St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs 7/19/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Carlos Martinez vs. Kyle Hendricks

The St. Louis Cardinals visit Wrigley Field on Thursday, July 19, 2018 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Carlos Martinez for the Cardinals and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has St. Louis at +140 and Chicago at -150. The Cardinals have a 41-48-5 over/under record and a 42-52-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 51-42-0 against the run line and have a 43-48-2 over/under record.

Valuable St. Louis Cardinals Betting Trends

The St. Louis Cardinals are 41-48-5 against the over/under

The St. Louis Cardinals are 42-52-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 43-48-2 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 51-42-0 against the run line

Key St. Louis Cardinals Injuries

07/08/18 LF Tyler O'Neill Groin 10-day DL (07/05)
06/30/18 P Alex Reyes Side 60-day DL (06/30)
06/20/18 P Matt Bowman Blister 10-day DL (06/20)
06/20/18 P Michael Wacha Oblique 10-day DL (06/20)
05/15/18 P Adam Wainwright Elbow 60-day DL (05/14)
05/07/18 P Dominic Leone Arm 60-day DL (05/06)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

07/14/18 P Carl Edwards Jr. Paternity List is out indefinitely
07/08/18 P Anthony Bass Illness 10-day DL (07/05)
06/27/18 P Justin Hancock Shoulder 10-day DL (06/26)
06/24/18 P Rob Zastryzny Back 10-day DL (06/24)
05/26/18 P Yu Darvish Triceps 10-day DL (05/23)
04/21/18 P Eddie Butler Groin 60-day DL (04/20)
03/26/18 P Drew Smyly Elbow 60-day DL (02/16)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cardinals have a 48-46 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Carlos Martinez has a 6-5 record with an earned run average of 3.08 and a WHIP of 1.38 this season. He has 87 strikeouts over his 90.2 innings pitched and he's given up 78 hits. He's allowed 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.72. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.48 and they have given up 320 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the bullpen and they've struck out 304 hitters and walked 129 batters. As a team, St. Louis allows 8.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 3.85. The Cardinals pitchers collectively have given up 776 base hits and 363 earned runs. They have allowed 82 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. St. Louis as a pitching staff has walked 323 batters and struck out 775. They have walked 3.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 3.88.

Hitting Statistics

As a team St. Louis is hitting .244, good for 21st in the league. The Cardinals hold a .399 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315, which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 19th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Marcell Ozuna is hitting .268 with an on-base percentage of .309. He has 94 hits this season in 351 at bats with 49 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .385 and an OPS+ of 88. Jose Martinez is hitting .297 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 94 hits and he has driven in 56 men in 317 at bats. His OPS+ is 127 while his slugging percentage is at .476. The Cardinals have 778 hits, including 129 doubles and 118 home runs. St. Louis has walked 300 times so far this season and they have struck out 813 times as a unit. They have left 627 men on base and have a team OPS of .714. They score 4.39 runs per contest and have scored a total of 413 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 55-38 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.92, Kyle Hendricks has a 6-8 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 83 strikeouts over the 110.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 101 hits. He's allowing 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.57. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.09 and they have given up 277 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .217 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 353 batters and walked 167 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 7.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.56. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 724 base knocks and 336 earned runs this season. They have given up 95 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 398 hitters and struck out 779 batters. They give up a walk 4.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.29.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .265, good for 2nd in the league. The Cubs hold a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. Javier Baez comes into this matchup batting .292 with an OBP of .326. He has 100 hits this year along with 72 RBI in 343 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .566 with an OPS+ of 131. Albert Almora is hitting .319 this season and he has an OBP of .357. He has collected 88 hits in 276 at bats while driving in 28 runs. He has an OPS+ of 110 and a slugging percentage of .438. The Cubs as a unit have 869 base hits, including 182 doubles and 100 homers. Chicago has walked 365 times this year and they have struck out on 796 occasions. They have had 743 men left on base and have an OPS of .771. They have scored 5.12 runs per game and totaled 476 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Cardinals +140

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