Chicago –1.02 over SAN FRANCISCO PINNACLE
The Cubbies are one of the more frustrating teams to wager on because of their inability to move runners over or get them in from third with less than two outs and subsequently fail to score. However, Brad Penny is on the hill and his implosion last game was inevitable. Penny had allowed just four earned runs in 22 frames in his previous three starts before the Dodgers ripped him apart five days ago. If you throw out his start against the Padres in which he struck out six batters, in his other three starts with the Giants he’s struck out five batters in 18 innings. This guy is just so hittable and if the Giants happen to make it to the post-season, he’ll never see the mound. Furthermore, the Cubs hitters have a solid past against Penny and that’s when he was much better throwing for the Dodgers. The Cubs batters have collectively had 93 AB’s against Penny and they have a batting average of .290. By contrast, the Giants collectively are hitting .235 off Ryan Dempster in 132 AB’s. The Cubbies aren’t playing for much but these major-leaguers love to make life miserable for those that are and definitely get a little more jacked up when faced with an opportunity to prevent a team from going to the playoffs. San Fran with Penny on the hill is an unappealing option indeed. Play: Chicago –1.02 (Risking 2.04 units to win 2).