Published Jul 30, 9:34pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jul 30, 9:34pm ET
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Updated Jul 30, 9:34pm ET
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| Chicago Cubs | -145 |
| New York Yankees | +131 |
Righty Will Warren made his first start after making an unusual relief appearance and did not fare well. Against the Phillies, he was knocked around for 6 earned runs in 3 innings. It is par for the course with Warren. Sometimes he's very good; sometimes he's not. For the season, he's got a -0.2 bWAR and a 4.41 ERA. In 102 innings, he's allowed 108 hits, 50 earned runs, and 15 homers, walking 36 and striking out 102.
In fairness to Warren, his ERA was blown up by 5 starts where he's given up at least 5 runs. Apart from that, he's been effective.
The Bombers move from the South Side, where they split 4 games with the White Sox, to the North Side where they will play the playoff-positioned Cubs. They won the first two games of their 4-game set with the ChiSox, but then lost consecutive games in extra innings.
Ben Rice has 31 homers and a .931 OPS. Jazz Chisholm is batting .224 with 16 homers and 30 stolen bases in 36 attempts. Paul Goldschmidt is at .254 with a .780 OPS and 16 homers. Jasson Dominguez is batting .232 with a .661 OPS and is blowing another opportunity. Spencer Jones homered in the ChiSox series.
For the Bombers against Shota Imanaga, Goldschmidt is 3 for 10 with a double and a home run. Austin Wells is 1 for 2 with a single. Ali Sanchez is 1 for 3 with a single. Chisholm is 1 for 4 with a single. Dominguez is 0 for 2 with a K. Ryan McMahon is 0 for 2 with 2 K's.
Shota Imanaga had a terrible streak from mid-May to early June. Apart from that, he's been excellent, particularly in July. In his past two starts against the Twins and Pirates, he's tossed 13 innings, allowed 10 hits, and no runs.
For the season, he has a 1.2 bWAR and a 3.72 ERA. His ERA has dropped a full run since June 4. In 121 innings, he's allowed 104 hits, 50 earned runs, and 22 homers, walking 29 and striking out 113.
The Cubs are within striking distance of the Brewers in the NL Central and are in a Wild Card position.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has a .923 OPS and 24 homers with 26 stolen bases in 33 attempts. Ian Happ is batting .219 with 18 homers. Seiya Suzuki has 18 homers and an .835 OPS. Dansby Swanson has a .216 average, but has 16 homers and 61 RBI. The Cubs could use a bat at the MLB trade deadline.
Against Warren, Michael Busch is 1 for 3 with a home run. Alex Bregman is 1 for 4 with a single. Crow-Armstrong is 0 for 3. Carson Kelly is 2 for 3 with a double. Happ is 1 for 2 with a single. Suzuki is 1 for 3 with a single. Swanson was 0 for 2.
The Yankees need to break their 2 game skid, both games they could have and probably should have won across town. The Cubs just won 3 of 4 against their archrival Cardinals. Both teams are looking toward the trade deadline with an eye on deep playoff runs.
For this matchup, the Cubs have a pitching advantage with the Yankees already struggling at the plate and Imanaga pitching well. Warren is inconsistent and vulnerable to the home run ball.
Chicago will take the win in the opener over the Bronx Bombers.
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Pick
Chicago Cubs -1.5 (+142)
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