Cubbies continue road swing in San Diego
Nolan Arenado has terrorized numerous National League opponents this season. Still, he truly went out of his way to abuse the Cubs on Sunday.
Colorado’s All-Star third baseman smacked two homers and piled up six RBIs, sending the majors’ best team to an 11-4 loss. Joe Maddon hopes for a much different result when his crew squares off against another NL West adversary, San Diego, in several hours. Handicappers at online sports book BetDSI like Chicago as a 1.5-run favorite. Conversely, the Padres are considered +220 underdogs.
Over the weekend, the 78-45 Cubbies looked surprisingly mortal. They dropped two of three to the Rockies, who managed to throttle Jason Hammel in the series finale. Jon Lester, though, seems immune to any kind of trouble at the moment. The lefty is 9-1 s ERA since May 27. He’ll draw his first assignment at spacious Petco Park.
For the hosts, Edwin Jackson’s just beginning to get acquainted with the West Coast. The veteran righty holds a 3-2 record with a 1.51 WHIP in six outings as a Padre. Most recently, he allowed eight runs and nine hits in a four-inning stint at Tampa Bay.
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Jackson’s chief priority should be to avoid Miguel Montero, who boast a lifetime .400 batting average off the 32-year-old. Even if the catcher somehow fails to muscle up, however, expect Chicago’s entire offensive cast to crave revenge for the wretched results in Denver.
MONDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS -1.5