There are two NL clubs facing off at Wrigley Field on Friday, with the Diamondbacks and Cubs set to square off at 2:20 PM ET. The money line odds have the Diamondbacks at -106 compared to the Cubs at -113, and the over/under line is currently at 7.5 runs.
MLBN will be televising this one, and Ryne Nelson is starting for the Diamondbacks, while the Cubs are going with Justin Steele. Arizona is 2nd in the NL West, and the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central.
Diamondbacks Aim to Close Gap in NL West with Strong Offense Against Cubs,
Arizona is 49-48 overall and 19-14 in divisional games. They are currently seven games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. The Diamondbacks are 26-24 at home and 23-24 on the road. Arizona has won two straight series on the road and are 4-6 as the road favorite this year. Their over/under record is 52-42, and the over/under line for today’s game against the Cubs is set at 7.5 runs. Arizona’s combined run average this season is 9.8 runs per game, and their over/under record when the line is set at 7.5 runs is 6-4.
Ryne Nelson is 6-6 this season with a 4.99 ERA and has made six quality starts in 15 outings. Nelson will be facing a Cubs lineup that is hitting .296 against him this season. The Diamondbacks have one of the top offenses in the league, averaging 5 runs per game, which is 2nd in the MLB. Ketel Marte is hitting .292 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI, and Christian Walker has 22 home runs and 66 RBI. Eugenio Suárez is hitting .344 over his last 9 games. The Diamondbacks are on a 3-game over streak and have an average run margin of 4.3 runs per game when they win.
Cubs Look to Break Road Struggles at Home Against Diamondbacks with Steele on the Mound,
With a record of 47-51, the Cubs are 5th in the NL Central, 8.5 games behind the Brewers for the division lead. They are 25-21 at home compared to 22-30 on the road. Chicago is 11-17-3 in series this season, and they are 25-29 as the underdog. The Cubs are at home today, where they are 25-21 compared to 22-30 on the road.
Chicago’s offense has been below average this season, ranking 19th in runs per game at 4.2. They are facing the Diamondbacks today, and the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs. The Cubs have an over/under record of 43-51 this season, and their games have averaged 8 runs per game. The over has hit in three straight games for the Cubs. Justin Steele is on the mound for the Cubs, and he is 2-3 with a 2.71 ERA. Steele has a WHIP of .95 and has eight quality starts this season. He is facing a Diamondbacks lineup that is 15th in batting average and 25th in runs per game.
Diamondbacks to Edge Out Cubs in Close 5-4 Showdown: Betting Predictions and Pitcher Projections,
Our prediction for today’s Diamondbacks vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Diamondbacks straight up on the money line, which is currently sitting at -106. We actually have the Diamondbacks winning this one by a score of 5-4.
Looking at some of the starting pitcher projections, we have Justin Steele finishing with six strikeouts compared to Ryne Nelson with just four. Steele is also projected to give up fewer hits and earn runs than Nelson.
Offensively, we have the Diamondbacks finishing with nine hits compared to the Cubs with nine. However, the Cubs are projected to finish with just four runs compared to the Diamondbacks with five.
