If there's one constant when the Milwaukee Brewers face the Chicago Cubs it is this: Ryan Braun will rake.
Braun is in some pretty exclusive company when it comes to compiling statistics against the Cubs. Since 1920 -- when the RBI became an official stat -- only six players have recorded a .330 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 RBI against that long, storied franchise.
Three of the six are Hall of Famers (two of whom played before integration and the other whose career was over in 1953), one ended his career in the 1960s and another began his in that decade. Braun is the sixth (.336, 32 HR, 116 RBI in 143 games).
The others are Hall of Famers Rogers Hornsby (.386, 37, 142), Chuck Klein (.341, 38, 157) and Johnny Mize (.330, 47, 187), Richie Hebner (.331, 30, 109) and Bill White (.330, 31, 133).
Braun's 116 RBI against the Cubs are his most against any opponent and his 32 home runs trail just the 39 he's hit off Cincinnati pitchers.
Since arriving in Milwaukee in 2007, Braun has hit at least two homers off the Cubs in each season and slugged over .500 in seven years, including 2017.
| YEAR | G | PA | HR | RBI | BA | OBP | SLG |
| 2007 | 9 | 41 | 2 | 8 | .395 | .439 | .632 |
| 2008 | 16 | 71 | 3 | 13 | .297 | .366 | .531 |
| 2009 | 17 | 78 | 2 | 10 | .328 | .436 | .484 |
| 2010 | 15 | 69 | 2 | 13 | .323 | .377 | .435 |
| 2011 | 16 | 68 | 3 | 13 | .339 | .397 | .629 |
| 2012 | 16 | 74 | 3 | 11 | .377 | .473 | .689 |
| 2013 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 8 | .444 | .545 | .889 |
| 2014 | 15 | 60 | 2 | 7 | .269 | .367 | .423 |
| 2015 | 13 | 52 | 4 | 9 | .378 | .462 | .733 |
| 2016 | 15 | 58 | 6 | 15 | .309 | .345 | .673 |
| 2017 | 6 | 26 | 3 | 9 | .348 | .423 | .783 |
This season, Braun has a hit in five of the six matchups against Chicago with a pair of three RBI games.
Other notes:
-- Braun or no Braun, expect some runs to be scored this weekend. The Brewers and Cubs have combined for 12.0 runs per game in their meetings thus far in 2017, which is the third most of any series between National League teams.
-- Brent Suter has posted quality starts in three of his last four outings, holding a 1.96 ERA over that span, striking out 20 and walking just four.
Statistics courtesy STATS and baseball-reference.com
