Bryant, visitors poised for epic comeback
Corey Kluber dominated the Cubs in last week’s World Series opener. Cleveland merely hopes its ace has enough left in the tank to prevent an unconscionable collapse.
The two squads square off tonight in Game 7, with an 8:08 p.m. ET first pitch at Progressive Field. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the visitors odds of -125 to claim their first title since 1908. Terry Francona’s group, on the other hand, represents a +115 underdog. The over/under run figure rests at seven.
Chicago knotted the Fall Classic at 3-3 with Tuesday’s 9-3 victory. Third baseman Kris Bryant got the party started early, belting a solo homer in the first. Two innings later, Addison Russell’s grand slam essentially served as the death knell. Righty Jake Arrieta gladly basked in the offensive glory, picking up his second win of the series.
Of course, Kluber would own the ultimate trump card by prevailing this evening. The righty owns a 4-1 mark with a 1.89 ERA in the 2016 postseason. Yet he’ll be toeing the rubber on short rest for the second straight time.
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Joe Maddon answers with Kyle Hendricks, whose spellbinding performance in the NLCS finale introduced the sinker specialist to the masses. Hendricks fired 4 1/3 scoreless frames against the Tribe over the weekend, but uncharacteristically spotty command accounted for the abbreviated showing. He’s known for buckling down on the road, however, having held opponents to a .213 average away from Wrigley Field.
Simply put, the Cubbies are displaying superior power at present. The Bryant-Anthony Rizzo tandem continues to terrorize Cleveland’s staff, and one frankly wonders how much Kluber’s got left in reserve. Irrespective of the setting, we’ll ride with the North Siders to finally halt baseball’s most infamous streak.
WEDNESDAY MLB FREE PICK: CUBS/INDIANS UNDER 7 RUNS