Miami and Chicago continue their weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were able to pick up a 2-1 win on Friday as -141 favorites behind a dazzling pitching performance from Justin Steele, who didn’t allow a run and struck out 10 in 4.2 innings of work.
Miami was a +129 underdog in the series opener, but they are down to -108 in the August 6th Marlins at Cubs betting matchup. Miami would seem to have the pitching edge with Pablo Lopez on the hill, but this is also a Marlins offense that has scored 1 run or less in 4 of their last 6 games. Chicago is priced at-110 in game two.
Miami Needs to Find Their Offense
Steele became the first Cubs pitcher since 1979 to have 10 K’s in less than 5 innings pitched. The Marlins offense has been sputtering as of late as they’ve lost six of their last seven, but Chicago is struggling too as they’ve been held to 2 runs or less in four of their last five. Miami outhit the Cubs 7-4 in Friday’s series opener.
Miami should have the pitching edge in the August 6th Marlins at Cubs betting matchup as Lopez (7-6, 3.41 ERA) is up in the rotation. He’s had two rough home outings since the All-Star break, allowing 5ER to the Rangers and 6ER to the Mets over just 7.2 IP, but he had 7.0 IP of 2-hit ball in his last road start in Cincinnati.
Regardless of how Lopez pitches on Saturday afternoon, Miami still needs to score some runs. They are 25th in the majors with 3.89 runs/game and have also lost four of their last five against LH starters. The Marlins are 6-15 in their last 21 games at Wrigley Field.
Cubs Go For Two in a Row
Chicago didn’t have the best offensive performance on Friday afternoon, but they still picked up the W to snap a 5-game losing streak. Willson Contreras delivered the big blow with a 2-run HR, and Nick Madrigal had half of the team’s 4 hits from the #9 spot in the order.
Contreras has found some power since sticking with the Cubs at the trade deadline when a deal seemed imminent. The All-Star has two HRs in the last three games, but is still hitting just .222 over the past week. Overall just three Cubs batters – Madrigal, Rafael Ortega, and Yan Gomes – are hitting better than .230 over the past week.
Overall Steele was pretty sharp on Friday, but his pitch count did get up there and he had to be pulled after throwing 63 strikes and 30 balls. Drew Smyly (3-6, 4.42 ERA) is on the mound Saturday trying to bounce back from 5ER allowed over 4.0 IP in his last outing against San Francisco. Smyly is 0-3 with a 4.29 ERA at home this season.
Free August 6th Marlins at Cubs Betting Pick
67% of the betting public likes the Marlins in this matchup, which should be another low scoring game. The side is a toss-up as this one could end 2-1 or 3-2, making the total the play especially with a cross wind at 10-12 MPH at Wrigley.
Free Pick: Under 8
