Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves

Taking three of four from the first place Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs got their biggest series victory of the season and hopes that will propel them out of the doldrums which they have resided in for most of the season.

No the Chicago Cubs (40-39) did not run and hide in the division as many thought they would after their last two strong seasons with a pair of NL Central crowns.

One of the reasons for their recent success has been Chicago’s play at Wrigley Field. They are 10 games over the .500 in the Friendly Confines, but just 16-25 in road games. Luckily for them they will stick around the Windy City for another series as the Atlanta Braves come in for three games beginning Monday.

The Cubs look to have a cog back from last season’s team that won a NL-best 97 games as Aramis Ramirez could be back after a long stint on the disabled list. Ramirez was felled on May 8th and the Cubs lost his .364 average with four home runs and 16 RBIs. The team really did miss his production as they have plummeted to one of the worst hitting teams in the National League, a year after being the best.

The Atlanta Braves (39-42) had a disappointing weekend in which they dropped two of three games to baseball’s worst team, the Washington Nationals, on the road. They will try to bounce back against Chicago whom they have had success against this year (2-1), a season after being swept in six games.

To keep the success going, Atlanta will turn to Jair Jurrjens (6-6, 2.73) who was having a difficult stretch until his great outing in which he allowing just one hit, coming in the seventh inning, and allowed just one unearned run in an 11-1 whitewash of the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. It was Jerrjens first victory since May 29 and he received almost double of the runs support that he had gotten in his previous five starts, in which he went 0-4.

Randy Wells (3-3, 2.43) will try to keep the Cubs roll going. Wells allowed a run on seven hits in a 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, which was his third straight start that he has posted a victory.

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