The Chicago Cubs (47-40 SU, +2.48 Units) hadn't had a pitcher with 10 wins at the All-Star break since 2008. They have one now in Jake Arrieta, and he will lead his team into battle on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves (42-47 SU, +2.63 Units).
PITCHING MATCHUP
Arrieta was a later-arriver to the scene as a big leaguer, but it seems as though he has found a home in the Windy City. The righty has now gone 20-10 in his last 43 starts dating back to last season, and he has consistently kept his ERA in the 2.00s in that span.
You can't ask for much more consistency than what you've gotten out of Arrieta if you're a live bettor. The righty hasn't allowed more than four earned runs in a game all season long, and he has struck out far more batters (123) than he has walked (25).
You know that bad innings for Arrieta are allowing two runs, and more often than not, he's going to put more zeroes on the board than anything else, which gives live bettors a bit of peace of mind to know that their bets are going to be toast by the third inning.
Shelby Miller has been the complete opposite this year of Arrieta, even though he has similar stats and a similar ERA.
The righty has allowed at least seven hits in five of his last six starts, including when he allowed five runs against the Rockies at Coors Field.
This is the same man who nearly threw a no-hitter against the Marlins in May and has two complete-game shutouts to his credit.
At home this year, Miller has been an interesting dichotomy. He is only 2-3, but his 1.94 ERA in home games leaves him in the Top 10 in baseball in that category.
ADVANCED STATS
Live bettors should be looking for any clues for batters who may have an edge against Arrieta. However, the Braves just don't have much here to suggest that they could find any success.
Atlanta has the worst ISO in baseball at .112, and the team is only slugging .368. Outside of Freddie Freeman, there isn't a legitimate slugger on the team, and he is the only man who is going to sniff 20 homers on this club in all likelihood.
Patience seems to be a virtue of these Atlanta hitters, as a walk ratio of 7.7 percent against a strikeout ratio of 18.2 percent is fantastic, but against Arrieta, it probably isn't going to make a heck of a lot of difference.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Braves suffered a big blow just before the All-Star break when they lost their closer, Jason Grilli to a season-ending Achilles injury.
Jim Johnson, the team's new closer, has been here and done this before in the ninth inning, but he doesn't exactly have a great history finishing off games.
The big problem that we have is that Johnson was the most reliable middle reliever which the Braves brought to the table. Now, they are going to be stuck with guys like David Aardsman, Luis Avilan, Brandon Cunniff and Arodys Vizcaino pitching in middle relief, which doesn't give all that much in the way of confidence.
Don't be surprised if somewhere along the way, Manuel Banuelos is converted into a reliever – maybe even a closer. But for now, the Braves have a lot of problems in their bullpen, and that should always be in the backs of the minds of bettors in live betting.
The MLB lines for this Sunday contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The ballgame pitting the Chicago Cubs versus the Atlanta Braves will commence Sunday, July 19, 2015 at 5:05 p.m. ET at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA. You can watch the contest live on WGN.
