St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 9/16/2017 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Michael Wacha vs. Kyle Hendricks

Wrigley Field is the site of the matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, September 16, 2017. The probable starting pitchers are Michael Wacha for the Cardinals and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

St. Louis opens at +135 while Chicago opens at -145. The Cardinals have a 73-65-8 over/under record and a 72-74-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 63-83-0 against the run line and have a 70-69-7 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 73-65-8 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 72-74-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 70-69-7 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 63-83-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

09/14/17 CF Dexter Fowler Knee "?" Friday vs. Chicago Cubs
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 77-69 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Michael Wacha has a 12-7 record with an earned run average of 3.99 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 139 strikeouts over his 149 innings pitched and he's given up 154 hits. He allows 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.69. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.94 and they have given up 437 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .247 against the bullpen and they've struck out 456 hitters and walked 158 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.85. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 1,249 base hits and 560 earned runs. They have allowed 163 home runs this season, ranking them 28th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 431 batters and struck out 1,206. They have walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 4.06.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .259, good for 15th in the league. The Cardinals hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 15th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Yadier Molina is hitting .280 with an on-base percentage of .317. He has 132 hits this season in 471 at bats with 75 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .444 and an OPS+ of 97. Matt Carpenter is hitting .239 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .384. He has totaled 109 hits and he has driven in 65 men in 456 at bats. His OPS+ is 115 while his slugging percentage is at .436. The Cardinals have 1,278 hits, including 261 doubles and 176 home runs. St. Louis has walked 531 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,221 times as a unit. They have left 1,010 men on base and have a team OPS of .765. They score 4.77 runs per contest and have scored a total of 696 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 80-66 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.35, Kyle Hendricks has a 6-5 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 103 strikeouts over the 121 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 108 hits. He allows 8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.00 and they have given up 413 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .223 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 540 batters and walked 237 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 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 4.1. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,173 base knocks and 593 earned runs this season. They have given up 178 home runs this year, which ranks 17th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 509 hitters and struck out 1,283 batters. They give up a walk 3.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.9 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.27.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs hold a .442 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .397. He has 147 hits this year along with 106 RBI in 525 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .530 with an OPS+ of 139. Kris Bryant is hitting .288 this season and he has an OBP of .405. He has collected 145 hits in 503 at bats while driving in 65 runs. He has an OPS+ of 141 and a slugging percentage of .529. The Cubs as a unit have 1,267 base hits, including 252 doubles and 206 homers. Chicago has walked 557 times this year and they have struck out on 1,262 occasions. They have had 1,035 men left on base and have an OPS of .780. They have scored 5.11 runs per game and totaled 746 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cardinals +135

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald