The surging Chicago Cubs tonight continue their series against the slumping Montreal Expos in Puerto Rico.
The Cubs 4-3 win over the Expos last night was their season-high sixth straight. They are tied with the Astros atop the NL Central with a 77-67 record while the Cardinals loss last night drops them 2 1/2 games back.
Chicago have performed better on the road (40-32) than at home (37-35) this season and to get them as an underdog tonight offers excellent value. The Cubs have outscored their opponents by a total of 15 runs in their last six games while the Expos are basically the mirror image having been outscored by 16 runs their last six games.
Montreal have dropped nine of their last ten and at 72-73 overall have slipped under .500 for the first time this season. They appear to have lost their spark following a ridiculously demanding schedule.
Cubs starter Matt Clement is 5-2 recently and overall this season is 12-11 with a 4.12 ERA. He ranks ninth in the NL in batting average against (.230) and Chicago have won the last three times he has taken the mound. The Cubs offense is averaging 6.7 runs their last six games overall so we're expecting them to be able to provide Clement with some run support tonight.
Expos starter Livan Hernandez has a stellar 15-8 record and 2.86 ERA this season. The 1997 World Series MVP ranks fourth in the NL in wins, sixth in ERA and winning percentage, eighth in WHIP and ninth in K's. But it's worth noting Hernandez' mediocre numbers in 13 career starts against the Cubs. He is 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA lifetime against Chicago and his team is just 6-7 and -2.5 units. In comparison Clement's team record against the Expos is 5-4, +0.4 units.
We'll go with a red hot team as an underdog tonight.
Recommended Play: Cubs +105
The Cubs 4-3 win over the Expos last night was their season-high sixth straight. They are tied with the Astros atop the NL Central with a 77-67 record while the Cardinals loss last night drops them 2 1/2 games back.
Chicago have performed better on the road (40-32) than at home (37-35) this season and to get them as an underdog tonight offers excellent value. The Cubs have outscored their opponents by a total of 15 runs in their last six games while the Expos are basically the mirror image having been outscored by 16 runs their last six games.
Montreal have dropped nine of their last ten and at 72-73 overall have slipped under .500 for the first time this season. They appear to have lost their spark following a ridiculously demanding schedule.
Cubs starter Matt Clement is 5-2 recently and overall this season is 12-11 with a 4.12 ERA. He ranks ninth in the NL in batting average against (.230) and Chicago have won the last three times he has taken the mound. The Cubs offense is averaging 6.7 runs their last six games overall so we're expecting them to be able to provide Clement with some run support tonight.
Expos starter Livan Hernandez has a stellar 15-8 record and 2.86 ERA this season. The 1997 World Series MVP ranks fourth in the NL in wins, sixth in ERA and winning percentage, eighth in WHIP and ninth in K's. But it's worth noting Hernandez' mediocre numbers in 13 career starts against the Cubs. He is 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA lifetime against Chicago and his team is just 6-7 and -2.5 units. In comparison Clement's team record against the Expos is 5-4, +0.4 units.
We'll go with a red hot team as an underdog tonight.
Recommended Play: Cubs +105
