Date: June 8, 2023
Time: 9:38 PM
Location: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California
The Chicago Cubs (26-34) are scheduled to face off against the Los Angeles Angels (32-30) at Angel Stadium. The Angels are favored to win this matchup, with ESPN’s analytics giving them a 56.6% chance of victory.
Starting Pitchers:
On the mound for the Cubs, we’ll see left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly (5-3, 3.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP). Across his 65.2 innings of play, Smyly has secured 57 strikeouts, conceded 17 walks, and surrendered 7 home runs.
Opposing him, the Angels have left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers (0-5, 5.15 ERA, 1.54 WHIP) starting. Detmers has notched 60 strikeouts in his 50.2 innings, while issuing 21 walks and giving up 5 home runs.
Star Players:
The Cubs’ offensive charge is led by Patrick Wisdom, who has blasted 14 home runs and driven in 28 runs, with a .200 batting average. Nico Hoerner is the team’s batting average leader with .288.
The Angels’ attack is headlined by Shohei Ohtani, who has smacked 16 home runs and 42 RBIs, while maintaining a .276 batting average. Gio Urshela is the team’s batting average leader with .305.
Key Stats:
In team stats comparison, the Angels hold the advantage in batting average (.257 to .248), home runs (83 to 70), OBP (.329 to .329), and SLG (.428 to .402). However, the Cubs have a slightly better ERA (4.15 to 4.31) and WHIP (1.27 to 1.34), suggesting the game could be a close one.
Looking at recent form, the Cubs have lost four of their last five games, whereas the Angels have won two of their last five games.
Prediction:
While the Angels are considered the favorites according to ESPN’s analytics and their recent form seems better, baseball’s unpredictability means that the outcome could go either way. Los Angeles Angels win 7-5.
