In the middle game of a three-game series, the Atlanta Braves are at Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The Braves won the first game of the series on Friday afternoon. Atlanta scored seven runs in the fourth inning and never looked back.
The Braves are now 70-37 on the season and running away with first place in the National League East. For the Cubs, the loss sent them to 56-54. Chicago is in third place but within striking distance of both the Brewers and the Reds.
The Atlanta Braves are -148 in this game over the Cubs. The underdog Cubs are +124.
Braves Continue to be Best in National League
The Atlanta Braves have chosen to go with youngster Bryce Elder in this game. The righthander from Texas is 8-2 on the season and sits with a 3.18 earned run average.
Elder has struck out 89 batters in 121 innings this season. In his last start, on July 29th, Elder went seven strong innings, allowing just a run to the Brewers in the win.
The Braves, with their seven-run inning, saw home runs from both Sean Murphy and Marcell Ozuna in the game. The Braves are the top home run-hitting team in all of Major League Baseball.
The Braves have seen Matt Olson smack 37 home runs and drive in 92 runs on the season. Ronald Acuna Jr is a monster season as well, with a team-leading .337 batting average.
Atlanta has now won six out of their last seven games. This is the second game of an 11-game road trip for the Braves. Atlanta will go on the road for four games at Pittsburgh and then four games in New York against the Mets following this series. The next time the Braves are back home is Monday, August 14th, against the Yankees.
Cubs Looking to Get Back on Track
For the Cubs, they still have been playing good baseball despite the blowout loss on Friday. Before the loss, the Cubs had won 11 out of their last 13 games.
In the series win over the Reds, the Cubs scored 46 runs over a four-game span. Chicago’s team batting average has climbed all the way to .258 on the season.
Nico Hoener is having a good season for the Cubs as their starting second baseman. Hoerner is hitting .277 and has driven in 58 runs. Cody Bellinger, in his first season with the Cubs, is hitting .315, with 16 home runs and 51 runs batted in. Patrick Wisdom is the top home run hitter, with 19 on the season.
Javier Assad will throw for the Chicago Cubs in this game. Assad is making his just second start of the season. He is 1-2 on the year, with a 3.24 earned run average.
The Braves Beat Cubs Again on Saturday
The Braves are coming to Chicago with something to prove. All the talk about the Cubs has them ready to play a big weekend series. Look for the Braves’ offense to keep up the hot bats and use a nice outing from Elder in this game.
The bullpen keeps the lead and gets the job done. We are betting the Atlanta Braves to win game 2 of this series over the Chicago Cubs. Bet on Atlanta.
