Jake Peavy (3-6, 4.35 ERA) and the San Francisco Giants (66-59) go up against Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 4.03 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (73-51) in the second of a three-game series at AT&T Park. The Cubs won the last game 8-5, extending a six-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 10:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and will air on CSCh, CSBy and ESPN.
In his most recent outing, Peavy pitched 6.0 innings, allowing four runs, striking out five and walking one in a 4-0 loss to the Pirates. Brandon Belt (.274, 58 Rs, 17 HRs, 60 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI. The Cubs were unsuccessful the last time Hendricks pitched. He tossed 5.0 innings, giving up three runs, striking out seven and walking one in a 5-3 loss to the Braves. Anthony Rizzo (.290, 71 Rs, 25 HRs, 77 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
San Francisco is favored by a slight -112 margin in its matchup against Chicago. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Giants have a 36-29 record and overall money line at +254. They are 5-5 SU and perfect as the favorite (3-0) in their last 10 games. The Giants don’t give up many hits to opposing batters, ranking fifth in the NL with only 8.3 hits allowed per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Cubs come into this game with a win percentage of .488 when playing as the underdog (20-21) and an overall money line of +1,066. Chicago has been playing better lately, averaging 6.1 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.2. Chicago’s pitching staff and defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, ranking second in the NL with only three runs allowed per road game. They have a WHIP of 1.20 on the year, good for fourth in the league.
The Cubs are 5-0 against the Giants this season. The Giants will take on a right-hander (Hendricks) in this game and have a 49-46 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Peavy will take the mound against the Cubs, who have a 57-40 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Giants managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are coming in with a 39-14 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
The Cubs are coming into the game with six consecutive wins, while the Giants currently have a losing streak of three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cubs are 46-8. The Giants have a 58-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 16th in runs, Chicago has earned 519 this season. San Francisco ranks 12th with 537 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Chicago has earned 429 this season. San Francisco ranks 18th with 343 walks.
When the Giants hit at least one home run, they are 44-23, well-matched with the Cubs who are 49-22 when hitting one or more homers.
