Friday, September 30, 2016

Great American Ball Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Jason Hammel vs. Brandon Finnegan

The Chicago Cubs head to Great American Ball Park on Friday to take on the Cincinnati Reds. The probable pitchers are Jason Hammel for the Cubs and Brandon Finnegan for the Reds. The opening line for this game has Chicago at -150 and Cincinnati at +140. The over/under is 8. The Cubs have a 72-78-8 over/under mark and a 84-74-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Reds are 83-75-0 against the run line and have a 84-64-10 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Cubs head into this game with a 101-57 record, and they are 44-33 on the road. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel has a 15-10 record with an ERA of 3.83 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 144 strikeouts during his 166.2 innings pitched and he has given up 148 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.48. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have allowed 358 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .209 against the pen while they've been struck out 508 times and walked 195 times this year. As a unit, Chicago has given up 6.93 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 hitters per nine. They are 1st in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.11. The Cubs pitchers have collectively given up 1,102 base hits and 497 earned runs. They have allowed 161 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 484 batters and struck out 1,413. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.11 and their FIP as a unit is 3.77.

As a team, Chicago is hitting .256, good for 13th in the league while putting together a .259 average on the road. The Cubs have a .429 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .344 which is good for 2nd in the league. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.73 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this game hitting .293 and his on-base percentage is at .387. He has 174 hits this season along with 120 runs scored and 101 runs batted in. He's struck out 152 times and has walked 74 times. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .292 and he has an on-base percentage of .386. He has totaled 167 hits so far while scoring 92 runs and he's driven in 106. He has walked 74 times and has struck out 105 times. The Cubs have 1,380 hits, including 287 doubles and 194 home runs. They've stolen 65 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 33 times. Chicago has walked 640 times this season and they've struck out 1,309 times as a unit. They've left 1,196 men on base and have a team OPS of .773. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 789 runs so far this year.

Cincinnati comes into this game with a 37-41 home mark and a 67-91 overall record. With an ERA of 3.98, Brandon Finnegan has a 10-11 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 145 strikeouts over the 172 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 150 hits. He has allowed 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.18. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.04 and they have given up 559 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Reds bullpen while being struck out 508 times and walking 288 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.11 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.71 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.89. The Reds pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,423 base knocks and 764 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 251 home runs this year and they give up 1.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a staff has walked 617 hitters and struck out 1,205. They give up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.45 while their FIP as a staff is 5.23.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .259 average at home. The Reds hold a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.68 hits per contest. Brandon Phillips comes into this matchup batting .291 and he has an OBP of .320. He has 160 hits this year along with 74 runs scored and 64 RBI. He's struck out 68 times and has walked on 18 occasions. Joey Votto is hitting .321 and he has an OBP of .433. He has collected 173 hits so far while he's scored 99 runs and drove in 92. He has earned a walk 108 times and has punched out 119 times. The Reds as a unit have 1,370 base hits, including 267 doubles and 162 homers. They have 134 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 50 times. Cincinnati as a team has walked 440 times this year and they have struck out 1,249 times. They've had 988 men left on base and have an OPS of .725. They score 4.42 runs per game and have totaled 699 runs so far this season.

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 72-78-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 84-74-0 against the run line so far this season

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 84-64-10 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 83-75-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Chicago Cubs

09/28/16 LF Jorge Soler Side out indefinitely
04/08/16 C Kyle Schwarber Knee 60-day DL (4/8); out for season
04/04/16 P Aaron Brooks Hip 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 3B Christian Villanueva Fibula 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Dallas Beeler Shoulder 60-day DL (3/25)
03/31/16 P Zac Rosscup Shoulder 60-day DL (2/25)

Cincinnati Reds

09/29/16 P Scott Schebler Hamstring "?" Thursday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
09/29/16 SS Zack Cozart Knee 60-day DL (9/16), out for season
09/28/16 2B Brandon Phillips Hand "?" Thursday vs. St. Louis Cardinals
09/16/16 CF Billy Hamilton Oblique 15-day DL (9/5)
09/16/16 P Cody Reed Back 15-day DL (9/5)
09/14/16 P Alfredo Simon Shoulder 60-day DL (9/12)
09/09/16 P Homer Bailey Bicep out indefinitely
06/01/16 P Caleb Cotham Shoulder 15-day DL (5/29)
05/02/16 C Devin Mesoraco Shoulder 60-day DL (5/1); out for season
04/10/16 CF Yorman Rodriguez Hamstring 60-day DL (3/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Reds

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