The visiting Marlins hope for a solid performance on Thursday as they look to steal a win at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.

Anibal Sanchez, with a record of 6-2 on the season, gets the ball for the Marlins, while the Cubs trot Matt Garza to the mound in this one. He is 4-7 so far in 2011.



View Florida vs Chi Cubs Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're going with the Cubs in this one, they're listed as moneyline favorites of -125 on most baseball betting menus for Monday's contest.

Power Rankings:
The Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings have the Cubs at No. 10 in the National League and the Marlins at No. 9 in the National League heading into this contest.



How They Match Up:
On offense, it's a battle between Chicago and its National League No. 8-rated batting order, averaging 4.1 runs per nine innings, against the National League's No. 12 lineup of the Marlins at 3.9 runs per outing.

Florida brings the National League's No. 9-rated defense to this matchup, facing the Cubs' league No. 15-ranked defense.

The Marlins were a 5-4 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against the Astros. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Florida at -140 on the moneyline, while the total score (9) was good news for OVER bettors. The Marlins grabbed a win last time out, defeating Wandy Rodriguez and the Astros 5-4 on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium.

In their last action, Chicago was a 9-1 loser on the road against the Pirates. Bettors on Pittsburgh at -122 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (10) sent OVER bettors home happy as well. The Cubs endured a 9-1 loss at the hands of the Pirates on Sunday, with Ramon Ortiz throwing 4 innings of 7-hit ball at PNC Park.


Florida Marlins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 4-6
After playing Houston are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Florida are 5-5
After playing Pittsburgh are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

A few Marlins at Cubs trends to consider:
Florida is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games at home
Chi Cubs are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games when playing at home against Florida


Next up:
Florida at Chi Cubs, Friday, July 15