The written preview lands about a day and a half before the game, once the lineups, the injuries and the market have settled. Until then the boards below carry the matchup: recent form, how the two sides compare, and where each of them sits.
The full preview, matchup keys, probable starters and the storylines to watch, posts closer to game time, once lineups are set.
Where each side sits in its own division, with both clubs marked. These two are in different ones, so the tables are separate and the records are not directly comparable.
Houston Astros74-72.507L1
Texas Rangers72-74.493L1
Seattle Mariners68-78.466W1
Oakland Athletics59-88.401W1
Los Angeles Angels56-90.384W2
Milwaukee Brewers91-56.619W3
Chicago Cubs81-66.551L4
Pittsburgh Pirates73-73.500W3
St. Louis Cardinals72-75.490L3
Cincinnati Reds69-77.473L3Taken from each club's most recent lineup. The official cards post 2 to 3 hours before first pitch, so a name here can still be scratched, and the batting order is the likelier thing to move than the nine men in it.
Chicago Cubs
Pete Crow-Armstrong#4LHB.281Center field
Seiya Suzuki#27RHB.267Right field
Michael Busch#29LHBFirst base
Alex Bregman#3RHB.260Third base
Ian Happ#8SHBDesignated hitterTexas Rangers
Ezequiel Duran#20RHB.272Third base
Corey Seager#5LHBShortstop
Justin Foscue#14RHB.272hotSecond base
Brandon Nimmo#24LHB.263Right field
Wyatt Langford#36RHBLeft field
