The Cubs head to Oracle Park Tuesday night riding high after sweeping the Angels, and honestly, this feels like the kind of road trip that could define our season. At 76-55, we’re sitting pretty in the Wild Card race, and facing a Giants team that’s been struggling since the All-Star break feels like a great opportunity to keep building momentum.
Game Info
When: Tuesday, August 26 at 8:45 p.m. CT
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco
TV: Marquee Sports Network
Radio: 670 The Score, WRTO 1200
The Pitching Matchup That Has Us Excited
Matthew Boyd gets the ball for us, and Cubs fans should feel great about this one. Boyd is having the year of his life – 12-6 with a 2.61 ERA and he’s been even better lately with a 2.14 ERA over his last 15 starts. Getting this kind of production from a midseason pickup has been huge for our playoff push.
The Giants are going with Justin Verlander, and while we respect the future Hall of Famer, he’s been having a rough year at 1-10 with a 4.64 ERA. In his last start, he got rocked for seven runs in just over four innings. That’s not the JV we remember, and our hitters should be licking their chops.
Why This Series Matters
We’re in a great spot right now, but these are the kinds of series we need to take advantage of. The Giants have been brutal since the break (11-23), mostly because they can’t score runs. Meanwhile, we’ve been one of the better teams in baseball post-All-Star break.
San Francisco did take two of three from Milwaukee recently, so they’re not completely dead, but they’re dealing with a lot of the same offensive issues that have plagued them all second half.
Injury Concerns
We’re still missing some key guys. Justin Steele is done for the year after elbow surgery, which still stings. Miguel Amaya might be back before season’s end with his ankle issue, and Michael Soroka is working his way back from shoulder problems.
The Giants have their own injury issues with several pitchers on the shelf, but nothing that should dramatically change this matchup.
The Cubs Fan Perspective
Look, we’ve been through enough disappointing seasons to know not to get ahead of ourselves, but this team feels different. Boyd has been a revelation, our offense has been solid, and we’re actually playing meaningful September baseball.
Oracle Park can be a tough place to play, but we just swept a series on the road and the Giants are reeling. If Boyd gives us another quality start – and he’s been doing that pretty consistently – we should be in great shape.
This is the kind of series that playoff teams take care of business in. Let’s see if we can keep this thing rolling and put some more distance between us and the teams chasing that Wild Card spot.
Let´s Go Cubs!
The post Cubs vs. Giants August 26 Game Preview appeared first on UrbanMatter.
