Tuesday notes:
- HISTORICAL MILESTONE INCOMING: A win today will be the Cubs’ 700th at home against the Braves in regular-season games since 1876, when both were members of the newly formed National League and today’s Braves were based in Boston. The Cubs have lost only 465 games at home in the rivalry. The Cubs, then known as the White Stockings, also beat today’s Braves in seven games at home in 1871 and 1874-75, when the teams were in the National Association. The only team the Cubs have defeated more often at home than the Braves is the Cardinals, 712 times. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- SEASONAL MARK: Andrew Kittredge’s two 10th-inning strikeouts yesterday raised the Cubs’ total in the game to 13, a season high. They had fanned 12 in five games: four between April 25 and May 19, then on Aug. 6 at home vs. the Reds. The Cubs are 5-1 when they have struck out at least a dozen. They are 25-12 with double-digit strikeouts. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- A LONG TIME COMING: Carson Kelly Monday became the first Cub named Kelly to deliver a walk-off in 140 years, 4 months and 2 days. On April 30, 1886, King Kelly’s 13th-inning single beat the Kansas City Cowboys, 6-5. The game was played at Kansas City, with the Cubs, then known as the White Stockings, batting second. It was the last of Kelly’s three walk-offs for the Whites. The first two were at home in the ninth inning: a dropped fly ball that beat the Buffalo Bisons, 6-5, on Sept. 30, 1882, and a home run that beat the Providence Grays, 5-4, on June 30, 1884. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- HAPP-ENINGS: Ian Happ, last 14 games since Aug. 17: .347/.448/.653 (17-for-49) with six doubles, three home runs, nine walks, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. His season OPS has gone up from .707 to .747 in this 14-game span.
Cubs lineup:
Braves lineup:
Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Joey Wentz, LHP
Shōta Imanaga has gone seven full innings in each of his last three starts, and in August posted a 2.65 ERA and 0.676 WHIP in 34 innings, with only five walks and 32 strikeouts. He doesn’t have enough innings to be a qualified starter, but if he did, his walk rate would be second-best in the
National League.
His only career start vs. Atlanta came May 13, 2024 at Truist Park. He allowed seven hits but no runs in five innings, with eight strikeouts. We’d take that tonight, I’d think.
Joey Wentz is pitching for his third team this year, having been claimed on waivers by the Twins from the Pirates in June, and by the Braves from the Twins in July.
The Cubs faced him in a relief appearance in Pittsburgh April 29 and another in Minnesota July 8. Wentz has made eight starts (nine total appearances) for the Braves and the results have been decent: 3.43 ERA, 1.119 WHIP. In his last start he held the Marlins to one run in 6.2 innings, but in the one before that the Mets torched him for six runs in 3.1 innings.
As you know, the Cubs have had trouble with left-handed starters, though in general they have done all right vs. LHP. So we’ll see.
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Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Braves site Battery Power. If you do go there to interact with Braves fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2025 Game Thread procedure will be identical to last year’s.
You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
