Tough at Wrigley
The Chicago Cubs went a little more than a month between home losses. It’s been even longer since they’ve dropped two in a row at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs look to avoid that from happening as they continue their series with the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Chicago -175 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 79% of bets for this game have been placed on Chicago -175 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Chicago (48-28) fell 7-5 to Baltimore on Tuesday night to end its season-high 14-game winning streak. The Cubs are a major league-best 32-9 at home, and prior to Tuesday, hadn’t lost at Wrigley since a 7-6 defeat to Pittsburgh on May 17.
Owners of the major’s best overall record, Chicago nearly rallied from a six-run deficit Tuesday, but couldn’t score after loading the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning off Orioles’ closer George Sherrill.
"It was a good comeback," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team hasn’t lost consecutive games at Wrigley since dropping its first two of 2008 against Milwaukee. "We got too far behind. … We didn’t have three good at-bats with the bases loaded."
On Tuesday, Baltimore’s Brian Roberts, the subject of prolonged spring training trade rumors that had him going to the Cubs, reinforced why Chicago showed interest in obtaining him. The second baseman was 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and scored two runs scored in his Wrigley Field debut. He is batting .391 (18-for-46) with six RBIs in his last 11 contests.
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"I thought I was going to be a Cub in December,” said Roberts, who also collected his 1,000th career hit. "I didn’t know what was going to happen. … Once the season started you just kinda go out and play your spot and the rest will take care of itself. I really haven’t thought about in a long time.”
Nick Markakis drove in two runs and Luke Scott added a two-run triple for the Orioles (39-36), who have won five of their last seven. Scott is batting .362 with 12 RBIs in 23 career games versus the Cubs.
Baltimore, which is averaging 5.2 runs in going 9-4 during interleague play, will try to prevent Chicago’s Ted Lilly from winning his third straight decision.
Lilly (7-5, 4.71 ERA) didn’t factor in the decision of the Cubs’ 4-3 win over the White Sox on Friday after allowing three runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. The left-hander, 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his last three contests, is 6-2 with a 4.24 ERA in 12 career starts versus Baltimore.
The Orioles counter with Brian Burres (6-5, 5.24), who’s also looking for a third consecutive victory. He allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings of a 7-5 win over Houston on Thursday.
"Our bats just did a great job giving me support and room to pitch," Burres told the Orioles’ official Web site.
Though the left-hander will make his first appearance against the Cubs, he is 3-0 with a 5.46 ERA in five interleague starts.
Jim Edmonds hit a three-run homer and Kosuke Fukudome had a solo shot Tuesday for Chicago, which was coming off a weekend sweep of the crosstown rival White Sox.
Edmonds is hitting .355 (11-for-31) with four homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games, while Fukudome is batting .327 (16-for-49) with two homers and nine RBIs in his last 13.
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