Chicago Cubs vs Baltimore Orioles – Series Preview (August 1-3): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (63-45) salvaged the final game of their series in Milwaukee to stay within one game of the first-place Brewers. Jed Hoyer made a few minor moves at the trade deadline Thursday but failed to land a big piece and seems content to roll with the current roster as the North Siders welcome the Orioles to Wrigley Field Friday afternoon.
Baltimore (50-59) has had a very disappointing 2025, and dumped several regular players at the deadline. Offensively, there has been some regression from 2024, but the lineup is still dangerous with a .722 team OPS that is 13th best in baseball. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson is the best hitter this season with 12 home runs and an .818 OPS.
Several of the Orioles’ other top hitters just got shipped out of town, though former number one overall pick Jackson Holliday is still on the roster and is starting to produce with 14 dingers this season. There are going to be a lot of new faces in the lineup at the Friendly Confines this weekend.
Baltimore’s pitching staff has been an abject disaster with a team ERA of 4.89, fourth worst in baseball. The starting rotation’s 5.07 ERA is the second worst in MLB. The one bright spot has been lefty Trevor Rogers, who has a 1.49 ERA in 84 innings.
The bullpen has been somewhat better, but it’s hard to see what that unit will look like moving forward because the most effective relievers were traded away. This is the right time to be facing the birds. The Cubs did not get the boost many were expecting from the trade market, but this is still a good team and they need to take advantage of this weakened opponent to keep pressure on the Brewers.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, August 1 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, August 2 at 1:20pm CT on FS1 and Marquee.
- Sunday, August 3 at 1:20pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 8/1 | Cade Horton | 23 | R | 3.67 | 4-3 | 4.14 | 2.27 |
| Trevor Rogers | 27 | L | 1.49 | 4-1 | 2.84 | 3.08 | |
| 8/2 | Ben Brown | 25 | R | 6.22 | 5-7 | 4.26 | 3.67 |
| Tomoyuki Sugano | 35 | R | 4.38 | 8–5 | 5.20 | 2.54 | |
| 8/3 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 2.47 | 11–4 | 3.29 | 3.79 |
| TBA |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs finished July with a 14-10 record and have yet to have a losing month in 2025.
- Kyle Tucker reached base nine times against the Brewers, including six walks.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong had three hits on Wednesday, two of which were doubles.
- Seiya Suzuki hit just .220 with just four home runs in July.
