Lackey, Cubs to lock down Brewers tonight?
The Cubs’ bombastic offense doesn’t get held down often, which made yesterday’s pedestrian showing against the woeful Brewers that much more surprising.
Major League Baseball’s top team aims to make amends in this evening’s middle contest, with an 8:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Miller Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI certainly expect such an about-face. Joe Maddon’s crew is listed as a 1.5-run favorite, whereas the hosts enter as +155 underdogs.
Unheralded righty Chase Anderson took a no-hitter into the eighth inning last night. While Ben Zobrist’s double broke up the hurler’s bid for history, Milwaukee nonetheless snatched a 4-2 victory. It actually marked the Cubs’ fourth loss in under a week.
Still, Maddon’s troops boast a National League-high 216 runs scored. They definitely figure to inflict a greater amount of damage on Jimmy Nelson, who’s 0-4 with a 3.72 ERA in six starts vs. Chicago. Pay special attention to Jason Heyward. After an awful start to the campaign, the Cubs’ right fielder carries a .344 average since May 9.
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As for the visitors’ mound presence, John Lackey looks for continued success vs. the Brew Crew. He went 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA in five meetings with Craig Counsell’s bunch last season with St. Louis. The veteran was a hard-luck loser in his most recent outing, dropping a 1-0 decision to San Diego despite yielding a mere three hits across eight frames.
Look for the base knocks to be more plentiful on Chicago’s part in several hours. It’s truly not a question of if, but rather when this lineup takes flight again. Duck for cover, Milwaukee fans.
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