Levon Satamian | April 23rd, 2019
The Los Angeles Dodgers won three out of four games in Milwaukee against the Brewers. The Chicago Cubs won two out of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Chicago.
The Cubs and Dodgers have had a rivalry over the past few seasons. In the 2016 playoffs, the Cubs defeated the Dodgers 4-2, after the Dodgers were up in that series, 2-1. In 2017, the Dodgers bounced back against the Cubs, defeating them four games to one, in a best of 7 series.
The rivalry continues when the Dodgers travel to Chicago for a three-game series against the Cubs. The Dodgers have a record of 15-9, going 7-3 in their last ten games. The Cubs have a record of 10-10, going 7-3 in their last ten games too.
The first game of this series will feature, Kenta Maeda vs. José Quintana. Maeda has a record of 3-1, and an ERA of 3.80. He is a streaky pitcher and pitches better at home. Quintana has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.43. Since this a Cubs home game, I’m going to give the edge to Quintana in this pitching duel. Cubs will win the first game of the series.
The second game of this series will feature, Walker Buehler vs. Cole Hamels. Buehler has a record of 2-0, but an ERA of 5.40. Hamels has a record of 3-0, and an ERA of 2.77. The Dodgers tend to do better against right-handed pitchers, but Buehler is due for a strong outing, so I’m going to pick the Dodgers winning the second game of this series.
The third game will likely feature Ross Stripling vs. Kyle Hendricks. Stripling has a record of 1-1, and an ERA of 3.07. Hendricks has a record of 1-3, and an ERA of 3.54. Dodgers do significantly better against right-handed pitchers, mainly because Joc Pederson is in the lineup so the Dodgers will win the third game of this series.
The Dodgers will win two out of three games in Chicago against the Cubs. I expect a big series out of Cody Bellinger. Since the Cubs are going with two left-handed starting pitchers, I’m expecting a breakout series from Justin Turner that is long overdue. Dodgers will improve to 17-10, the Cubs will fall below .500 at 11-12.
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