The Cubs are back on the road and back in action tonight, opening a six-game trip before the All-Star break with the first of three against the Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Chicago arrives in Baltimore after salvaging the finale of its series loss to the Cardinals, using a four-run sixth inning to grab control in a 6-4 win. The Cubs sit at 50-40, while the Orioles come in at 42-49 and 11.5 games back from first place.
Matthew Boyd gets the ball for Chicago, making his third start since rejoining the rotation. He’s coming off a win over the Padres in which he worked five innings, gave up three runs on eight hits, and allowed two home runs in a game that turned into a slugfest at Wrigley Field.
Boyd’s season ERA sits at 5.08, and opposing hitters have done damage against both his fastball and changeup. Still, there have been stretches where his slider and curveball have played up, helping him miss bats and throw strikes.
His fastball sits around 92 mph, but Boyd can still be effective with craft, and Baltimore’s lineup does swing and miss - only the Reds and Angels strike out more than the Orioles, who are at 24.2%.
Baltimore counters with the 27-year-old Baz, who is coming off a seven-inning no-decision against the White Sox. He threw 109 pitches in that outing and allowed two earned runs.
Baz has a 4.19 ERA and a 7.75 K/9 in 17 starts in Baltimore, though he’s been sharper lately with a 3.30 ERA over his last five starts. His mix leans heavily on a 96 mph fastball, with a cutter for righties and a changeup for lefties, and the plan is simple: challenge Cubs hitters early with heat, then work the off-speed stuff later in counts.
Chicago’s lineup features Pete Crow-Armstrong leading off, followed by Alex Bregman, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Michael Conforto, Dansby Swanson, and Miguel Amaya. Suzuki is back in right field, and Conforto gets the nod at DH against a lefty.
The Cubs’ offense has been all over the map lately. Last week, Dansby Swanson fueled a huge stretch with five home runs in two games.
Then the bats went quiet over the weekend, with Chicago scoring just one run in the first two games against St. Louis before breaking through for six in Sunday’s win.
Baltimore’s lineup sends Taylor Ward, Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Pete Alonso, Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo, Blaze Alexander, Dylan Beavers, and Jackson Holliday to the plate. Alonso is the biggest power threat in the group with 19 home runs, and 11 of those have come since May 11th, when he returned to New York. He’s posted a .861 OPS in 50 games since then and has a .810 OPS on the year.
Alonso has also been a problem for the Cubs before. He’s hit just .215 against them in his career, but he’s gone deep 15 times in 40 games. One more matchup worth watching is Bregman against Baz; Bregman owns a 2.143 OPS in nine plate appearances against him, with two doubles and a home run.
The game is set for 5:35 p.m. CT, with coverage on Marquee Sports Network and radio on 104.3 The Score, Univision TUDN, and WPPN 106.7 / TUDN.
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