Jake Arrieta (15-5, 2.75 ERA) is on the hill for the Chicago Cubs (79-45) as they square off against Christian Friedrich (4-9, 4.69 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (53-72) in the second of a three-game series at Petco Park. The Cubs won the last game 5-1, and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 23 and can be seen on CSCh and FSSD.
Friedrich pitched 6.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs, striking out five and walking one in a 2-0 defeat to the Rays. Yangervis Solarte (.285, 44 Rs, 13 HRs, 52 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday. Arrieta went 5.2 innings, surrendering five runs, striking out three and walking seven in a 9-6 win over the Brewers in his most recent start. Anthony Rizzo (.301, 76 Rs, 25 HRs, 87 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 4 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Chicago is favored (-230) over San Diego and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at seven 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 105 bases.
In the other locker room, 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 9.5 hits per road game. Chicago is excellent at drawing walks with an NL-best 4.1 per game. Shifting to the 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 1.119 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 have a 38-54 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Arrieta takes the mound. Friedrich (LHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have a very good 26-13 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Diego’s last 9 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego’s last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs.
San Diego is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs.
San Diego is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Diego’s last 10 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs.
When leading after seven innings, Chicago is 42-21, while San Diego is 23-29.
The Cubs are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Padres have a 17-45 record when opponents give up two walks or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Padres are 39-9. The Cubs have a 67-13 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 20th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league in runs, scoring 545 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at third with 636.
Ranking first in walks, Chicago has earned 506 this season. San Diego ranks 20th with 356 walks.
The Padres are 44-37 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Cubs are 58-24 when they hit at least one homer.
