Cubs @ Diamondbacks: Series Thread (Games 16-18)
By holding on to their 3-2 lead Sunday afternoon, the Cubs collected their first road series win of the season and improved to 9-6 on the season. Michael Busch "drives the bus" to Arizona next, where he'll have a chance to continue his current four-game homerun streak against the 8-8 Diamondbacks. See below for matchups.
Game 16, Monday, April 15, 8:40 pm central
CHC: RHP Ben Brown (0-0, 6.10 ERA)
ARZ: RHP Merrill Kelly (2-0, 2.29 ERA)
Ben Brown is first up in this week's episode of who will remain in the rotation when Jameson Taillon returns from the IL. Brown has made three appearances and struck out 11 over 10.1 innings. Most recently he threw 4.2 scoreless innings against the Padres. He has barely shown his third pitch, a changeup, so far. Mixing that in occasionally could figure into getting another inning or more out of his starts.
Kelly has been solid in three starts so far. He's been very stingy with free passes and has induced plenty of ground balls. He's coming off a fairly strong 2023 in which he went 12-8 in thirty starts.
Game 17, Tuesday, April 16, 8:40 pm central
CHC: RHP Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 12.08 ERA)
ARZ: LHP Tommy Henry (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Hendricks went five innings but allowed seven earned runs in his last start. He has yet to allow fewer than five earned runs in an outing despite a 50% ground ball rate. While he is still getting some weak contact, he has been hammered when missing in the zone.
Henry, a 26-year-old lefty, made 16 MLB starts and missed a big chunk of 2023 with elbow inflammation. He's given up a lot of contact in the air in prior seasons and has been hurt frequently by the homerun. He's given up a homerun each start this year and has walked seven in fourteen innings.
Game 18, Wednesday, April 17, 2:40 pm central
CHC: LHP Jordan Wicks (0-2, 5.68 ERA)
ARZ: RHP Brandon Pfaadt (1-0, 6.48 ERA)
Wicks lost the zone for a bit in his last start and took a loss after allowing four earned runs. He's continued to strike out more than a batter per inning, but this time he walked four, hit a batter, and threw a wild pitch.
Pfaadt, a highly regarded prospect in past years, struggled in the regular season before breaking out in the 2023 postseason. He's putting up good strikeout and walk numbers so far but has allowed three homeruns and twenty total hits in 16.2 innings pitched.
The Cubs return to Chicago Thursday to begin a four-game series with the Marlins.
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