The Chicago Cubs’ lineup continues to prove its dominance among its National League foes.
The club’s success was on full display in its series opener on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers, and will look to extend its run on Saturday night. Chicago erupted for 10 runs in its shutout win on Friday, enjoying Michael Busch’s grand slam and Pete Crow-Armstrong’s pair of solo home runs.
The Cubs now lead the National League in batting average (.266), runs (202), hits (310), on-base percentage (.343) and slugging percentage (.461). The hot start to the season marks the fastest the Cubs have eclipsed 200 runs (33 games) since 1938 (203 runs in 33 games).
“I think like any offense you just try to put pressure on teams as much as you can,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We want to have tough at bats for 27 outs. It’s just about having consistency and putting pressure on the pitcher. … Offensively we’ve done a good job against a bunch of guys. It doesn’t promise you future success, but you certainly have confidence knowing you can do it.”
Seiya Suzuki, who lined a second-inning RBI single in the series opener, leads Chicago with a .291 batting average and nine home runs. He is tied with Kyle Tucker with a team-leading 29 RBIs.
Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.01 ERA) gets the start on the mound for the Cubs on Saturday, coming off an impressive start in a no-decision against the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday.
Taillon, 29, threw seven innings of one-run ball in a game Chicago dropped 3-1 in 10 innings. Taillon has faced the Brewers 18 times (17 starts) in his career, and has posted a 4-9 record with a 3.13 ERA.
Following a three-game winning streak that saw Milwaukee average 6.7 runs per game, the Brewers have been held scoreless in two straight outings. They fell 8-0 to the White Sox on Thursday and 10-0 on Friday to the Cubs.
“It’s not good,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of the team’s mood after its second consecutive game being shut out. “But no one is giving up hope on May 3rd. We’ve had this happen to us before. … You’re going to run into some games like tonight.”
Brice Turang, who tallied one of Milwaukee’s five hits on Friday, leads the team with a .315 batting average and 39 hits.
Jose Quintana (4-0, 1.14) looks to continue his sizzling start to his Brewers’ tenure when he takes the mound on Saturday. The 36-year-old left-hander has allowed just three earned runs in four starts – recording a victory in each. Last time out, Quintana gave up one run across five innings in Milwaukee’s 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27.
Quintana, who started 78 games as a member of the Cubs from 2017-2020, is 1-4 with a 2.80 ERA in nine career starts against his former club. The veteran signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Brewers in March.
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