Weekend Watch

Saturday, July 6
The Battle of Chicago is back underway, this time on the south side, as the Cubs and White Sox renew acquaintances. It's a strong pitching matchup, too, as LHP Jon Lester and All-Star RHP Lucas Giolito lock horns at Guaranteed Rate Field. These teams split a mini two-game set at Wrigley Field on June 18-19, and the ChiSox actually outscored the Cubs 8-6, including 7-3 in the victory by Giolito over Lester in the first matchup.

The Cubs have dropped four of the past five, and they're also 1-4 in the past five against teams with a losing record, 1-4 in the past five road games against right-handed starting pitchers and 1-4 in the past five on the road, too. The Cubs are also 4-9 in the past 13 interleague battles vs. RHP and 5-13 in the past 18 road outings against a team with a winning home record. They're also 0-4 in the past four road outings, although the Cubs are 29-8 in the past 37 in Game 1 of a new series and 33-16 in his past 49 starts overall.

 The White Sox are 5-0 in the past five following a day off, while going 4-1 in their past five vs. LHP and 5-2 in the past seven overall. They're also 13-6 in the past 19 home outings, too. In addition, the White Sox are 10-2 in Giolito's past 12 starts while going 6-0 in the past six home outings. However, Chicago is also just 2-5 in Giolito's past seven interleague outings, while going 3-8 in the past 11 home outings against teams with a winning overall record. In the past 11 meetings, the Cubs have won eight times, and the Cubs are 4-1 in the past five at Guaranteed Rate Field and 4-0 in his past four against the ChiSox overall. The over is 3-1-1 in Lester's past five against the White Sox, too.

The Padres picked up a 3-2 win on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, which briefly felt the effects of a 7.1-magnitude earthquake centered around Ridgecrest, Calif. RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Kenta Maeda will square off in Game 3. The Padres are still just 1-5 over the past six outings, and 1-4 in their past five inside the division. The Padres are 0-4 in the past four vs. RHP and 1-4 in Paddack's past five outings. The Dodgers are 6-1 across Maeda's past seven outings at home, while going 8-3 in his past 11 in Game 3 of a series. Despite Friday's win, the Padres are still just 16-38 in the past 54 in this series, and 14-41 in the past 55 at Dodger Stadium. The over is 5-2-1 in Maeda's past eight outings against San Diego, too.

Weather Report

Saturday's game between the Brewers and Pirates will fact a 40 percent or greater chance of precipitation on Saturday, and it isn't expected to let up through the evening hours. Since they're divisional rivals and they play frequently, if the rains are too much, expect this game to be rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader later.

Winds will be a factor for the Red Sox-Tigers battle at Comerica, gusting 9-12 mph out to the right-center field power alley. That pales in comparison to the 14-17 mph gusts to right field for the Cubs-White Sox tilt on the south side.

Sunday, July 7

It's the last official day of the first half before the All-Star break. Indians RHP Trevor Bauer amd RHP Tyler Mahle square off at Great American Ball Park in afternoon action. The Indians are a perfect 5-0 over Bauer's past five outings, including a no-decision by Bauer in a 2-1 win at Progressive Field on June 11. He allowed one earned run, six hits and five walks with six strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings in that one. He has actually been way more effective on the road, going 5-2 with a 2.56 ERA over 63 1/3 innings on the road, as opposed to 2-4 with a 4.96 ERA across 61 2/3 innings at home. Also, he has a 1.74 ERA in 41 1/3 innings during daytime starts vs. a 4.73 ERA in 82 2/3 innings at night. The Reds are 4-17 across Mahle's past 21 outings and 2-9 in his past 11 against winning teams.

RHP Jack Flaherty and RHP Jeff Samardzija tangle at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Cardinals crowded the Giants in Friday's game by a 9-4 score for their third straight victory. While the Cards are 4-1 in the past five overall and 4-1 in the past five road outings, they're just 3-9 in Flaherty's past 12 road outings and 1-4 in his past five starts overall. The Giants are in similar shape, going 4-1 in the past five overall, but just 3-7 in Samardzija's past 10 outings, 0-5 in his past five at home and 0-4 in his past four at home against winning teams.

With the All-Star break starting in Cleveland on Monday, there is no Sunday night game. The Rockies and Diamondbacks are one of the final games of the first half, as RHP German Marquez takes the ball to face LHP Alex Young and the Snakes at Chase Field. Colorado has won six straight starts by Marquez in Game 3 of a series, and they're 7-0 in his past seven against losing teams. They're also 11-5 in his past 16 starts overall, and 13-3 in his past 16 when working on three days of rest. The Diamondbacks have gotten decent pitching from Young in his two appearances, one start and one in relief. He has allowed just one earned run, three hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings, good for a 1.23 ERA and 0.80 WHIP.

Weather Report

On Sunday, wind will be the story for the Cubs-White Sox again. This time winds will be blowing from third to first base across the diamond at a 12-15 mph clip. The rest of the MLB slate looks to be free and clear of precip or game-changing winds.

Weather Report for Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9

On Monday, the forecast calls for light winds out of the ENE at 6-9 mph with temperatures in the low 70's with no precipitation expected for the Home Run Derby.

For Tuesday, temperatures will be in the upper 70's with a slightly breeze at 7-10 mph. Precip chances again will be slim to none, so the mid-summer classic in Cleveland should go off without a hitch.