The Chicago Cubs continue their series on Saturday in the Big Apple when they face the New York Mets.
The Cubs won the opening game of this series on Thursday 5-1 to remain four games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in second place in the National League Central. The loss dropped the Mets to .500 at 27-27 a full five games behind first place Atlanta in the NL East. The Mets have now lost six of their last eight. On Thursday, Jose Quintana shut the Mets out for six innings while Ben Zobrist belted a two-run home run to lead the Cubs to victory. The Mets only run came as a result of a Brandon Nimmo solo home run.
Albert Almora Jr. leads the Cubs with a .313 batting average. Javier Baez has team highs in hits with 55, in home runs with 13 and RBIs with 43. Chicago has a team batting average of .263 while opposing hitters are averaging .222 at the plate against Cubs pitching. On Saturday, Chicago will send Mike Montgomery to the mound. The left-hander this season is 1-1 with 20 Ks and 10 BBs in 19 appearances of which 18 were in relief.
Asdrubal Cabrera leads the Mets with a .303 batting average and team highs in hits with 63, in home runs with 10 and RBIs with 34. New York has a team batting average of .242 while opposing hitters are averaging .253 at the plate against Mets pitching. On Saturday, the Mets will send Jacob deGrom to the mound. The right-hander this season is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.52, 85 Ks and 19 BBs.