The Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks will meet up for the second time in a week, but this time the games will be played in Phoenix.
The Cubs took two out of three games from the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, and the Diamondbacks will be looking for some revenge this weekend. Kyle Hendricks will take on Robbie Ray in the series opener.
Chicago has won seven of their past nine games to get back to the .500 mark on the season.
The Cubs are 12-11 overall, and sit in second place in the National League Central. Arizona is coming off of a four-game sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and have a ton of momentum. The Diamondbacks are off to a 15-11 start this season, and are in second place in the National League West. The Chicago Cubs are -100 in the series opener against the Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks pounded out 30 runs in their four game sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they are getting great production from their entire lineup. First baseman Christian Walker leads the team with a .341 batting average to go along with seven home runs. Shortstop Ketel Marte is hitting just .250 this season, but leads the team with 21 runs batted in. The Diamondbacks lost a ton of offensive talent in the offseason, but they have found a way to get it done this season.
Left hander Robbie Ray will be making his sixth start of the season on Friday night, and he is still looking for his first win despite pitching well. Ray is 0-1 on the season, but sports a very respectable 3.95 earned run average. The veteran went six innings against the Cubs last weekend, allowing just four hits and one earned run.
The Chicago Cubs have been getting great starting pitching in the last two weeks, and it has propelled them back into the Central Division race. Kyle Hendricks will be making the start in this game, and he is 1-3 with a 3.54 earned run average so far this season. The right hander was brilliant against Arizona last weekend, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits. The Cubs need to continue to get great start pitching, because their bullpen has struggled this month.
Kris Bryant is off to a very slow start for the Cubs, hitting just .232 with only one home run. Fortunately for the Cubs, Jason Heyward and Javier Baez are both off to terrific starts and are carrying this offense. Baez has done a little bit of everything from the team, and leads the team with eight home runs and 21 runs batted in. Heyward is off to his best month ever with the Cubs, and leads the team with a .328 batting average. This Cubs offense could be scary once again if everyone gets going.
Even though the Arizona Diamondbacks have been playing well of late, they are going to get slowed down by the Cubs this weekend. Chicago is starting to look like one of the best teams in the National League again, and Kyle Hendricks will pitch well again on Friday night. Bet the Cubs -100 over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series opener on Friday night.
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