On Saturday, the San Francisco Giants play the second game of a three-game series at Wrigley Field against the host Chicago Cubs.
The Giants were idle on Thursday but lost their last outing on Wednesday 4-1 to the Houston Astros. The Giants were shut down by Astros ace Justin Verlander. San Francisco has lost two straight entering the series with the Cubs and five of its last seven games overall.
The Cubs were off on Thursday as well and are coming off a 1-0 loss, their second straight, to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday. The Cubs have lost three of their last five overall and sit 3 ½ games behind first place Milwaukee in the National League Central.
Brandon Belt leads the Giants with a .317 batting average and a team high in hits with 53, home runs with 11 and RBIs with 29. San Francisco has a team batting average of .259, while opposing hitters are averaging .255 at the plate against Giants pitching. On Saturday, the Giants will send Chris Stratton to the mound. The right-hander this season is 5-3 with an ERA of 4.92, 42 Ks and 24 BBs.
Kris Bryant leads the Cubs with a .296 batting average and team high 47 hits. Javier Baez leads the Cubs in home runs with 11 and RBIs with 38. Chicago has a team batting average of .256, while opposing hitters are averaging .221 at the plate against Cubs pitching. Chicago will send Jose Quintana to the mound on Saturday. The left-hander this season is 5-3 with an ERA of 4.47, 45 Ks and 25 BBs.
