Cubs’ Zobrist to keep battering Brewers?
It wasn’t always going to be a cakewalk for the Cubs in the National League Central Division. Things have taken an especially arduous turn of late, though.
The majors’ top squad tries to take its second straight from Milwaukee in this afternoon’s series finale, with a 1:40 p.m. ET first pitch at Miller Park. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv like Joe Maddon’s bunch to prevail, whereas the host club enters as a +165 underdog. The over/under total sits at eight runs.
Chicago (28-10) avoided its fifth loss in under a week by staving off the Brewers, 2-1, in extras last night. Out of position players, Maddon sent Travis Wood to the plate in the top of the 13th. The reliever ended up delivering the go-ahead RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
Today, no one’s asking Jason Hammel (5-0, 1.77 ERA) to come through at the plate. The righty merely needs to extend his considerable success against the Brew Crew. Hammel is 8-0 with a 2.37 ERA in 11 meetings with Milwaukee (17-23). Furthermore, five of those triumphs occurred in the Badger State.
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Suffice it to say, Junior Guerra (2-0, 4.00) doesn’t possess nearly the same kind of track record vs. the Cubbies. The 31-year-old hurler continues to get acclimated to the bigs, having logged six innings in each of the three assignments he’s handled from manager Craig Counsell since being promoted from Class AAA Colorado Springs on May 3. Priority No. 1 in a few hours consists of neutralizing Ben Zobrist. Chicago’s second baseman boasts a .500 average over the past 12 games.
Zobrist’s teammates obviously aren’t raking at the clip that defined a record April in the Windy City. When the Cubs make a business trip to Milwaukee, however, good things ultimately happen. Bank on the visitors to snag their seventh consecutive win in a tilt started by Hammel.
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