Chicago Cubs @ Boston Red Sox – Series Preview (April 26-28): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
Despite mounting injuries, the Cubs (16-9) keep winning early in 2024 and just finished up a 5-2 homestand with a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. The formula for Chicago was the same in all three contests: quality pitching performances combined with one big inning of offense. Next up is a trip out east and a matchup at historic Fenway Park against the Red Sox.
Expectations were pretty low for Boston (14-12) entering 2024 after a very quiet offseason, but they are off to a decent start so far. A team OPS of .712 is right in the middle of the pack, the 12th best in baseball. Former Cardinal outfielder Tyler O’Neill had a power surge the first three weeks of the season with seven home runs before cooling off recently.
First baseman Triston Casas also had pretty good numbers early until a rib injury sent him to the IL. Boston’s best and most dangerous hitter is still third baseman Rafael Devers, who also had a bone bruise that has limited him in 2024. The rest of the lineup is mostly young and unproven, especially with veteran Trevor Story out for the season with a dislocated shoulder.
The pitching staff is a much different story as Alex Cora’s team has the best ERA in all of MLB, currently sitting at 2.60. Three members of the rotation currently have an ERA under 2: Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock. Long-time veteran closer Kenley Jansen is still highly effective at the end of the game.
Surprisingly, the Red Sox have been much better on the road than at home this season. It’s an admittedly small sample size, but they are 3-7 so far at Fenway. This week they swept the Pirates at PNC Park and then lost two out of three in Cleveland.
It’s always fun when the Cubs and Red Sox get together and the North Siders haven’t been to Boston since 2017. The injuries haven’t stopped Craig Counsell‘s group from winning, but this matchup will provide another decent test. Let’s see if they can tame the green monster this weekend.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, April 26 at 6:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, April 27 at 3:10pm CT on Marquee.
- Sunday, April 28 at 6:10pm CT on ESPN.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 4/26 | Shota Imanaga | 30 | L | 0.84 | 3-0 | 2.08 | 10.50 |
| Kutter Crawford | 28 | R | 0.66 | 1-0 | 2.28 | 2.73 | |
| 4/27 | N/A | ||||||
| Josh Winckowski | 25 | R | 4.20 | 1-1 | 3.42 | 2.25 | |
| 4/28 | Jordan Wicks | 24 | L | 4.70 | 1-2 | 3.29 | 3.11 |
| Tanner Houck | 27 | R | 1.65 | 3-2 | 2.24 | 6.40 |
What to Watch For
- The Cubs have yet to name a starter to fill the injured Kyle Hendricks‘ spot in the rotation on Saturday.
- Nico Hoerner showed no signs of slowing down with five more hits against the Astros.
- Mike Tauchman reached base nine times against Houston with two home runs and five walks.
- The Cubs have a 5-4 record in the nine regular season games they have played at Fenway Park since the first matchup in 2011.
