Carlos Carrasco (8-5, 4.38 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (30-34) meet Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.80 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (35-28) in the second of a two-game interleague series at Progressive Field. The Cubs won the last game 17-0 and Chicago leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jun. 18 and will air on CSN-CHI and STO.
In his most recent outing, Carrasco pitched 5.2 innings, giving up three runs, striking out eight and walking one in a 5-4 victory over the Tigers. Jason Kipnis (.333, 44 Rs, 5 HRs, 28 RBIs, 10 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. The Cubs were unsuccessful to the Reds 4-3 the last time Hendricks pitched. He went 5.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out seven. Anthony Rizzo (.306, 37 Rs, 12 HRs, 39 RBIs, 10 SBs) has been doing well offensively for the Cubs, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Cleveland, a -131 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Chicago. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at seven runs. The Indians are 19-22 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -988. They have performed well against the NL to earn an SU record of 5-2 and a 4-1 record when they were the favorite. Cleveland has been struggling as of late. In the last 10 games, Cleveland has only averaged 3.0 runs per game compared to the 4.2 they’ve averaged on the season. In games against National League opponents, Cleveland’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters. It only gives up an average of 2.3 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.3. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out, leading the AL with 9.4 strikeouts per game.
On the other side, the Cubs have a record of 12-12 when they are the underdog and are +231 overall with the money line. Teams in the American League have been shutting down Chicago this season. The Cubs hold a record of 0-1 in games where they were ranked as the underdog and a 2-3 SU. They sport the third-ranked offense in the NL, averaging four runs per game. Chicago’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play AL opponents. They’ve allowed an average of 4.8 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 4.0. The Chicago pitching staff has been an intimidating group on the road this year, averaging an NL-best 8.6 strikeouts per game.
The Indians will take on a right-hander (Hendricks) in this game and have a 19-19 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Carrasco will take the mound against the Cubs, who have a 29-24 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, O/U – Over
Notes
Chicago won its last game in a shutout, its sixth of the season. Cleveland has been shut out four times this season.
The Cubs are 7-3 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Indians are 1-2 in such matchups.
The Cubs are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Indians have a 4-13 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Indians are 24-5. The Cubs have a 23-3 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th in runs, Cleveland has earned 265 this season. Chicago ranks 14th with 267 runs.
Cleveland ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 240 this season. Chicago ranks in the top five at fifth with 215.
The Indians are 24-15 when they hit at least one home run. The Cubs perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 23-13 record.
