Cubs’ Arrieta armed and ready for Rockies
It took a non-National League Central foe to prove that the Cubs aren’t actually immortal.
After downing division-leading Chicago in yesterday’s series opener, 6-1, the Rockies shoot for a second straight triumph this afternoon. Oddsmakers at online sports book Bovada.lv nonetheless prefer the home team as a 1.5-run favorite.
Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra and Ryan Raburn tallied two hits apiece roughly 24 hours ago, giving Colorado the edge against the team with baseball’s best record. Gonzalez now boasts base knocks in all 10 contests to accompany three homers and eight RBIs, while Parra’s in the midst of a 6-for-13 tear. Altogether, Walt Weiss’ club has 27 runs and 41 hits during a three-game winning streak.
Young righty Christian Bergman will try to keep the momentum going at 2:20 p.m. ET. His first outing of the year, though, couldn’t come against a tougher counterpart. Joe Maddon sends ace – and bona fide lineup threat – Jake Arrieta to the bump here. The reigning Cy Young victor logged his 22nd consecutive quality start at Arizona last weekend. Moreover, he rocked Shelby Miller for a 442-foot homer.
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To reiterate, it’s an exceedingly tough spot for Bergman. Perhaps Anthony Rizzo stays mired in a 1-for-19 slump. Maybe Ben Zobrist fails to bust out of an 0-for-14 funk. One gets the sense, however, that the Cubs won’t be embarrassed in back-to-back affairs at Wrigley Field.
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