Baseball fans are in for a treat later tonight as the MLB has lined up a pair of mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your sporting appetite. Opening proceedings this evening is the much-anticipated National League Central showdown between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Then, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants square off in a tantalizing National League matchup. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two blockbuster ballgames and while you’re at it, you can check out our Wimbledon round of 16 previews of Djokovic vs. Anderson and Murray vs. Karlovic.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs (8:00 PM ET)
Line: St. Louis Cardinals (+123) at Chicago Cubs (-133) – view all MLB lines
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Chicago Cubs stretched their unbeaten run to two games with a nail-biting 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday. Kyle Hendricks tossed 7⅓ shutout innings for the Cubs to win his second straight start. The Cubs will look to extend their winning streak later tonight when they take on the league-leading St. Louis Cardinals in their series opener.
Starting for Chicago tonight is Jon Lester (4-6, 3.74 ERA). He was solid in his last start for the Cubs, throwing seven innings of shutout ball in Chicago’s 2-0 victory over the New York Mets on July 1. The Cubs have now won three of their last four games with Lester as their starter.
The Cards, on the other hand, will counter with veteran right-hander John Lackey (6-5, 3.30 ERA). He suffered his fifth defeat of the season in his last start, allowing two runs on seven hits in St. Louis’ 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. That being said, the Cards will fancy their chances of grabbing the victory tonight as they have won five of their last seven games with Lackey as their starter.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago wins, 4-2.
New York Mets vs. San Francisco Giants (10:15 PM ET)
Line: New York Mets (+145) at San Francisco Giants (-160); total: 7.0 – view all MLB lines
The New York Mets returned to winning ways Sunday with an emphatic 8-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York had 15 hits in the series finale, one hit shy of its season-high. The Mets will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win they take on the struggling San Francisco Giants in the opening game of their three-game set. Starting for the Mets tonight is Jonathon Niese (3-8, 3.90 ERA). Niese took the loss in his last start Tuesday despite holding the Cubs to one run on four hits over seven innings.
The Giants, on the other hand, will have right-hander Chris Heston (8-5, 3.78 ERA) on the mound tonight. He allowed three runs on five hits in six innings of work in San Francisco’s 6-5 loss to the Miami Marlins on July 1. The Giants are 0-5 in their last five games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Giants win, 5-4, to end their losing rut. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
