Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers Baseball Betting Tips 3/28/2019

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Globe Life Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jon Lester vs. Mike Minor

The Chicago Cubs head to Globe Life Park on Thursday, March 28, 2019 to take on the Texas Rangers. The expected starting pitchers are Jon Lester for the Cubs and Mike Minor for the Rangers.

The odds for this matchup have Chicago at -130 and Texas at +120. The Cubs had a 73-89-2 over/under mark and a 81-83-0 run line record last year. The Rangers were 80-82-0 against the run line and had a 77-76-9 over/under record.

Valuable Chicago Cubs Betting Trends

The Chicago Cubs were 73-89-2 against the over/under last year

The Chicago Cubs were 81-83-0 against the run line last season

Important Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers were 77-76-9 against the over/under last year

The Texas Rangers were 80-82-0 against the run line last season

Key Chicago Cubs Injuries

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 is out indefinitely
03/25/19 P Xavier Cedeno Wrist is out indefinitely

Key Texas Rangers Injuries

03/25/19 P Luke Farrell Jaw is out indefinitely
03/25/19 RF Scott Heineman Shoulder 60-day IL
03/25/19 P Yohander Mendez Elbow is out indefinitely

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Cubs had a 95-68 overall record last season. Starting pitcher Jon Lester had a 18-6 record with an earned run average of 3.32 and a WHIP of 1.31. He had 149 strikeouts over his 181.2 innings pitched and he gave up 174 hits. He allowed 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen had an earned run average of 3.35 and they gave up 490 base hits on the year. Teams hit .223 against the bullpen and they struck out 564 hitters while walking 273 batters. As a team, Chicago allowed 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They were 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.65. The Cubs pitchers collectively gave up 1,307 base hits and 595 earned runs last year. They allowed 157 home runs last season, ranking them 26th in the league. Chicago as a pitching staff walked 622 batters and struck out 1,327. They walked 3.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit was 4.15.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Chicago hit .259, good for 3rd in the league. The Cubs held a .411 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .334, which was good for 3rd in baseball. They ranked 2nd in MLB with 9.0 hits per game. Anthony Rizzo hit .283 with an on-base percentage of .377 last year. He had 159 hits last season in 562 at bats with 100 runs batted in. He had a slugging percentage of .466 and an OPS+ of 121. Kris Bryant hit .274 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .374. He totaled 106 hits and he drove in 52 men in 387 at bats. His OPS+ was 119 while his slugging percentage was at .463. The Cubs had 1,450 hits last season, including 286 doubles and 166 home runs. Chicago walked 573 times last year and they struck out 1,380 times as a unit. They left 1,221 men on base and had a team OPS of .745. They scored 4.69 runs per contest and scored a total of 760 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Texas had a 67-95 overall mark last year. With an earned run average of 4.18, Mike Minor had a 12-8 record and a 1.12 WHIP. He had 132 strikeouts over the 157 innings he pitched. He also gave up 138 hits. He allowed 7.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.43. The bullpen had an earned run average of 4.28 and they gave up 576 base hits on the year. Teams hit .252 against the Rangers bullpen. Their relievers struck out 531 batters and walked 214 opposing hitters. As a team, Texas allowed 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.1 batters per nine innings. They were 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.92. The Rangers pitchers as a team surrendered 1,516 base knocks and 783 earned runs last season. They gave up 222 home runs last year, which ranked 3rd in Major League Baseball. Texas as a staff walked 491 hitters and struck out 1,121 batters. They gave up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.1 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.40 while their FIP as a staff was 4.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .240, good for 23rd in the league. The Rangers held a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which was good for 16th in baseball. They ranked 26th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Rougned Odor comes into this matchup after batting .253 with an OBP of .326 last season. He had 120 hits last year along with 63 RBI in 474 AB's. He maintained a slugging percentage of .424 with an OPS+ of 95. Elvis Andrus hit .256 last season and he had an OBP of .308. He collected 101 hits in 395 at bats while driving in 33 runs. He had an OPS+ of 76 and a slugging percentage of .367. The Rangers as a unit had 1,308 base hits last season, including 266 doubles and 194 homers. Texas walked 555 times last year and they struck out on 1,484 occasions. They left 1,093 men on base and had an OPS of .722. They scored 4.55 runs per game and totaled 737 runs last year.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Rangers +120

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