Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers weekend preview

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the rain out, the Cubs announced that John Lackey will start Thursday, meaning Anderson is still on schedule to start Friday. In 2016, Anderson appeared in just four games (three starts), so his statistics are a bit skewed. However, he did make 31 starts in 2015, going 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA.

Brewers’ pitcher Jimmy Nelson will oppose Anderson, a matchup that should favor the Cubs. Last season, Nelson went 8-16 (32 starts) with a 4.62 ERA. In 2015, he went 11-13 (30 starts) with a 4.11 ERA.

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While his season as a whole was sub par, Nelson was remarkably better at home than on the road. At home, his ERA was 3.40 in 16 starts, while it was 6.00 in 16 road starts. However, Anderson pitched better on the road (3.07 ERA in 15 starts) in 2015 than at home (4.29 ERA in 16 starts).

Kyle Hendricks will make his 2017 debut on Saturday against Brewers’ pitcher Tommy Milone. Hendricks had an MLB-best 2.13 ERA in 2016 to go along with his 16-8 record.

Milone pitched for the Minnesota Twins in 2016, going 3-5 with a 5.71 ERA in 19 games (12 starts). He pitched two innings of relief on Monday, giving up two runs on three hits.

Sunday’s game is Jon Lester’s turn in the rotation, but Jake Arrieta will be on the mound for the series finale. This allows Lester to pitch against the Dodgers, who have struggled against left-handers over the past season.

Arrieta pitched six innings on Tuesday, giving up one run (no earned) on just four hits. He will be up against Zach Davies.

Tuesday, the Rockies roughed up Davies in his first start of the season. The 24-year-old went just four innings, allowing six runs on nine hits. He did have a successful 2016 season, though, going 11-7 (28 starts) with a 3.97 ERA.

Schedule