Chicago Cubs vs Atlanta Braves – Series Preview (May 21-23): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs’ (26-22) bats continued to scuffle as they dropped three of four to the Pirates at Wrigley Field this past weekend. The lineup should get a boost as Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner are expected to return for the upcoming three-game series against Atlanta that begins Tuesday.
The Braves (27-17) also lost three of four to the Padres at home after they won their series against Chicago last week in Georgia. The problem recently has been that their potent offense just isn’t quite firing on all cylinders. That said, it’s only a matter of time before the Bravos loaded lineup kicks back into gear.
Ozzie Albies continued his unbelievable career against Cubs pitching last series with five more hits and a walk and now boasts the third-highest lifetime OPS (1.168) for any player ever against the North Siders. Third baseman Austin Riley, who missed the matchup in Atlanta, is back in the lineup for this set.
Chicago’s hitters were completely shut down by Reynaldo López and Chris Sale last week but they will miss both of them this time. One pitcher they won’t miss is last year’s ace, Max Fried, who gets the start on Wednesday. The Braves bullpen has been pretty good all season, though they did blow a four-run lead to San Diego on Monday afternoon.
The Cubs just saw how tough an opponent Atlanta can be and they are going to need to play a lot better than they did against Pittsburgh. Having an almost fully healthy lineup should allow them to give a better effort in this series. If they don’t, it’s not going to be a very fun three days for them.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Tuesday, May 21 at 6:40pm CT on TBS and Marquee.
- Wednesday, May 22 at 6:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Thursday, May 23 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 5/21 | Javier Assad | 26 | R | 1.49 | 4-0 | 2.95 | 2.80 |
| Charlie Morton | 40 | R | 3.52 | 3-1 | 4.02 | 2.59 | |
| 5/22 | Justin Steele | 28 | L | 5.21 | 0-1 | 3.51 | 3.20 |
| Max Fried | 30 | L | 3.81 | 3–2 | 5.47 | 3.60 | |
| 5/23 | TBA | ||||||
| TBA |
What to Watch For
- Neither team has named a starter for Thursday’s game. It would be Kyle Hendricks‘ turn in the rotation but it’s not clear if he will be given the nod with his struggles to begin the season.
- Infielder Luis Vázquez is being called up to make his major league debut. Miles Mastrobuoni and Pete Crow-Armstrong are being sent to Iowa to make room for Vázquez and the returning Swanson.
- Cody Bellinger had three doubles against the Pirates and was one of the few Cubs hitters to show any life at the plate during that series.