Arizona Diamondbacks vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 07/19/2024

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Friday, July 19, 2024

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -125, Cubs +105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -125, Cubs +105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Diamondbacks -125, Cubs +105; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Arizona Diamondbacks:  49-48 (2nd place, NL West)

Chicago Cubs:  47-51 (5th place, NL Central)

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Arizona Diamondbacks:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  7-3 last 10

The Diamondbacks are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 49-48 record overall and have a road record of 23-24. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday and they have had 4 days off as rest with the MLB All-Star break. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .736 OPS. Zac Gallen was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Ryne Nelson is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-6 with a 4.98 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 ER, 0 HR, and 0 BB with 5 Ks on 5 hits through 7 IP against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the St Louis Cardinals 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 47-51 record overall and have a home record of 25-21. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks on Friday and they have had 4 days off as rest with the MLB All-Star break. Their offense ranks 18th in the MLB with a .695 OPS. Jameson Taillon was their starting pitcher on Sunday while Justin Steele is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-3 with a 2.71 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 earned runs, 0 homers, and 0 BB with 4 strikeouts on 3 hits through 7 innings played against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs haven't looked great in their games this season with their 47-51 record overall which has them at the bottom of the NL Central, but they have looked a lot better in their games lately. They went into the All-Star break with a 7-3 record in their last 10 games and they have also looked a lot better in their home games this year, going 25-21 in those. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks haven't looked bad in their games this season with their 49-48 record overall which has them in 2nd place of the NL West, but they have been struggling just to stay above .500 as they had a losing record for most of the season. They haven't looked as good in their road games either with their 23-24 road record. They are going to have a solid starter on the mound here with Nelson who is 6-6 with a 4.98 ERA, but he hasn't looked that great in his starts lately. His team has won 2 games in a row with him starting but he gave up 3 earned runs in his last start and that will be troublesome here. The Cubs offense has been really hot lately so they are going to put up runs at home, but they also have their own stud on the mound here. The Cubs are going with Steele in this one and he has looked great this season, going 2-3 with a 2.71 ERA. He has more losses than wins but hasn't been giving up many runs all year, and now he is getting the run support he needs. The team has been finding success with him lately, winning 3 games in a row with him as the starter, and he gave up no runs in his last start which has been a common theme for him. The Cubs are in a better position to win this one at home with this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game.

Diamondbacks Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, July 19, 2024 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Diamondbacks 2.

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Arizona Diamondbacks: 41-47 (-12 units) on the runline in their last 88 games. 41-44 (-9.20 units) on the first 5 runline in their last 85 games. 

Chicago Cubs: 8-3 (+6.65 units) on the moneyline in their last 11 games. 9-2 (+6.55 units) on the runline in their last 11 games. 

Arizona Diamondbacks:  M. Castro (RP) Prob Fri - Shoulder. B. Walston (SP) Late Aug - Elbow. J. Montgomery (SP) Out indefinitely - Knee. M. Kelly (SP) Mid Aug - Shoulder. E. Rodriguez (SP) Early June - Shoulder. D. Jameson (RP) out for season - Elbow. K. Nelson (RP) out for season - Shoulder.

Chicago Cubs:  L. Little (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. C. Bellinger (CF) Late July - Hand. C. Brewer (RP) Out indefinitely - Hand. Y. Almonte (RP) out of season - Shoulder. K. Thompson (SP) Mid July - Ribs. M. Tauchman (LF) Late July - Groin. J. Wicks (SP) Out indefinitely - Oblique. B. Brown (SP) Out indefinitely - Neck. C. Kilian (SP) Mid July - Shoulder. J. Merryweather (RP) Early June - Back. A. Alzolay (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm.

“We fall behind, but the guys didn't shut down and that's just one of the great characteristics of this team. They're hungry. They wanted to go out there and fight their way back into the game.” - Torey Lovullo after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Sunday.

“It was his best day in the big leagues, and it was fun to watch.” - Craig Counsell on Pete Crow-Armstrong after his team’s win against the Cardinals in their game on Sunday.

K Marte (S) DH

G Moreno (R) C

L Gurriel Jr. (R) LF

C Walker (R) 1B

R Grichuk (R) RF

J McCarthy (L) CF

E Suárez (R) 3B

K Newman (R) 2B

G Perdomo (S) SS

N Hoerner (R) 2B

M Busch (L) 1B

S Suzuki (R) RF

I Happ (S) LF

C Morel (R) DH

D Swanson (R) SS

M Mastrobuoni (L) 3B

T Nido (R) C

P Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Batting Average:  Jose Herrera (.368)

Hits:  Ketel Marte (105)

Home Runs:  Christian Walker (22)

RBI:  Christian Walker (66)

Stolen Bases:  Corbin Carroll (18)

Wins:  Zac Gallen (6)

Saves:  Paul Sewald (13)

ERA:  Justin Martinez (1.32)

Batting Average:  David Bote (.353)

Hits:  Nico Hoerner (86)

Home Runs:  Christopher Morel (18)

RBI:  Ian Happ (57)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (17)

Wins:  Shota Imanaga (8)

Saves:  Héctor Neris (13)

ERA:  Ethan Roberts (0.00)

Managers:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo (8th season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (1st season)