With a full day of baseball on deck for Sunday, MLB handicapper Dalton Brown is back with two plays to finish out the weekend.
10:10 a.m. ET: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals (London): Cubs moneyline (-135) at DraftKings
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play their second and final game in London on Sunday morning, and I expect Chicago to come away with a sweep behind starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Stroman has been dominant this season, and has allowed two or fewer runs in seven consecutive starts including a quality performance over six innings versus St. Louis on May 8. The righty's sinker reliance keeps him from allowing many home runs, which should help him in an inflated scoring environment at London Stadium.
St. Louis counters with lefty Matthew Liberatore, a pitcher whose 6.12 ERA is eclipsed only by his putrid 7.61 xERA. Liberatore has surrendered four or more runs in three of his last four starts, has walked two or more batters in his last four straight starts, and holds a 7.07 ERA since the beginning of June.
Liberatore has also pitched more than five innings just once all season, so it seems likely that the Cardinals' already over-exposed bullpen will have to cover a significant amount of the game. Let's roll with the Cubs to sweep their rivals across the pond.
4:05 p.m. ET: Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants: OVER 8.5 (-118) at BetRivers
The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants will complete their three-game set from Oracle Park Sunday afternoon, and I think both offenses will continue to roll after each of the series' first two games produced 13 runs.
Ryne Nelson starts for Arizona, a young righty who was already victimized by the Giants for four earned runs in 4.2 innings on May 12. Nelson owns below average stats across the board on his Baseball Savant page, and has pitched to a 1.76 WHIP in June while allowing three or more runs in three of four starts. He's been average when he's at his best, and a punching bag when he's not - and given San Francisco ranks sixth in baseball with a 110 wRC+ against righties this season, the game could get away from Nelson quickly here.
San Francisco turns to Anthony DeSclafani. DeSclafani saw Arizona in May as well, and the Diamondbacks tagged him for three runs and a loss over five innings. The righty has really fallen apart since mid-May, though - over his last six starts, DeSclafani has surrendered an 8.07 ERA and a WHIP of 2.00. Arizona has smashed righties at the same 110 wRC+ clip the Giants have this season, too.