CHICAGO – Five things to know about today’s 2:20 p.m. Braves series opener against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
1. The Braves are 5-0 in day games and 2-5 in night games. Of their 14 total homers this season, 11 have been hit in day games. All three games in the Cubs series are 1:20 p.m. starts in Chicago (2:20 p.m. EDT).
2. The Braves are 7-0 in games in which they've hit at least one home run, and 0-5 when they haven't. The only other major league team unbeaten in games in which they've hit a home run is the Mets, who are 10-1 overall and 5-0 in games when they've hit at least one homer.
3. Braves starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez is 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA in seven career starts against the Cubs including 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA in four starts at Wrigley Field, where he's allowed 25 hits and five homers in 19 2/3 innings. The only active Cubs with as many as five at-bats against him are Ben Zobrist (3-for-25) and Jason Heyward (5-for-13).
4. Cubs starter Yu Darvish makes his first career start against the Braves. He's 4-1 with a 3.65 ERA in nine starts against National League East teams. The only active Brave with more than three at-bats against him is Kurt Suzuki (0-for-5).
5. The Braves have lost eight of their past 10 games at Wrigley Field and gone 4-9 with a 5.43 ERA at the venerable ballpark over the past two seasons.
