A win over Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers on Monday night put the Chicago Cubs eight games over .500 for the first time since 2009. But taking the second game of this four-game set may be more difficult considering they face Dodgers ace Zach Greinke. Can the Cubs feed off the momentum they got from Monday’s big win? Read on as we break down this blockbuster NL matchup.
Get some more big time matchups in the National League tonight. Check out the previews for the Cardinals vs. Marlins and Reds vs. Pirates.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs Preview
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
When: Tuesday, June 23, 8:05 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers (-120) at Chicago Cubs (+110) – view all MLB lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped to 12-19 on the road after the Cubs bested Clayton Kershaw on two home runs in a 4-2 victory Monday night. The Dodgers may be able to even the series out, putting Zach Greinke (5-2, 1.81 ERA) on the mound tonight.
[sc:MLB240banner ]But Greinke hasn’t been receiving the run support he needs to win games. He’s 0-2 with a 1.99 ERA over his last eight starts, receiving a total of 12 runs of support from the Dodgers offense. Greinke has allowed one or no runs in 10 of his 14 starts this season. But he has a tough hill to climb; Greinke has gone 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA in three career starts at Wrigley Field. It’s his worst record among all NL ballparks.
The Dodgers could ease some of the pressure off Greinke with a big performance at the plate. Howie Kendrick is 7 for 13 in his career against Chicago’s Jason Hammel, while Andre Ethier is 9 for 25 with two homers. But the Dodgers’ leader in batting average (.297) and RBIs (45) in Adrian Gonzalez has hit just 6 of 32 with a homer against the Chicago starter.
The Dodgers have won seven of their last 10 games in Wrigley Field.
Can Los Angeles get a strong outing from its ace to even this series out? Create a betting account now and get behind these dangerous Dodgers.
Betting on the Chicago Cubs
There’s no stopping Kris Bryant. The rookie had struggled by going 1 for 18 before hitting two home runs (one off Kershaw) in Chicago’s 4-2 win Monday night. He may be able to keep hot considering he’s batting .406 with seven homers in his last 18 home games.
Starlin Castro could also explode at the plate, going 5 for 16 in career matchups against Los Angeles’ Greinke. Miguel Montero has showed some power hitting as well by going 7 of 23 with two home runs and three RBIs against the the Dodgers starter.
The Cubs could take the second game of this series with Jason Hammel (5-2, 2.89 ERA) on the mound. Hammel is 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA in 12 career starts at Wrigley Field. But he’ll need to get over his struggles against the Dodgers, going 2-4 with a 5.67 ERA in 10 games against them. And on offense, Hammel has a homer in two career at-bats against Greinke.
The total has gone under in seven of Hammel’s last 10 starts.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cubs (+110) batter Greinke for another big win.
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