Kyle Hendricks (6-5, 3.97 ERA) and Shelby Miller (5-9, 2.43 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a four-game series between the Chicago Cubs (67-51) and the Atlanta Braves (53-67) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 7-1 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 21 and can be seen on CSCh, FSSO and MLBN.
Hendricks pitched 3.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering five runs, striking out three and walking three in a 6-5 defeat to the White Sox. Anthony Rizzo (.291, 67 Rs, 24 HRs, 73 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run, one home run, and three RBIs. Miller went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out 10 and walking four in a 2-1 defeat to the Diamondbacks in his last outing. Freddie Freeman (.288, 46 Rs, 14 HRs, 45 RBIs, 3 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Braves, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Chicago, a substantial -226 favorite, takes on Atlanta. The Cubs have recorded an overall money line of +566 and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 47-30. Chicago is an impressive 6-2 as the favorite over its last 10 games. The Cubs have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.7 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.1 runs per game. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 3.5 per game. Turning to the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Cubs, who have a team ERA of only 3.53. 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.
In games where it is the underdog, Atlanta has a 40-57 record and an overall money line of -394. The Braves have a dynamic offense, ranking second in the league with 285 extra base hits.
The Cubs lead the season series, 3-1. The Cubs have a 52-40 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Miller takes the mound. Hendricks (RHP) will be on the hill against the Braves, who have a 45-54 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 26-21, while Atlanta is 23-36.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Braves are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Cubs have a 14-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Braves are 36-16. The Cubs have a 43-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th, Atlanta sits near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 441 this season. Chicago ranks in the bottom half at 19th with 479.
Ranking 16th, Atlanta is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 335 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at second with 410.
The Cubs are 43-22 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Braves are 31-25 when they hit at least one homer.
