The Chicago Cubs will head under the lights for a rare Friday night game as they welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to Wrigley Field for a critical three game series.
The Cubs currently have a five-game lead over the Brewers in the National League Central with just 22 games remaining in the regular season. Of those games, 14 of them are against the Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, meaning that the Cubs largely control their own destiny down the stretch.
The Cubs have been able to control their destiny against Milwaukee this season, as they are 7-5 against the Brewers this season. They have scored 63 runs in those 12 games, and they’ll hope to keep the good times rolling in this series.
Friday: Jimmy Nelson (11-6) vs. John Lackey (11-10)
After giving up 11 total runs in two starts, Lackey settled down in a big way in his last outing, giving up just three hits and no runs in seven innings of work against the Atlanta Braves.
The Cubs will be hoping that Anthony Rizzo can sort out his issues against the Brewers this season. In 11 games, Rizzo is batting just .211 with a home run and eight strikeouts in 50 at-bats. He has drawn 10 walks, however, so he’ll be hoping his patience can generate some results.
Saturday: Chase Anderson (8-3) vs. Mike Montgomery (5-7)
Chicago Baseball
Montgomery has been stellar in his starts recently, giving up four earned runs and striking out nine batters in 18 combined innings in his last three outings. He’ll continue to start with Jake Arrieta out of the mix, and he’ll hope to keep the Brewers contained.
Speaking of containing players, the Brewers have not been able to keep Kris Bryant down this season. Bryant is hitting an eye-popping .383 with three home runs and a season-high 10 RBI against the Brew Crew.
Sunday: Zach Davies (16-8) vs. Kyle Hendricks (6-4)
As the Cubs’ rotation has dealt with health issues to Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta, Hendricks has quietly been having a very consistent run. He’s made five straight quality starts, giving up just two earned runs and inducing 15 ground balls in his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
On offense, Jason Heyward is playing quite well against the Brewers this season, hitting just below .300 with a home run, a triple, and four RBI this season in 10 games.
