MLB Friday Weather: Windy City Living up to Its Name for Angels-Cubs Game

MLB Friday Weather: Windy City Living up to Its Name for Angels-Cubs Game article feature image
Credit:

Apr 8, 2019; Chicago, IL, USA; The W flag flies after a game during the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

  • Very strong winds will be blowing out to center for the Angels-Cubs game (2:20 p.m. ET), which has the total wavering between 10.5 and 11.
  • An open roof at Chase Field should lead to more runs in the Padres-D'Backs game (9:40 p.m. ET), while the Athletics and Rangers (8:05 p.m. ET) will look to score some runs in Arlington.
  • Two games feature significant chances of rain, with White Sox-Yankees (7:05 p.m. ET) and Pirates-Nationals (7:05 p.m. ET) at risk of being postponed.

There's just one day game on Friday, but it looks like an eventful one. Though Los Angeles is without Mike Trout, the Angels and Cubs could combine for a ton of runs thanks to the gale-force winds blowing straight out to center field.

The winds are also blowing out at Target Field, but the Tigers-Twins game has already been postponed. I'm sorry, are the players not man enough to handle wind chills below 30 degrees and ice cold rain?

If I was the commissioner, there would be no weather postponements! You better believe I'd risk the lives of players and fans alike just to get a slight over/under betting edge.


A Trip To The Lab

Ever wonder why the oddsmakers wait until the morning when there's a game at Wrigley Field to post the over/under?

Here's why:

The wind plays a huge factor there, whether it's blowing in, out, sideways, slantways, longways or backways. With an ROI upward of 20%, Wrigley is the best field to take the over at when the wind blows out.

The over/under, which opened at 10.5, did move to 11 for a time, but has since moved back down to 10.5 thanks to some sharp action on the under. Don't they know about the wind out at Wrigley angle?!?


Highest Weather Ratings 

  • Padres at Diamondbacks: 61
  • Athletics at Rangers: 60
  • Phillies at Marlins: 53 (If roof is open)

Weather Ratings are a proprietary number created by FantasyLabs, which are on a 0-100 scale, with 100 being the best hitting atmosphere and 0 being the best pitching atmosphere. Weather Rating takes into account temperature, wind speed, wind direction, stadium elevation, humidity and atmospheric pressure. 

There's no crazy high Weather Ratings today, as our hot-weather locations in Arizona and Texas will both be in the 70s rather than the 90s.

Overs have hit at about a 56% rate at Chase Field with the roof open, but slightly below 50% when it's closed. Per its website, the roof will be open today and tomorrow, but not Sunday.

The over/under in Texas is rivaling the total at Wrigley, as it's also at 10.5 despite winds blowing in from left field. More than 90% of the cash thus far is on the over.

Wrigley Field did not make the cut, as that rating is coming in at 48. The winds will be great for offense, but the high-40s temperatures are keeping the rating on the lower side. Had it been 70 or 80 degrees, the Weather Rating would've been really high.

Lowest Weather Ratings

  • Orioles at Red Sox: 10
  • Astros at Mariners: 19
  • Indians at Royals: 23

Yesterday's crappy conditions in Boston ended up not mattering, as the Jays and Sox combined for 13 runs and hit some fake 505-foot homers. The Weather Rating is higher tonight, but still pretty terrible. Nevertheless, the over/under has moved from 9.5 to 10 since opening, as about two-thirds of bets and dollars are on the over.

The weather in Kansas City has certainly changed over the past day. Yesterday, strong winds blowing out caused the total to move up to 10. Today, winds will be swirling, temps will be cool and the Weather Rating is down 30 points.

The over/under is also significantly lower, as it has dropped from 8 to 7.5 with Carlos Carrasco and Brad Keller on the mound.

Inclement Weather

  • White Sox at Yankees
  • Pirates at Nationals

We have a couple of hairy situations tonight on the East Coast. The Yankees are back in the Bronx, but so are rain showers. Precipitation will be scattered throughout the area, and the chance of rain is upward of 50% and increasing as the game goes progresses. There's also a slight chance of thunder, though probably not until later in the night.

Washington is looking worse, as there is a good chance of potentially heavy rain throughout the night and a chance of thunder. A postponement could be in the cards, but they would definitely be playing if Commissioner Gallant was running things.

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