Chicago Cubs vs Baltimore Orioles – Series Preview (July 12-13): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4

The Cubs’ (34-52) recent stretch of improved play hit a brick wall in Los Angeles against the Dodgers in a four-game sweep. Chicago held a lead in three of the games only to surrender them late to the much deeper LA roster. Next up on the schedule is a pair of games against the suddenly red-hot Baltimore Orioles.

The O’s (43-44) have won eight straight games and are amazingly only two games out of the final wild card in the American League. Most prognosticators felt Brandon Hyde‘s team was still a year away from contention, but they are ahead of schedule. Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle are two of the big boppers in the middle of the order and rookie catcher Adley Rutschman is starting to come along.

While Baltimore has not had the best starting rotation, their bullpen has been very good and their team ERA of 3.96 is right in the middle of the pack. The defense, especially in the outfield, has been terrific all season with Cedric Mullins putting in some great work in center.

The Cubs are starting to get some of their injured players back and this might be the strongest they will be all season, especially with another trade deadline sell-off looming. Cooling off the Baltimore juggernaut would be a nice way to recover from the last series.

Game Time and Broadcast Info

• Tuesday, July 12 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.
• Wednesday, July 13 at 7:05pm CT on Marquee Sports Network.

Starting Pitchers

What to Watch For

• Nico Hoerner had six hits against the Dodgers including three for extra bases.
• Justin Steele is on the paternity list and he may be available for Wednesday’s start if the baby is on board.
• David Bote had a couple of well-struck baseballs on Sunday with a double and a home run.