Ian Happ Will Forever Rake Against NL Central Opponents

It was no surprise to hear that Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ was looking to extend his on-base streak in PNC Park headed into Tuesday's opening game of a three-game series between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. It was, however, a bit shocking to hear that the streak had increased all the way up to 31 games. That is an absurd number for any stretch of the regular season, much less at one ballpark.

Happ's streak has now increased to 34 consecutive games and 44 consecutive starts after an excellent series against the Pirates. He went 6-for-13 with two walks and two RBIs in the series and played a big part in Chicago adding insurance runs in the ninth innings of Thursday's 8-3 win. Per the Marquee broadcast, the last time Happ started a game and didn't reach base at PNC Park was Aug. 19, 2018. The streak of 34 straight games at one ballpark is currently an MLB best.

Overall, against the Pirates in his career, Happ's numbers are gaudy. He's batting .322 with 18 home runs, 72 RBIs and 69 runs scored in 111 career games played. It's safe to say the 30-year-old from the Pittsburgh area enjoys returning home to play in front of all his family and friends. It's not just the Pirates that Happ enjoys playing against though.

The switch-hitting left fielder loves hitting against the entire NL Central division. It's almost like Happ sits down before the season and circles every single game against a divisional opponent and prepares twice as hard for them. He's played 442 career games against divisional opponents and has posted a slash line of .278/.381/.547, good for a .928 OPS against division rivals. Those numbers were showcased Tuesday-Thursday against Pittsburgh and Cub fans hope they'll be shown again over the weekend.

Chicago is slated for a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field (aka Miller Park, aka Wrigley North) over the weekend. The Cubs currently sit three games ahead of the third-place Brewers and will lean on not only Happ, but the rest of the scorching hot offense to extend the division lead.

[Editor's Note: So far, so good on that front. The Cubs are up 9-0 on the Brewers in the first game of the series, and Happ has reached base in three of his four plate appearances thus far at the time this piece is being scheduled for publication].

While nothing is ever guaranteed, it feels so likely that Happ will produce at a high level over the weekend and help lead Chicago to yet another series victory. He may slow down, but as of now, it's hard not to consider Happ as the Cubs' best player whenever they draw a division rival.