Saturday, May 7, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Gio Gonzalez vs. Jason Hammel

The Washington Nationals visit Wrigley Field on Saturday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Gio Gonzalez for the Nationals and Jason Hammel for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Washington at +120 and Chicago at -130. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Nationals have a 10-14-4 over/under record and a 16-12-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 57% of the time. The Cubs are 20-7-0 against the run line and have a 16-9-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 74% of the time.

The Nationals head into this matchup with a 19-9 record, including 11-5 on the road. Starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 1.15 and a WHIP of 0.99. He has 26 strikeouts over his 31.1 innings pitched and he has given up 22 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.79. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 2.99 and they have given up 61 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the bullpen while being struck out 80 times and walking 21 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.71 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.45. The Nationals pitchers have collectively given up 199 base hits and 70 earned runs. They have allowed 16 home runs this season and they allow 0.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a pitching staff has walked 75 batters and struck out 249. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.07 and their FIP as a unit is 2.91.

As a team, Washington is batting .240, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .248 average away from home. The Nationals hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.14 hits per game. Bryce Harper comes into this game hitting .274 and his on-base percentage is at .393. He has 26 hits this season along with 19 runs scored and 26 runs batted in. He's struck out 23 times and has walked 20 times. Daniel Murphy is hitting .382 and he has an on-base percentage of .432. He has totaled 39 hits so far while scoring 17 runs and he's driven in 17. He has walked 8 times and has struck out 14 times. The Nationals have 228 hits, including 46 doubles and 35 home runs. They've stolen 13 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 5 times. Washington has walked 90 times this season and they've struck out 224 times as a unit. They've left 184 men on base and have a team OPS of .718. They score 4.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 122 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 8-3 home record and a 21-6 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.24, Jason Hammel has a 4-0 record and a 1.07 WHIP. He has 25 strikeouts over the 29 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 21 hits. He has allowed 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.05. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.81 and they have given up 43 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .178 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 81 times and walking 24 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.22 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.68 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 2.27. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 168 base knocks and 62 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 18 home runs this year and they give up 0.7 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 70 hitters and struck out 233. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 0.99 while their FIP as a staff is 3.05.

As a team, they are batting .258, good for 10th in the league while putting together a .216 average at home. The Cubs hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .363 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 8.74 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .253 and he has an OBP of .398. He has 25 hits this year along with 22 runs scored and 27 RBI. He's struck out 17 times and has walked on 20 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .301 and he has an OBP of .390. He has collected 31 hits so far while he's scored 21 runs and drove in 17. He has earned a walk 13 times and has punched out 24 times. The Cubs as a unit have 236 base hits, including 55 doubles and 31 homers. They have 17 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 7 times. Chicago as a team has walked 141 times this year and they have struck out 210 times. They've had 215 men left on base and have an OPS of .789. They score 6.07 runs per game and have totaled 164 runs so far this season.

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 10-14-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 16-12-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 16-9-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 20-7-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Washington Nationals

05/06/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5); expected to be activated Friday vs. Chicago Cubs
04/28/16 P Matt Belisle Calf 15-day DL (4/27)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Chicago Cubs

05/06/16 RF Jason Heyward Wrist is upgraded to expected to be in the starting lineup Friday vs. Washington Nationals
05/06/16 CF Matt Szczur Hamstring 15-day DL
04/28/16 C Miguel Montero Back 15-day DL (4/25)
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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs

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