Today's Pick: CHC (-225) over PIT
Chicago, that toddlin' town. Chicago, has anybody seen Ben Brown? Last I heard he was on the charter bus, a one way ticket to AAA Iowa. Nope, he is back with the big club in a long relief role out of the bullpen. There is a good possibility Brown gets some work today.
It's the Chicago Cubs vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 1:20 PM CDT start at Wrigley Field.
Shota Imanaga (8-5) starts for the Cubs. Imanaga has looked good over his last five if you exclude the 12 hits, 7 earned runs and 3 homers he allowed against the White Sox on July 25th. That start really skews his ERA numbers. He laid an ostrich egg in that one. But he still has managed to post a 31/1 K to BB ratio and a 1.07 WHIP over his last 28 innings pitched. Take away the July 25th start against Chicago and Imanaga has a 0.72 WHIP in his past 25.0IP. He has been pitching real good and should get through six today against a Pirates team that is 27th in team batting average and 30th in runs scored this season.
Mike Burrows starts for Pittsburgh. I've loosely followed Burrows this season as a rookie starter on a bad team, mostly with the intention to bet against him as often as possible. Burrows has spurned me and has pitched fairly well this season. If you look into Burrows a little closer, you'll find that he has the makings of a good starter. He sits 96 mph with the four seamer and has a plus changeup and a plus curveball. He changes speeds and gets a lot of whiffs with his off speed stuff and he is tough on left-handed hitters. It all bodes well for Burrows today against a Cubs' team that relies on their left-handed bats. But righties are slugging .500 against him this season and the Cubs have some good righty sluggers in Carson Kelly, Seiya Suzuki and Matt Shaw.
The Pirates threw both Issac Mattson and Dennis Santana in yesterday's win. They will both likely be unavailable today. The back end of Pittsburgh's bullpen is fairly green.
The Cubs bullpen is always a liability. They have three lefty relievers available on a days rest and both Kitteredge and Keller should be good to go too. Ben Brown is available in long relief.
I like the Cubs today, mostly on Imanaga. The Cubs are also a far superior club offensively and will be in good spirits in a Saturday home game at Wrigley Field.
I reloaded the account with one unit and am going to bet on the Cubs to win. I don't love the price at (-225) but will lay the long odds for a small payday. I think the Cubs on the moneyline is a good bet today.
Today's Pick: CHC (-225) over PIT
Units in Play: 1.00 units
Units Wagered: 1.00 units
Ticket Pays: 1.44 units (+0.44 units)
Current Streak: 0
Longest Streak: 6
Total Units Wagered (Season): 118.64 units
Current Bank Balance: 7 units
Beginning Bank Balance: 40 units
Total Units Raked (season): 32 units
Profit / Loss (season): -1.0 units
Overall Record: 49-28