Preview: Cubs at Red Sox

[April 28, 2017]  Interleague play provides a gem this weekend, as the Chicago Cubs travel to Fenway Park for a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox beginning Friday. It’s the first meeting of the storied franchises since 2014, when the Cubs swept three games at Fenway.

It’s also a homecoming for Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, who guided the Red Sox to an elusive World Series crown after a long drought before doing the same for Chicago last season. The Cubs are back atop the National League Central, while the Red Sox are third in the competitive American League East. "It's going to be a lot of fun," Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. told reporters. "They are a big, competitive team, and I think coming in there's going to be a lot of fan hype, and that's going to bring a lot of excitement." The Cubs have won six of their last eight, while Boston has dropped four of five.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, CSN Chicago Plus, NESN (Boston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (3-0, 3.65 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (1-1, 4.60)

Arrieta has won three of his first four starts in 2017, but he has needed strong run support to offset somewhat shaky performances in his last two outings. The 31-year-old allowed five runs (four earned) over six innings in a 12-8 win at Cincinnati on Saturday, surrendering two home runs for the second straight start. Arrieta is 1-3 with a 4.66 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Red Sox, but he hasn’t faced them since 2014.

Pomeranz has recorded just one quality start in his first three outings of the season, and that came in his season debut. The 28-year-old bounced back from a rough outing against Tampa Bay to limit Baltimore to two runs over 5 1/3 innings last time out, but he was on the wrong end of a 2-0 decision. Pomeranz is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in three starts against the Cubs, including six shutout innings last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. Boston has scored just 13 runs over the past seven games, including three shutouts over that span.

2. Cubs 3B Kris Bryant is 13-for-33 during an eight-game hitting streak but has only two home runs this season, both on April 15 versus Pittsburgh.

3. Red Sox RHP Matt Barnes will miss the first two games of the series while completing his four-game suspension for throwing at Baltimore 3B Manny Machado’s head on Sunday.

PREDICTION: Cubs 3, Red Sox 1

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