by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Aug 13, 2021
Game time: 6:10 p.m. ET
Venue: loanDepot park, Miami, FL
How to watch: Marquee Sports Network, Bally Sports Florida
Season-to-date (entering Friday)
Cubs: 52-65 (4th place, NL Central)
Marlins: 48-67 (Last place, NL East)
Projected lineups
Cubs:
Rafael Ortega (L) CF
Matt Duffy (R) 3B
Patrick Wisdom (R) 1B
Ian Happ (S) LF
David Bote (R) 2B
Andrew Romine (S) SS
Robinson Chirinos (R) C
Greg Deichmann (L) RF
Zach Davies (R) P
Marlins:
Miguel Rojas (R) SS
Isan Diaz (L) 2B
Jorge Alfaro (R) LF
Lewis Brinson (R) CF
Brian Anderson (R) 3B
Alex Jackson (R) C
Joe Panik (L) 1B
Bryan De La Cruz (R) RF
TBD P
Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Marlins -135, Cubs +115; O/U 7.5, -110
Recent form (entering Friday)
Cubs: Lost eight in a row
Marlins: Lost five of six
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Cubs - Marlins preview
We talked earlier in the week about what ways could it go from bad to worse for the Chicago Cubs.
Oh, boy. It got worse.
The losses to the Milwaukee Brewers were expected. Maybe not on the radar was losing by a combined score of 27-4 on Wednesday and Thursday at Wrigley Field. There was drop-off expected after trading everyone, but not like this. Not like giving up eight runs in seven hits like they did Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jake Arrieta just gave up another run on waivers.
The battle for pride is on for the Cubs with them visiting the Miami Marlins for a three-game series that began on Friday night. Game 2 of this series is Saturday.
To give an idea of how bad it was this week for the Cubs: Kyle Hendricks has been the one of the very few bright spots for the Northsiders this year, entering Thursday’s start at 13-4 with an ERA below 4.00.
Then Milwaukee happened. A grand total of four IP, nine earned runs, and two home runs allowed the last time the Cubs took the field. It was one of his worst starts of the season and it didn’t get any better when Chicago’s bullpen got there. It was an apex of just how things have gotten for the Cubs. Meanwhile, their own offense hasn’t been there.
"I think this organization has a lot of pride,” manager David Ross said. “The players that are still here, there's a lot of guys that hold themselves to a high standard. There's a youth group here that is talking about being the next championship-caliber team.”
And that championship team may be years away, because it’s a depressing time in Chicago right now.
On the flip side, the Marlins are the Marlins again and it seems like the sun is trending in the right direction. Miami snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday with a 7-0 win over the reeling San Diego Padres. Sandy Alcantara struck out seven in seven innings for his seventh win of the season.
Offense has been hard to come by for the Marlins, but Lewis Brinson has become a top-notch cleanup hitter. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI off Ryan Weathers.
Not a bad way to bounce back after getting drummed by the Colorado Rockies last weekend following winning three of four against the New York Mets.
Trends
The Cubs have not been reliable in the making-money departments. As a road underdog, the Cubs are 11-31 this season and 7-23 (-15) when the line is +100 to +150. A reminder they’re also 1-10 in August so far. It’s just all around bad.
Miami has been a near-.500 team as a favorite (15-18 when -100 to -150).
Prediction
It’s going to come down to which batters rise at the right occasion, and we think the Marlins have been good enough to come alive Saturday. Chicago is going to have to get to the Miami bullpen quickly if they want a chance. That’s how much its rotation is in shambles as of late. The Marlins have looked strong in recent weeks at home, and whoever the starter is will need to provide a strong outing to make Miami winners on this day. Marlins win, over cashes.
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
