Cubs take on the Brewers after Hamels' strong outing
Milwaukee Brewers (24-17, second in the NL Central) vs. Chicago Cubs (23-14, first in the NL Central)
Chicago; Sunday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Brewers: Jhoulys Chacin (3-3, 5.03 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 29 strikeouts) Cubs: Jon Lester (3-1, 1.41 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 33 strikeouts)
BOTTOM LINE: The Cubs are 7-4 against teams from the NL Central. Chicago has slugged .451, good for third in the National League. Willson Contreras leads the team with a .640 slugging percentage, including 16 extra-base hits and 10 home runs.
The Brewers are 11-7 against teams from the NL Central. Milwaukee has hit 67 home runs this season, fourth in the National League. Christian Yelich leads them with 16, averaging one every 7.9 at-bats.
TOP PERFORMERS: Javier Baez leads the Cubs with 11 home runs and is slugging .620. Kris Bryant is 9-for-32 with a double, a triple, four home runs and 11 RBIs over the last 10 games for Chicago.
Yelich leads the Brewers with 16 home runs and has 37 RBIs. Ryan Braun is 13-for-30 with two doubles, three home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.
LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 8-2, .242 batting average, 2.30 ERA, outscored opponents by 24 runs
Brewers: 7-3, .229 batting average, 2.85 ERA, outscored opponents by 10 runs
Cubs Injuries: Allen Webster: 10-day IL (nerve inflammation), Pedro Strop: 10-day IL (hamstring), Brandon Morrow: 60-day IL (elbow), Kendall Graveman: 60-day IL (elbow), Tony Barnette: 60-day IL (shoulder), Daniel Descalso: day-to-day (ankle), Victor Caratini: 10-day IL (hand).
Brewers Injuries: Bobby Wahl: 60-day IL (knee), Brent Suter: 60-day IL (elbow), Jimmy Nelson: 10-day IL (shoulder), Corey Knebel: 60-day IL (elbow), Chase Anderson: 10-day IL (finger), Ryan Braun: day-to-day (hamstring).
