Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Keyvius Sampson vs. Jon Lester

The Cincinnati Reds visit Wrigley Field on Tuesday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Keyvius Sampson for the Reds and Jon Lester for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has Cincinnati at -128 and Chicago at +118. The over/under was set at 8. The Reds have a 80-59-10 over/under record and a 78-71-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Cubs are 77-72-0 against the run line and have a 67-74-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 52% of the time.

The Reds head into this matchup with a 63-86 record, including 26-45 on the road. Starting pitcher Keyvius Sampson has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 3.49 and a WHIP of 1.58. He has 42 strikeouts over his 38.2 innings pitched and he has given up 34 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.57. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.96 and they have given up 522 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen while being struck out 481 times and walking 275 times this season. As a team, Cincinnati has allowed 9.07 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.74 batters per nine. They are 27th in the league in team earned run average at 4.88. The Reds pitchers have collectively given up 1,341 base hits and 722 earned runs. They have allowed 239 home runs this season and they allow 1.6 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cincinnati as a pitching staff has walked 592 batters and struck out 1,144. They walk 4 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit is 5.26.

As a team, Cincinnati is batting .254, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .250 average away from home. The Reds hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.6 hits per game. Joey Votto comes into this game hitting .319 and his on-base percentage is at .432. He has 161 hits this season along with 93 runs scored and 86 runs batted in. He's struck out 116 times and has walked 102 times. Zack Cozart is hitting .252 and he has an on-base percentage of .308. He has totaled 117 hits so far while scoring 67 runs and he's driven in 50. He has walked 37 times and has struck out 84 times. The Reds have 1,280 hits, including 256 doubles and 153 home runs. They've stolen 124 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 45 times. Cincinnati has walked 422 times this season and they've struck out 1,188 times as a unit. They've left 923 men on base and have a team OPS of .723. They score 4.42 runs per contest and have scored a total of 658 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 52-23 home record and a 94-55 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.40, Jon Lester has a 17-4 record and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 179 strikeouts over the 184 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 139 hits. He has allowed 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.46. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.48 and they have given up 336 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 474 times and walking 180 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.85 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.09. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,029 base knocks and 467 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 156 home runs this year and they give up 1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 459 hitters and struck out 1,333. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.10 while their FIP as a staff is 3.81.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .250 average at home. The Cubs hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .341 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.66 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .290 and he has an OBP of .388. He has 156 hits this year along with 88 runs scored and 101 RBI. He's struck out 98 times and has walked on 72 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .389. He has collected 166 hits so far while he's scored 115 runs and drove in 96. He has earned a walk 70 times and has punched out 144 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,290 base hits, including 268 doubles and 184 homers. They have 57 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 32 times. Chicago as a team has walked 598 times this year and they have struck out 1,244 times. They've had 1,114 men left on base and have an OPS of .768. They score 4.93 runs per game and have totaled 735 runs so far this season.

Cincinnati Reds Betting Trends

The Cincinnati Reds are 80-59-10 against the over/under so far this season

The Cincinnati Reds are 78-71-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 67-74-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 77-72-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Cincinnati Reds

09/18/16 SS Zack Cozart Knee "?" Monday vs. Chicago Cubs
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)

Chicago Cubs

09/18/16 LF Jorge Soler Side "?" Monday vs. Cincinnati Reds
08/12/16 P Pedro Strop Knee 15-day DL (8/11)
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)

Josh's Pick: Take the Reds

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