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The Chicago Cubs will be home when they face the Miami Marlins on Friday afternoon. The Cubs fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 on Thursday to move to 41-63 this year. Meanwhile, the Marlins currently hold a 48-57 record this season after their 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Chicago has been one of the worst teams in the MLB at home, sporting just a 20-32 record at Wrigley Field.
"hello beautiful. #MakeItMiami" - Marlins
The Cubbies will trot out Justin Steele for Friday's matchup. He is 4-7 with a 3.86 ERA in 19 starts this year. The last two starts, the left-hander has looked good, surrendering just four earned runs in his last 12 frames. Steele will be facing a struggling Marlins lineup that is averaging only 2.7 runs per contest in their past seven. Look for Steele to try and make it three solid starts in a row on Friday.
"Here is today's #Cubs starting lineup at Wrigley Field." - Cubs
Edward Cabrera, who is 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA, will be taking the hill Friday for Miami. He was recently called up and has shown flashes of long-term potential. The Cubs offense he'll be up against ranks 21st in runs per game. In their last seven, they averaged 2.1 runs per contest.
Last start, Cabrera threw just 3 2/3 frames, surrendering seven hits and five earned runs versus the Houston Astros back in June. Look for him to have a better outing this time around against a much weaker Cubs lineup.
Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins Match Details
Fixture: Miami Marlins @ Chicago Cubs
Date & Time: Friday, August 5, 2:20 p.m. EDT
Venue: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins Betting Odds
Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins Best Picks
Bryan De La Cruz has been ice cold over the last few weeks, where he has just a .505 OPS. Also, facing lefties this year, his OPS is down all the way to .318. Look for him not to pick up a single in this one.
Pick: Bryan De La Cruz Under 0.5 Singles (-120)
Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins Betting Prediction
The Cubs are in the middle of a five-game losing streak that they'll look to halt on Friday. Miami has taken seven of the last eight meetings as well as 11 of their previous 16 road games. Back the visitors to hang tight at Wrigley through the first five frames.
Prediction: Marlins First 5 Innings +0.5 (-135) & First 3 Innings Game Total Under 2.5 Runs (-145)
