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Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves Preview, Tuesday, 5/14, 6:20 a.m. CT

Theo

ICYMI, today’s roster change: here

Again, there could be some weather issues for the Cubs and Braves tonight, according to this forecast. So here is the Atlanta area radar to keep handy.

And an update on Adbert:

Notes from Tuesday…

  • THE BRAVES AND THE SHUTOUTS: Last night’s game was the Cubs’ 20th at Truist Park since it opened in 2017 as SunTrust Park. It was the fourth game in which the Cubs were shut out, accounting for 20 percent of all games. They were shut out in just 11.1 percent of their games at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1966-96 (21 of 190) and just 9.6 percent at Turner Field in 1997-2016 (7 of 73). The Cubs shut out the Braves eight times in Atlanta-Fulton and five times in Turner. They didn’t exclude them from Truist. Since 1966, the Cubs have been shut out by the Braves at Wrigley Field in 17 games, or 5.9 percent of 288. The Cubs have held the Braves scoreless at Wrigley 20 times.
  • HISTORY OF CUBS IN ATLANTA: The Cubs’ OPS in games at Truist is .663. It was .690 at Atlanta-Fulton and .705 at Turner. They hit .249 at AF and .248 at Turner, but only hit .230 at Truist. They are hitting .354, down sharply from .381 at AF and .393 at Turner. Their on-base percentage has been almost the same in all three parks: .309, then .312, now. 309. At Wrigley since 1966, the Cubs’ slash line against the Braves is .265/.334/.418, for an OPS of .752.
  • THE NEW/OLD GUY: Tyson Miller, just acquired by the Cubs, made his MLB debut in the second doubleheader against the Cardinals on August 17, 2020. He was used as an “opener” that day. Miller pitched two innings and allowed one hit, three walks and two runs. The Cubs won this seven-inning game 5-4. Other than Miller, the only Cub who played in that game and is still on the team is Ian Happ.
  • TEACHING WALKS: Mike Tauchman has walked in seven of his last nine games since May 4. For the season, Tauchman walked 25 times in 147 plate appearances, good for a 17.0 percent walk rate, the highest mark among qualified MLB hitters.

Here are the details for the day.

Composition of the Cubs:

Braves lineup:

Jameson Taillon, RHP vs. Chris Sale, LHP

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Since these two pitchers have been around — 270 starts for Sale, 176 for Taillon, and they’ve been in the same division for two years — they’ve only faced each other once, and that was seven years ago when Taillon was with the Pirates, April 5, 2017. Taillon pitched seven shutout innings that day. We’ll take one, please.

Both men have had plenty of extra time in the meantime, but both are pitching well this year. Taillon’s 2024 edition was delayed due to a back injury and he suffered a minor back injury last week that pushed that start back a few days.

Taillon pitched well against the Braves on September 27, 2023 at Truist Park, six innings, two runs, unfortunately the Cubs missed that lead. Hoping for better this evening.

And since Sale has existed, he hasn’t faced the Cubs since July 28, 2016 at Wrigley Field. I’m passing along this boxscore link for historical interest only. Sale has also been lights out this year, and his last start was six shutout innings against his former team, the Red Sox, with 10 strikeouts.

Only three current Cubs have faced him, including a fairly frequent one, Yan Gomes (7-for-26, .269, one double, one home run), although Gomes is not in the starting lineup tonight.

Interesting match, that.

Statistics

Statistics

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available through a provider in your area here.

Here’s MLB.com’s full live stream page for today.

Game Day MLB.com

Game Overview Baseball-reference.com

Please visit our SB Nation Braves Battery Powered site. If you go there to interact with Braves fans, be respectful, follow their individual site rules, and be a good representation of Cubs fans in general and BCB in particular.

The procedure for the 2024 Game Thread will be similar to last year, similar to what we used for spring training.

You will find the game preview published separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games after evening games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also be posted on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of the week/date).” It will contain all articles related to that particular game, including the first thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it is published. The recap will also be published on the front page in a separate article.

You can also find the preview, the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” box at the bottom of the first page (you can also find them in this link section). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in this section.

The First Pitch thread will be posted five minutes before game time, followed by an overflow thread 90 minutes after scheduled game time.

Discuss it among yourselves.

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