Tyler Anderson (4-4, 3.42 ERA) and Kyle Hendricks (11-7, 2.19 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Colorado Rockies (58-63) and the Chicago Cubs (77-43) at Coors Field. Action begins at 8:40 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 19 and can be seen on CSCh and RTRM.
Anderson pitched 3.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering four runs, striking out two and walking two in a 6-3 defeat to the Phillies. Trevor Story (.272, 67 Rs, 27 HRs, 72 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 2 Wednesday with one RBI. Hendricks went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs and striking out 12 in an 8-4 defeat to the Cardinals in his last outing. Kris Bryant (.296, 96 Rs, 30 HRs, 78 RBIs, 8 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Cubs, going 5 for 5 yesterday with four runs, two home runs, and five RBIs.
Chicago takes on Colorado as a -155 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 11 runs. The Rockies have an overall money line of -19 and a record as the underdog of 33-42. The Rockies are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 427. Colorado’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 6.5 runs per game, well above its season average of 5.2.
As for their opponent, Chicago is coming in with an overall money line of +206 and an impressive record of 72-35 as the favorite. Offensively, they average 5.1 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. The Cubs are tough outs for opponents, ranking second in the NL with 9.4 hits per road game. Chicago is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 4.1 per game. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.113 for the season.
The Rockies lead the season series, 2-1. The Rockies have a 43-43 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hendricks takes the mound. Anderson (LHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have very good records against left-handed starting pitchers on the road and overall of 11-4 and 26-11, respectively.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC, O/U – Over
Notes
The Rockies are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 12 runs. The Cubs have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Cubs are 7-27. The Rockies have a 12-43 record when opponents outhit them.
Both falling in the top half of the league based on total home runs this season, Colorado ranks 12th with 153 homers and Chicago is 13th with 149.
Ranking first in hits, Colorado has earned 9.42 per game this season. Chicago ranks seventh with 8.65 hits.
Colorado and Chicago both rank in the top five of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Colorado sits at second with an OPS of .799, and Chicago ranks third with an OPS of .780.
When the Cubs allow at least one home run, they are 40-35. When the Rockies allow one or more homers, they have a 29-49 record.
