Rockies at Cubs NL Wildcard Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kyle Freeland vs. Jon Lester

Wrigley Field is the site of the NL Wildcard game between the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. Both teams lost on Monday to set up the winner take all matchup. The probable starting pitchers are Kyle Freeland for the Rockies and Jon Lester for the Cubs.

Colorado opens at +118 while Chicago opens at -128. The Rockies have a 68-86-9 over/under record and a 86-77-0 run line mark this season. The Cubs are 81-82-0 against the run line and have a 73-88-2 over/under record.

Valuable Colorado Rockies Betting Trends

The Colorado Rockies are 68-86-9 against the over/under

The Colorado Rockies are 86-77-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 73-88-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 81-82-0 against the run line

Key Colorado Rockies Injuries

09/06/18 CF Yonathan Daza Shoulder 60-day DL (09/04)
07/08/18 P Mike Dunn Undisclosed 60-day DL (07/07)
04/24/18 P Carlos Estevez Oblique 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Rayan Gonzalez Elbow 60-day DL (03/12)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

09/22/18 SS Addison Russell Disciplinary is out indefinitely
09/18/18 P Brandon Morrow Biceps is out for season
09/06/18 RF Mark Zagunis Shoulder 60-day DL (09/04)
07/21/18 P Anthony Bass Back 10-day DL (07/21)
06/27/18 P Justin Hancock Shoulder 60-day DL (06/26)
06/24/18 P Rob Zastryzny Back 10-day DL (06/24)
05/26/18 P Yu Darvish Triceps 60-day DL (05/23)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rockies have a 91-71 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kyle Freeland has a 17-7 record with an earned run average of 2.85 and a WHIP of 1.25 this year. He has 173 strikeouts over his 202.1 innings pitched and he's given up 182 hits. He's allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.67. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.63 and they have given up 480 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the bullpen and they've struck out 525 hitters and walked 217 batters. As a team, Colorado allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.34. The Rockies pitchers collectively have given up 1,369 base hits and 696 earned runs. They have allowed 182 home runs this season, ranking them 17th in the league. Colorado as a pitching staff has walked 523 batters and struck out 1,399. They have walked 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.06.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Colorado is hitting .257, good for 6th in the league. The Rockies hold a .436 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 13th in baseball. They rank 6th in MLB with 8.7 hits per game. Nolan Arenado is hitting .297 with an on-base percentage of .374. He has 174 hits this season in 586 at bats with 109 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .558 and an OPS+ of 133. Charlie Blackmon is hitting .289 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .356. He has totaled 180 hits and he has driven in 70 men in 623 at bats. His OPS+ is 115 while his slugging percentage is at .501. The Rockies have 1,414 hits, including 280 doubles and 208 home runs. Colorado has walked 503 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,391 times as a unit. They have left 1,061 men on base and have a team OPS of .758. They score 4.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 778 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 95-67 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.32, Jon Lester has a 18-6 record and a 1.31 WHIP this season. He has 149 strikeouts over the 181.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 174 hits. He allows 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.4. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.34 and they have given up 484 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 562 batters and walked 273 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They are 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.65. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,307 base knocks and 595 earned runs this season. They have given up 157 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 622 hitters and struck out 1,327 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.15.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .259, good for 3rd in the league. The Cubs hold a .411 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.0 hits per contest. Kris Bryant comes into this matchup batting .274 with an OBP of .374. He has 106 hits this year along with 52 RBI in 387 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .463 with an OPS+ of 119. Ben Zobrist is hitting .308 this season and he has an OBP of .379. He has collected 139 hits in 452 at bats while driving in 58 runs. He has an OPS+ of 116 and a slugging percentage of .442. The Cubs as a unit have 1,450 base hits, including 286 doubles and 166 homers. Chicago has walked 573 times this year and they have struck out on 1,380 occasions. They have had 1,221 men left on base and have an OPS of .745. They have scored 4.69 runs per game and totaled 760 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Cubs -128

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