Edwin Jackson (3-3, 5.36 ERA) and Jon Lester (13-4, 2.86 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres (53-71) and the Chicago Cubs (78-45) at Petco Park. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 22 and can be seen on CSCh and FSSD.
Jackson pitched 4.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering eight runs, striking out three and walking three in a 15-1 defeat to the Rays. Yangervis Solarte (.285, 44 Rs, 13 HRs, 52 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Lester went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out seven and walking two in a 6-1 win over the Brewers in his last outing. Anthony Rizzo (.295, 75 Rs, 25 HRs, 87 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Chicago is favored (-210) over San Diego and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at eight runs. The Padres have recorded an overall money line of -25 and have shown a weak performance as an underdog this season with a record of 39-64. San Diego has recorded a disappointing 2-6 record as the underdog over its last 10 games. San Diego is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 102 bases.
Over in the other dugout, Chicago is coming in with an overall money line of +21 and an impressive record of 73-37 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 9.6 hits per road game. Chicago is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 4.1 per game. Moving on to Chicago’s pitching staff and defense, the Cubs allow just 3.4 runs per game, ranking them first in the NL. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Cubs are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.121 for the season. The Cubs have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an NL-best 8.8 strikeouts per game, making them one of the top five teams in the league.
The Padres lead the season series, 2-1. The Padres have a 15-17 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Lester takes the mound. Jackson (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a 52-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego has won 45% (23-28) of its games when leading after seven innings. However, Chicago has won 66% (41-21) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Cubs are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded 10 strikeouts. The Padres have a record of 19-37 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 39-9. The Cubs have a 66-13 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 20th in runs, San Diego has earned 544 this season. Chicago ranks third with 631 runs.
Chicago tops the league in walks with 501 this season. San Diego ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 354.
The Padres are 44-37 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Cubs are 57-24 when they hit at least one homer.
