Cubs vs. Marlins Series Preview (May 6-9): TV and Game Info, Starting Pitchers, Insights
The Cubs are absolutely on fire right now, having completed a three-game sweep of the Cardinals. The victories extended their winning streak to seven and moved them into first place in the NL Central.
All facets of the game are clicking for Chicago at the moment. The offense has scored a whopping 55 runs during the streak, while the pitching has allowed just 21. The rotation, save for struggling Yu Darvish, has been excellent and the shaky bullpen has looked much more solid.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo had a huge weekend against the Redbirds and are starting to look like their usual selves. While those two heat up, Javy Báez, Jason Heyward, and Willson Contreras show no sign of cooling off. The Cubs’ next opponent is the struggling Miami Marlins, who come to Wrigley for four games.
Derek Jeter and company wanted to tank for the top pick in next year’s draft. Well, let me tell you, they are doing a great job of starting the rebuild. Miami is absolutely abysmal, entering the series with a league-worst 9-24 record and the Cubs swept them over three games at Marlins Park in mid-April.
The pitching is below average, but hardly terrible, with a 4.70 team ERA. Lefty Caleb Smith is the ace of the staff with a 2.00 ERA and 1.5 WAR generated in just seven starts. The offense is among the worst in MLB, touting a .221 team batting average that is 27th and a .607 team OPS that sits dead last. In fact, only two players, Neil Walker and Jorge Alfaro, have an OPS over .700.
This is a classic trap scenario for the Cubs, who just beat the Cardinals and will face the Brewers right after Miami. They have to bear down and take care of business against a bad team. Baseball could baseball, but anything less than three of four would be a disappointment.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, May 6 at 7:05 CT on NBC Sports Chicago+
- Tuesday, May 7 at 7:05 CT on NBC Sports Chicago+
- Wednesday, May 8 at 7:05 CT on WGN
- Thursday, May 9 at 1:20 CT on NBC Sports Chicago
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/6 | Cole Hamels | 35 | L | 3.19 | 3-0 | 3.60 | 3.08 |
| Sandy Alcantara | 23 | R | 4.88 | 1-3 | 4.33 | 1.47 | |
| 5/7 | Jon Lester | 35 | L | 1.73 | 2-1 | 3.36 | 3.86 |
| Caleb Smith | 27 | L | 2.00 | 3-0 | 2.83 | 5.00 | |
| 5/8 | Kyle Hendricks | 29 | R | 3.93 | 2-4 | 3.40 | 3.38 |
| José Ureña | 27 | R | 5.45 | 1-5 | 4.95 | 2.42 | |
| 5/9 | Yu Darvish | 32 | R | 5.79 | 2-3 | 6.81 | 1.37 |
| Trevor Richards | 24 | R | 4.10 | 0-4 | 4.98 | 1.62 |
What to Watch For
- Bryant had a grand slam Sunday night and has also walked six times the last four games he’s played.
- Lester has allowed one run in 12 innings since coming off the Injured List April 25.
- Contreras has eight hits in the last week, including three home runs.