Friday, September 23, 2016

Wrigley Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Leake vs. Jake Arrieta

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Friday to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Mike Leake for the Cardinals and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs. The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +194 and Chicago at -210. The over/under was set at 8. The Cardinals have a 79-67-6 over/under record and a 71-81-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 47% of the time. The Cubs are 80-72-0 against the run line and have a 68-76-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Cardinals head into this matchup with a 80-72 record, including 47-31 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Leake has a 9-10 record with an earned run average of 4.54 and a WHIP of 1.30. He has 118 strikeouts over his 168.1 innings pitched and he has given up 191 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.88. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.58 and they have given up 399 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the bullpen while being struck out 463 times and walking 182 times this season. As a team, St. Louis has allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.93 batters per nine. They are 11th in the league in team earned run average at 4.05. The Cardinals pitchers have collectively given up 1,330 base hits and 612 earned runs. They have allowed 149 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 448 batters and struck out 1,198. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 3.89.

As a team, St. Louis is batting .254, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Cardinals hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.72 hits per game. Stephen Piscotty comes into this game hitting .272 and his on-base percentage is at .343. He has 148 hits this season along with 80 runs scored and 81 runs batted in. He's struck out 126 times and has walked 49 times. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .303 and he has an on-base percentage of .368. He has totaled 115 hits so far while scoring 66 runs and he's driven in 61. He has walked 36 times and has struck out 58 times. The Cardinals have 1,326 hits, including 281 doubles and 212 home runs. They've stolen 35 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 25 times. St. Louis has walked 495 times this season and they've struck out 1,239 times as a unit. They've left 1,050 men on base and have a team OPS of .766. They score 4.79 runs per contest and have scored a total of 728 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 55-23 home record and a 97-55 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.96, Jake Arrieta has a 17-7 record and a 1.06 WHIP. He has 176 strikeouts over the 185.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 123 hits. He has allowed 6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.55. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.44 and they have given up 340 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .208 against the Cubs bullpen while being struck out 480 times and walking 183 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 6.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.86 batters per nine. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.06. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,048 base knocks and 472 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 157 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 464 hitters and struck out 1,354. They give up a walk 3 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 3.79.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 15th 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 8.72 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .292 and he has an OBP of .389. He has 161 hits this year along with 89 runs scored and 104 RBI. He's struck out 100 times and has walked on 73 occasions. Kris Bryant is hitting .295 and he has an OBP of .387. He has collected 170 hits so far while he's scored 117 runs and drove in 99. He has earned a walk 70 times and has punched out 147 times. The Cubs as a unit have 1,325 base hits, including 274 doubles and 189 homers. They have 58 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 33 times. Chicago as a team has walked 609 times this year and they have struck out 1,260 times. They've had 1,141 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They score 4.97 runs per game and have totaled 755 runs so far this season.

St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 79-67-6 against the over/under so far this season

The St. Louis Cardinals are 71-81-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 68-76-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago Cubs are 80-72-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

St. Louis Cardinals

09/05/16 P Seth Maness Elbow 60-day DL (8/14)
08/12/16 LF Matt Holliday Thumb 15-day DL (8/12)
08/03/16 P Tyler Lyons Knee 60-day DL (7/31), out for season
05/26/16 P Mitch Harris Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Jordan Walden Abdominal 60-day DL (3/31)
04/04/16 P Lance Lynn Elbow 60-day DL (3/25); out for season

Chicago Cubs

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)

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals

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