Cubs at Reds
One of the most puzzling trends of the 2017 season has been the Chicago Cubs’ struggling offense. The defending World Series champions hope to bounce back from their seventh shutout of the season when they play the second of a three-game road series against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
The Reds blanked the Cubs 5-0 in Friday’s opener, snapping Chicago’s streak of 15 straight games at Great American Ball Park with at least one home run. The seven shutouts are one more than the Cubs endured all of last season, and they recorded just three hits Friday – their major league-high 10th game with three or fewer. It hasn’t helped that starters Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist are on the disabled list, and reigning National League MVP Kris Bryant has missed the past two games with a sprained ankle. The Reds kept slugging in the opener, as Adam Duvall belted his 19th home run, which ranks in the top 10 in the NL but third on the team behind Joey Votto (23) and Scott Schebler (20).
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, FSN Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Eddie Butler (4-2, 3.71 ERA) vs. Reds RH Jackson Stephens (NR)
Butler hasn’t been able to pitch deep into games, but he has kept the Cubs in most of his starts. The 26-year-old won at Washington last time out, allowing four hits over five scoreless innings, but he hasn’t made it through six innings since tossing six scoreless frames in his Cubs debut May 12. Butler is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in three career starts against the Reds.
Stephens is set to become the eighth Reds pitcher and the fifth starter to make his major-league debut this season. The 23-year-old was an 18th-round draft pick in 2012 and has put up pedestrian numbers in six seasons in the minors. Stephens was 4-4 with a 4.97 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) at Triple-A Louisville before getting the call to the bigs.
WALK-OFFS
1. Reds SS Zack Cozart has hit safely in his last nine games against the Cubs.
2. The Cubs have allowed 67 stolen bases, the most in the majors, including two Friday.
3. Votto has reached base in 28 consecutive games at home.