In the last of a four-game series between the Chicago Cubs (61-48) and the San Francisco Giants (59-51) at Wrigley Field, Jake Arrieta (12-6, 2.50 ERA) and Jake Peavy (2-4, 3.77 ERA) get the start. The Cubs won the last game 8-6 and Chicago can finish out the series sweep with a win in this game. The game starts at 1:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 9 and will air on CSBy, CSCh and TBS.
In his last start, Arrieta pitched 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out five and walking three in a 5-0 victory over the Pirates. Anthony Rizzo (.294, 62 Rs, 21 HRs, 63 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. The Giants were unsuccessful to the Braves 8-3 the last time Peavy pitched. He went 6.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out eight and walking one. Brandon Crawford (.266, 55 Rs, 19 HRs, 71 RBIs, 4 SBs) has been hitting the ball well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Chicago, a -166 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against San Francisco. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is currently unavailable. When playing as the favorite, the Cubs have a 41-28 record and overall money line at +299. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (7-1). The Cubs are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 76 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. Turning to the pitching staff, the Cubs are second in the league in WHIP at 1.18.
Moving on to the away team, the Giants come into this game with a win percentage of .551 when playing as the underdog (27-22) and an overall money line of +307. The Giants are the top-ranked scoring offense in the NL when playing on the road, averaging four runs per game so far.
The previous three games have all gone Chicago’s way. The Cubs will take on a right-hander (Peavy) in this game and have a 46-39 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Giants will be the right-hander Arrieta. They sport a 45-40 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – ChC
Notes
The Chicago batters brought in a solid 11 hits last game. San Francisco has a record of 8-20 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
It looks like the Cubs have a slight leg up on the Giants, as the Cubs have won their last three games while the Giants have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Cubs are 41-8. The Giants have a 51-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 21st in runs, Chicago has earned 430 this season. San Francisco ranks fifth with 485 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Chicago has earned 377 this season. San Francisco ranks 18th with 299 walks.
The Cubs are 40-19 when they hit at least one home run. The Giants perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 40-23 record.
