Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, 9/23/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs

Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023

Location: Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL

TV: Marquee

Odds/Point Spread: Colorado (+180) Chicago (-218)

Wrigley Field is the site where the Chicago Cubs (79-74) will try to defeat the Colorado Rockies (56-96) on Saturday. The moneyline on this matchup has Colorado at +180 and Chicago is coming in at -218. The over/under is set at 9. The expected starting pitchers will be Chris Flexen and Jordan Wicks.

Colorado is slugging .400 and have been rung up 1,437 times, while drawing a walk on 420 occasions. They have tallied 645 runs batted in and 1,280 hits on the season, and their batting average is .249. The Rockies have accrued 283 two-baggers as a squad and have knocked 146 baseballs out of the park. They are sitting with 678 runs and have an on-base percentage of .310. As a unit, the Colorado Rockies are putting up 4.5 runs per contest, which ranks them 18th in the league.

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The Rockies are sitting with a team earned run average of 5.62 for the season (30th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 1,047 batters. Rockies pitchers have given up 218 home runs in addition to 893 runs (30th in the league). They have walked 541 opposing batters and their FIP is 5.21 as a team for the season. Colorado has allowed 1,490 hits (10.1 per 9 innings) in addition to 828 earned runs. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 1.94 and the pitching staff has earned a collective WHIP of 1.53.

Rockies bullpen pitchers have entered the contest with players on base 150 times as well as having 143 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have a total of 55 holds over the course of the season (30th in the league). The Rockies relievers have recorded a save percentage of 49.2% and has come into the game in 120 save situations. They have earned 31 saves this season and have not converted 32 out of their 63 chances to save the game. The bullpen pitchers have inherited 250 base runners for the year and 38.8% of those runners crossed home plate. The Rockies have sent 506 relief pitchers to the mound on the campaign.

The Rockies have turned 67.1% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 11,925 innings on the diamond, ranking them 30th in professional baseball. The Colorado Rockies have earned 3,975 putouts on the year, in addition to 1,426 assists and 78 errors. Their fielding percentage is holding steady at .986 which is 14th in MLB, and have accumulated 162 double plays.

Flexen (26-34 win-loss mark in his career) has a FIP of 4.95 while he has gone up against 2,093 opposing hitters in the majors. He has allowed 530 hits (10.0 hits per 9 innings) with 179 walks. His ERA is 4.97 (263 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.487. Flexen has taken the hill for 476 innings and has accumulated 339 strikeouts during his career.

The Cubs hold a team slugging % of .421 and they have an average of 5.07 runs per outing (7th in the league). They have tallied 256 two-baggers, while walking 535 times as well as scoring 776 runs. Chicago has tallied 185 home runs this year and 744 runs batted in. They have struck out on 1,314 instances (16th in baseball) and have earned a total of 1,326 base hits. The Chicago Cubs have an on-base percentage of .330 and a team batting average of .255 on the year.

The Cubs have a WHIP of 1.279 and are the owners of a FIP of 4.16 as a unit for the season. They sit at 14th in the league as a staff in total hits given up with 1,260. The Chicago pitching staff have given up 685 runs for the season while having a team ERA of 4.11 (619 earned runs yielded). Their K/BB ratio sits at 8.60 (1,294 strikeouts against 475 walks). They have surrendered 169 home runs and they allow 4.54 runs per 9 innings (16th in the league).

With 127 save situations, the Cubs have 76 holds and also 18 blown saves. Chicago has had relief pitchers enter the contest in 50 save chances and they have come away with 32 saves. Their relievers have come in 136 times in high leverage situations and also on 127 occasions with runners on base. Chicago bullpen pitchers have an inherited score rate of 28.6% out of their 210 inherited runners. They sit at 13th in the league with a save percentage of 64.0%, and they have dispatched 479 relief pitchers to the mound over the course of the season.

In 12,213 innings played, the Cubs hold a defensive efficiency of 69.4% (14th in professional baseball). The Chicago Cubs have turned 128 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .985 (19th in baseball). The Cubs have accrued 1,406 assists, 85 errors and have 4,071 putouts on the campaign.

Wicks (3-1 record in his career) holds a 2.67 earned run average while giving up 7.7 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.22 and he has faced 112 opposing batters during his career. He has given up a total of 8 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.185 and having a FIP of 3.3. In his MLB career, Wicks has conceded 23 base knocks while he has accumulated 20 punch outs in 27 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Colorado (+180)

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