The Cubs start a new series with the Dodgers tonight so let’s see what the Ouija board thinks so far.
DATE 05_26 10:10_PM May_26_12:17 CHN LAN
LINEAWAY CHN [ 0.465 ] < 0.435 >
STARTAWAY -0.71(0.437) Jake_Arrieta_CHN
LINEHOME LAN [ 0.556 ] < 0.583 >
STARTHOME 2.25(0.735) Alex_Wood_LAN
Arrieta had a good outing his last start and is climbing back to average. The numbers in parenthesis next to WAA in bold is the calculated WinPct which we explain here and here. Alex Wood is having a very good season so far and is ranked #23 MLB player. The Dodgers are getting premium at 0.583. Normal home field advantage is 0.54. Here’s the Dodger’s team status line.
| BAT | PITCH | Rs | Ra | W | L | UR | LR | TeamID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.9 | 36.4 | 230 | 165 | 27 | 19 | 4.1 | 3.6 | LAN |
LAN has both well above average BAT and PITCH and they’re 27-19 for the season making them a top tier MLB team. The Ouija board numbers in [] is the starting line and in <> is the current so it’s shifting towards LAN. Let’s look at lineups from yesterday since tonight’s lineups won’t be available until very late.
| WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | PA | 05252017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -0.21 | Ben_Zobrist_CHN | 2B | 154 | |
| -0.17 | Kyle_Schwarber_CHN | LF | 183 | |
| 0.97 | Kris_Bryant_CHN | 3B | 192 | |
| 0.23 | Anthony_Rizzo_CHN | 1B | 201 | |
| 0.50 | Ian_Happ_CHN | CF | 36 | |
| 0.42 | Jason_Heyward_CHN | RF | 123 | |
| 0.25 | Miguel_Montero_CHN | C | 60 | |
| 1.07 | Javier_Baez_CHN | SS | 135 | |
| -0.10 | Eddie_Butler_CHN | P | 4 | |
| TOTAL | WAA=2.96 | PA=1088 | WinPct=0.552 |
| WAA | Name_TeamID | Pos | PA | 05252017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.92 | Chris_Taylor_LAN | CF | 103 | |
| 1.07 | Corey_Seager_LAN | SS | 194 | |
| 0.40 | Yasmani_Grandal_LAN | C | 147 | |
| -0.69 | Adrian_Gonzalez_LAN | 1B | 122 | |
| 2.23 | Cody_Bellinger_LAN | LF | 110 | |
| -0.50 | Chase_Utley_LAN | 2B | 101 | |
| 0.73 | Enrique_Hernandez_LAN | 3B | 97 | |
| 0.59 | Yasiel_Puig_LAN | RF | 174 | |
| -0.34 | Kenta_Maeda_LAN | P | 14 | |
| TOTAL | WAA=4.41 | PA=1062 | WinPct=0.580 |
Both teams have above average lineups but LAN is slightly better at 0.580.
| TeamID | WAA | IP | WinPct | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHN | 3.32 | 162.3 | 0.592 | |
| LAN | 3.21 | 144.9 | 0.600 |
Both teams have top of the league relief staffs and are almost exactly equal. LAN had to use relievers much less than the Cubs. If Arrieta pitches like old Arrieta and Wood pitches like his number this year indicate this could be a pitching duel today.