The Chicago Cubs got a bit of revenge against the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, topping L.A. two games to one in a three-game series at Wrigley Field. With the season series continuing in Los Angeles this week, The Dodgers will look to issue a little payback, including in Tuesday’s middle game which will be broadcast nationally. The Dodgers have one of their biggest bright spots pitching that game in Ross Stripling while his counterpart for the Cubs has yet to be announced.
First pitch for the game between the Cubs and Dodgers is scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at 10:10 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. The matchup will be shown on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
Prior to Sunday, the Dodgers were 24-9 in their previous 33 games and boasted a .737 winning percentage in June as they have truly turned their season around.
Los Angeles has been one of the best teams in baseball since mid-May. While the Cubs have the better record right now, they come into the L.A. series having gotten swept in four games by the Cincinnati Reds. They’re 4-7 in their last 11 games, including winning two of three at home against the Dodgers.
Offensively, the Cubs and Dodgers are neck-and-neck, at least according to the season long numbers. The Dodgers are third in the NL in team OPS at .744, just behind the Cubs at .753, sitting in second place.
In the month of June, however, the Dodgers have a ridiculous .852 team OPS with 112 runs scored and 39 home runs. The Cubs have scored just 76 runs despite playing two more games. Their .680 team OPS show some offensive struggles.
Albert Almora, Jason Heyward, Addison Russell and Ben Zobrist have all been swinging the bat well this month. They’re the team’s table setters all with good OBP numbers. The power, however, has been missing. Kyle Schwarber has hit five homers this month, but he’s otherwise hitting .197. Anthony Rizzo and Heyward are the only other two with more than one homer and they have three and two respectively.
The Cubs haven’t gotten enough out of Rizzo in June. He had a big May after a slow April, but has slowed down again in June. His .728 OPS along with a .707 mark from Kris Bryant and a .644 from Willson Contreras illustrate where some of the Cubs’ recent offensive struggles reside.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have seen Justin Turner and Yasmani Grandal struggle through the month, but have been able to hide those struggles behind huge months from Joc Pederson who has eight homers and a 1.428 OPS, Max Muncy who has seven dingers, Matt Kemp who has continued his All-Star season, and Cody Bellinger who has finally started to look like the Rookie of the Year we saw last year.
Probable Pitchers
Ross Stripling gets another chance against Chicago. The Cubs got to Stripling in his last start, snapping his personal six-game winnings, but Stripling is still having an excellent season. He’ll just need to adjust as he gets Chicago for his second straight start.
The Dodgers’ righty wasn’t originally part of the rotation, but a plethora of injuries offered him a chance to start and his production has allowed him to stay in the rotation even as starters have started to get healthy.
Stripling is 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.037 WHIP this year. He’s thrown 72.1 innings, including 11 relief appearances and 10 starts.
The 28-year old has a 2.37 ERA as a starter and has walked just five batters in 57 innings. He’s also struck out 68 batters as a starter, improving his strikeout rates from where they were in his 15.1 innings of work in relief.
While the Cubs did beat Stripling in his last start, the righty still pitched reasonably well, notching his third straight quality start. He pitched six innings, allowing three runs despite the eight hits.
Even with the loss against Chicago, he’s yet to allowed more than three runs in any game since the start of May. In his ten starts, he’s allowed fewer than two runs five times.
The Cubs have yet to announce their starter for Tuesday’s middle game. While Jon Lester starts Monday, Tuesday could go to Kyle Hendricks who would be on schedule to make the start or Tyler Chatwood could get the start, provided he is back with the team after missing his start this weekend for the birth of his child.
Chatwood doesn’t match up favorably against the Dodgers. He leads the majors in walks by a large margin and with the Dodgers hitting so well right now, they’ll undoubtedly take advantage. He’s walked 63 in 68.1 innings. Somehow, he’s pitched well despite that with a 3.95 ERA, but that’s not sustainable.
As for Hendricks, the righty is just 5-7 though he does have a 3.73 ERA. His 4.60 FIP show he’s not quite been as good as his ERA suggests. His 14 home runs allowed is alarming, though he’s done well limiting the damage by those bombs.
Hendricks is also coming off a poor start against the Reds, allowing four runs in 5.2 innings of work. Chatwood’s last start came against the Dodgers. He allowed just one run—on a solo homers—in five innings despite five walks.
Live Betting
With Stripling a converted reliever and Hendricks not one to go much past six innings in a start, the bullpens do figure to get some action on both sides.
The Cubs would normally have the advantage here. They’ve got a bullpen ERA a half run lower than the Dodgers, but Chicago won’t have Brandon Morrow for this series.
The Cubs’ closer has been great. The former Dodger has a 1.59 ERA and 1.147 WHIP, making L.A. miss him even more in the eighth. Of course, right now, the Cubs miss him, too.
Steve Cishek is filling-in in the ninth and has been nearly as good for the Cubs this year. He’s got a closer’s pedigree and experience in the ninth so that inning should be covered, but pushing Cishek to the ninth takes a player out of the middle innings.
Justin Wilson and Pedro Strop are still good options in the middle, but the options are a bit more limited for Joe Maddon now with Carl Edwards injured and Brian Duensing struggling.
For the Dodgers, Kenley Jansen is back to dominating in the closer role. With him, the game is limiting to eight innings and Erik Goeddel, Daniel Hudson, Edward Paredes have found key roles in the pen. They’re all pitching exceptionally well here in June.
MLB Pick
The Cubs beat the Dodgers in two of three last week, but the Dodgers get home field in this game to go along with their scorching offense.
Look for the Dodgers to get to whichever Cubs starter gets the nod. It will be easier against Chatwood who gives way too many free passes, a dangerous thing against an offense as red-hot as Los Angeles. Still, either way, these Dodger bats are hitting so well, they’ll be able to score against Hendricks, too.
With that, look for Stripling to have a bounce back performance this time around against Chicago. He’s been too good this year and the numbers are more than just luck, looking at the peripherals.
The Dodgers’ bullpen is good enough to cover the last few innings and give Los Angeles the win.
MLB Odds: Dodgers 5, Cubs 3
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