Game Time:  8:10 pm ET, Saturday, May 14th, 2022 

Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch: MLB Extra Innings

DraftKings: 

Caesars: 

PointsBet: 

(will update as the numbers come in)

Cubs: 11-19, 4th place NL Central

Diamondbacks: 17-15, 4th place NL West

 

A National league matchup between Central and West.  These are both 4th place teams.  These are both consistently bad teams as of late.  These are both teams who take it on the chin… however the Cubs have a losing record… while the Diamondbacks (in a much tougher division) have a winning record.  When bad teams go head to head… the numbers carry much more weight.  When the Braves played the Dodgers in last season’s World Series… all the numbers said it would be an easy Dodgers win… it wasn’t… because among great teams a big game carries more weight.  When bad teams play?… the numbers reflect real results.  Oftentimes the great betting opportunity is when bad teams play and you can pick out the advantage.  Let’s check the numbers and figure out how to make some cash.

 

The Chicago Cubs have won just 3 of their last 10 games.  They logged 5 Overs, 4 Unders, and 1 Push.  They went 1-1 against the Milwaukee Brewers, they went 0-2 against the Chicago White Sox, They went 0-3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they went 2-1 against the San Diego Padres.  It seemed hopeless when the Cubs were on their 5th loss in a row and getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers… but then they took a few off of the San Diego Padres… The padres are actually good… does this signify the Cubs are on the way up?... No.  Still winning against the Dodgers is tantamount to winning against the Diamondbacks… it is certainly possible.  

 

The Arizona Diamondbacks have been trash over the last several years… and this season they are buried already in the NL West… but they still have a winning record.  There is a chance that they have been OK and keep getting blanked by the Dodgers, Giants, and Padres who are all better.  Remember teams play the division cohorts more… and they use the best pitchers against them…knowing that they need a winning record to even have a postseason chance.  Several cellar dwellers in good divisions are slightly better than you think they are.  The Diamondbacks have won 7 of their last 10 games.  They lost one to the St Louis Cardinals, they swept the Miami Marlins 3-0, they went 2-1 against teh Colorado Rockies, they went 2-1 against the Miami Marlins (again).  They had a greast winning ten game stretch, but 5 of those wins were against the lackluster Miami Marlins… are the D-Backs good?... No.  Are they better than the Cubs?...  Let’s look at the numbers.

 

Team Del Genio is 3-1 in the last 7 days of mlb picks!  That is +$1650 in a week! Go Get em!! Get Team Del genios’ picks!!…They are available right now at the Shop Picks Page,where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.  And stay with BigAl.com for all your favorite sports… MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAAF, NCAAB.  Remember winning a wager is more fun than making the wager!

 

The Cubs are 18th in scoring with 4.00 rune per game, and 13th in batting average with .237, and 10th in OBP with .315.

The Diamondbacks are 25th in scoring with 3.62 runs per game, 30th in batting average with .199, and 24th in OBP with .289.

 

Cubs pitchers are 25th with a Team ERA of 4.22, 25th in WHIP with 1.33, and 14th in errors having amassed 16 on the young season so far.

Diamondbacks pitchers are 11th in Team ERA with 3.55, 16th inWHIP with 1.23, and 27th in errors having already compiled 25 in the short season

 

Our prediction for Saturday May 14th is...  Diamondbacks 5 - Cubs 2

 

The Diamondbacks are capable of beating bad teams… the Cubs are a bad team.   Bet the D-backs.  Avoid the Over/Under.  These teams both have the propensity to go dry for games and then score in a big bunch in other games.  The Cubs will once again be playing a minor league team if you look at the nearly 20 players in some form of injury list and rehab status.

 

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free MLB Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Cubs/Diamondbacks preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

 

Arizona is 75-34 (+45.8 units) versus bad offensive teams - teams averaging < 3.8 runs per game since 1997.

Arizona is 148-94 (+55.9 Units) versus a cold hitting team - teams averaging .230 BA or worse - since 1997.

Chicago is 144-84 (+58 Units_ against all teams when the line is +125 to -125 since 1997.

Cubs: SS A Simmons (shoulder) Out ** SS N Hoerner (ankle) Quest ** LF S Suzuki (ankle) Quest ** LF C Frazier (appendix) Out ** 2B n Madrigal (back) Out ** CF M Hermosillo (quad) Out ** 3B D Bote (shoulder) Out **   It is practically a MASH Unit and we haven’t mentioned the 9 pitchers on the list.

Diamondbacks: C C. Kelly (oblique) Out ** 

Cubs: RF Rafael Ortega, C Willson Contreras, LF Ian Happ, 3B Patrick Wilson, 1B Alfonso Rivas, SS Nico Herner, DH Frank Schwindel, CF Jason Heyward, 2B Jonathan Villar

Diamondbacks: C Daulton Varsho, RF Pavin Smith, LF David Peralta, 1B Christian Walker, 3B Josh Rojas, 2B Ketel Marte, DH Seth Beer, SS Geraldo Perdomo, CF Alek Thomas

 

Cubs: David Ross

Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo

Sunny. 104*  Yup it is May… and if you go to Phoenix you will get a 100 DEGREE day!  If you sit in the stands to watch the game you will roast… Did I mention it is still May?  No Precipitation, no wind, 5% humidity.