Editorial by: Graydon Fox

Prizes:

1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Amazon gift card

If there are ties, a random drawing will determine the winner.

Top 5 Winners:

1. Raymond Jones (400 points)
2. Scott Watkins (400 points)
3. Jr Hadley (400 points)
4. Terry Van Sickle (400 points)
5. Kauserinc (400 points)

Overview:

On Sunday, July 29th, the (58-42) Chicago Cubs will be on the road to take on the (51-50) St. Louis Cardinals.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Cubs 4.5 – Cardinals 2.5 with an over/under of 7.0.

Starting Pitchers:

CHC: Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.05) vs STL: John Gant (3-3, 3.17)

Batting Stats:

Runs per game: Cubs 5.09 (4^th) > Cardinals 4.48 (13^th)

Batting Average: Cubs .267 (2^nd) > Cardinals .246 (14^th)

On Base Percentage: Cubs .347 (1^st) > Cardinals .318 (17^th)

Total Bases: Cubs 1485 (7^th) > Cardinals 1384 (17^th)

Baserunning Stats:

Stolen Bases: Cubs 49 (15^th) > Cardinals 38 (23^rd)

Pitching Stats:

Team Earned Run Average: Cubs 3.74 (8^th) > Cardinals 3.90 (12^th)

Batting Average Against: Cubs .225 (8^th) > Cardinals .244 (13^th)

Walks/Hits Per Innings Pitched: Cardinals 1.32 (16^th) > Cubs 1.35 (20^th)

Strikeouts: Cardinals 824 (21^st) > Cubs 823 (22^nd)

Saves: Cubs 29 (7^th) > Cardinals 24 (22^nd)

Fielding Stats:

Errors: Cubs 61 (20^th) > Cardinals 84 (30^th)

Summary:

The Cubs enter the game ranking 4^th in runs per game (5.09) and 8^th in team earned run average (3.74).  The Cubs are (6-4) in their last ten games and (27-23) on the road this season.  Javier Baez (.293, 19 HR, 74 RBI, 19 SB) has blossomed into one of the best all around players in the majors.  Kris Bryant (.276, 11 HR, 44 RBI) is having a down season by his lofty standards while Anthony Rizzo (.260, 12 HR, 65 RBI) has been and RBI machine.  The Cubs have a strong starting staff but their bullpen ranks 4^th in ERA (3.31).  The Cubs will be up against Cardinals righty John Gant (3-3, 3.17) who has held them to a combined .222 average in 27 total at-bats.  Gant is (3-2, 3.41) at home this season and was (1-1, 2.66) in July.

The Cardinals rank 13^th in runs per game (4.48) and 12^th in team ERA (3.90).  St. Louis is (4-6) in their last ten games and (24-24) at home this season.  Matt Carpenter (.275, 25 HR, 53 RBI) started the season slowly but he has been on an absolute tear lately.  Marcell Ozuna’s peripheral numbers look good (.262, 10 HR, 51 RBI) but the power just hasn’t been there in the last two months.  Jose Martinez (.296, 13 HR, 57 RBI) emerged from nowhere in his age 30 season to be an impact performer.  The Cardinals have really struggled defensively leading the league in errors (84).  The Cardinals will be up against Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.05) who they are hitting a combined .279 against in 154 at-bats.  Hendricks is (3-3, 4.70) on the road this season and was (1-1, 3.54) in July.

Bottom Line:

The Cardinals are (7-6) against the Cubs this season but the run differential is even (72).  The Cubs are playing better baseball since the All-Star break and theoretically have the advantage in this pitching match-up.  I expect a close game as these teams typically play, but I anticipate the Cubs strong bullpen will lead them to victory in this one.

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