Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Angels 6/3/19: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds
Contents
TV Section
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Angels, 6/3/19 4:05 PM ET Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois, TV: Chicago (WGN, SAP WGN), Los Angeles (FS-W) Radio: Chicago (670 The Score, WRTO 1200), Los Angeles (KLAA 830, KWKW 1330)
Matchup Preview
The Angels venture back to Wrigley for a makeup game from a series back in April. The series is currently tied 1-1. The Cubs are coming into this stand-alone game having just gotten swept by the Cardinals on the road and 2-8 in their last 10. The Angels just took three out of four from Seattle, and are 7-3 in their last 10. The struggling 35 year-old Jon Lester gets the call for the Cubs, as Cam Bedrosian will open for the struggling Trevor Cahill, who will serve as the Angels’ primary pitcher.
Lester opened the season posting an ERA of 1.16 through seven starts. Things have been downhill since then, as he has a whopping ERA of 10.29 in his last three gos. In his last start against Houston, the left-hander gave up seven runs which is terribly uncharacteristic of the usually reliable veteran. These rough starts have all come since he’s come off the IL with a left hamstring injury. He still has an impressive 1.90 ERA at home this season.
Cahill is glad to see the month turn to June, as his May was far from a thing of beauty. Through five starts, he posted an ERA of 8.22. He’s 2-5 on the year and is wielding a season ERA of 6.92. Bedrosian has posted an ERA of 3.08 on the year and is boasting a WHIP of 1.215 through 26 appearances on the year. Cahill is 5-2 with an ERA of 2.83 at Wrigley in his career.
Cubs Starting Lineup
1. K. Schwarber , (L), LF
2. K. Bryant , (R), 3B
3. A. Rizzo , (L), 1B
4. J. Baez , (R), SS
5. W. Contreras , (R), C
6. D. Descalso , (L), 2B
7. J. Heyward , (L), RF
8. A. Almora Jr. , (R), CF
9. J. Lester , SP (L)
Cubs Analysis
The Cubs have fallen to second place in the NL Central, 1.5 games behind the Brewers. They’ll look to put the Houston and St. Louis series behind them as they set their horizons on the Angels today and their upcoming series against the Rockies at home. It’s a long season, and a rough week doesn’t have to define a team.
Surprisingly enough, pitching wasn’t the issue in yesterday’s loss against the Cardinals. Cubs’ pitchers only gave up two runs, yet the offense was only able to muster one run on three total hits on the game. Three hits isn’t enough to win a ballgame, period. It seems like as of late, the Cubs have either had their pitching on or their offense. If they want things to turn around, both need to be firing on all cylinders. Schwarber, Heyward, and Bryant all recorded a hit yesterday.
If Lester is going to turn things around, today is the day to do it. No one on the Angels has hit the left-hander particular well over their careers. Mike Trout is only hitting .182 off of Lester through 11 ABs. Pujols has recorded a few hits off Lester, but nothing crazy as he’s batting .273 off Lester in his career. If Pujols doesn’t get the start, we’ll likely see him come in to pinch hit at some point in the game. Lester is 5-4 through 12 starts against the Angles in his career, allowing an ERA of 3.69.
Angels Starting Lineup
1. D. Fletcher , (R), 3B
2. M. Trout , (R), CF
3. A. Pujols , (R), 1B
4. J. Lucroy , (R), C
5. M. Wieters , C (S)
6. T. L. Stella , (L), 2B
7. L. Rengifo , (S), SS
8. C. Bedrosian , (R), SP
9. B. Goodwin , (L), LF
Angels Analysis
Although they’ve put up an impressive record of 7-3 in their last 10, the Angels are still 10.5 games out of first in the AL West. They have and continue to feel like a team right on the cusp of greatness, with many of the pieces of a winning team there yet something still missing. If Trout resigning is any indication, the Angels will be a team to watch for years to come, even if things don’t pan out this year.
Fletcher and Trout have been on fire lately. Fletcher has posted an even .400 BA in his last 7 games. Trout isn’t far behind, boasting an average of .381 in his last six. The Angels bats will likely be a factor in today’s game. It’s hard to say whether the Angels’ hitters somewhat poor performance against Lester in the past will be the story of today’s game, or if their recent hot bats will overcome this disadvantage.
Cahill doesn’t feel like a promising start for the Angels, as his last five have been pretty horrendous. With a pitcher like Cahill, you don’t have any other option than letting him continue to get starts and hope he turns it around. He’s 1-3 on the road this year with an ERA of 6.75. He’s 0-3 in day games on the season, with a worrisome ERA of 9.82. Best case scenario for the Angels is for Bedrosian to set the tone and for Cahill to follow suit.
Cubs vs. Angles Betting Odds
The line is currently set at CHC -164 LAA +142 after opening at CHC -155 LAA +135. The already favored Cubs have moved to be even more favored, and I don’t see them losing this game. After getting swept by the Cards, they will be looking to beat up on a weaker opponent to reassert their dominance and get them rolling into their fresh series against Colorado. The over/under has yet to be posted, but with a struggling Cahill and Lester on the mound, I’d venture to say the over will be the way to go.
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