St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 7/21/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, July 21, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez vs. Jake Arrieta

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Friday, July 21, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and Jake Arrieta for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +150 and Chicago at -160. The Cardinals have a 49-41-4 over/under record and a 42-52-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 38-56-0 against the run line and have a 45-47-2 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 49-41-4 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 42-52-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 45-47-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 38-56-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

7/20/2017 Aledmys Diaz SS Personal Expected to be out until at least Jul 21
7/18/2017 Eliezer Alvarez 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
7/17/2017 Randal Grichuk LF Back Expected to be out until at least Jul 20
7/15/2017 Stephen Piscotty RF Groin Expected to be out until at least Jul 25
6/28/2017 Alex Reyes RP Elbow Out for the season
5/17/2017 Zach Duke RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
5/13/2017 Daniel Poncedeleon SP Head Expected to be out until at least Aug 1
4/25/2017 Jordan Schafer RP Forearm Out for the season

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

7/19/2017 Kris Bryant 3B Finger Expected to be out until at least Jul 21
7/19/2017 Oscar De La Cruz SP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
7/19/2017 Wladimir Galindo 3B Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/18/2017 Kyle Hendricks SP Hand Expected to be out until at least Jul 24
7/15/2017 Alec Mills SP Ankle Expected to be out until at least Jul 22
7/14/2017 Brett Anderson SP Back Expected to be out until at least Jul 24

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 46-48 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Carlos Martinez has a 6-8 record with an earned run average of 3.36 and a WHIP of 1.14. He has 133 strikeouts over his 123.1 innings pitched and he's given up 95 hits. He allows 6.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.77. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have given up 292 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the bullpen and they've struck out 291 hitters and walked 108 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.89. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 810 base hits and 367 earned runs. They have allowed 105 home runs this season, ranking them 26th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 289 batters and struck out 785. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.05.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .256, good for 16th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Jedd Gyorko is hitting .291 with an on-base percentage of .351. He has 86 hits this season in 296 at bats with 49 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .500 and an OPS+ of 120. Aledmys Diaz is hitting .260 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .293. He has totaled 71 hits and he has driven in 20 men in 273 at bats. His OPS+ is 78 while his slugging percentage is at .396. The Cardinals have 818 hits, including 169 doubles and 111 home runs. St. Louis has walked 326 times so far this season and they have struck out 766 times as a unit. They have left 642 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 425 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 49-45 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.17, Jake Arrieta has a 9-7 record and a 1.29 WHIP. He has 105 strikeouts over the 108 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 101 hits. He allows 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.25. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.30 and they have given up 260 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .214 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 359 batters and walked 144 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.01. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 754 base knocks and 374 earned runs this season. They have given up 111 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 327 hitters and struck out 812 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.21.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 23rd in the league. The Cubs hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 10th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 8.3 hits per contest. Ian Happ comes into this matchup batting .259 with an OBP of .324. He has 53 hits this year along with 34 RBI in 205 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .527 with an OPS+ of 118. Kris Bryant is hitting .275 this season and he has an OBP of .401. He has collected 88 hits in 320 at bats while driving in 40 runs. He has an OPS+ of 141 and a slugging percentage of .528. The Cubs as a unit have 777 base hits, including 163 doubles and 133 homers. Chicago has walked 357 times this year and they have struck out on 789 occasions. They have had 655 men left on base and have an OPS of .761. They have scored 4.71 runs per game and totaled 443 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +150

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