Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs MLB Picks & Predictions 4/19/2019

Friday, April 19, 2019

Wrigley Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Merrill Kelly vs. Kyle Hendricks

The Arizona Diamondbacks visit Wrigley Field on Friday, April 19, 2019 to play the Chicago Cubs. The probable starters are Merrill Kelly for the Diamondbacks and Kyle Hendricks for the Cubs.

The opening line for this matchup has Arizona at +165 and Chicago at -175. The Diamondbacks have a 11-5-2 over/under record and a 11-7-0 run line mark. The Cubs are 8-9-0 against the run line and have a 10-7-0 over/under record.

Valuable Arizona Diamondbacks Betting Trends

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 11-5-2 against the over/under

The Arizona Diamondbacks are 11-7-0 against the run line

Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs are 10-7-0 against the over/under

The Chicago Cubs are 8-9-0 against the run line

Key Arizona Diamondbacks Injuries

04/08/19 C Alex Avila Quad 10-day IL (04/08)
04/05/19 3B Jake Lamb Quad 10-day IL (04/04)
03/28/19 P T.J. McFarland Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)
03/27/19 RF Steven Souza Jr. ACL 10-day IL (03/26); is out for season
03/25/19 P Silvino Bracho Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Taijuan Walker Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

04/12/19 C Victor Caratini Hand 10-day IL (04/12)
04/10/19 P Jon Lester Hamstring 10-day IL (04/09)
04/06/19 P Mike Montgomery Back 10-day IL (04/05)
03/30/19 P Xavier Cedeno Wrist 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 SS Addison Russell Suspension 29 game suspension - eligible to return May 1st
03/25/19 P Brandon Morrow Elbow is out indefinitely
03/25/19 P Kendall Graveman Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 P Tony Barnette Shoulder 10-day IL (03/25)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Diamondbacks have a 9-9 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has a 1-1 record with an earned run average of 3.79 and a WHIP of 1.05 this season. He has 17 strikeouts over his 19 innings pitched and he's given up 17 hits. He's allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.64 and they have given up 65 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .272 against the bullpen and they've struck out 59 hitters and walked 32 batters. As a team, Arizona allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.1 batters per nine innings. They are 26th in the league in team earned run average at 5.36. The Diamondbacks pitchers collectively have given up 158 base hits and 97 earned runs. They have allowed 33 home runs this season, ranking them 5th in the league. Arizona as a pitching staff has walked 68 batters and struck out 165. They have walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.39 and their FIP as a unit is 5.07.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Arizona is hitting .269, good for 5th in the league. The Diamondbacks hold a .473 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 1st in MLB with 9.7 hits per game. Adam Jones is hitting .319 with an on-base percentage of .388. He has 23 hits this season in 72 at bats with 12 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .611 and an OPS+ of 149. David Peralta is hitting .365 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .413. He has totaled 27 hits and he has driven in 10 men in 74 at bats. His OPS+ is 147 while his slugging percentage is at .568. The Diamondbacks have 174 hits, including 46 doubles and 28 home runs. Arizona has walked 53 times so far this season and they have struck out 162 times as a unit. They have left 123 men on base and have a team OPS of .804. They score 5.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 99 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Chicago has a 8-9 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.40, Kyle Hendricks has a 0-3 record and a 2.18 WHIP. He has 10 strikeouts over the 13.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 24 hits. He's allowing 16.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.65. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.25 and they have given up 57 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .253 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 64 batters and walked 40 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.2 batters per nine innings. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.55. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 147 base knocks and 74 earned runs this season. They have given up 24 home runs this year, which ranks 13th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 73 hitters and struck out 150 batters. They give up a walk 4.5 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.50 while their FIP as a staff is 4.74.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .269, good for 4th in the league. The Cubs hold a .453 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357, which is good for 3rd in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. Willson Contreras comes into this matchup batting .319 with an OBP of .458. He has 15 hits this year along with 12 RBI in 47 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .766 with an OPS+ of 207. Jason Heyward is hitting .353 this season and he has an OBP of .444. He has collected 18 hits in 51 at bats while driving in 11 runs. He has an OPS+ of 167 and a slugging percentage of .608. The Cubs as a unit have 159 base hits, including 31 doubles and 26 homers. Chicago has walked 75 times this year and they have struck out on 156 occasions. They have had 129 men left on base and have an OPS of .810. They have scored 6.06 runs per game and totaled 103 runs this season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Diamondbacks +165

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