Series Preview: SF Giants vs. Cubs - players to know and how to watch

A Windy Weekend

The SF Giants return home after a quick 3-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, improving their record to 32-30 on the season. They'll welcome in the Chicago Cubs, who will travel from one Windy City to another - breezes of 10-20 MPH are expected by the Bay during an overcast weekend. The clouds shouldn't stop the Giants from shining, though, as they're the favorites against the 26-36 Cubs, whose attempt at avoiding a rebuild hasn't quite translated into wins thus far this season.

Chicago has loaded up on veteran free agents, some of which may be familiar to Giants fans. Cody Bellinger has been a bit of a revelation for the Cubs, hitting .271 with 7 home runs and an .830 OPS. Longtime Brave Dansby Swanson is also on the squad, having signed with them last offseason as one of the Big Four free agent shortstops. The Giants will also get their first look this year at Seiya Suzuki, who's starting to live up to his $100 million contract. Eric Hosmer, Tucker Barnhart, Trey Mancini, and old friend Mike Tauchman (who's hitting .283 in a handful of at-bats this year) round out the roster.

The biggest star on their roster, though, is probably Marcus Stroman, their starter in Friday's game. Stroman has been dominant, with a 2.39 ERA in 13 games this year, and he's coming in having given up just 2 runs and 9 hits in his last three starts. The Giants will have to hope for a bounce-back game from Anthony DeSclafani, who has given up 12 runs in that same span. If the G-Men can find a way to break through against Stroman and win Game 1, they'll ensure they can't drop back down under .500 this series.

The Giants, at least, have plenty of firepower to ensure that such disappointment doesn't come to pass. San Francisco boasts seven players with an OPS of at least .800, compared to the Cubs' three. With LaMonte Wade Jr. boasting one of the league's best OBPs, Austin Slater returning as a legitimate weapon off the bench, and J.D. Davis raking with a .968 OPS in the past week, they should be able to feast against the Cubs' shaky bullpen in the same way they did against Colorado. If they can't, it might spell trouble as the summer gets underway and the Trade Deadline begins to loom.

Series Details

Who: SF Giants vs. Chicago Cubs
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
When: June 9-11, Friday (7:15 PM), Saturday (4:35 PM), Sunday (1:05 PM). All times Pacific.

Giants' current streak: W3, 5-5 in last 10, 32-30 overall

Cubs' current streak: L4, 4-6 in last 10, 26-36 overall

Projected starters:

Friday: Anthony DeSclafani (4-5, 3.97 ERA) vs. Marcus Stroman (6-4, 2.39 ERA)

Saturday: TBD vs. Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 4.70 ERA)

Sunday: TBD vs. Hayden Wesneski (2-2, 4.72 ERA)

*Indicates LHP

How to watch, listen:

SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
Cubs broadcast: Marquee Sports Network, 670 The Score
National broadcasts: FOX (Saturday), MLB Network (Sunday, out-of-market only)