by The Arizona Diamondbacks open a series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in Chicago.
The game is scheduled to begin at 4:40 p.m. Arizona time and can be seen on Bally Sports Arizona and Marquee Sports Network.
Who will win the game?
The Diamondbacks are a 1.5-run favorite in the game, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
Arizona is -110 on the money line, as is Chicago.
The over/under is set at 8.5 runs.
More:Pitching matchups for Diamondbacks-Cubs series at Wrigley Field
Winners and Whiners: Go with the Diamondbacks vs. Cubs Thursday
It writes: “Even though they’ll be going on the road in this one, the Diamondbacks will get this series started with a win on Thursday night. It’ll all start on the mound, with the tale of two pitchers going in opposite directions. Gallen has been one of the best in the National League this season and considering he already has a great start under his belt against the Cubs this season, Houston Texans Jerseys he’ll have that confidence and momentum to lean on. On the other side, Stroman has struggled this season and until he becomes more reliable on a nightly basis, it’s difficult to put a ton of stock into what he can do. Neither offense is likely to light up the scoreboard and Arizona’s massive advantage on the mound will be more than enough for them to come away with the win.”
Sportsbook Wire: Diamondbacks 3, Cubs 2
Jess Root writes: “This is only the 8th time all season the Diamondbacks have been favored on the run line. They are 2-5 ATS in those games thus far this season. The Cubs are 20-16 ATS overall this season and 17-10 ATS as the underdog. The Diamondbacks have eight 1-run wins in their 18 victories and 2 of their 4 wins when Gallen pitches are 1-run victories, which makes it hard to trust them to cover. I like the price for the Diamondbacks but don’t trust them to win by margin.”
Doc’s Sports: Take the Diamondbacks in opener vs. Cubs
Tony Sink writes: “During his MLB career, Stroman has surrendered 1,038 base hits while earning 875 strikeouts in 1,054 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 430 earned Chicago White Sox Jersey runs while earning a WHIP of 1.264 and having a FIP of 3.6. His K/BB ratio is 2.97 and he has gone up against 4,387 hitters during his MLB career. Stroman (62-63 career mark) holds a 3.67 ERA while allowing 8.9 hits per nine innings.”
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Fansided: Go with the Cubs team total under 3.5
Reed Wallach writes: “Gallen has been as good as any pitcher in all of baseball, allowing just four runs in 34.1 innings pitched this season while also only walking five batters thus far. His ERA is 1.05 and is supported by a fantastic FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 2.21, which means that Gallen hasn’t been lucky with plays in the field, he is simply pitching at a high level for a Diamondbacks team exceeding expectations. Now, he’ll face off against a free-falling Cubs lineup. Chicago has the second highest strikeout rate in the month of May and the third lowest on-base percentage. The team has struggled at the dish and Gallen’s strikeout/walk rate is the fourth highest in baseball this season. It’s going to be a struggle for Chicago at home with the wind always playing a role. I don’t have much interest in a side, but I want to back Gallen to show up as usual this season. I’m going to take the Cubs team total under as my favorite bet for this series opening matchup.”
BigAl.com: Diamondbacks 4, Cubs 2
Amedeus Mastrangelo writes: “The Diamondbacks are coming into this game on a bad losing streak recently and they just got smashed in their last series against the Dodgers. They were on a very hot streak up until their series prior to the Dodgers, another series against the Cubs in which they lost 2 of those 3 games and that was when things started to collapse on the D-backs. Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys They are going up against a Cubs team that has been playing very well 2 shutout wins in their last 2 games but both were against the Pirates and they have not had the strongest schedule recently either. The D-backs have not been playing well now but they will likely want their revenge on the Cubs here and they have Gallen on the mound who has been having a great season. Gallen is enough to keep the Cubs at bay with their hitting here and the D-backs should be able to squeak out a win here as their offense has still been scoring a lot of runs in their games despite losing a few games to the Dodgers. The best bet here is on the D-backs to win this game.”
Pick Dawgz: Take the Diamondbacks on the money line vs. Cubs
Shane Mickle writes: “The Cubs offense struggled to score on Wednesday, and they are going to have issues again in this game. Zac Gallen was lights out in his last start against the Cubs, and Chicago’s bats are going to be ice cold in this game. Back the Diamondbacks on the money line.”
More:Battered Diamondbacks lose again as Dodgers complete four-game sweep
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