Jon Lester (3-1, 1.57 ERA) and Cesar Vargas (0-1, 1.10 ERA) take the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (24-6) and the San Diego Padres (13-19) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs come into this series hoping to extend a seven-game winning streak. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May. 9 and can be seen on CSCh and FSSD.
Lester pitched 5.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering zero runs, striking out five and walking two in a 6-2 win over the Pirates. Anthony Rizzo (.270, 26 Rs, 10 HRs, 28 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 6. Vargas went 6.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out three and walking three in a 2-0 defeat to the Rockies in his most recent start. Matt Kemp (.279, 15 Rs, 8 HRs, 23 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
The odds for Chicago and San Diego are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Cubs have no trouble scoring as they lead the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 5.2 per game. As for the Chicago defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Cubs. The 0.0 runs that Chicago’s pitchers allow per game makes them the top staff in the NL. The Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.034 so far this season.
Offensively, the Padres have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. San Diego is excellent at making contact with just 9.5 strikeouts per game, ranking second in the NL. The Padres allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Padres are third in the NL on the road with an average of 7.1 hits allowed per away game.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Chicago is 15-0, while San Diego is 6-9.
The Padres managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are heading in with a 20-4 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 3-13. The Cubs have a 2-5 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego ranks near the bottom of the league at 24th when it comes to home runs, hitting 25 this season. Chicago ranks in the top 10 with 37.
Ranking 23rd, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.91 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 8.97.
Ranking 29th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.656). Chicago ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .812.
When the Padres allow at least one home run, they are 6-11. When the Cubs allow one or more homers, they have a 10-3 record.
