"After being held scoreless in each of their two previous losses, the Cubs earned a moral victory by scratching out two runs on Tuesday night. Of course, they only had one hit in the process. The fact that Alex Bregman's home run came on their seventh-hardest-hit ball of the evening should offer a little optimism that things could turn around for the third baseman, but that doesn't make their stagnant offense any less frustrating."
"Tonight is the Cubs' best chance to get something going in the series, as they've got Shota Imanaga on the mound. The lefty has held opponents to one or zero earned runs in six of his eight starts, and he's gotten more whiffs than ever since getting more comfortable with the idea that a walk isn't the worst outcome. This Braves lineup carries a .941 OPS in 40 at-bats against him, so he's got a tough task tonight."
"Unless he makes it seven starts with no more than one run allowed, the offense is going to have to be better than it has been in the last three games. Nico Hoerner leads off at second, Moisés Ballesteros is back at DH, Alex Bregman is at third, and Ian Happ cleans up in left. Seiya Suzuki plays right, Michael Busch is at first, and Carson Kelly is catching. Miguel Amaya is dealing with a stiff back, which is why he's not been playing lately."
"They're up against rookie righty JR Ritchie, who is making the fourth start of his career after opening the season with five starts at Triple-A. The 35th overall pick out of Bainbridge High School, which is across Elliott Bay from Seattle, Ritchie moved quickly through the system. After missing most of the 2023 and '24 seasons due to UCL reconstruction, he shot through the minors last year to finish with 59.2 innings over 11 Triple-A starts."
The Cubs scored two runs after being held scoreless in two prior losses, but produced only one hit, leaving their offense stagnant. Alex Bregman’s home run came on a hard-hit ball, offering some optimism, yet scoring remains difficult. The Cubs’ best opportunity in the series comes with Shota Imanaga starting, who has limited opponents to one or zero earned runs in most of his starts and has increased strikeouts. The Braves lineup has strong recent results against him, creating a challenging matchup. The Cubs’ lineup includes Hoerner, Ballesteros, Bregman, Happ, Suzuki, Busch, Kelly, Crow-Armstrong, and Swanson, while Miguel Amaya sits due to a stiff back. The Braves counter with rookie JR Ritchie, a fast-rising prospect returning from UCL reconstruction.
Read at Cubsinsider
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