Jon Lester (8-10, 3.59 ERA) and Zack Godley (4-0, 1.90 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (75-57) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (65-69) at Wrigley Field. Action begins at 2:20 p.m. ET on Friday, Sep. 4 and can be seen on CSCh, FSAZ and MLBN.
Lester pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs and striking out seven in a 5-2 defeat to the Dodgers. Anthony Rizzo (.282, 74 Rs, 27 HRs, 79 RBIs, 15 SBs) continued his strong play Wednesday, going 2 for 4 with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Godley went 3.2 innings, surrendering one run, striking out three and walking one in an 11-7 win over the Reds in his most recent start. David Peralta (.307, 50 Rs, 14 HRs, 71 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 Wednesday.
The odds for Chicago and Arizona are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Cubs lead the MLB in batting average with an impressive team average of .241. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 3.4 per game. Chicago’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 5.2 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.0. The Cubs are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.20 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Cubs, who lead the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.7.
Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is tops in the NL. The Diamondbacks are an excellent base stealing team with 115 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB.
The Diamondbacks lead the season series, 2-1. The Cubs have a 59-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Godley takes the mound. Lester (LHP) will be on the hill against the Diamondbacks, who have a 15-19 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC
Notes
The Cubs are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Diamondbacks have a 13-18 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Diamondbacks are 13-45. The Cubs have a 16-43 record when opponents outhit them.
Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league at 18th when it comes to home runs, hitting 122 this season. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 140.
Ranking first in hits, Arizona has earned 9.31 per game this season. Chicago ranks 15th with 8.10 hits.
Ranking 19th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.713). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at seventh with an OPS of .737.
When the Diamondbacks allow at least one home run, they are 33-57. When the Cubs allow one or more homers, they have a 35-38 record.
