The Chicago Cubs (31-26) return from a nine-game road trip to host the Cincinnati Reds (27-31) for a four-game series at Wrigley Field. The Reds have won four in row after sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies and look to catch up to the Cubs in the NL Central.
On Thursday night at 8:05 p.m. ET the Cubs will send Tsuyoshi Wada (0-1 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.345 WHIP) to the hill to face Reds' rookie Michael Lorenzen (1-1 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.383 WHIP). Neither starter has faced the opposing lineup yet this season, although the two clubs met five times earlier in the season.
Chicago is 4-1 in those games and the Reds hope to get revenge and gain some ground in the division.
However, the Reds are dealing with a number of injuries, with the most recent coming to shortstop Zack Cozart, who tore ligaments in his knee during yesterday's game against the Phillies and will now miss the rest of the season. He'll join starter Homer Bailey, who underwent Tommy John surgery last month.
Outfielder Marlon Byrd is also out with a broken wrist, while second baseman Brandon Phillips (groin) and outfielder Billy Hamilton (wrist) are day-to-day with minor injuries. Catcher Devin Mesoraco is attempting to return to the team as an outfielder after a hip injury has not allowed him to play behind the plate.
As for Chicago, they finished 5-4 on their recent road trip and scored a season-high 12 runs in a win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Their issues as of late have stemmed from the bullpen, but manager Joe Maddon has done his best to mend the situation. He went with a closer-by-committee system during the team's four-game set against the Washington Nationals and Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Jason Motte all logged saves in their three wins.
However, the club signed Rafael Soriano to a minor-league deal and has discussed a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies involving Jonathan Papelbon.
The Cubs have maintained a good balance at home and on the road, going 15-11 at Wrigley Field and 16-15 away from Chicago. On the other hand, the Reds have struggled in their away matchups (10-18) and dropped nine of their last 10. Chicago's young roster has shown toughness thus far and they've established themselves as playoff contenders in the National League.
Cincinnati is working to stay afloat before the trade deadline or else many believe they will become sellers if they fall out of contention. Starters Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake will become free agents after the season while closer Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Jay Bruce will hit the market after next year. General manager Walt Jocketty has a lot of thinking to do, and this pivotal series against the Cubs could be the beginning of the Reds' rise or fall as July 31 approaches.
Check out the live stream for tonight's game here as well as the live radio broadcast here (if you're a Cubs fan) or here (if you're a Reds fan).
