Padres vs. Cubs Prediction
Will Jon Lester pitch a gem tonight against the Padres when the Cubs welcome San Diego to Wrigley tonight at 8:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Cubs are -238 money line favorites versus the Padres, who have odds of +195 to pull off the upset in Chicago. The pitching matchup will feature Lester versus former Cub Clayton Richard.
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From Rotoworld: Richard allowed two earned runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters over 8 2/3 innings in a win Tuesday against the Reds. Padres manager Andy Green gave Richard a long leash and tried letting him finish for a complete game, but the veteran ran out of gas. Richard ended up tossing 127 pitches, 83 of them for strikes, while hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. His next scheduled start is set for Monday at the Cubs opposite Jon Lester. Richard hasn’t won back-to-back starts since September 12-20, 2012.
Lester was outstanding in Tuesday’s win over the Mets, allowing just one run on five hits over seven frames. The veteran southpaw racked up 10 strikeouts on the evening while walking only one. The only blemish on his night was an RBI double by Yoenis Cespedes in the first inning, but Lester was able to settle in beautifully afterwards. He now sits at 4-4 on the season with a 3.89 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 86/28 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings. He’ll look to replicate this fine effort when he does battle against the Padres on Monday.
Bet Tonight’s Padres vs. Cubs Game
OUR PREDICTION: The Padres have had some success recently against the Cubs but they’re just 1-5 in Richard’s last six road starts and are 1-5 in his last six outings coming off five days of rest. On the other side, the Cubs are 21-5 in Lester’s last 26 home starts, are 35-16 in his last 51 outings overall, and have won six of his last eight starts versus National League West opponents.
MONDAY MLB PREDICTION: CHICAGO CUBS -1.5 (-115)