ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers Preview & Free Pick

MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers

Written By David Hess (Follow me on Twitter @DavidHess311)

When: 8:05 PM ET, Sunday, August 30, 2015
Where: Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles, California
Televised: ESPN

Odds: The Cubs opened as favorites of -115 and it has been bet up slightly to -118. The OU line currently sits at 6.5 with juice to the Over (-120)

The pitching matchup for this game has Jake Arrieta of the Cubs facing off with Alex Wood of the Dodgers.

Jake Arietta has been the ace of this staff as he comes in with a 16-6 record and a 2.22 ERA. Even more impressive is his last 6 starts where he is 6-0 with an 0.91 ERA. On the road this year he has gone 10-1 with a 1.94 ERA, which is also very impressive. Jake has faced the Dodgers twice in his career and hasn’t had good success, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in those starts.

Alex wood comes into this game with a 9-8 record and a 3.70 ERA overall for the year. Since he was traded to the Dodgers he has gone 2-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 5 starts, while at Chavez Ravine he is 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA in 1 start as a dodgers. In his career he has gone 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA in 5 appearances (3 starts) in this park. Alex is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 4 games ( 1 start) vs the Cubs in his career.

Important Stats: On the road this year the Cubs and have hit just .242 overal, including the same .242 vs righties, while scoring 4.37 rpg away from home. Their pitching has been decent on the road, with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. The Dodgers are a struggling offensive team overall, but they have hit .255 at home, including .256 vs righties and they have scored 4.4 rpg at home. The pitching has been very good at home as they have a 3.17 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP at Chavez Ravine for the year.

The Cubs are locked in a battle for the 2nd wildcard spot, while the Dodgers seem to be fading a bit. Yes they are locked in a battle for the NL West, but they just are not playing all that well and I can’t see that changing in this game. Jake Arrieta is on a roll as he is 6-0 with an 091 ERA in his last 6 starts and he has a very strong 10-1 record with a 1.94 ERA on the road. He has poor numbers in 2 starts vs the Dodgers, but hasn’t faced them since 2013. Alex wood has not been sharp for the Dodgers so far and I don’t expect him to have a good game vs a Chicago team that just looks more focused. The Cubs are 12-1 in Arrieta’s road starts and 11-3 in his night starts and those are hard numbers to buck, especially vs an LA team that can’t score right now.

Join Our 2015 Pro Football Super Contest. It's FREE and the winner has a shot at being the next Expert Handicapper here at SportsBetCappers.  Do you have what it takes to win it? CLICK HERE to Sign Up.

SportsBetCappers.com - Sports Picks Forums, The Best Sports Expert Sports Picks, Sports Blogs, Sports Odds, Free Picks, and much more!