The Atlanta Braves’ losing woes continued on Sunday as they suffered a humiliating four-game sweep at the hands of the Colorado Rockies. They will look to get their season back on track when they take on the Chicago Cubs in a mouth-watering clash this coming Friday.
Who will grab the advantage in this National League matchup? Read on below for a breakdown of this series opener and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the 2015 MLB All-Star Game here.
The Chicago Cubs finally snapped their three-game losing streak with a narrow 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. Jake Arrieta was excellent for the Cubs in this game, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out nine in a complete-game win.
[sc:MLB240banner ]The Cubs will look to sustain the momentum from that huge victory when they take on the Atlanta Braves in their series opener. They will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.55 ERA) on the mound this coming Friday.
Hendricks has been phenomenal for the Cubs of late as he has not allowed a single run in his last three starts. During this scoreless stretch (20.1 innings), Hendricks has struck out 16 batters and given up just 13 hits and two walks.
Unfortunately for Hendricks, his last start against the White Sox was wasted as the Cubs failed to score a single run in that game. The onus is on the Chicago batters to step up their play offensively against Atlanta and provide Hendricks with enough run support.
Expected to lead the Cubs in the series opener are Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Bryant has been spectacular for the Cubs in his rookie season, leading the team in RBIs (51) and walks (46). Rizzo has been integral as well to the Cubs’ success this year, leading the team in homers (16) and on-base percentage (.413).
The Atlanta Braves stumbled to their fifth consecutive defeat with an 11-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Starting pitcher Alex Wood struggled mightily in this ballgame, surrendering seven runs on 10 hits in just 5.2 innings of action. It was a disappointing end to the first half of the season for the Braves who are now seven games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East race.
The Braves’ offense was simply atrocious in that series loss to the Rockies, recording just 11 runs in a four-game sweep. With Atlanta’s offense in complete disarray right now, the pressure is on Julio Teheran (6-4, 4.56 ERA) to deliver a great start this coming Friday. Teheran has been solid in his last two starts for the Braves, allowing a combined three runs in 14.0 innings of work.
Teheran will fancy his chances of getting the victory in the series opener as he has fared extremely well against the Cubs in his career. The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.81 ERA in four career starts against the Cubs.
He can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Braves’ offense to wake up from their slumber. One guy who’s expected to contribute against Chicago is Cameron Maybin. Maybin is the team’s leading run producer with 44 RBIs to his name this season. The center fielder has also demonstrated his patience at the plate this year, recording 26 walks for the Braves this season.
