Chicago chases series sweep against Seattle
Seattle Mariners (58-81, fifth in the AL West) vs. Chicago Cubs (74-63, second in the AL Central)
Chicago; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Mariners: Felix Hernandez (1-4, 6.02 ERA) Cubs: Jon Lester (11-9, 4.37 ERA)
BOTTOM LINE: Chicago can secure a series sweep over Seattle with a win.
The Cubs are 46-24 on their home turf. The Chicago pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.07, Kyle Hendricks leads the staff with a mark of 3.39.
The Mariners are 29-41 on the road. Seattle has hit 214 home runs this season, eighth in the league. Daniel Vogelbach leads the club with 29, averaging one every 14.2 at-bats. The Cubs won the last meeting 5-1. David Phelps secured his second victory and Kyle Schwarber went 1-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs for Chicago. Matt Wisler registered his third loss for Seattle.
TOP PERFORMERS: Javier Baez leads the Cubs with 71 extra base hits and is batting .281. Schwarber is 9-for-32 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
Vogelbach leads the Mariners with 29 home runs home runs and is slugging .467. Kyle Seager is 10-for-37 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Seattle.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .225 batting average, 3.82 ERA
Mariners: 3-7, .208 batting average, 4.53 ERA, outscored by 10 runs
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: (hand), Brandon Morrow: (elbow), Derek Holland: (wrist), Kendall Graveman: (elbow), Yu Darvish: (forearm), Xavier Cedeno: (wrist), Javier Baez: (finger), Willson Contreras: (hamstring).
Mariners Injuries: Arodys Vizcaino: (shoulder), Connor Sadzeck: (elbow), Chasen Bradford: (forearm/elbow), Domingo Santana: (elbow), Mitch Haniger: (testicle), Ryon Healy: (back).