The Chicago Cubs (72-51) moved 6.5 games clear of the San Francisco Giants (66-58) in the National League Wild Card standings with a heart-stopping victory over the Cleveland Indians on Monday. They will look to stretch that advantage even further when they face the aforementioned Giants in a critical clash at AT&T Park.
Who will grab the edge in this important series opener? Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this National League matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants Preview
Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco, California
When: Tuesday, August 25, 10:15 PM ET
Line: Chicago Cubs (-130) at San Francisco Giants (+120); total: 6.5 – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs stretched their unbeaten run to five games with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Monday. Kris Bryant delivered a ninth-inning walk-off homer for the Cubs, who reached 21 games over .500 for the first time this season. The Cubs have been on a tear of late, winning 20 of their last 24 games – the best 24-game stretch for Chicago since 1945. They will look to extend their winning streak tonight when they face the San Francisco Giants in the opening game of their three-game set.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Cubs this evening is right-hander Jake Arrieta (15-6, 2.30 ERA). He has been nearly unhittable in his last five starts, going 4-0 with a 1.08 ERA, with opposing hitters batting just .169 during this stretch. The Cubs have now won nine of their last 10 games with Arrieta as their starting pitcher. He’s struck out a career-high 170 batters this year.
The main reason, though, behind Chicago’s resurgence, has been their phenomenal offense. Through July 28, the Cubs were averaging just 3.84 runs per game, ranking 10th in the National League in runs scored per game. Since then, they’ve scored an average of 5.61 runs per contest, the best mark in the entire NL. The Cubs have hit .267/.347/.494 during this red-hot stretch.
Expected to lead the Cubs offense tonight against the Giants is the sizzling Anthony Rizzo. Since July 28, he has a triple slash line of .341/.433/.732. He has recorded nine homers and 25 RBIs during this span. Rizzo leads the team in homers (25), RBIs (77), hits (129) and on-base percentage (.400) this season. He will have his work cut out for him, though, against Giants starter Matt Cain. He is just 2-of-18 (.111) lifetime against Cain with no homers and two RBIs.
The Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 road games.
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Betting on the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco’s losing woes continued on Sunday with a gut-wrenching 5-2 defeat to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants finished their seven-game road trip with a disappointing 2-5 slate. During this stretch, the Giants scored just 16 runs with a batting average of .226. They will look to get their playoff bid back on track when they host the streaking Chicago Cubs later tonight. The Giants have fared extremely well at AT&T Park as of late, winning 13 of their last 15 games there. They have scored a total of 84 runs during this span.
Pitching for the Giants in this crucial clash is Matt Cain (2-3, 5.66 ERA). After four straight starts with at least four earned runs allowed, Cain finally turned in a quality outing Wednesday against St. Louis. He limited the Cardinals to two runs and six hits in six innings of work. That being said, the Giants are just 1-4 in Cain’s last five starts. The righty will be licking his chops, however, at the prospect of facing the Cubs at home tonight. He is 4-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his last six home starts against the Cubs, with the most recent outing coming on July 26, 2013.
Cain can’t do it all alone, though, so he needs the rest of the Giants’ hitters to pick up the scoring slack as well. Expected to lead the San Francisco offense tonight is Matt Duffy. The third baseman is hitting 8-of-24 (.333) in his last seven games with three walks. He is 2-of-4 in his career against Arrieta with one triple.
The Giants are 8-2 in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco (+120) wins, 3-2.
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