Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins 3/29/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Marlins Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Jose Urena

The Chicago Cubs head to Marlins Park on Thursday, March 29, 2018 to take on the Miami Marlins. The expected starting pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Jose Urena for the Marlins.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -240 and Miami at +200. The Cubs had a 79-85-8 over/under mark and a 76-96-0 run line record last year. The Marlins were 82-80-0 against the run line and had a 84-67-11 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs were 79-85-8 against the over/under last year

The Chicago Cubs were 76-96-0 against the run line last season

Important Miami Marlins Betting Trends

The Miami Marlins were 84-67-11 against the over/under last year

The Miami Marlins were 82-80-0 against the run line last season

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Key Miami Marlins Injuries

03/26/18 P Dan Straily Forearm 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Elieser Hernandez Dental 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 C J.T. Realmuto Back 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 SS JT Riddle Shoulder 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 RF Magneuris Sierra Hamstring is "?" Thursday vs Chicago Cubs
03/26/18 3B Martin Prado Knee 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Wei-Yin Chen Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs had a 92-70 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester had a 13-8 record with an earned run average of 4.33 and a WHIP of 1.32. He had 180 strikeouts over his 180.2 innings pitched and he gave up 179 hits. He allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.1. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.80 and they gave up 460 base hits on the year. Teams hit .222 against the bullpen and they struck out 620 hitters while walking 264 batters. As a team, Chicago allowed 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.9 batters per nine innings. They were 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.95. The Cubs pitchers collectively gave up 1,294 base hits and 636 earned runs last year. They allowed 194 home runs last season, ranking them 16th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff walked 554 batters and struck out 1,439. They walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.9 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit was 4.20.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago hit .255, good for 16th in the league. The Cubs held a .437 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which was good for 4th in baseball. They ranked 16th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Kris Bryant hit .295 with an on-base percentage of .409 last year. He had 162 hits last season in 549 at bats with 73 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .537 and an OPS+ of 143. Anthony Rizzo hit .273 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .392. He totaled 156 hits and he drove in 109 men in 572 at bats. His OPS+ was 132 while his slugging percentage was at .507. The Cubs had 1,402 hits last season, including 274 doubles and 223 home runs. Chicago walked 622 times last year and they struck out 1,401 times as a unit. They left 1,147 men on base and had a team OPS of .775. They scored 5.07 runs per contest and scored a total of 822 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Miami had a 77-85 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 3.82, Jose Urena had a 14-7 record and a 1.27 WHIP. He had 113 strikeouts over the 169.2 innings he pitched. He also gave up 152 hits. He allowed 8.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 5.2. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.40 and they gave up 602 base hits on the year. Teams hit .254 against the Marlins bullpen. Their relievers struck out 559 batters and walked 271 opposing hitters. As a team, Miami allowed 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings. They were 26th in the league in team earned run average at 4.82. The Marlins pitchers as a team surrendered 1,450 base knocks and 772 earned runs last season. They gave up 193 home runs last year, which ranked 18th in Major League Baseball. Miami as a staff walked 627 hitters and struck out 1,202 batters. They gave up a walk 3.9 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.5 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.44 while their FIP as a staff was 4.69.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .267, good for 3rd in the league. The Marlins held a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which was good for 10th in baseball. They ranked 3rd in MLB with 9.2 hits per contest. Starlin Castro comes into this matchup after batting .300 with an OBP of .338 last season. He had 133 hits last year along with 63 RBI in 443 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .454 with an OPS+ of 106. Justin Bour hit .289 last season and he had an OBP of .366. He collected 109 hits in 377 at bats while driving in 83 runs. He had an OPS+ of 139 and a slugging percentage of .536. The Marlins as a unit had 1,497 base hits last season, including 271 doubles and 194 homers. Miami walked 486 times last year and they struck out on 1,282 occasions. They left 1,130 men on base and had an OPS of .761. They scored 4.8 runs per game and totaled 778 runs last year.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Marlins +200

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