The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs are playing on the MLB schedule heading into the All-Star break, as the two teams are opening a three game set at Wrigley Field and has Travis Wood and Jake Arrieta on the hill and has the Braves looking to bounce back after a rough series with the Mets and this game starts up at 4:05 pm ET.
The Cubs have been terrible but are showing some signs of life as of late, while the Braves are looking to keep things going as they try and stay on track in the NL East. The team just went through a tough losing streak and the Braves have the chance to keep things going after snapping that against the Mets on Thursday with a 3-1 win after losing four in a row and now they are looking to finish off on a high note.
The Braves are first in their division right now and are battling with the Nationals for that and the wild card and they are hoping to lock up that spot. The team has Mike Minor against Edwin Jackson in the game on Saturday afternoon and the Braves come in struggling a bit on offense this season, as they are ranked 29th in runs scored and 21st in batting average and they are also 24th in slugging percentage. The pitching has been solid and they are ranked fifth in ERA and first in quality starts, while the team is also 10th in WHIP this season.
The Cubs come into the game after a win over the Reds and they are fifth in the NL Central and they are looking to keep things moving along. The team got Anthony Rizzo into the All-Star game and just pulled off a huge trade with the Athletics and now they are coming into the series with the Braves looking to get things going. This season the Cubs are ranked near the bottom in every offensive category and they are 29th in batting average and 26th in the league in runs. The pitching has been up and down, but they are 11th in ERA in the league and that has been going well, while the team is 10th in BAA this season.
Arrieta has been pitching like an ace and he is looking to get a nice start here and he is 4-0 in his last six starts and he is hoping to keep that up. The team is hoping he can take the mantle of being the ace and that comes after Jeff Samardzija was traded to the A's.
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