Atlanta Braves (28-18, second in the NL East) vs. Chicago Cubs (27-23, second in the NL Central)
Chicago; Thursday, 2:20 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Braves: AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0); Cubs: Ben Brown (1-1, 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 39 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves meet on Thursday with the winner claiming the three-game series.
Chicago has a 27-23 record overall and a 15-10 record at home. The Cubs have a 10-1 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Atlanta has a 28-18 record overall and a 12-10 record in road games. The Braves have the fifth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .252.
The matchup Thursday is the sixth time these teams square off this season. The Braves have a 3-2 advantage in the season series.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mike Tauchman has nine doubles, a triple and four home runs for the Cubs. Ian Happ is 7-for-38 with four doubles and a home run over the past 10 games.
Marcell Ozuna has nine doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBI for the Braves. Matt Olson is 13-for-38 with a double, three home runs and eight RBI over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 4-6, .181 batting average, 3.30 ERA, outscored by 15 runs
Braves: 4-6, .240 batting average, 2.93 ERA, even run differential
INJURIES: Cubs: Colten Brewer: 15-Day IL (back), Keegan Thompson: 15-Day IL (illness), Adbert Alzolay: 15-Day IL (forearm), Yency Almonte: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Daniel Palencia: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Jordan Wicks: 15-Day IL (forearm), Drew Smyly: 15-Day IL (hip), Julian Merryweather: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Caleb Kilian: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
Braves: Austin Riley: day-to-day (oblique), Tyler Matzek: 15-Day IL (elbow), Angel Perdomo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Spencer Strider: 15-Day IL (right elbow strain), Sean Murphy: 10-Day IL (oblique strain)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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