Cubs/Orioles Series Preview

Cubs start second half with inter-league play and a visit to Camden Yards

On Friday the Cubs start the second half of the 2017 season with a 3 game set against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The First half of the Cubs season has been one of inconsistency, but Cubs fans and this team are hoping for a chance to right the ship in the second half.

Last year at the All-Star break the Cubs were cruising through the season and found themselves 18 games over .500, but this season they now enter the second half with a record of 43–45 and trailing the Milwaukee Brewers by 5.5 games.

All is not lost for the World Champs as they continue to believe that at any moment this team is going to break out of it’s slump and tear up the second half of the season. The last time the Cubs faced the Orioles was in a 3 game series at Wrigley back in 2014, in which the Cubs took all 3 games from the Orioles. Cubs fans are hoping for more of the same as the series kicks off on Friday.

Game 1

The Orioles will send Right-hander Kevin Gausman to the mound to face the Cubs big left-hander, Mike Montgomery. Gausman, who has also been mentioned in recent trade talks, enters the game with a record of 5–7 with a 5.85 ERA. Montgomery has made 24 appearances for the Cubs this year with just 6 starts & the rest out of the bullpen. He has a record of 1–6 with an ERA of 3.65. The game will be at 7:05 pm ET and seen on CSN-Chicago or heard on 670 the Score.

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Game 2

The Cubs are hoping that Jake Arrieta can find his control again in the second half as he takes the mound against the Orioles Lefty Wade Miley. Arrieta has at times looked great in the first half, but has struggled with control and keeping the ball in the ball park at times. He is 8–7 this year with a 4.35 ERA and has already given up 14 home runs in comparison to only 16 all of 2016.

Miley is 4–7 on the season with an ERA of 4.97. One good sign for the Cubs bats is that Miley vs National league teams has a 7.43 ERA in 23 Innings pitched. Expect the Cubs to field as many right handed hitters as possible, because Miley has completely dominated lefty’s while struggling against right-handed batters this year. The Game is scheduled for Saturday night at 7:05 pm ET.

Game 3

On Sunday the Orioles and Cubs will face off in a day game set for 1:35 pm ET. All eyes will be on this game as the Cubs send their recently acquired Lefty Jose Quintana to the mound in his Cubs debut. Quintana who the Cubs just acquired from the White Sox in a trade in which the Cubs sent 4 minor league prospects hopes to fill the void in the Cubs starting rotation.

Quintana has struggled some in 2017 with a 4–8 record and a 4.49 ERA, but some of that can be attributed to the fact that he was playing for a White Sox team that has struggled all season. The Orioles will send Righty Ubaldo Jimenez to the mound to face off against Quintana. Jimenez is 4–4 on the year with a 6.67 ERA to boot. Jimenez was just re-inserted back into the Orioles rotation before the first half ended.

And so it begins for the World Series Champs as they start the second half of the 2017 season. Everyone in baseball will be watching to see if the Cubs can turn this season around and reclaim the catch phrase from ’16 of #WeAreGood

For more on the Cubs and all related Cubs news you can follow us on Twitter @WrigleyRapport and you can follow Craig House @Craig_House3 where Craig loves to mingle with Cubs fans daily.