Boston Red Sox (53-46, third in the AL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (58-39, first in the NL Central)
Chicago; Saturday, 7:15 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Red Sox: Jose Bello (0-0); Cubs: Shota Imanaga (6-3, 2.65 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 48 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -149, Red Sox +125; over/under is 9 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs lead 1-0 in a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.
Chicago is 31-16 at home and 58-39 overall. The Cubs have a 44-7 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.
Boston is 53-46 overall and 21-26 on the road. The Red Sox have the fifth-best team slugging percentage in the majors at .431.
Saturday’s game is the second time these teams match up this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples and 17 home runs while hitting .279 for the Cubs. Michael Busch is 13 for 36 with two doubles and five home runs over the past 10 games.
Jarren Duran has 25 doubles, 10 triples, eight home runs and 50 RBIs for the Red Sox. Ceddanne Rafaela is 15 for 38 with four doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 6-4, .255 batting average, 4.03 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs
Red Sox: 9-1, .281 batting average, 2.12 ERA, outscored opponents by 34 runs
INJURIES: Cubs: Porter Hodge: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jameson Taillon: 15-Day IL (calf), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (oblique), Eli Morgan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Javier Assad: 60-Day IL (oblique), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Red Sox: Hunter Dobbins: 15-Day IL (acl), Nick Burdi: 60-Day IL (knee), Liam Hendriks: 60-Day IL (hip), Zack Kelly: 15-Day IL (oblique), Justin Slaten: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Luis Guerrero: 15-Day IL (elbow), Josh Winckowski: 60-Day IL (elbow), Triston Casas: 60-Day IL (knee), Kutter Crawford: 60-Day IL (knee), Tanner Houck: 15-Day IL (flexor), Patrick Sandoval: 60-Day IL (elbow)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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