Thursday, May 18, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Amir Garrett vs. Jon Lester

The Cincinnati Reds head to Wrigley Field on Thursday, May 18, 2017 to take on the Chicago Cubs. The expected starting pitchers are Amir Garrett for the Reds and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The odds for this matchup have Cincinnati at +190 and Chicago at -205. The Reds have a 21-16-1 over/under mark and a 22-16-0 run line record. The Cubs are 13-25-0 against the run line and have a 23-14-1 over/under record.

Valuable Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 21-16-1 against the over/under

The Cincinnati Reds are 22-16-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 23-14-1 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 13-25-0 against the run line

Key Cincinnati Reds Injuries

05/16/17 P Tim Adleman Neck "?" Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs
05/16/17 C Devin Mesoraco Hamstring "?" Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs
04/21/17 P Tony Cingrani Oblique 10-day DL (4/19)
04/16/17 P Brandon Finnegan Shoulder 60-day DL (4/16)
04/03/17 P Nefi Ogando Hand 10-day DL (3/30)
04/02/17 P Anthony DeSclafa Elbow 60-day DL (4/2)
04/02/17 P Austin Brice Undisclosed 10-day DL (4/2)
04/02/17 P Nick Travieso Shoulder 60-day DL (4/2)
03/31/17 P Homer Bailey Elbow 60-day DL

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/16/17 2B Ben Zobrist Back "?" Wednesday vs. Cincinnati Reds
05/16/17 CF Jon Jay Back "?" Wednesday vs. Cincinnati Reds
05/08/17 RF Jason Heyward Hand 10-day DL (5/6)
05/07/17 P Brett Anderson Back 10-day DL (5/6)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Reds have a 19-19 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Amir Garrett has a 3-2 record with an earned run average of 4.25 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 28 strikeouts over his 36 innings pitched and he's given up 29 hits. He allows 7.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.96. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.31 and they have given up 113 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .200 against the bullpen and they've struck out 162 hitters and walked 65 batters. As a team, Cincinnati allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.24. The Reds pitchers collectively have given up 289 base hits and 159 earned runs. They have allowed 50 home runs this season, ranking them 8th in the league. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 146 batters and struck out 306. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.58.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other MLB games check out our handicapping tips.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Cincinnati is hitting .262, good for 7th in the league. The Reds hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 9.2 hits per game. Joey Votto is hitting .291 with an on-base percentage of .399. He has 39 hits this season in 134 at bats with 33 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .582 and an OPS+ of 153. Zack Cozart is hitting .336 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .432. He has totaled 37 hits and he has driven in 14 men in 110 at bats. His OPS+ is 159 while his slugging percentage is at .564. The Reds have 339 hits, including 72 doubles and 45 home runs. Cincinnati has walked 119 times so far this season and they have struck out 288 times as a unit. They have left 267 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 4.89 runs per contest and have scored a total of 181 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 19-19 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.45, Jon Lester has a 1-2 record and a 1.40 WHIP. He has 49 strikeouts over the 47 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 46 hits. He allows 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.66. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.95 and they have given up 108 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .207 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 155 batters and walked 61 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.3 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.83. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 315 base knocks and 145 earned runs this season. They have given up 46 home runs this year, which ranks 12th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 135 hitters and struck out 352 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 3.97.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .236, good for 24th in the league. The Cubs hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.4 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .299 with an OBP of .401. He has 41 hits this year along with 18 RBI in 137 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .547 with an OPS+ of 150. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .213 this season and he has an OBP of .351. He has collected 30 hits in 141 at bats while driving in 19 runs. He has an OPS+ of 96 and a slugging percentage of .383. The Cubs as a unit have 310 base hits, including 63 doubles and 42 homers. Chicago has walked 155 times this year and they have struck out on 331 occasions. They have had 292 men left on base and have an OPS of .715. They have scored 4.65 runs per game and totaled 172 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Reds/Cubs MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Reds +190

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