Total Is Way Too Low For Rangers Vs Cubs

Rangers vs. Cubs, 7:40 ET

I finally snapped the skid in baseball. It was a brutal way to start this season, but I am hoping that we've moved on and moved past it all. Baseball can be a bit tricky, but usually I start out better than this. I tend to play based on the splits and current performance, but with such a small sample size, splits don't really work out. The other part is that it can be too early to tell just how good, or bad, a team really is. One team right now looks great, the Rangers, and they take on the Cubs who are fairly average. 

The Rangers are awesome to this point in the season with an 8-2 record and they look like the team that was hoisting the World Series trophy two years ago, not like the team that didn't even make the playoffs last year. What is most impressive about the Rangers is that they are hitting just .192 for the season. They have just over half the amount of hits as today's opponent. They only have 58 hits for the season, but 12 of those are home runs. I suppose at times it is better to be lucky than good. They won two games against the Reds 1-0. Their pitching staff has been very good overall with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Today's starter has been one of the best through two games - Nathan Eovaldi. For the year, Eovaldi is just 1-0, but he has the first complete game shutout of the season, and he has allowed only seven hits and two earned runs in 15 innings. He also has struck out 17 batters in two games without issuing any walks. In his history against Cubs hitters, he has held them to just 10 hits in 54 at-bats. 

Chicago Cubs starter Justin Steele throws a pitch vs. the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

The Cubs are off to a decent enough start, but they've had a strange beginning to their season. They started in Japan, then had to play Spring Training games after, before opening on the road against the Diamondbacks and the Athletics. After running off five straight wins, they dropped the series finale against the Padres yesterday. It was a unique game because they gave up three runs before even getting a chance to bat. After one inning, though, they were able to secure a two run lead. By the end of the fifth inning, the teams combined for 13 runs with the Cubs up 7-6. They blew the lead in the eighth, and an error cost the Cubs the game. Justin Steele is 2-1 with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. He takes the mound today in hopes of stringing together some scoreless starts. He has given up three or more earned runs in each of his games. It isn't really the hits that are doing him in. It is the home runs as he has already allowed five to opponents this season. Rangers hitters don't have a ton of experience against him, but he has been pretty good against them holding them to a .171 batting average in 35 games. 

The first thing that stood out to me about this game is that the total is just 5.5. You don't find many games with a 5.5 total, most are 6.5 or higher. Steele really doesn't deserve to be a pitcher that is part of a low score game like that at the moment. I think the Rangers probably win this game behind Eovaldi, but I am going to take the over. It is a cold day at Wrigley, but we aren't asking for much here. Back over 5.5. If you can't find that, take the Rangers to win. 

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