Friday, April 14, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs. Kyle Hendricks

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Friday, April 14, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Gerrit Cole for the Pirates and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +158 and Chicago at -168. The Pirates have a 4-4-0 over/under record and a 1-7-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 3-5-0 against the run line and have a 3-4-1 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 4-4-0 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 1-7-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 3-4-1 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 3-5-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

04/13/17 2B Ben Zobrist Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
04/01/17 P Brian Duensing Back 10-day DL (3/30)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 3-5 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 6.55 and a WHIP of 1.64. He has 6 strikeouts over his 11 innings pitched and he's given up 15 hits. He allows 12.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 6.23. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.68 and they have given up 38 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .290 against the bullpen and they've struck out 26 hitters and walked 8 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 10.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.4 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.84. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 85 base hits and 40 earned runs. They have allowed 9 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 26 batters and struck out 53. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.49 and their FIP as a unit is 4.36.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .226, good for 19th in the league. The Pirates hold a .303 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 7.8 hits per game. Starling Marte is hitting .294 with an on-base percentage of .324. He has 10 hits this season in 34 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .382 and an OPS+ of 89. Josh Harrison is hitting .304 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .385. He has totaled 7 hits and he has driven in 2 men in 23 at bats. His OPS+ is 100 while his slugging percentage is at .348. The Pirates have 62 hits, including 9 doubles and 4 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 25 times so far this season and they have struck out 57 times as a unit. They have left 64 men on base and have a team OPS of .605. They score 3.12 runs per contest and have scored a total of 25 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 5-3 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 6.00, Kyle Hendricks has a 1-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 6 strikeouts over the 6 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 5 hits. He allows 7.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.79. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.49 and they have given up 13 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .144 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 30 batters and walked 17 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 6.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.7 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 2.59. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 51 base knocks and 21 earned runs this season. They have given up 7 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 31 hitters and struck out 87 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.12 while their FIP as a staff is 3.22.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 14th in the league. The Cubs hold a .348 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Kyle Schwarber comes into this matchup batting .200 with an OBP of .368. He has 6 hits this year along with 4 RBI in 30 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .467 with an OPS+ of 123. Kris Bryant is hitting .250 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 8 hits in 32 at bats while driving in 4 runs. He has an OPS+ of 99 and a slugging percentage of .344. The Cubs as a unit have 68 base hits, including 12 doubles and 5 homers. Chicago has walked 34 times this year and they have struck out on 74 occasions. They have had 67 men left on base and have an OPS of .684. They have scored 4.12 runs per game and totaled 33 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +158

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