Friday, July 7, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Trevor Williams vs. Eddie Butler

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Friday, July 7, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Trevor Williams for the Pirates and Eddie Butler for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +157 and Chicago at -167. The Pirates have a 36-45-4 over/under record and a 44-41-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 32-52-0 against the run line and have a 40-42-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 36-45-4 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 44-41-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 40-42-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 32-52-0 against the run line

Key Pittsburgh Pirates Injuries

04/18/17 CF Starling Marte Suspension 80-game suspension (eligible to return 07/18 vs. Milwaukee)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

07/06/17 2B Ben Zobrist Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Milwaukee Brewers
07/06/17 P John Lackey Plantar Fasciitis 10-day DL (07/06)
06/09/17 P Brett Anderson Back 60-day DL (05/07)
06/08/17 P Kyle Hendricks Hand 10-day DL (06/05)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Pirates have a 39-46 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Trevor Williams has a 3-3 record with an earned run average of 4.67 and a WHIP of 1.22. He has 51 strikeouts over his 71.1 innings pitched and he's given up 69 hits. He allows 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.93. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.98 and they have given up 290 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the bullpen and they've struck out 269 hitters and walked 105 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.23. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 794 base hits and 360 earned runs. They have allowed 96 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 237 batters and struck out 636. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.5 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.35 and their FIP as a unit is 4.18.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .241, good for 26th in the league. The Pirates hold a .387 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 26th in MLB with 8.2 hits per game. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .283 with an on-base percentage of .369. He has 85 hits this season in 300 at bats with 49 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .510 and an OPS+ of 128. Josh Harrison is hitting .280 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .360. He has totaled 86 hits and he has driven in 27 men in 307 at bats. His OPS+ is 108 while his slugging percentage is at .433. The Pirates have 693 hits, including 134 doubles and 81 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 292 times so far this season and they have struck out 624 times as a unit. They have left 605 men on base and have a team OPS of .705. They score 4.15 runs per contest and have scored a total of 353 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 42-42 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.18, Eddie Butler has a 4-3 record and a 1.42 WHIP. He has 28 strikeouts over the 47.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 43 hits. He allows 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.38. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.27 and they have given up 227 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 319 batters and walked 121 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 677 base knocks and 336 earned runs this season. They have given up 100 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 285 hitters and struck out 735 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 4.18.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 28th in the league. The Cubs hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .326, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .263 with an OBP of .394. He has 75 hits this year along with 33 RBI in 285 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .505 with an OPS+ of 136. Ian Happ is hitting .269 this season and he has an OBP of .337. He has collected 45 hits in 167 at bats while driving in 29 runs. He has an OPS+ of 134 and a slugging percentage of .569. The Cubs as a unit have 675 base hits, including 140 doubles and 111 homers. Chicago has walked 325 times this year and they have struck out on 719 occasions. They have had 586 men left on base and have an OPS of .744. They have scored 4.6 runs per game and totaled 386 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +157

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