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Chicago Cubs End MLB Betting Series With Cardinals
It's easy to imagine the bats ruling Sunday evening at Wrigley Field in the conclusion of a 3-game series between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. After all, Wrigley is noted as often being hitter-friendly and that's topped off with both starting pitchers having been beaten up already this season by the lineups they'll be facing.
ESPN's cameras will be on hand for the prime-time telecast (5:00 p.m. PT). St. Louis will send Jake Westbrook to the mound opposite Chicago's Rodrigo Lopez.
The contest will end a 6-game road trip for the Cardinals that started with three losses in the first four tilts. St. Louis began the trek dropping two of three in Pittsburgh before losing the series opener against the Cubs on Friday. The Redbirds, a 145 MLB odds favorite behind lefty Jaime Garcia, built a 4-1 advantage before Chicago rallied for a 10-inning, 5-4 victory.
Saturday's second game found mixed MLB betting lines with some shops slightly favoring the Cubs and others listing a small lean to the Cards. St. Louis needed to win that game, which was still in progress, plus Sunday night's affair just to break even on the trip and not lose more ground in the NL Central standings to the front-running Milwaukee Brewers.
Chicago fired GM Jim Hendry just hours before the game Friday. Hendry, who had been on the job a little more than nine years, has been succeeded on an interim basis by Randy Bush.
Westbrook (14-11, 4.81) will be facing the Cubs for a third time this campaign, and both previous starts have ended with St. Louis defeats. The right-hander entered the season having beaten Chicago in both of his previous career outings which came in 2010 after being dealt from Cleveland to St. Louis.
Cubs hitters broke out the lumber when Westbrook was on the Wrigley Field mound in May, chasing him before he could finish the third inning. Two career starts on this bump have yielded 10 runs for the Cubs, eight of them earned, in 7 2/3 innings.
Lopez (5-4, 4.66) has pitched pretty well at home in 2011, recording a 3.34 ERA in five starts and four relief appearances, and Chicago has emerged victorious in each of his last three starts. He has not been a mystery to the Cardinals this season, however.
All three of Lopez's outings vs. the Redbirds – one start, two relief – came at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis lineup knocked him around three weeks ago, plating six runs on eight hits (one of those an Albert Pujols homer) in 4 1/3 innings. Priced at -170 on the money line in that contest, the Cardinals cruised to a 13-5 triumph.
Weather is always an important factor on the Second City's North Side, and the current forecast is calling for a nice evening. Mostly clear skies and a game-time temperature in the low-to-mid 70s are accompanied by a light breeze out of the northwest (in from center).
Veteran field arbiter Wally Bell should be under the mask for Sunday's game, his 26th behind the plate this season. Twelve of the previous 25 have gone 'under' the number, with three 'pushes' along the way. He worked a Lopez start in Pittsburgh on July 8, a game that went 'over' and finished with a Pirates win. Bell has called the plate in two Cardinals games this season, the totals splitting and St. Louis picking up the victory each time.
Chicago next welcomes the Braves to Wrigley for a 4-game set beginning Monday. The Cardinals head home following this game for a 7-game homestand that starts with three against the Dodgers.
It's easy to imagine the bats ruling Sunday evening at Wrigley Field in the conclusion of a 3-game series between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. After all, Wrigley is noted as often being hitter-friendly and that's topped off with both starting pitchers having been beaten up already this season by the lineups they'll be facing.
ESPN's cameras will be on hand for the prime-time telecast (5:00 p.m. PT). St. Louis will send Jake Westbrook to the mound opposite Chicago's Rodrigo Lopez.
The contest will end a 6-game road trip for the Cardinals that started with three losses in the first four tilts. St. Louis began the trek dropping two of three in Pittsburgh before losing the series opener against the Cubs on Friday. The Redbirds, a 145 MLB odds favorite behind lefty Jaime Garcia, built a 4-1 advantage before Chicago rallied for a 10-inning, 5-4 victory.
Saturday's second game found mixed MLB betting lines with some shops slightly favoring the Cubs and others listing a small lean to the Cards. St. Louis needed to win that game, which was still in progress, plus Sunday night's affair just to break even on the trip and not lose more ground in the NL Central standings to the front-running Milwaukee Brewers.
Chicago fired GM Jim Hendry just hours before the game Friday. Hendry, who had been on the job a little more than nine years, has been succeeded on an interim basis by Randy Bush.
Westbrook (14-11, 4.81) will be facing the Cubs for a third time this campaign, and both previous starts have ended with St. Louis defeats. The right-hander entered the season having beaten Chicago in both of his previous career outings which came in 2010 after being dealt from Cleveland to St. Louis.
Cubs hitters broke out the lumber when Westbrook was on the Wrigley Field mound in May, chasing him before he could finish the third inning. Two career starts on this bump have yielded 10 runs for the Cubs, eight of them earned, in 7 2/3 innings.
Lopez (5-4, 4.66) has pitched pretty well at home in 2011, recording a 3.34 ERA in five starts and four relief appearances, and Chicago has emerged victorious in each of his last three starts. He has not been a mystery to the Cardinals this season, however.
All three of Lopez's outings vs. the Redbirds – one start, two relief – came at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis lineup knocked him around three weeks ago, plating six runs on eight hits (one of those an Albert Pujols homer) in 4 1/3 innings. Priced at -170 on the money line in that contest, the Cardinals cruised to a 13-5 triumph.
Weather is always an important factor on the Second City's North Side, and the current forecast is calling for a nice evening. Mostly clear skies and a game-time temperature in the low-to-mid 70s are accompanied by a light breeze out of the northwest (in from center).
Veteran field arbiter Wally Bell should be under the mask for Sunday's game, his 26th behind the plate this season. Twelve of the previous 25 have gone 'under' the number, with three 'pushes' along the way. He worked a Lopez start in Pittsburgh on July 8, a game that went 'over' and finished with a Pirates win. Bell has called the plate in two Cardinals games this season, the totals splitting and St. Louis picking up the victory each time.
Chicago next welcomes the Braves to Wrigley for a 4-game set beginning Monday. The Cardinals head home following this game for a 7-game homestand that starts with three against the Dodgers.
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