2012 Red Sox vs Cubs Betting Preview
Two of the teams with the most passionate fan bases meet in Wrigley Field this weekend for a rare matchup. Boston sits two games under .500 and dead last in the American League East.
Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Boston (Lester) vs. Chicago (Samardzija)
Date/Time: June 16, 7:15 p.m. EST on FOX
MLB Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Moneyline: Boston (-150) Chicago (+140)
Runline: Off
Total: Off
The Cubs have the worst record in baseball.
Ryan Dempster pitched seven shutout innings as the Cubs took the first game of this series on Friday afternoon. This is a rare night game at Wrigley Field.
Boston is without Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford, but the offense has still been great this year. The Red Sox average 4.98 runs per game so far in 2012. David Ortiz leads the team with a .306 batting average and 15 home runs.
Youngsters like Daniel Nava and Will Middlebrooks have been great for the Red Sox as well. Adrian Gonzalez isn’t having a terrible year, but he isn’t putting up the numbers would expect from him. He has just 5 homers and 35 RBI’s this year. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The biggest problem for Boston has been their starting rotation. Jon Lester has been a major disappointment this season. Lester is just 3-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 2012.
Chicago is near the bottom of the league in almost every category. The Cubs average just 3.69 runs per game, and they hit just .246 as a team.
The pitching staff has a poor 4.33 ERA. Bryan LaHair and Alfonso Soriano have 12 home runs each, but no one else on the team has more than five long balls this year. Ian Stewart and Geovany Soto are both on the disabled list right now, which makes a weak Cubs lineup even weaker.
Jeff Samardzija has actually been a rare bright spot for the Cubs rotation. He has a 5-4 record with a 3.96 ERA. He is 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA at Wrigley Field this year.
I’m no fan of the way the Cubs are playing, but the Red Sox don’t deserve to be this big of a favorite here. I like the value on the underdog.
MLB Free Pick: Cubs ML
