MLB Plays for Wednesday, May 13: Action in Atlanta

Down in Atlanta, the Braves will look to tack on another win against the Chicago Cubs after defeating them, 5-2, in Game 1 of this series on Monday night. That marked Atlanta's third-straight win following a series victory over the Dodgers, in which the Braves took two of three.

After the Cubs went on their second 10-game winning streak of the season, they have now dropped three consecutive games.

Tonight could provide a quality opportunity for their bats to come alive, though, as they've scored just two runs during this losing streak and will be facing susceptible right-hander in JR Ritchie.

Ritchie is just 22 years old, but has already made three starts in Major League Baseball this season. Across 17.1 innings, he's posted a 1-0 record and a 3.63 ERA.

That all sounds fine until you take a peek at his 5.11 expected ERA, 6.87 FIP, 21% HR/FB rate, 1% strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.50 WHIP.

Despite the Cubs' recent struggles, they still stack up extremely well against right-handed pitching over the past month, ranking second in wRC+ (119), fourth in ISO (.184) and fifth in OPS (.763).

The bar is also set high for Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, who has been enjoying a resurgence after a rough 2025 campaign.

Through eight starts this season, Imanaga is 4-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 3.40 xFIP. Just about everything has been solid for the left-hander outside of a low ground-ball rate (32.5%), along with potentially concerning hard-hit (40.5%) and barrel (9%) rates that could be trending in the wrong direction.

Imanaga has been a pleasant surprise for this hindered Cubs rotation, but I don't expect many pleasantries tonight.

The Braves have been crushing lefties over the past month, ranking sixth in wRC+ (114), OPS (.767) and ISO (.176).

Regardless of how well Imanaga has pitched, as Cubs fans know all too well, he can implode on any given night. I'm not saying he'll get shelled per se, but I do believe the Braves, along with the Cubs, put up enough runs to push this total over 8.5.

Both offenses have plenty of power and are in favorable spots to produce, especially with the wind blowing out and a low total being offered.