Sunday, July 9, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jameson Taillon vs. Jon Lester

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Wrigley Field on Sunday, July 9, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Jameson Taillon for the Pirates and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +160 and Chicago at -170. The Pirates have a 36-46-5 over/under record and a 45-42-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 33-53-0 against the run line and have a 41-43-2 over/under record.

Valuable Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 36-46-5 against the over/under

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 45-42-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 41-43-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 33-53-0 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 P John Lackey Foot 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 40-47 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has a 5-2 record with an earned run average of 2.73 and a WHIP of 1.34. He has 59 strikeouts over his 62.2 innings pitched and he's given up 62 hits. He allows 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.51. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.98 and they have given up 294 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .252 against the bullpen and they've struck out 272 hitters and walked 108 batters. As a team, Pittsburgh allows 9.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.4 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.21. The Pirates pitchers collectively have given up 800 base hits and 362 earned runs. They have allowed 96 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Pittsburgh as a pitching staff has walked 240 batters and struck out 640. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.17.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Pittsburgh is hitting .241, good for 26th in the league. The Pirates hold a .389 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. Josh Harrison is hitting .279 with an on-base percentage of .358. He has 87 hits this season in 312 at bats with 27 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .429 and an OPS+ of 106. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 88 hits and he has driven in 49 men in 304 at bats. His OPS+ is 132 while his slugging percentage is at .520. The Pirates have 704 hits, including 138 doubles and 83 home runs. Pittsburgh has walked 294 times so far this season and they have struck out 632 times as a unit. They have left 612 men on base and have a team OPS of .708. They score 4.17 runs per contest and have scored a total of 359 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 43-43 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.94, Jon Lester has a 5-5 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He has 110 strikeouts over the 107.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 102 hits. He allows 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.66. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.27 and they have given up 236 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .213 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 331 batters and walked 131 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.12. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 690 base knocks and 347 earned runs this season. They have given up 101 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 294 hitters and struck out 746 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.19.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 29th in the league. The Cubs hold a .417 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Ian Happ comes into this matchup batting .263 with an OBP of .330. He has 45 hits this year along with 29 RBI in 171 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .556 with an OPS+ of 128. Kris Bryant is hitting .261 this season and he has an OBP of .391. He has collected 75 hits in 287 at bats while driving in 34 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .502. The Cubs as a unit have 681 base hits, including 141 doubles and 112 homers. Chicago has walked 325 times this year and they have struck out on 725 occasions. They have had 590 men left on base and have an OPS of .742. They have scored 4.56 runs per game and totaled 388 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +160

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