Thursday, May 4, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Zach Eflin vs. John Lackey

Wrigley Field is the site of the matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, May 4, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Zach Eflin for the Phillies and John Lackey for the Cubs.

Philadelphia opens at +194 while Chicago opens at -210. The Phillies have a 14-11-0 over/under record and a 15-10-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 10-16-0 against the run line and have a 16-9-1 over/under record.

Valuable Philadelphia Phillies Betting Trends

The Philadelphia Phillies are 14-11-0 against the over/under

The Philadelphia Phillies are 15-10-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 16-9-1 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 10-16-0 against the run line

Key Philadelphia Phillies Injuries

04/24/17 P Aaron Nola Back 10-day DL (4/21)
04/23/17 P Clay Buchholz Forearm 60-day DL (4/22)
04/19/17 LF Howie Kendrick Abdominal 7-day DL (4/16)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/03/17 3B Kris Bryant Calf left last game, probable Wednesday vs. Philadelphia Phillies
04/17/17 2B Tommy La Stella Personal out indefinitely

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Phillies have a 12-13 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Zach Eflin has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 1.89 and a WHIP of 0.68. He has 11 strikeouts over his 19 innings pitched and he's given up 10 hits. He allows 4.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.68. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.59 and they have given up 78 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen and they've struck out 78 hitters and walked 29 batters. As a team, Philadelphia allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. They are 19th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Phillies pitchers collectively have given up 201 base hits and 98 earned runs. They have allowed 37 home runs this season, ranking them 3rd in the league. Philadelphia as a pitching staff has walked 68 batters and struck out 178. They have walked 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.66.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Philadelphia is hitting .256, good for 8th in the league. The Phillies hold a .434 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 9th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Odubel Herrera is hitting .270 with an on-base percentage of .343. He has 24 hits this season in 89 at bats with 10 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .416 and an OPS+ of 102. Cesar Hernandez is hitting .337 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .385. He has totaled 34 hits and he has driven in 10 men in 101 at bats. His OPS+ is 145 while his slugging percentage is at .545. The Phillies have 209 hits, including 45 doubles and 28 home runs. Philadelphia has walked 74 times so far this season and they have struck out 211 times as a unit. They have left 150 men on base and have a team OPS of .754. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 116 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 14-12 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.10, John Lackey has a 2-3 record and a 1.33 WHIP. He has 30 strikeouts over the 30 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 31 hits. He allows 9.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.93. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.80 and they have given up 58 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .182 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 99 batters and walked 39 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.02. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 202 base knocks and 100 earned runs this season. They have given up 33 home runs this year, which ranks 8th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 89 hitters and struck out 222 batters. They give up a walk 3.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .251, good for 12th in the league. The Cubs hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .335, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .255 with an OBP of .376. He has 25 hits this year along with 17 RBI in 98 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .490 with an OPS+ of 131. Kris Bryant is hitting .283 this season and he has an OBP of .390. He has collected 28 hits in 99 at bats while driving in 14 runs. He has an OPS+ of 139 and a slugging percentage of .505. The Cubs as a unit have 220 base hits, including 45 doubles and 29 homers. Chicago has walked 99 times this year and they have struck out on 227 occasions. They have had 195 men left on base and have an OPS of .745. They have scored 4.96 runs per game and totaled 124 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Phillies +194

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