Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Blake Snell vs. John Lackey

The Tampa Bay Rays visit Wrigley Field on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Blake Snell for the Rays and John Lackey for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at +138 and Chicago at -148. The Rays have a 49-34-1 over/under record and a 43-41-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 31-51-0 against the run line and have a 38-42-2 over/under record.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 49-34-1 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 43-41-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 38-42-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 31-51-0 against the run line

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

07/01/17 SS Daniel Robertson Neck 10-day DL (06/26)
06/26/17 P Diego Moreno Shoulder 60-day DL (05/22)
06/23/17 LF Colby Rasmus Hip 10-day DL (06/19)
06/13/17 P Matt Andriese Hip 60-day DL (06/11)
06/09/17 CF Kevin Kiermaier Hip 60-day DL (06/09)
06/09/17 LF Rickie Weeks Jr. Shoulder 10-day DL (06/09)
06/07/17 SS Brad Miller Groin 10-day DL (06/07)
06/01/17 P Kevin Gadea Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
06/01/17 3B Matt Duffy Achilles 60-day DL (04/02)
06/01/17 P Shawn Tolleson Elbow 60-day DL (04/01)
05/18/17 P Xavier Cedeno Forearm 60-day DL (04/18)
04/03/17 P Brad Boxberger Side 60-day DL (04/02)
04/01/17 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 60-day DL (03/10)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

06/22/17 RF Jason Heyward Hand 10-day DL (06/19)
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 Rays have a 43-41 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Blake Snell has a 0-5 record with an earned run average of 5.36 and a WHIP of 1.64. He has 40 strikeouts over his 47 innings pitched and he's given up 47 hits. He allows 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.3. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.32 and they have given up 257 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the bullpen and they've struck out 239 hitters and walked 112 batters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 4.18. The Rays pitchers collectively have given up 717 base hits and 349 earned runs. They have allowed 96 home runs this season, ranking them 22nd in the league. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff has walked 268 batters and struck out 675. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay is hitting .257, good for 13th in the league. The Rays hold a .447 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.8 hits per game. Logan Morrison is hitting .256 with an on-base percentage of .366. He has 70 hits this season in 273 at bats with 57 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .579 and an OPS+ of 153. Corey Dickerson is hitting .321 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 104 hits and he has driven in 40 men in 324 at bats. His OPS+ is 148 while his slugging percentage is at .562. The Rays have 742 hits, including 128 doubles and 128 home runs. Tampa Bay has walked 305 times so far this season and they have struck out 821 times as a unit. They have left 594 men on base and have a team OPS of .777. They score 4.83 runs per contest and have scored a total of 406 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 41-41 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.24, John Lackey has a 5-9 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 83 strikeouts over the 92.2 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 95 hits. He allows 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.89. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.36 and they have given up 225 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .216 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 313 batters and walked 117 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 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 660 base knocks and 328 earned runs this season. They have given up 99 home runs this year, which ranks 18th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 280 hitters and struck out 720 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 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 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .237, good for 29th in the league. The Cubs hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324, which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 29th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .263 with an OBP of .391. He has 73 hits this year along with 32 RBI in 278 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .511 with an OPS+ of 136. Ian Happ is hitting .264 this season and he has an OBP of .331. He has collected 42 hits in 159 at bats while driving in 27 runs. He has an OPS+ of 131 and a slugging percentage of .566. The Cubs as a unit have 654 base hits, including 138 doubles and 110 homers. Chicago has walked 313 times this year and they have struck out on 701 occasions. They have had 568 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They have scored 4.56 runs per game and totaled 374 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays +138

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