Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun routinely elicits a pronounced negative reaction from fans of the Chicago Cubs, and for good reason.
Braun, who has 18 homers at Wrigley Field and 38 overall against the Cubs, looks to continue to torment the club on Saturday when the National League Central rivals play the second contest of their three-game series in Chicago.
The 2011 NL Most Valuable Player belted his third homer in three games versus the Cubs this season as Milwaukee pushed its winning streak to a season-high seven games with a 7-0 victory on Friday afternoon.
“Wrigley is always such a special place to play,” said Braun, 35. “It’s loud. It’s always packed. It’s energetic. … This place is always special. It’s always fun.”
Braun is 13-for-28 (.464) with three homers, seven RBIs and five runs in his past seven games overall for the Brewers, who reside percentage points behind the Cubs in the early NL Central standings.
“We knew our division was going to be really difficult,” Braun said. “We recognized that by far the most challenging part of our schedule was probably the first six to eight weeks, so we feel really good about where we’re at right now.”
Braun is not alone, as Lorenzo Cain expressed his pleasure with the red-hot Brewers sharing first place at the quarter pole of the season.
“I like the sound of that. We’re a little closer to the Promised Land,” Cain said. “We’ve been playing some great ball lately. That’s the team we know we can be.”
Braun has eight RBIs against Chicago this season heading into a tilt with left-hander Cole Hamels, against whom he is 13-for-43 (.302) with three homers and five RBIs.
Mike Moustakas, who is riding an eight-game overall hitting streak, is just 1-for-8 in his career against Hamels.
Hamels (3-0, 3.38 ERA) has followed a three-start winning streak with a trio of no-decisions. The 35-year-old has surrendered just 10 runs (eight earned) in his past three outings, but 11 walks elevated his pitch count.
Hamels improved to 8-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 starts versus Milwaukee after yielding two runs on six hits in six innings of a 14-8 victory on April 6. Christian Yelich (7-for-25, homer) and Hernan Perez (7-for-14) have fared well against the hurler.
Chicago had won 10 of 11 before getting shut out Friday for the second time this season.
“It was just a bit off for the offense (on Friday) in terms of finishing it off,” Cubs third baseman David Bote said.
The Cubs will attempt to get untracked versus Milwaukee right-hander Zach Davies (4-0, 1.56 ERA).
Davies won his second straight trip to the mound on Sunday after allowing two runs on six hits in 7 2/3 innings against the New York Mets. The long outing was an important one for the Brewers, who taxed the bullpen during an 18-inning marathon on the previous day.
Davies improved to 6-5 with a 3.28 ERA in 14 career starts versus Chicago after permitting two runs (both unearned) on five hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 4-2 win on April 7.
Willson Contreras, who is riding a nine-game hitting streak, has homered twice against Davies in his career.
Kris Bryant is 14-for-38 (.368) with two homers and six RBIs in his career versus the 26-year-old, while Addison Russell is 8-for-28 (.286).