Sunday, June 18, 2017

PNC Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: John Lackey vs. Jameson Taillon

The Chicago Cubs visit PNC Park on Sunday, June 18, 2017 to play the Pittsburgh Pirates. The probable starters are John Lackey for the Cubs and Jameson Taillon for the Pirates.

The opening line for this matchup has Chicago at -118 and Pittsburgh at +108. The Cubs have a 36-28-2 over/under record and a 24-42-0 run line mark. The Pirates are 33-34-0 against the run line and have a 32-31-4 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 36-28-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 24-42-0 against the run line

Important Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 32-31-4 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 33-34-0 against the run line

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

06/16/17 2B Ben Zobrist Wrist 10-day DL (06/13)
06/13/17 P Jake Arrieta Thumb "?" for next scheduled start
06/09/17 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (05/07)
06/08/17 P Kyle Hendricks Hand 10-day DL (06/05)

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

05/30/17 C Chris Stewart Hamstring 10-day DL (05/30)
05/28/17 P Antonio Bastardo Quad 10-day DL (04/25)
05/28/17 P Josh Lindblom Side 10-day DL (05/20)
04/18/17 CF Starling Marte Suspension 80-game suspension (eligible to return 07/18 vs. Milwaukee)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs have a 33-33 overall record this season. Starting pitcher John Lackey has a 4-7 record with an earned run average of 5.26 and a WHIP of 1.38. He has 73 strikeouts over his 75.1 innings pitched and he's given up 81 hits. He allows 9.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.55. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.49 and they have given up 189 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the bullpen and they've struck out 263 hitters and walked 98 batters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Cubs pitchers collectively have given up 550 base hits and 278 earned runs. They have allowed 84 home runs this season, ranking them 13th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff has walked 227 batters and struck out 598. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.20.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago is hitting .236, good for 29th in the league. The Cubs hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Kris Bryant is hitting .267 with an on-base percentage of .398. He has 62 hits this season in 232 at bats with 28 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .530 and an OPS+ of 143. Anthony Rizzo is hitting .252 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .391. He has totaled 61 hits and he has driven in 43 men in 242 at bats. His OPS+ is 132 while his slugging percentage is at .492. The Cubs have 528 hits, including 107 doubles and 90 home runs. Chicago has walked 264 times so far this season and they have struck out 568 times as a unit. They have left 474 men on base and have a team OPS of .740. They score 4.74 runs per contest and have scored a total of 313 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Pittsburgh has a 30-37 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.90, Jameson Taillon has a 3-1 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 35 strikeouts over the 40.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 39 hits. He allows 8.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.96. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.13 and they have given up 244 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the Pirates bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 217 batters and walked 83 opposing hitters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.41. The Pirates pitchers as a team have surrendered 637 base knocks and 296 earned runs this season. They have given up 77 home runs this year, which ranks 22nd in Major League Baseball. Pittsburgh as a staff has walked 187 hitters and struck out 490 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.21.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 20th in the league. The Pirates hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Andrew McCutchen comes into this matchup batting .260 with an OBP of .337. He has 63 hits this year along with 36 RBI in 242 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .463 with an OPS+ of 108. Josh Harrison is hitting .302 this season and he has an OBP of .371. He has collected 75 hits in 248 at bats while driving in 22 runs. He has an OPS+ of 119 and a slugging percentage of .464. The Pirates as a unit have 569 base hits, including 108 doubles and 62 homers. Pittsburgh has walked 234 times this year and they have struck out on 491 occasions. They have had 490 men left on base and have an OPS of .717. They have scored 4.24 runs per game and totaled 284 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Cubs/Pirates MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Cubs -118

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