The Cubs have shown the ability to bounce back after dropping the first two games of a series this season.
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee dropped five in a row before Monday’s 18-1 blowout victory over the Cubs and followed that performance up with a 4-3 win last night. “We’ve had a real good approach in this series,” third baseman Casey McGehee said. Today’s game will be the final of a six-game road trip that saw the club suffer a sweep in Houston. The Brewers are 26-30 on the road (-20) and have posted a 4-9-4 mark in series play away from Miller Park. Milwaukee is 2-1 early in August and a dominating 35-22 during this calendar month the last three seasons (+930). A win today would give the Brewers four consecutive victories over the Cubs for the first time since 2006. They may be hard-pressed to accomplish that feat, with a 14-25 daytime record (-1,290).
Toronto has captured the first two games of this series and the offense has managed to generate eight runs in each contest. “We’re doing a good job offensively,” Jose Bautista said. “We’re coming up with big hits when we need them and solo shots here and there.” He hit his MLB-best 33rd home run last night in the ninth inning, as the Blue Jays have hit 23 of their 167 home runs during their current 8-3 stretch. The pitching staff has held its own recently, ranking second in the American League with a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break. The team is now 5-3 against the Yankees this season and have won eight of their last 13 meetings dating back to last year. Toronto stands at 22-16 versus division opponents (+1,010) and the total is 17-20 O/U in those contests.
Cincinnati fell 7-6 in the second game of this three-game set against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, but the club has still won five of its last eight games. It’s also important to note that the Reds are 9-1-1 in their previous 11 series, including 4-0-1 in their first five series of the second half. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 1995 and haven’t finished above .500 since 2000, currently features the NL’s top lineup and best defense. “This is why I came here, for this point and purpose,” manager Dusty Baker said. All-Star first baseman Joey Votto didn’t start for a second straight game on Tuesday with a sprained wrist. Cincinnati is a dominating 30-17 against division opponents this season and the total is 21-22 O/U in those games. In 36 day games, the Reds have compiled an even 18-18 mark and the total is 10-21 O/U.
Philadelphia continues to be bit by the injury bug, as All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard has traveled back home to have his left ankle examined by the team physician. “It’s just swollen. It’s tight, sore. Other than that, it’s not too, too bad,” Howard said. The Phillies are already without the services of second baseman Chase Utley and outfielder Shane Victorino. The club has earned an even 4-4 record in its first eight meetings with the Marlins, but took two out of three at Sun Life Stadium in May. The Phillies are 11-3 in their last 14 games in Miami. Philadelphia enjoyed an off day on Monday and looks to even up its record in this situation, as the team is 5-6 this season after receiving a day off (-290). The Phillies are 34-24 after a day of rest the last three seasons overall (+660).
Chicago opens up a four-game series with a day-night doubleheader against the Tigers on Tuesday. The White Sox haven’t been very successful against divisional opponents this year, posting a 17-20 mark (-700) and the total is 16-18 O/U in those games. The team did finish its last homestand with a 6-1 record and are 20-2 over their last 22 games at U.S. Cellular Field. “We are playing good baseball all over,” said reliever Matt Thornton. Chicago has compiled a dominating 35-12 record since June 9, helping to erase a 9.5 game deficit in the divisional race in the process. It must not be lost that the White Sox are just an even 25-25 on the road this season (+390) and 96-118 away from Chicago the last three years (-1,080).
San Diego picked up an exciting 5-4 win over the Florida Marlins on Sunday in the series finale at Petco Park. The Padres lead the division by 1.5 games over the second-place San Francisco Giants and their pitching staff leads the majors with a 3.25 ERA. “We’re a confident group,” said infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. “The last couple of days have been a little crazy.” The club has the best road record in the National League at 28-20 (+1,440), joining the Giants and Reds as the only teams playing over .500 away from their home ball parks. San Diego is an even 4-4 on the road when the total is 7 or less (+200) and the total is 2-5 O/U in those games. The team has posted a 4-3 record over the last seven games due to limiting opponents to 3.1 runs per game and a .181 combined average.
