More interleague play for the Cubs this weekend, with the Orioles coming to Wrigley Field for the 90s home stand.
We’re Going Streaking
The Cubs kind of won twice against the Giants in their three game series, but actually lost twice. That was a weird series, man.
The Orioles are 73-52, a full 9(!) games up in the AL East. That’s the largest divisional gap in baseball, and they’ve won four in a row.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Expected Starters and Lineups
These lineups are likely to be pretty close to what actually gets fielded, but you’ll want to check each day’s Pre-Gamin’ post for the actual lineup.
Cubs
Starters: Jake Arrieta (2.61 ERA, 2.32 FIP; 3.94 K/BB), Kyle Hendricks (1.66 ERA, 3.55 FIP; 2.64 K/BB), Tsuyoshi Wada (2.75 ERA, 3.62 FIP; 3.30 K/BB)
Lineup:
- Chris Coghlan, LF
- Javier Baez, SS
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Luis Valbuena, 3B
- Ryan Sweeney/Justin Ruggiano, RF
- Arismendy Alcantara, CF
- Chris Valaika, 2B
- Welington Castillo, C
- Pitcher
Orioles
Starters: Kevin Gausman (3.70 ERA, 3.59 FIP; 1.66 K/BB), Bud Norris (3.69 ERA, 4.14 FIP; 2.53 K/BB), Miguel Gonzalez (3.80 ERA, 5.31 FIP; 1.95 K/BB)
Lineup:
- Nick Markakis, RF
- Steve Pearce, 1B
- Adam Jones, CF
- Nelson Cruz, LF
- J.J. Hardy, SS
- Chris Davis, 3B
- Jonathan Schoop, 2B
- Nick Hundley, C
- Pitcher
Hot or Not and Whom to Watch
Jake Arrieta gets to face his former mates, which is always entertaining.
Javier Baez’s strikeout rate is back up over 40% after his four-strikeout game yesterday.
With a recent hot streak, Welington Castillo has his wRC+ up to 93, suggesting he’s been only slightly below average offensively this year, which is pretty solid for a catcher.
Steve Pearce has been a revelation for the Orioles, hitting .289/.353/.520 on the year. That helps make up for the disastrous .192/.294/.394 line Chris Davis is putting up.