3 things to keep an eye on in this weekend’s highly anticipated Cubs-Red Sox series

The Boston Red Sox have played a series at Wrigley Field just four times in their storied history. On Friday, they come to town to kick off the second half of the season, squaring off in a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs in a matchup of two playoff-hopeful clubs.

Chicago comes out of the All-Star break clinging to a narrow one-game advantage in the National League Central while the Red Sox enter the second half three games out in the American League East, but in possession of the second wild card spot in the AL. Here are three things to watch for this weekend as these two iconic franchises go head-to-head.

3 things to watch in this weekend's series between the Cubs and Red Sox

Red Sox looking to extend a 10-game winning streak

On June 15, the Red Sox did the unthinkable, trading the face of the franchise, Rafael Devers, to the San Francisco Giants in what felt like a bad nightmare for Boston faithful - one eerily similar to the Mookie Betts trade back in February 2020. Less than two weeks later, on June 27, Boston's playoff odds hit a near-low water mark of just 13 percent, according to Fangraphs.

But they enter the second half with 56.3 percent playoff odds, the fifth-best in the American League, thanks to the 10-game winning streak they carry into Friday afternoon's series opener. There's no hotter team in baseball (although the Cubs' division rival Milwaukee Brewers are right on their heels, winners of seven straight) - giving Craig Counsell's club an immediate test coming out of the All-Star break.

Can Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong keep up their hot hitting at home?

There's no place like home. No, we're not talking about the Wicked Witch or ruby slippers. We're talking about how much Cubs stars Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong have loved hitting at Wrigley Field this season.

Busch, arguably the biggest All-Star snub in the league, enters the second half with a .925 OPS that ranks third in the Senior Circuit, trailing only Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith. He's somehow been even better at the Friendly Confines, slashing .309/.413/.551 (.964 OPS) - so he's a guy to keep an eye on this weekend.

PCA comes off his double in the Midsummer Classic, looking to chase down Ohtani for top billing in the NL MVP race - and Wrigley is as good a place as any to get started. He's tied for the team lead with Seiya Suzuki with 11 homers at home this year, and only Busch has bested his .916 OPS at the Federal Landmark.

Two high-powered offenses going head-to-head at Wrigley

By almost any measure, the Cubs and Red Sox are some of the best collective offensive groups in the league this season. Chicago and Boston rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in team OPS. The Cubs have a slight edge in slugging percentage, and the inverse is true in terms of on-base percentage.

Counsell's boys have clubbed 20 more homers than Alex Cora's squads, paced by the likes of Tucker, PCA, Busch and Suzuki - and with summer having settled in over Wrigley, offenses tend to tick up down the stretch. With a pair of middle-of-the-pack starting rotations, the bats could be poised for a big weekend.