A’s, Gray aim to remedy ghastly year vs. Cubs
As the curious case of Sonny Gray lingers into August, Oakland fans are beginning to wonder if there’s a turnaround in sight. NL-best Chicago, of course, doesn’t mind the dysfunction.
The floundering righty squares off against Joe Maddon’s gang today, with a 4:05 p.m. ET first pitch out West. According to oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv, Gray and his cohorts check in as +180 underdogs. The Cubs, on the other hand, typify 1.5-run favorites.
In 2015, Gray finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. This summer, the high-profile hurler can’t catch a break. He went 2-4 with a 7.79 ERA in July. Once renowned for his control, the Nashville native now issues free passes left and right. Gray has even thrown 15 wild pitches through 20 appearances.
Interestingly, Chicago’s main on the mound continues to battle his own problems. Jake Arrieta is 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in his past five assignments. Most recently, he allowed two runs on a pair of hits and three walks in a hard-luck loss to the Mariners.
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Collectively, though, the Cubbies keep trouncing all adversaries. They ripped the A’s last night, 7-2, jumping on rookie starter Dillon Overton early and never relenting. While we don’t expect Gray to implode here, it’s an unnecessary risk to spurn the visitors. Bank on Chicago to improve to 31-24 away from the Friendly Confines.
SATURDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS/ATHLETICS UNDER 7.5 RUNS