Mat Latos (4-9, 4.81 ERA) and Jon Lester (8-9, 3.44 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers (71-56) and the Chicago Cubs (73-54) at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers won the last game 4-1 and Los Angeles leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 9:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 29 and can be seen on WGN, SNLA and MLBN.
Latos pitched 4.2 innings in his most recent start, surrendering four runs (one unearned), striking out seven and walking one in a 10-3 defeat to the Reds. Andre Ethier (.297, 44 Rs, 12 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday. Lester went 8.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out six and walking one in a 2-1 defeat to the Indians in his last outing. Anthony Rizzo (.287, 73 Rs, 26 HRs, 78 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Chicago takes on Los Angeles as a -120 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at seven runs. The Dodgers have an overall money line of -1,263 and a record as the underdog of 7-6. Los Angeles has gone winless (0-1) as the underdog and 5-5 SU in its last 10 outings. The Dodgers are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 153. Turning to the pitchers, the Dodgers are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.19 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Dodgers, who rank second in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.6.
In the other locker room, Chicago is coming in with an overall money line of +962 and an impressive record of 53-30 as the favorite. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 6-2 record, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, the Cubs have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 4.1 runs per game by averaging 5.9 during that stretch. The Cubs allow 3.9 runs per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 5.8 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.20 for the season. The Cubs have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Dodgers lead the season series, 3-2. The Dodgers have a 12-14 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Lester takes the mound. Latos (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a 58-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Dodgers are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Cubs have a 4-10 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Dodgers have a slight leg up on the Cubs, as the Dodgers have won their last four games while the Cubs have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Dodgers are 53-11. The Cubs have a 46-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Los Angeles and Chicago both rank in the bottom half of the league in runs. Los Angeles sits at 18th with 522 runs this season and Chicago ranks 17th with 523.
Both Los Angeles and Chicago are tied at third in walks with a total of 435 this season.
The Dodgers are 54-34 when they hit at least one home run. The Cubs perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 49-23 record.
