St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 9/15/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, September 15, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez vs. John Lackey

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Friday, September 15, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and John Lackey for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +115 and Chicago at -125. The Cardinals have a 73-64-8 over/under record and a 71-74-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 62-83-0 against the run line and have a 69-69-7 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-64-8 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 71-74-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 69-69-7 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 62-83-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

09/13/17 CF Dexter Fowler Knee "?" Thursday vs. Cincinnati Reds
08/23/17 P Trevor Rosenthal Elbow 60-day DL (08/18)
08/18/17 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 10-day DL (08/18)
08/06/17 P Kevin Siegrist Forearm 10-day DL (08/06)
04/10/17 P Alex Reyes Elbow 60-day DL (03/30)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

09/05/17 P Jake Arrieta Hamstring left last game, doubtful for next scheduled start
08/04/17 SS Addison Russell Foot 10-day DL (08/03)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 76-69 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Carlos Martinez has a 11-10 record with an earned run average of 3.33 and a WHIP of 1.18. He has 200 strikeouts over his 189 innings pitched and he's given up 160 hits. He allows 7.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.78. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 433 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .246 against the bullpen and they've struck out 451 hitters and walked 157 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.86. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 1,235 base hits and 553 earned runs. They have allowed 161 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 428 batters and struck out 1,190. They have walked 3 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 4.06.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .260, good for 12th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .432 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Yadier Molina is hitting .282 with an on-base percentage of .319. He has 131 hits this season in 464 at bats with 75 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .448 and an OPS+ of 99. Matt Carpenter is hitting .239 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .382. He has totaled 108 hits and he has driven in 65 men in 451 at bats. His OPS+ is 115 while his slugging percentage is at .439. The Cardinals have 1,267 hits, including 260 doubles and 175 home runs. St. Louis has walked 521 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,205 times as a unit. They have left 993 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 4.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 691 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 79-66 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.65, John Lackey has a 11-11 record and a 1.28 WHIP. He has 140 strikeouts over the 155 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 152 hits. He allows 8.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.25. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.03 and they have given up 407 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 534 batters and walked 236 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,152 base knocks and 582 earned runs this season. They have given up 174 home runs this year, which ranks 19th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 501 hitters and struck out 1,261 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.25.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 18th in the league. The Cubs hold a .438 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .277 with an OBP of .392. He has 144 hits this year along with 102 RBI in 519 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .522 with an OPS+ of 135. Kris Bryant is hitting .285 this season and he has an OBP of .402. He has collected 141 hits in 494 at bats while driving in 63 runs. He has an OPS+ of 140 and a slugging percentage of .526. The Cubs as a unit have 1,237 base hits, including 244 doubles and 202 homers. Chicago has walked 544 times this year and they have struck out on 1,242 occasions. They have had 1,022 men left on base and have an OPS of .774. They have scored 4.97 runs per game and totaled 715 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +115

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