Game 1 of Cubs-Padres twin bill on tap
Some dicey Windy City weather at the beginning of the week produced a true rarity: a day without a victory for the Cubs. Yesterday, however, brought back that old familiar feeling.
Chicago outlasted San Diego in the belated series opener between the two clubs, 8-7, setting the table for today’s doubleheader. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI prefer the host squad as a 1.5-run favorite in Game 1. The over/under total comes in at 7.5 runs.
On the heels of another solid showing from Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.10 ERA) aims for the Cubbies’ 23rd quality start of the season beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET. Recently, the righty has permitted one run and four hits in 11 innings of victories over Milwaukee and Washington. In three career outings vs. the Padres, Kendricks holds a 0.82 ERA and 20 strikeouts across 22 frames.
Having been blanked eight times through 33 games, San Diego hopes to get an offensive spark from someone other than leadoff man Jon Jay (.290 average). The pitching side should be taken care of Colin Rea’s work of late. Rea (3-1, 3.82) just took a no-hitter into the seventh of a 5-3 triumph over the Mets.
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With the twin bill making for an unusual set of circumstances at Wrigley Field, we believe the Padres possess a legitimate chance of prevailing in the matinee. Chicago’s clearly a beast at home, as evidenced by that 12-3 record. Still, Rea could experience considerable success against Joe Maddon’s thinner-than-normal lineup of regulars. Save your North Sider bets until the nightcap.
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