Cubs meet the Guardians with 1-0 series lead
Cleveland Guardians (39-42, second in the AL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (38-42, fourth in the NL Central)
Chicago; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Guardians: Tanner Bibee (4-2, 3.79 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 58 strikeouts); Cubs: Marcus Stroman (9-5, 2.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 85 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs play the Cleveland Guardians with a 1-0 series lead.
Chicago has a 21-20 record at home and a 38-42 record overall. Cubs pitchers have a collective 3.92 ERA, which ranks 10th in MLB play.
Cleveland is 39-42 overall and 19-23 in road games. The Guardians have the eighth-ranked team batting average in the AL at .247.
The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Christopher Morel leads Chicago with 14 home runs while slugging .607. Ian Happ is 6-for-36 with two home runs and five RBI over the past 10 games.
Steven Kwan has 18 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 25 RBI while hitting .261 for the Guardians. Josh Naylor is 17-for-43 with six doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .248 batting average, 2.93 ERA, outscored opponents by 20 runs
Guardians: 6-4, .268 batting average, 3.46 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Seiya Suzuki: day-to-day (neck stiffness), Brandon Hughes: 60-Day IL (knee), Marcus Stroman: day-to-day (finger), Adrian Sampson: 60-Day IL (knee), Patrick Wisdom: 10-Day IL (wrist), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (appendicitis), Brad Boxberger: 15-Day IL (forearm), Codi Heuer: 60-Day IL (elbow), Ethan Roberts: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Guardians: Triston McKenzie: 15-Day IL (elbow), Peyton Battenfield: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.