The Chicago Cubs take on the San Diego Padres tonight in Major League Baseball action. The game is scheduled for a 10:10 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on MLB.tv and locally in both markets. The betting odds for the game have the Padres favored at home to pick up the victory.
San Diego welcomes in the Chicago Cubs tonight for the opening of a three-game series. The Padres will look to get the series off to a solid start with James Shields on the mound.
The Padres have fallen below the .500 mark for the season at just 19-20, putting them in third place and six games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers already. The Chicago Cubs are actually five games above the .500 mark for the year, at 21-16, which puts them 3.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League Central.
Shields has a record of 5-0 so far this year, an ERA of 3.91 through eight starts. He's won each of his last three overall, but has allowed 11 earned runs in those three games through 17 1/3 innings. Current Cubs have an average of .227 in 44 at bats against Shields in his career, which includes 18 strikeouts.
The Cubs will send Jason Hammel to the mound, he's 3-1 this season with a 3.11 ERA. The Cubs have won four of his seven starts this season and officially he's earned two no decisions this month. Hammel has held Padre hitters to a pedestrian average of .216 in 116 plate appearances with Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Will Middlebrooks all having homered against him during their careers.
San Diego is just 4-6 in their last 10 games, Chicago has won seven of their last 10 games themselves. Chicago has an even dun differential this season, the Padres have been outscored by 15 runs. Shields should be able to shut the Cubs down tonight in his home park, too. Shields has won two of his three starts at home and the Padres are 3-0 overall in his starts at Petco Park. That will continue tonight.
Free Pick: San Diego
NFL Free Pick: Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
According to professional sports bettor Steve Fezzik, the early bird can catch a profitable worm if they put money down on Green Bay's opening week showing against the Chicago Bears. With the line currently at -4.5 at most Vegas sports books, Fezzik predicts it will move to -6.5 come game day, as no one is going to be betting on the Jay Cutler-helmed Bears, so the money will pour in on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. With that being the case, time strike early while the iron is hot.
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