To say the Chicago Cubs are in a tailspin would be an understatement. The boys from the north side have lost 7 straight but that happens to all teams and doesn’t last forever. Today they will look to get back on the rails when they conclude their 3-game set with the 22-31 Houston Astros this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Despite their current misfortunes, the Cubs are still 29-23 overall, 18-10 at home, and just 2.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for the lead in the NL Central. Southpaw Shōta Imanaga is expected to get the nod from skipper Craig Counsell. Imanaga had a rare rough outing in his last turn against the Brewers, surrendering 8 runs on 9 hits, resulting in a 9-3 loss but he will bounce back today. Imanaga still has decent numbers at 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.04. The Cubs’ bats have been silent but they are still averaging just under 5 runs per game and should get to the Astros’ expected starter, Peter Lambert. Lambert is 2-4 with a 3.57 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and did not look good in his last outing against the Texas Rangers where he allowed 5 runs on 3 hits resulting in a 0-8 Astros’ loss. The Cubs have too much talent and are too well-managed for this to continue.
TODAY’S PICK: CHICAGO CUBS