Two of the hottest pitchers in baseball take to the mound in the first game of this interleague series.
Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles heads to play at Wrigley Field for the first time in franchise history, while its 16-6 record since May 25 is tops in all of baseball. While the team is new to the friendly confines of Wrigley, outfielder Bobby Abreu is familiar with the venue. In 29 career games, he is hitting .352 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. On the other hand, none of the Angels projected starters have made a start at Wrigley Field. The Angels are 11-5 this month and 28-14 in the last two seasons in June. In fact, the team’s 61 wins in June since 2007 are the most in MLB. The club went 11-3 on its last 14-game, 14-day road trip, as they are 14-5 in their last 19 road games. The Halos are also 19-8 in their last 27 interleague games, including a 5-4 mark this year (+100)
Angels SP Scott Kazmir is 6-5 with a 5.27 ERA in 12 starts this season (+100). The left-hander is a perfect 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA in three starts this month, allowing just a single home run in 17 innings of work. He is also 2-0 with a 3,93 ERA during three daytime starts on the year, as opposing hitters are batting just .169 against him. Kazmir has won four straight starts, all on the road, posting a 2.63 ERA in those outings. In those four straight victories away from Angel Stadium, bettors will surely focus in on playing the run-line, as the team has won each of those games by two runs or more.
Chicago is 8-12 in its last 20 games since May 26, picking up consecutive wins for the first time since a three-game win streak on May 22-25. Cubs hitters have drawn at least one walk in 37 consecutive games and the team has collected 211 free passes this season, tied for the 11th-best mark in the National League. This may prove to be a useful source of offense for the club, as Kazmir has walked 34 batters in 66.2 innings of work. The Cubs are 8-1 in their last nine games against left-handed starters and 12-9 versus southpaws for the entire season (-130). Today is the seventh (3-3) of a 15-game stretch against AL opponents.
Cubs SP Carlos Silva is 8-1 with a 2.89 ERA in 12 starts this season (+850), which is his first eight-win season since 2007. Much of his success can be attributed to walking just 14 batters in 74.2 innings of work. “I go out there and do my job,” Silva said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, if they’re going to score runs or not. That’s my job, to keep my team in the game.” He has a great chance of bouncing back from his first loss of the season, recording a 7-2 record and 3.77 ERA in 13 career appearances (12 starts) against the Angels (+480). In two starts last season, he was 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA versus the Angels as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
Bettors may want to play the total in this pitching matchup, considering Kazmir’s recent success on the road and Silva’s solid numbers against the Angels. Los Angeles is 2-6 O/U as a road underdog of +125 to +150, while Chicago is 5-14 O/U against left-handed starters.
