 95 hits so far while he's scored 74 runs and drove in 65. He has earned a walk 44 times and has punched out 87 times. The Cubs as a unit have 776 base hits, including 163 doubles and 120 homers. They have 33 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Chicago as a team has walked 380 times this year and they have struck out 766 times. They've had 673 men left on base and have an OPS of .784. They score 5.24 runs per game and have totaled 466 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 48-38-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 53-38-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 46-39-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 46-43-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

07/15/16 P Jake Diekman Finger 15-day DL (7/6)
07/15/16 RF Shin-Soo Choo Back "?" Saturday 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 60-day DL (7/5)
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 60-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

07/16/16 P Jason Hammel Hand is upgraded to expected to start Saturday vs. Texas Rangers
07/16/16 P Trevor Cahill Knee 15-day DL (7/9)
07/03/16 2B Chris Coghlan Ribs 15-day DL (7/3)
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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers

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