Thank God it’s Friday once again. Baseball fans are in for a huge treat later tonight as the MLB has lined up a pair of fantastic games. Kicking things off this evening is the much-anticipated interleague showdown between the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
Then, the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks lock horns in a mouth-watering National League West clash. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our complete picks for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Round of 16 matches here.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota Twins (8:10 PM ET)
Line: Chicago Cubs (-108) at Minnesota Twins (-102); total: 8.0 – view all MLB lines
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Minnesota Twins stretched their unbeaten run to two games with a thrilling 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. They will look to extend their winning streak at home to three games when they host the Chicago Cubs in their series opener tonight. Starting for the Twins tonight is Phil Hughes (4-6, 4.79 ERA). He was solid in his last start, allowing just three runs on nine hits in six innings of action, in Minnesota’s 4-3 win against the Texas Rangers on June 14.
The Cubs, on the other hand, will counter with right-hander Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.80 ERA). The Cubs have won five of their last six games with Hendricks as their starter. He surrendered just one run on four hits in five innings of action in his last outing against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs won that game, 4-3.
Writer’s Prediction
Minnesota wins, 4-2.
San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (9:40 PM ET)
Line: San Diego Padres (EVEN) at Arizona Diamondbacks (-110); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
Pat Murphy got his first win as a Padres manager, leading San Diego to a 3-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics yesterday. He will look to make it back-to-back wins when the Padres open their three-game set against the D-Backs tonight. Starting for San Diego in the series opener is James Shields (7-0, 3.97 ERA). He was superb in his last start, allowing just one run on five hits in seven innings of action, albeit in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 14.
Opposing Shields tonight is Arizona right-hander Rubby De La Rosa. The D-Backs have won six of their last eight games with De La Rosa as their starter. De La Rosa was tremendous in his last start, throwing eight shutout innings in Arizona’s 4-0 win against San Francisco on June 14.
Writer’s Prediction
The Padres win, 5-4. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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