Josh Collmenter (3-5, 5.36 ERA) and Jon Lester (4-2, 3.70 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks (19-21) and the Chicago Cubs (23-17) at Chase Field. Action begins at 9:40 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 22 and can be seen on CSN-CHI+ and FSN-AZ.
Collmenter is 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts against the Cubs. Yasmany Tomas (.349, 10 Rs, 1 HR, 12 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI. Lester is 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA against the Diamondbacks in his career. He is up against a good Arizona offense that’s batting .268. Kris Bryant (.289, 21 Rs, 5 HRs, 27 RBIs, 4 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Chicago takes on Arizona as a -131 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Diamondbacks have an overall money line of +two and a record as the underdog of 13-14. Arizona has gone 5-2 in its last 10 as underdog. The Diamondbacks have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the NL in home offense with 5.0 runs per game. The Diamondbacks are one of the best in the NL in terms of hits at home with a phenomenal 9.2 per game. Arizona is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 37 bases.
In games where it is the favorite, Chicago has a 13-9 record and an overall money line of +297. They played solid baseball as the favorite over their last 10 games with a 6-2 record, and a 7-3 record SU. The Cubs are an excellent base stealing team with 39 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB.
The Diamondbacks have a 4-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Lester takes the mound. Collmenter (RHP) will be on the hill against the Cubs, who have an 18-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Arizona is 10-4, while Chicago is 10-9.
The Diamondbacks are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Cubs have a record of 12-13 when they are struck out that many times or more.
When they are outhit, the Diamondbacks are 4-15. The Cubs have a 6-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league at 20th when it comes to home runs, hitting 34 this season. Chicago ranks in the top half at 12th with 39.
Ranking 10th, Chicago is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.38 per game. Arizona ranks in the top five at second with 9.49.
Ranking 14th, Chicago is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.715). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at ninth with an OPS of .724.
When the Cubs allow at least one home run, they are 13-11. When the Diamondbacks allow one or more homers, they have a 9-16 record.
