Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.10 ERA) and Colin Rea (3-1, 3.82 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Chicago Cubs (25-6) and the San Diego Padres (13-20) at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won the last game 8-7, continuing an eight-game winning streak. Action begins at 1:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May. 11 and can be seen on FSSD and CSN+.
Hendricks pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out four and walking two in a 5-2 win over the Nationals. Anthony Rizzo (.281, 27 Rs, 10 HRs, 28 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run. Rea went 8.0 innings, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking one in a 5-3 win over the Mets in his last outing.
The odds for Chicago and San Diego are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Cubs have no trouble scoring as they lead the NL in offense with 0.0 runs per game. Chicago leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 5.2 per game. Crossing over to the pitching and defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Cubs. The 0.0 runs that Chicago’s pitchers allow per game makes them the top staff in the NL. The Cubs are the top team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.040 so far this season.
Offensively, the Padres have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. San Diego is excellent at making contact with just 9.6 strikeouts per game, ranking second in the NL. The Padres allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Padres are fifth in the NL on the road with an average of 7.4 hits allowed per away game.
The Cubs have the edge in the season series, 1-0.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHC
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Chicago is 16-0, while San Diego is 6-10.
The Padres managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Cubs who are heading in with a 20-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 3-14. The Cubs have a 2-5 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 24th in home runs, San Diego has hit 27 this season. Chicago ranks 12th with 37 home runs.
Ranking 23rd, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 7.91 per game. Chicago ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 9.06.
Ranking 29th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.659). Chicago ranks in the top five at third with an OPS of .818.
The Padres are 6-11 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Cubs are 11-3 when they allow at least one homer.
