Cubs vs. Diamondbacks: Darvish vs. Greinke (Game 19)
CHC (9-9): RHP Yu Darvish (1-2, 6.11 ERA)
ARZ (10-10): RHP Zack Greinke (2-1, 5.79 ERA)
First pitch 1:20pmCDT
Yesterday's win brought the record to .500. The division standings now resemble pre-season expectations, with the top four teams within 2.5 games of each other.Darvish looked much improved in his fourth start, going 5.1 IP and striking out 8. Still, he walked 4 and has allowed 4 homeruns in 17.2 IP this season. His stuff has been fairly electric all season. He'll continue to work on his command coming off his mostly lost 2018. There's not a lot of history against Darvish on the Diamondbacks' roster, but they've been a little below average against righties this year.
Zack Greinke's ERA still bears the burden of his opening day loss, in which he allowed 4 HR in only 3.2 IP. His three starts since have been much better, and last time out he went 7 innings for the win. A number of current Cubs have succeeded against Greinke in limited exposure, with a team slash of .311/.354/.467 against him in 90 ABs. Heyward, however, is 3-18 with 6 strikeouts and may find himself getting a rest.
It looks like the wind will still be blowing in off the lake for the game, albeit with a bit less violence than yesterday. Hold onto your hats.
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