Oakland Athletics at Chicago Cubs Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 8/7/2019
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Wrigley Field
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Homer Bailey vs. Jose Quintana
Matt Chapman and the Oakland Athletics (64-49, 2nd in AL West) travel to Wrigley Field on Wednesday where they'll take on the Chicago Cubs (61-51, 1st in NL Central).
The Athletics have been terrible for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 64-49-0 SU. Chicago covers 54.5% of the time, going 61-51-0 straight up.
Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends
The Athletics have been an inconsistent Over choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 53-60-0.
Oakland covers 50.9% of the time on the road, having gone 27-26-0 straight up.
Important Chicago Cubs Betting Trends
The Cubs cover 69.0% of the time at Wrigley Field, going 40-18-0 SU.
The Cubs have been an inconsistent Over choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 52-57-3.
Key Oakland Athletics Injuries
8/5/2019 Sean Manaea SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 16
7/31/2019 Ramon Laureano CF Lower Leg Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
7/31/2019 Josh Phegley C Thumb Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
7/16/2019 Marco Estrada SP Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
5/15/2019 Daniel Gossett RP Elbow Out for the season
Key Chicago Cubs Injuries
8/5/2019 Craig Kimbrel RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Aug 15
8/5/2019 Willson Contreras C Hamstring Expected to be out until at least Sep 3
8/5/2019 Brandon Kintzler RP Pectoral Probable for Aug 6
8/5/2019 Pedro Strop RP Neck Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
8/4/2019 Yu Darvish SP Illness Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/3/2019 Daniel Descalso 2B Ankle Expected to be out until at least Aug 9
8/2/2019 Allen Webster RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
7/30/2019 Xavier Cedeno RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Aug 8
7/20/2019 Brandon Morrow RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 10
2/19/2019 Kendall Graveman SP Elbow Out for the season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Athletics have a 64-49 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Homer Bailey has a 9-7 record with an earned run average of 5.20 and a WHIP of 1.46 this season. He has 101 strikeouts over his 110.2 innings pitched and he's given up 116 hits. He's allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.45. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.04 and they have given up 367 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen and they've struck out 404 hitters and walked 163 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.08. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 950 base hits and 467 earned runs. They have allowed 133 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 360 batters and struck out 880. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 4.37.
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Hitting Statistics
As a team Oakland is hitting .246, good for 20th in the league. The Athletics hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.4 hits per game. Matt Chapman is hitting .255 with an on-base percentage of .340. He has 105 hits this season in 412 at bats with 64 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .510 and an OPS+ of 126. Marcus Semien is hitting .276 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .363. He has totaled 127 hits and he has driven in 55 men in 460 at bats. His OPS+ is 126 while his slugging percentage is at .480. The Athletics have 957 hits, including 202 doubles and 178 home runs. Oakland has walked 392 times so far this season and they have struck out 898 times as a unit. They have left 748 men on base and have a team OPS of .763. They score 5.05 runs per contest and have scored a total of 576 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Chicago has a 61-51 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.40, Jose Quintana has a 9-7 record and a 1.35 WHIP. He has 103 strikeouts over the 122.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 131 hits. He's allowing 9.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.18 and they have given up 333 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the Cubs bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 358 batters and walked 172 opposing hitters. As a team, Chicago allows 8.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.97. The Cubs pitchers as a team have surrendered 936 base knocks and 441 earned runs this season. They have given up 137 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Chicago as a staff has walked 358 hitters and struck out 965 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 4.28.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .253, good for 15th in the league. The Cubs hold a .451 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .332, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 16th in MLB with 8.5 hits per contest. Anthony Rizzo comes into this matchup batting .285 with an OBP of .390. He has 113 hits this year along with 71 RBI in 396 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .515 with an OPS+ of 131. Kris Bryant is hitting .284 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 113 hits in 398 at bats while driving in 51 runs. He has an OPS+ of 131 and a slugging percentage of .523. The Cubs as a unit have 955 base hits, including 184 doubles and 175 homers. Chicago has walked 411 times this year and they have struck out on 1,021 occasions. They have had 750 men left on base and have an OPS of .783. They have scored 4.96 runs per game and totaled 556 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Athletics/Cubs MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Athletics
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