The Chicago Cubs battle the visiting Florida Marlins on Friday in MLB betting action at Wrigley Field.

Florida puts its faith in starter Ricky Nolasco to earn a win and boost his personal mark of 6-5. Getting the ball for the Cubs is Ryan Dempster, who owns a 6-6 record on the season with a 5.01 ERA.



View Florida vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Cubs as -125 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 999.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings at Odds Shark show the National League's No. 9-rated Marlins taking on the National League's No. 10-rated Cubs in this contest.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Chicago has the National League's No. 8-rated offensive output, at 9.1 hits per game. The Marlins average 8.3 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the National League list.

Chicago owns the National League's No. 15 defense, allowing 5 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Florida's National League No. 9-rated defense.

Florida won its last outing, a 6-3 result against the Cubs on July 14. Bettors who backed the Marlins at -104 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (9) sent OVER bettors to the payout window. Florida looks to continue its winning ways following a victory last time out against the Cubs, a 6-3 final on Thursday in support of Anibal Sanchez at Wrigley Field.




Florida Marlins Trends:
When playing on Friday are 4-6
Before playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After playing Chi Cubs are 5-5
After a win are 7-3

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Florida are 5-5
After playing Florida are 5-5
After a loss are 5-5

A few Marlins at Cubs trends to consider:
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Florida's last 5 games on the road
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Florida's last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chi Cubs' last 10 games when playing Florida


Next up:
Florida at Chi Cubs, Saturday, July 16