Marcus Stroman, one of this season’s stingiest pitchers, is set to take the mound for the Chicago Cubs (25-32) as they face off against the San Diego Padres (27-31) at Petco Park on Sunday.
The Padres leveled the series 1-1 after winning 6-0 on Saturday, their second head-to-head victory in five games this season. Yu Darvish threw seven scoreless innings – striking out nine – for the win.
Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2 for 5 with two home runs and four RBIs in the win. Ha-Seong Kim added a double and one run. Dansby Swanson was 1 for 2 with a walk for the Cubs.
ON THE MOUND
Stroman (5-4, 2.59 ERA) is in line to take the mound for Chicago. The righty ranks second in the NL in ERA. Stroman threw a complete game shutout in his last start in a 1-0 road victory over the Rays on Monday.
He scattered only one hit, striking out eight and walking one en route to the win. For San Diego, lefty Ryan Weathers (1-3, 4.28 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made one prior appearance against the Cubs this season, holding opposing hitters scoreless over one inning in a 6-0 road defeat on April 25.
In his last start on Tuesday, Weathers took a no-decision on the road against the Marlins. He threw four innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, striking out four and walking three in the 9-4 win.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Chicago has averaged only 1.6 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.4, while slashing worse across the board (.158/.241/.212).
Against left-handed pitchers like Weathers this season, the Cubs have a .791 OPS. Seiya Suzuki is the team’s best performer against left-handers with a .992 OPS in 40 at-bats.
San Diego is averaging 5.4 runs per game in the last five, up from 4.2 for the season, with a higher team batting average (.233 vs .222). The Padres have a .675 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a 1.025 OPS over 129 at-bats, Juan Soto has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 10-16 away from home in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 4.5 runs. San Diego has gone 13-16 at home this season, averaging 4.0 runs per game while surrendering 3.7. Chicago is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings at Petco Park with an average scoreline of 3.7-3.3.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cubs are fourth in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Padres are fourth in the NL West, seven games behind the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SD Padres (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
