The Chicago Cubs have spent the past five weeks with opening day starting pitcher Justin Steele on the injured list and get him back on Monday when they host the San Diego Padres.
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs (-110, 7.5)
Steele made the 2023 National League All Star team and was a Cy Young Award candidate as led qualifying National League starting pitchers with 0.7 home runs per nine innings, supplying a 3.06 ERA with 9.1 strikeouts and 1.9 walks per nine innings.
The dominance of Steele last season was amplified at home, posting a 12-3 record in 18 starts with a 2.65 ERA with less than 0.45 home runs per nine innings allowed.
On the other side, Yu Darvish is make ing just his second start in the past three-plus weeks, posting a 3.45 ERA with 7.8 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings this season.
Darvish has had issues since getting to San Diego in 2021, posting a 3.38 ERA with 2.1 walks per nine innings at home since joining the Padres compared to a 4.42 ERA with 2.5 walks per nine innings on the road.
The Padres have had issues providing run support against left-handed pitchers, which Steele is, entering Sunday hitting for a .194 average, which ranks 28th in the league, though the acquisition of Luis Arraez, who led the league in batting average in 2023, should help that cause.
With the Cubs entering the series leading the league in runs per game at home with over 5.5 runs per game, Steele will be victorious in his return to the mound on Monday.
The Play: Cubs -110
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