Cubs at Brewers
The Chicago Cubs visit the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in the finale of their four-game series after receiving some bad news involving Javier Baez. An MRI revealed that the All-Star shortstop and 2018 National League MVP runner-up has a hairline fracture in his left thumb and he'll see a specialist Monday to determine the extent of the injury and how long he'll be out of the lineup.
"He does some amazing things and energizes us on the field," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo told reporters about Baez, who is hitting .281 with 29 home runs and 85 RBIs this season. "We have to step up for him in his absence." Addison Russell, who played shortstop in 2016 when Chicago won the World Series, takes Baez's spot but has made three errors in as many games - including one in the ninth inning which led to Saturday's loss that dropped the Cubs 3 1/2 games behind first-place St. Louis in the National League Central. Chicago's lead for the final NL wild card spot shrunk to 1 1/2 games over Arizona and three over Milwaukee and Philadelphia after Christian Yelich's two-out walk-off double - his 500th career RBI - lifted the Brewers to a 3-2 victory Saturday. The Cubs' Jon Lester has won three of his last four outings as he takes the ball Sunday opposite Adrian Houser, who makes his second career start against the Cubs.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Wisconsin, WYTU (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Jon Lester (12-9, 4.19 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Adrian Houser (6-5, 3.45)
Lester allowed six hits and four walks with nine strikeouts in six shutout innings of a 6-1 victory versus Seattle on Tuesday. The 35-year-old Washington native was also sharp in his previous start, yielding one run over six innings of a 4-1 victory over the Mets in New York on Aug. 29. Yelich is 6-for-16 versus Lester, who is 5-3 with a 2.10 ERA in 10 starts against the Brewers - 1-0 with zero earned runs allowed in two starts over 13 2/3 innings this season.
Houser has yielded one earned run in six of seven starts since rejoining the rotation. The 26-year-old Oklahoma native's only blemish during that span was a 7-2 loss to Chicago at Wrigley Field on Aug. 4, when he permitted four runs and nine hits over five innings. Houser has a 1.29 WHIP and .252 batting average against with 93 strikeouts and 32 walks across 91 1/3 innings this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee C Yasmani Grandal has homered in three straight games and is 8-for-21 with four home runs, five RBIs and six runs scored in his last five contests.
2. Yelich on Saturday also walked three times and swiped second on each occasion as he became the 10th player in major league history to hit 40 home runs (44) and steal 30 bases (30) in a season.
3. The season series is tied 9-9 entering Sunday's finale.