Weekend Baseball Betting In The Windy City
It’s been a busy spring for the city of Chicago.
The Blackhawks made a run in the NHL playoffs. The Bears acquired quarterback Jay Cutler. And the White Sox and Cubs kicked off the 2009 MLB season. Both Windy City baseball clubs are riding roller coaster seasons.
On the south side, the White Sox have climbed out of the American League Central basement and are making a run for the top spot in the division.
On the north side, the Cubs took a tumble in June and let their lead in the National League Central slip away.
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The Cubbies were posting a 9-9 mark this month heading into Wednesday, but had dropped seven of their past 12 games. That skid has damaged loyal backers’ bankrolls to the tune of almost nine betting units.
The culprit behind this current funk is the team’s feeble offense. The Cubs are batting just .235 and averaging under four runs this month. Last week it appeared as if the bats were waking up, scoring 26 runs over a four-game winning streak. However, the club quickly resorted back to their whiffing ways, losing the past two outings and scoring just four runs in that span.
Chicago’s pitching has remained steady. As a staff, the Cubs’ arms boast the lowest National League ERA in June (2.82). Starters Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster have pitched gem after gem, only to watch those efforts spoiled by poor run support or a letdown from the bullpen.
The Cubbies’ struggles are amplified on the road, where they are just 13-20 this season. The team is currently visiting the Detroit Tigers in interleague play and will continue to play in opposing parks when they come back to Chicago to face their cross-town rivals this weekend.
The White Sox are hoping to turn around their luck at U.S. Cellular Field after posting a 16-19 mark at home heading in Wednesday. 
They’re back in the Windy City following a successful eight-game road trip, in which they won five games including a two-game split with the Cubs. That stretch cut the cost of betting the White Sox to -4.35 units on the year.
Much like their neighbors to the north, the ChiSox offense has sputtered this season. The team is ranked 25th in offense and is averaging less than four runs per game this month. Those batting numbers get worse at home, where they’ve hit just .217 and posted a slugging percentage of .350.
On the mound, ace Mark Buehrle is the lone standout in the rotation. The southpaw is 7-2 with a 3.17 ERA on the season, but has struggled to shoulder the load this month. Buehrle’s numbers in June have ballooned, as he’s posted an ERA over 4.00 and recorded just one win in his four starts.
Fellow starters John Danks and Gavin Floyd are picking up the slack. While Danks is just 5-6 on the year and 1-2 in June, the righty has a 3.60 ERA and 20 strikeouts over his past three appearances. Floyd had been even sharper, going undefeated with an 1.57 ERA in his four starts this month. But both arms have fallen victim to bullpen collapses and careless fielding, like in Floyd’s most recent start versus the Cubs.
The White Sox are currently hosting the Los Angeles Angels before welcoming the Northsiders to the Cell for three games this weekend.
