MLB Betting – Dempster Leads Cubs At Home

The Oakland Athletics took the opener 9-5 but the Cubs will rebound in the second contest of their three-game series.

MLB Game Odds:
Oakland Athletics +110
Gio Gonzalez – (L)
Chicago Cubs -130
Ryan Dempster – (R)

Run Line:
Athletics +1.5 -190
Cubs -1.5 +160

Total:
8.5 O -105
8.5 U -115

Location: Wrigley Field – Chicago, IL
Game Time: Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 – 8:05 PM EST
TV: CSCA, WGN 

The Week That Was: Athletics 

The past week for the Athletics has been filled with bitter rivals and even more bitter defeats. Last Wednesday the A’s were hammered by division-rival Los Angeles 7-1. Oakland starter Dallas Braden was rocked for four of those runs, and dropped to 0-4 since throwing a perfect game in May. Oakland was able to rebound the next night, beating the Angels 6-1. However that was the last good feeling they would have for a while.  

The Athletics didn’t have to travel far for their interleague series against the San Francisco Giants; however they couldn’t leave fast enough. The Giants swept the Athletics in the three-game set. It didn’t help that Oakland was slated to face San Francisco’s version of the Big Three; Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Barry Zito. All three starters pitched with relative ease against the Oakland offense, as they all pitched at least seven innings and gave up no more than two runs. The Athletics didn’t stand a chance.  

The offense rebounded in game one of Oakland’s series against Chicago. The Athletics smacked 13 hits in a 9-5 win over the Cubs.  

The Week That Was: Cubs

Chicago’s week started with a series loss to division-rival Milwaukee. Sandwiched in-between losses was the return to the win column for Carlos Zambrano. Big Z had spent almost a month in the bullpen, and last Wednesday’s win was his first since returning to the rotation and first since April 10th. He didn’t pitch all that great, but it’s an encouraging sign nonetheless.  

The Cubs then travelled to the South Side of Chicago for a weekend series with the White Sox. The Cubs dropped the first two, but almost made history in the finale. Ted Lilly was on the mound for the Cubbies, opposite White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. The starters took duel no-hitters into the seventh inning before the Cubs got to Floyd and scored in the bottom of the inning. Lilly took a no-hitter into the bottom of the ninth, but his bid for perfection was ruined by an ill-timed Juan Pierre single. The Cubs were still able to win, 1-0.  

Chicago fell in the opener against Oakland, however. The Cubs played a very sloppy game, committing four errors in an eventual 9-5 loss to the A’s.  

The Matchup 

The year Gonzalez has emerged as the de facto ace of the Athletics. He started off the season very strong, but recently has been hampered with a string of solid, if not unspectacular, starts. The 25-year old is still growing, and has shown enough this season to be handed the reins to lead the Oakland pitching staff; he leads all Athletics starters in wins, ERA and strikeouts.   
Ryan Dempster has been a solid asset for the Cubs rotation this season, and without a couple of unlucky breaks his numbers would be much better than they are right now. A 4-5 record with a 3.74 ERA and 1.16 WHIP isn’t bad, but most of those losses weren’t Dempster’s fault; he was a victim of a lack of run-support. The right-handers most recent start was marred by bad control. He allowed only two runs, but walked five and was thus pulled out of the game after just five-and-a-third innings pitched. His eight-inning, zero-run performance against Los Angeles three weeks ago proved how good Dempster can be.  

MLB Betting Pick: Chicago Cubs