Chicago Cubs: Jose Quintana faces a familiar foe in the Toronto Blue Jays

Left-hander Jose Quintana starts for the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon, taking the ball against a familiar foe in the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Chicago Cubs remain locked in a tight race for the National League Central. After taking the series opener Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the club looks for a second-straight win on Saturday afternoon.

Chicago (64-57) held off Toronto (59-63) in the opener after Jake Arrieta turned in another strong outing. Javier Baez pulled off the defensive play of the year for the Cubs and also hit a clutch late-inning blast to put things out of reach.

This afternoon at Wrigley, lefty Jose Quintana hopes to give his team a solid start, as well. The left-hander is very familiar with Toronto.

In his career with the White Sox, he owns a 1.77 ERA and 6-2 record against the Jays. This is his first start against them as a member of the Cubs.

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Earlier this season, he allowed just two earned runs over seven innings in a win over Toronto. Keep an eye on Josh Donaldson, who entered the series as one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s enjoyed success against Quintana in his career and could be a big threat.

For Chicago, Jon Jay will set the table against right-hander Nick Tepesch. Alex Avila is back behind the plate on Saturday and both Baez and Kyle Schwarber are in the lineup as well. Both youngsters have played well of-late.

Starting lineups

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What’s Next

Marco Estrada (5-8, 5.09) starts Sunday’s finale for Toronto. The Cubs send right-hander Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.45) to the hill.

First pitch is at 1:20 p.m. CT.