Rolling through the dog days of summer is challenging for every team. Either you’re fighting for a playoff spot, or you’ve accepted that the season is over and have to drag yourself to the end. The Chicago Cubs are in the former category, while the Los Angeles Angels are in the latter.
The Cubs are -155 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The run total is set at 10 runs. Let’s dig into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Cubs vs. Angels game.
Cubs vs. Angels prediction, preview
I love pitching matchups at this time of the year. In this game, our two starting pitchers have 18 combined games of experience as starters. They’re also former college rivals.
Cade Horton, the Oklahoma Sooner, is changing the fortunes of the Cubs with every start. The rookie, who just turned 24 this week, is on a heck of a run for the North Siders. In his last six turns on the mound, Horton has allowed just two earned runs across 31 innings. He brings a healthy fastball around 96 MPH that he throws half the time, a tumbling changeup, and a sweeper/curve combo that can buckle knees. With a mix of swing-and-miss and groundball stuff, he looks like a fixture in Chicago’s rotation for years to come.
Víctor Mederos, the Oklahoma State Cowboy, lacks the prospect chops and results that Cade Horton has posted. But the Angels are eternally wandering in a desert devoid of pitching. Anyone who can show something down the stretch warrants further consideration from the front office for next season’s plans. Throwing well against the Cubs would go a long way toward securing his future with the Halos.
He brings a unique pitching arsenal to the fold. According to Baseball Savant, 48% of Mederos’ pitches are sinkers, which come in around 95 MPH. He counters that with a slider/sweeper 47% of the time, occasionally mixing in a changeup. When he’s going right, he generates a lot of weak contact with plenty of swings and misses. His performance in the Pacific Coast League, a very hitter-friendly AAA league, warranted an extended look in the majors down the stretch run.
Despite the lack of experience, I believe in these two young starters. They can hold it down long enough for the bullpen to take it home. With an extremely high total on the books, I’m taking the chance on the under.
