The Cubs (55-38) salvaged the final game of the series against the Twins after losing the first two when their hitters suddenly went cold. The Brewers were able to shave a couple games off Chicago’s division lead to tighten things as the All-Star break approaches. They wrap up the first half with a trip to the Bronx to take on the Yankees for three starting Friday night.
New York (52-41) was riding high through May, comfortably in front of the American League East. Then they went 13-14 in June and fell out of first when they got swept by the surging Blue Jays at the start of July. The strongest aspect of their squad is the offense, which has the highest team OPS (.793) and most home runs (147) in baseball.
Aaron Judge is having an insane season even by his MVP standards with 34 home runs, a whopping 1.192 OPS, and a 6.7 WAR total that would define a great full season. Some other Yankees hitters putting up good seasons are Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has 17 home runs in just 62 games, and Trent Grisham with 16 dingers and a .829 OPS.
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The Bronx Bombers have been more pedestrian when it comes to pitching, with a 3.86 team ERA that is 14th in MLB. Free agent signing Max Fried has established himself as the ace with Gerrit Cole out for the season. The tall lefty has a 2.27 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 119.1 innings, and is a definite Cy Young contender.
The rest of the Yankees’ rotation has been solid, but the bullpen has been a bit of a sore spot so far in 2025, with the 21st-ranked relief corps in baseball. Closer Devin Williams has been wildly inconsistent with a 4.72 ERA, so Luke Weaver has been getting more closing opportunities recently.
New York appears to be heating back up after sweeping the Mariners at Yankee Stadium this week. The ballpark is a hitters’ paradise, especially for lefties, so the Cubs should be able to score runs. The question is whether they can outscore their mighty opponents this weekend. No matter the outcome, it should be an explosive weekend in the Big Apple.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Friday, July 11 at 6:05pm CT on Marquee.
- Saturday, July 12 at 12:05pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
- Sunday, July 13 at 12:35pm CT on MLB Network and Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 7/11 | Chris Flexen | 31 | R | 0.83 | 5-0 | 3.57 | 2.13 |
| Carlos Rodón | 32 | L | 3.30 | 9-6 | 3.74 | 3.18 | |
| 7/12 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 2.52 | 9-3 | 3.30 | 4.17 |
| Max Fried | 31 | L | 2.27 | 11-2 | 2.98 | 4.63 | |
| 7/13 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.80 | 5-3 | 4.63 | 2.80 |
| Will Warren | 26 | R | 4.70 | 6–4 | 3.21 | 2.71 |
What to Watch For
- Pete Crow-Armstrong atoned for going hitless in the first two games in Minnesota with two home runs and a double on Thursday.
- Flexen has been stretched out to four innings twice in the past two weeks, and the Cubs are hoping he can go relatively deep on Friday.
- Old friend Cody Bellinger is having a good season with 13 homers and a .806 OPS.
- Ian Happ is in a nasty slump, going 2-for-32 with a .397 OPS so far in July.
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The post Chicago Cubs @ New York Yankees – Series Preview (July 11-13): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4 appeared first on .