Friday, June 2, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Lance Lynn vs. John Lackey

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Friday, June 2, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Lance Lynn for the Cardinals and John Lackey for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +137 and Chicago at -147. The Cardinals have a 28-20-2 over/under record and a 24-26-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 18-34-0 against the run line and have a 29-21-2 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 28-20-2 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 24-26-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 29-21-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 18-34-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

05/28/17 2B Kolten Wong Elbow 10-day DL (5/27)
04/18/17 P John Gant Groin 10-day DL (3/30)
04/10/17 P Alex Reyes Elbow 10-day DL (3/30)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

05/07/17 P Brett Anderson Back 10-day DL (05/07)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 25-25 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Lance Lynn has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 2.93 and a WHIP of 1.06. He has 53 strikeouts over his 58.1 innings pitched and he's given up 42 hits. He allows 6.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.79 and they have given up 162 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen and they've struck out 158 hitters and walked 69 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.75. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 425 base hits and 193 earned runs. They have allowed 52 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 165 batters and struck out 435. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.81.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .252, good for 15th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 13th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .258 with an on-base percentage of .293. He has 50 hits this season in 194 at bats with 14 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .397 and an OPS+ of 83. Jedd Gyorko is hitting .310 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 48 hits and he has driven in 22 men in 155 at bats. His OPS+ is 139 while his slugging percentage is at .548. The Cardinals have 434 hits, including 94 doubles and 51 home runs. St. Louis has walked 173 times so far this season and they have struck out 402 times as a unit. They have left 356 men on base and have a team OPS of .730. They score 4.2 runs per contest and have scored a total of 210 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 25-27 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.18, John Lackey has a 4-5 record and a 1.45 WHIP. He has 60 strikeouts over the 57.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 64 hits. He allows 10 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.04. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.18 and they have given up 144 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .210 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 203 batters and walked 82 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 439 base knocks and 213 earned runs this season. They have given up 66 home runs this year, which ranks 12th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 184 hitters and struck out 479 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 4.10.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .235, good for 27th in the league. The Cubs hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 23rd in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .278 with an OBP of .398. He has 52 hits this year along with 23 RBI in 187 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .535 with an OPS+ of 147. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .227 this season and he has an OBP of .362. He has collected 44 hits in 194 at bats while driving in 30 runs. He has an OPS+ of 116 and a slugging percentage of .448. The Cubs as a unit have 419 base hits, including 81 doubles and 66 homers. Chicago has walked 208 times this year and they have struck out on 450 occasions. They have had 387 men left on base and have an OPS of .728. They have scored 4.62 runs per game and totaled 240 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +137

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