Larry Ness
Sep 17 '18, 9:40 PM in 9h
MLB | Cubs vs Diamondbacks
Play on: Diamondbacks -125 at 5Dimes
My Bonus Play is on the Arz Diamondbacks at 9:40 ET. The Chicago Cubs had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday but maintained their 2 1/2-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central, as Milwaukee lost 3-2 at home to the Pirates. As for Arizona, the team's September swoon continued with a 5-4 loss at Houston on Sunday, dropping them to 4-11 this month. The D'backs fell 4 1/2 games behind first-place Colorado in the NL West with the loss and they are also four back in the race for the second wild-card spot. The Cubs have been steady, as they open this three-game set in Arizona having won 14 of their last 18 series. In contrast, this Arizona team which led or was tied for the NL West lead for 125 days this season (note: D'backs were still in first place on Sep 1), is just 4-11 in September.
Kyle Hendricks (11-11, 3.71 ERA) takes the mound, having allowed fewer than three ERs in five consecutive outings (1.80 ERA) but is a modest 2-2 (team 3-2 is in that span). That's been his 'story' in 2018, as the Cubs are 15-15 in his 30 starts, going minus-$965 vs the moneyline. Hendricks is 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA in three career starts against the Diamondbacks.
Patrick Corbin (11-5, 3.05 ERA) will get the ball for Arizona. Corbin enters on a nice roll, as he has posted quality starts in seven of his eight outings since the beginning of August, posting a 2.49 ERA during that stretch with a KW ratio of 64-5 (he's 4-1 but Arizona is a more modest 5-3). However, Corbin is 5-1 with a 3.68 ERA in seven career games (six starts) against the Cubs.
The Cubs are playing better baseball but will enter Day 28 of a string of 30 straight days in which games were scheduled (if not necessarily played) with the first of this three-game series at Arizona on Monday. The Cubs have manged to go 4-3 over their last seven games, despite totaling only 15 runs during that stretch. The key has been strong pitching but Hendricks hasn't had much luck here in 2018. As for Corbin, he may have a modest 11 wins, but he is third in the league in strikeouts (230), fourth in WHIP (1.03) and tied for sixth in the league in quality starts (18). His ratio of strikeouts to walks is 5.48:1, is third in the league. Also note that Corbin 7-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 home starts this season. Play the home team.