Published May 22, 8:47pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated May 22, 8:47pm ET
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Updated May 22, 8:47pm ET
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| Chicago Cubs | -140 |
| Houston Astros | +127 |
The Astros have dug themselves a hole they will have trouble getting out of. However, the AL West is relatively mediocre, so they remain within reasonable striking distance of getting back into contention.
To do that, they need to win consistently. After beating the Cubs in the first game of their 3-game set at Wrigley Field, they send Kai-Wei Teng to the mound. The righty is transitioning into the starting rotation after starting the year in the bullpen.
Against the Rangers in his last start, he picked up the win, tossing 5 innings, allowing 2 hits, and no earned runs. He walked 4 and struck out 7.
Overall, he has a 2.61 ERA and a 0.9 bWAR. In 31 innings, he's allowed 22 hits and 9 earned runs, walking 12 and striking out 30.
The only Cubs hitter to face him is Michael Conforto. He's 0 for 1 with a strikeout.
For the Astros, Yordan Alvarez is slowing down after a scorching start. But he's still one of the best hitters in MLB with an OPS above 1.000 and has hit 15 home runs. Christian Walker has an .808 OPS with 11 homers. Cam Smith continues to struggle with a .207 batting average and a .615 OPS.
The Cubs have lost 6 straight and 10 of 12. They have fallen out of 1st place in the NL Central and now trail the Brewers for the division lead.
In the second game of their series with the Astros, Colin Rea gets the start. Rea has been shaky this season. In his last two starts, he's allowed 9 earned runs in 9 innings. For the season, he's got a -0.3 bWAR and a 4.98 ERA. In 47 innings, he allowed 53 hits and 26 earned runs, walking 14 and striking out 40.
For the Astros against Rea, Smith is 1 for 2 with a home run. Walker is 2 for 7 with a double. Jake Meyers is 2 for 5 with a double. Alvarez is 1 for 3 with a double and 2 walks. Jeremy Pena is 2 for 4 with 2 singles.
The Cubs' offense has struggled during their team-wide slump. Ian Happ is batting .214, but has 10 homers. Dansby Swanson is batting .187. Pete Crow-Armstrong is batting .228. Alex Bregman is at .250 with 4 homers. Michael Busch is batting .229 with 4 homers.
While the Astros have struggled all season, the Cubs were rolling along until this recent bad patch. Until they start hitting consistently, they'll have trouble winning games. Rea has been very bad lately and Teng has been good.
Houston will take the second game of the series and keep Chicago stumbling.
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Houston Astros +127
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