Tsuyoshi Wada (1-1, 3.68 ERA) and Clayton Kershaw (5-4, 3.29 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Chicago Cubs (37-30) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (39-31) at Wrigley Field. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, Jun. 22 and can be seen on SportsNet LA and WGN.
Wada is 0-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his appearances against the Dodgers, but goes up against a quality Los Angeles offense which is batting .259 this season. Anthony Rizzo (.309, 42 Rs, 15 HRs, 43 RBIs, 10 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. When pitching against the Cubs, Kershaw is 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts. Justin Turner (.333, 26 Rs, 9 HRs, 32 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Dodgers, going 2 for 3 yesterday with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs.
Los Angeles takes on Chicago as a -170 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable as of now. The Cubs have an overall money line of +336 and a record as the underdog of 14-13. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks at home, earning an average of 3.5 per game. Turning to the pitchers, the Cubs are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season.
In games where it is the favorite, Los Angeles has a 34-28 record and an overall money line of -624. Offensively, the Dodgers have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.2 runs per game by averaging 3.0 during that stretch. The Dodgers can change the game with one swing of the bat, ranking third in the league with 91 home runs. Los Angeles is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 4.0 per road game. Los Angeles’s pitching staff is one of the top in the NL, with a 3.36 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Dodgers are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.19 for the season. The Dodgers have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.6 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Cubs have a 5-4 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Kershaw takes the mound. Wada (LHP) will be on the hill against the Dodgers, who have inferior records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 1-3 and 3-7, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD
Notes
Chicago recorded at least two errors for the 18th time this season.
The Cubs are 8-3 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are 3-2 in such matchups.
The Dodgers are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Cubs have a 1-2 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 28-7. The Cubs have a 25-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 17th in runs, Chicago has earned 284 this season. Los Angeles ranks 10th with 302 runs.
Ranking sixth, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 225 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with 249.
The Cubs are 24-15 when they hit at least one home run. The Dodgers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 32-19 record.
