MLB odds: Cubs get Soriano back vs. Diamondbacks

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

The Cubs’offense has gone into hibernation recently, but Chicago is expected to get a big piece of its lineup back Wednesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano should start after being sidelined since breaking his left hand when hit by a pitch June 11. And the Cubs are 16-18 since then, averaging 4.5 runs in that span compared to 5.6 in their 66 other games.

'You lose a bat like that, it's going to hurt you, especially for six weeks,' said Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

Soriano has played only two games on a rehab stint, but the Cubs are desperate for a spark as they have lost four of five since the All-Star break and face a sweep tonight. Their National League Central lead, which was 5 1/2 games on July 12, is down to one over the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they will play four times next week in Milwaukee.

The Cubs are hitting .206 with 13 runs, nine walks and 35 strikeouts in five games since the All-Star break. They haven't had a multiple home run game since July 8. The Cubs are hitting .251 with a .317 on-base percentage in July, which is 11th and 12th, respectively, in the NL.

Aramis Ramirez is hitting .163 with three homers and 11 RBIs in July. Mark DeRosa is hitting .203 with one homer and Kosuke Fukudome .200 with one. So you can see the rush to get Soriano in the lineup.

"We're struggling," Piniella said. "Getting Soriano back in the lineup will do a lot of things for us," Piniella said. "It'll get me one deeper in the bench. I can't remember the last time we double-switched. It'll get us a little deeper on the bench, and at the same time, you come to the ballpark, and there's your leadoff hitter and you build your lineup from there. Whoever is hitting best in the two-hole will hit second, and you go."

 

The Cubs will face Arizona’s Doug Davis (3-4, 4.14 ERA) tonight. He allowed four earned runs and five hits in three innings of an 8-7, 11-inning loss to the Dodgers on Friday and is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA in his last three starts. Davis is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 13 regular season games against the Cubs.

Chicago starts Ted Lilly (9-6, 4.49), who is looking for his first win since June 30. He allowed a run and six hits in seven innings but didn't factor in the decision of a 2-1 loss at Houston on Friday. The left-hander is 1-2 with a 2.29 ERA in three regular season starts vs. Arizona and yielded a run in seven innings of a 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks on May 9.

The Diamondbacks opened as -115 money line favorites for tonight’s series finale on WagerWeb.com.