The Chicago Cubs might not be breaking in the runs like other teams in the National League, but they are excelling with strong pitching which appears to simply be enough right now. The Cubs are sitting well above .500 and exceeding expectations heading into the middle of the season. Now they look to get the bats swinging better as they face the Miami Marlins.
The Cubs' offense has been absence. The team has scored two runs or fewer in eight straight games. They managed to get a breakout game against the New York Mets, driving in six runs thanks to Starlin Castro, Miguel Montero and Jonathan Herrera. Chicago remains 9 for 65 with runners in scoring position which will be slow to improve. Kris Bryant could help pick up his numbers as the young star is in a slump going 7 for 41 with 16 strikeouts in the last 12 games.
Jason Hammel will take the mound in hopes of matching batting success with pitching. The pitcher is 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA . He struggled in his last start thanks to a lengthy rain delay and gave up four runs in four innings, but he has a 1.56 ERA in his last five home starts while being 2-0 with a 2.05 ERA in four games against the Marlins. He will face a Miami team looking to turn things around while star batter Giancarlo Stanton sits on the disabled list for the next two months with a fractured wrist. He leads the majors with 27 home runs. They got some help on Thursday when Jose Fernandez returned to the mound and homered while getting a win for the first time in over a year.
Tim Koehler will be getting the nod on the mound while being 6-4 with a 3.66 ERA. He has two quality starts to his name recently after back-to-back games of pitching into the seventh innings as he got wins against both the New York Yankees and Dodgers. He is looking for his third straight win while having a 1.79 ERA when pitching at home with a 13-12 lifetime record.