Cubs vs. Dodgers: Hamels vs. Buehler (Game 22)
CHC (11-10): LHP Cole Hamels (3.0, 2.77 ERA)
LAD (15-10): RHP Walker Buehler (2-0, 5.40 ERA)
First pitch 7:05pmCDT
The Cubs earned an exciting victory in the opener last night. The dominant Quintana showed up again and Javy Baez proved that he can still do whatever the f*** he wants. Tonight the crew gets to work putting .500 further in the rear-view mirror.Cole Hamels, the Cubs best starting pitcher so far, makes his fifth start. He's really been hitting his spots, and the results show it. He's getting a ton of ground balls and has walked only 1.05 per 9 innings. Lefties are 1-21 against him on the year with 6 strikeouts. His career splits are not nearly so drastic. Justin Turner is 6-15 against him with a HR, and Cody Bellinger is 1-1 with a HR and 2 BBs.
Walker Buehler has rode the Dodgers' offense to two wins despite a high ERA. He's alternated between terrible starts and solid starts. It looks like a bad one is up in that rotation. In 2018, he made 23 starts and posted a great 2.62 ERA to go 8-5. Current Cubs have only 9 ABs against him, but they have a collective 1.545 OPS, so, there's that.
The Cubs have won 8 of their last ten and have gained ground in the tight NL central. Baseball feels a whole lot different when your team wins more than they lose, huh?
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