Who will WIN this matchup?
San Francisco Giants
@ Chicago Cubs
Starting Pitchers:
Cueto (SF): 18-5; 2.79 ERA
Lester (CHC) 19-5; 2.44 ERA
Last 10 Games Played:
San Francisco Giants: 7-3
Chicago Cubs: 6-3-1
Current odds:
San Francisco Giants: (+164)
Chicago Cubs: (-174)
• ESPN simulations have San Francisco as XX% favorites to win the game.
• XX% of sports bets are currently on Chicago to win as (XX) favorites.
• The Chicago Cubs led the majors with 103 regular-season victories but that doesn’t guarantee them rare postseason success when they open the National League Division Series on Friday against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Chicago was swept out of the playoffs last season in the NL Championship Series by the New York Mets and hasn’t won the World Series since 1908.
• Cueto went 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA over his final four outings to reach the third-highest victory total of his nine-year career. The 30-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA in seven career postseason starts and struggled badly in his first three outings in last year’s postseason with Kansas City before coming up big in Game 2 of the World Series with a complete-game two-hitter in a 7-1 victory over the New York Mets. Cueto is 9-8 with a 3.24 ERA in 24 career starts against the Cubs and is 5-5 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 outings at Wrigley Field.
• The 32-year-old Lester was superb at home this season with a 10-2 mark and 1.74 ERA and that helped make him an easy Game 1 choice for manager Joe Maddon. Lester, who is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five career starts against the Giants, dropped both turns last postseason for the Cubs but is 6-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 16 career appearances (14 starts).
• The Cubs won four of the seven regular-season meetings with two of their defeats coming against Giants ace LH Madison Bumgarner.
• San Francisco 3B Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) isn’t ready to return, so wild-card game hero Conor Gillaspie (decisive three-run homer) is expected to start.
• Bryant (6-for-34, two home runs) and 1B Anthony Rizzo (6-for-32, two homers) struggled in the 2015 postseason.
StreakSmarts Pick: Chicago Cubs
Confidence: 5/10
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
•Coming Soon•
 
Top Pick Record For September 2022: 78-14
Top Pick Record For August 2022: 48-12
Top Pick Record For July 2022: 37-9
Top Pick Record For June 2022: 31-14
Top Pick Record For May 2022: 40-15
Top Pick Record For April 2022: 48-11
Top Pick Record For March 2022: 122-29
Top Pick Record For February 2022: 92-34
Top Pick Record For January 2022: 98-18
Top Pick Record For December 2021: 103-24
Top Pick Record For November 2021: 86-32
Top Pick Record For October 2021: 74-20
Top Pick Record For September 2021: 75-25
Top Pick Record For August 2021: 43-17
Top Pick Record For July 2021: 28-9
Top Pick Record For June 2021: 43-11
Top Pick Record For May 2021: 61-18
Top Pick Record For April 2021: 51-15
Top Pick Record For March 2021: 152-37
Top Pick Record For February 2021: 60-28
Top Pick Record For January 2021: 55-23
Top Pick Record For December 2020: 47-23
Top Pick Record For November 2020: 24-5
Top Pick Record For October 2020: 21-5
Top Pick Record For September 2020: `41-12
Top Pick Record For August 2020: 32-8
Top Pick Record For July 2020: 11-5
Top Pick Record For June 2020: 2-0
Top Pick Record For May 2020: 5-1
Top Pick Record For April 2020: 7-2
Top Pick Record For March 2020: 13-3
Top Pick Record For February 2020: 13-4
Top Pick Record For January 2020: 17-4
Top Pick Record For December 2019: 22-7
Top Pick Record For November 2019: 21-7
Top Pick Record For October 2019: 14-4
Top Pick Record For September 2019: 22-2
 
Top Pick Record For NBA: 220-106
Top Pick Record For NFL: 84-18
Top Pick Record For MLB: 195-76
Top Pick Record For NHL: 127-43
Top Pick Record For College Football: 120-34
Top Pick Record For Men's College Basketball: 241-83
Top Pick Record For Women's College Basketball: 137-23
Top Pick Record For WNBA: 56-11
Top Pick Record For Soccer: 68-12
Top Pick Record For UFC: 2-0
Top Pick Record For Tennis: 45-11
Top Pick Record For Hockey: 6-0
Top Pick Record For Golf: 3-1
Top Pick Record For Olympics: 3-0
Top Pick Record For Boxing: 1-0
Top Pick Record For Baseball: 3-2
Top Pick Record For Softball: 7-3
Top Pick Record For Volleyball: 6-0
Top Pick Record For Other: 21-0
Top Pick Record For Hoops: 6-1
Top Pick Record For Television: 1-0
Top Pick Record For Eating: 3-0
Top Pick Record For Cricket: 1-0
Top Pick Record For Lacrosse: 4-0
Top Pick Record For Track & Field: 1-0