Friday, October 28, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Josh Tomlin vs. Kyle Hendricks

The Cleveland Indians visit Wrigley Field on Friday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Josh Tomlin for the Indians and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs. The Indians have a 80-70-11 over/under record and a 75-86-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 87-75-0 against the run line and have a 75-79-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 54% of the time.

The Indians head into this matchup with a 94-67 record, including 41-39 on the road. Starting pitcher Josh Tomlin has a 13-9 record with an earned run average of 4.40 and a WHIP of 1.19. He has 118 strikeouts over his 174 innings pitched and he has given up 187 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.88. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.45 and they have given up 443 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the bullpen while being struck out 514 times and walking 190 times this season. As a team, Cleveland has allowed 8.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.71 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.84. The Indians pitchers have collectively given up 1,330 base hits and 617 earned runs. They have allowed 186 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Cleveland as a pitching staff has walked 461 batters and struck out 1,398. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.24 and their FIP as a unit is 3.91.

As a team, Cleveland is batting .262, good for 6th in the league while putting together a .236 average away from home. The Indians hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 8.91 hits per game. Carlos Santana comes into this game hitting .259 and his on-base percentage is at .366. He has 151 hits this season along with 89 runs scored and 87 runs batted in. He's struck out 99 times and has walked 99 times. Francisco Lindor is hitting .301 and he has an on-base percentage of .358. He has totaled 182 hits so far while scoring 99 runs and he's driven in 78. He has walked 57 times and has struck out 88 times. The Indians have 1,435 hits, including 308 doubles and 185 home runs. They've stolen 134 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Cleveland has walked 531 times this season and they've struck out 1,246 times as a unit. They've left 1,084 men on base and have a team OPS of .759. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 777 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 57-24 home record and a 103-58 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.13, Kyle Hendricks has a 16-8 record and a 0.98 WHIP. He has 170 strikeouts over the 190 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 142 hits. He has allowed 6.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.2. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.50 and they have given up 365 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 519 times and walking 199 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.92 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.88 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.13. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,125 base knocks and 511 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 163 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 495 hitters and struck out 1,441. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.11 while their FIP as a staff is 3.77.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .254 average at home. The Cubs hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.7 hits per contest. Dexter Fowler comes into this matchup batting .276 and he has an OBP of .393. He has 126 hits this year along with 84 runs scored and 48 RBI. He's struck out 124 times and has walked on 79 occasions. Ben Zobrist is hitting .272 and he has an OBP of .386. He has collected 142 hits so far while he's scored 94 runs and drove in 76. He has earned a walk 96 times and has punched out 82 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,409 base hits, including 293 doubles and 199 homers. They have 66 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 34 times. Chicago as a team has walked 656 times this year and they have struck out 1,339 times. They've had 1,217 men left on base and have an OPS of .772. They score 4.99 runs per game and have totaled 808 runs so far this season.

Cleveland Indians Betting Trends

The Cleveland Indians are 80-70-11 against the over/under so far this season

The Cleveland Indians are 75-86-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 75-79-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 87-75-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Cleveland Indians

10/01/16 P Carlos Carrasco Hand 60-day DL (9/17), out for season
07/18/16 P Tommy Hunter Back 15-day DL (7/10)
06/01/16 LF Marlon Byrd Suspension out for season
05/14/16 LF Michael Brantley Shoulder 60-day DL (5/10); out for season

Chicago Cubs

10/27/16 LF Kyle Schwarber Knee not expected to be in the starting lineup for Games 3,4,5 vs Cleveland Indians
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 Indians

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