The Chicago Cubs lost a heart-breaker in 13 innings on Friday night, and reliever Carlos Marmol left with a hamstring injury, so now Chicago could really use a strong start from struggling pitcher Chris Volstad (0-4, 6.55 ERA) to get back on track in the second game of their weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers. As noted by STATS, LLC, opponents are batting .203 against Volstad when the bases are empty, but he has struggled out of the stretch, as opponents are hitting .362 with a runner on base and .424 with someone in scoring position.
Volstad hopes to take advantage of a struggling Brewers offense that ranks No. 17 in runs scored (131), No. 26 in batting average (.232), No. 20 in on-base percentage and No. 12 in slugging percentage (.405).
As for the Cubs' offense, Starlin Castro will try to extend his 10-game hitting streak on Saturday against Milwaukee starter Shaun Marcum (1-1, 3.41 ERA), who has lost his last five starts.
Game Date & Time: Saturday, May 12, 12:05 p.m. CT
Location: Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
TV: FOX (click here for regional coverage map)
For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at Beyond the Box Score. Also, check out the team blogs Bleed Cubbie Blue and Brew Crew Ball.