Clayton Kershaw (10-6, 2.29 ERA), seeking his 200th strikeout of the season, gets the start for the Los Angeles Dodgers (70-56) as they meet Jason Hammel (7-5, 3.35 ERA) and the Chicago Cubs (73-53) in the first of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 28 and will air on WGN, SNLA and MLBN.
In his most recent outing, Kershaw pitched 8.0 innings, allowing one run and striking out 10 in a 3-2 loss to the Astros. Andre Ethier (.296, 44 Rs, 12 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 3. The Cubs were victorious over the Braves 9-3 the last time Hammel pitched. He went 6.1 innings, allowing two runs, striking out eight and walking one. Anthony Rizzo (.287, 72 Rs, 25 HRs, 77 RBIs, 15 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Los Angeles is a heavy -200 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at six runs. When playing as the favorite, the Dodgers have a 63-50 record and overall money line at -1,263. The Dodgers are a power hitting team with 153 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB. As for the pitching staff, the Dodgers are fourth in the league in WHIP at 1.20. An area where the Dodgers are particularly strong is striking batters out, where they average 8.5 K’s per game.
Switching gears, the Cubs come into this game with a win percentage of .476 when playing as the underdog (20-22) and an overall money line of +1,062. Over the past 10 matchups, they are 6-4 SU and have a poor 0-2 record when they were an underdog to win. During the last 10 games, they averaged 5.9 runs per game, above their 4.2 season average. Chicago’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 5.2 runs per game during the last 10 games, higher than their season average of 3.8. They have a WHIP of 1.20 on the year, good for fifth in the league. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in baseball with an NL-high 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Dodgers will take on a right-hander (Hammel) in this game and have a 58-42 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Kershaw will take the mound against the Cubs, who have a 15-11 record against lefty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Chicago is 29-21, while Los Angeles is 22-21.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Cubs are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Dodgers have a 28-1 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Dodgers are 13-40. The Cubs have a 16-40 record when opponents outhit them.
Chicago ranks in the top 10 of the league at ninth when it comes to home runs, hitting 132 this season. Los Angeles ranks in the top five at fifth with 153.
Los Angeles and Chicago both rank in the top half of the league in hits. Los Angeles sits at 11th with 8.38 hits per game and Chicago ranks 15th with 8.16.
Ranking 18th, Chicago is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.712). Los Angeles ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .752.
The Cubs are 34-36 when they allow at least one home run. The Dodgers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 28-39 record.
