It's been noted here and elsewhere how poorly the Cubs played against the Brewers in recent years. From 2011-13 they were 16-36 against Milwaukee, and that broke down to 10-14 at Wrigley, 6-22 at Miller Park. That came after a period of dominance (72-56 from 2003-10).
This year, things are beginning to turn. The Cubs are 5-6 against Milwaukee, and 4-3 at Wrigley Field. There have been close games (like the two in this series so far), as well as one blowout win for each team.
The Brewers are in first place in the N.L. Central, a spot they've held since April 5. The Cubs might have a lot to say about that spot, since they play the Brewers eight more times, including the two remaining in this series and the last three games of the season, which will be at Miller Park.
It would be sweet to knock these guys out of the division lead (unless it's the Cardinals or Reds taking over).
Also, I am not lefthanded but I have learned that today, August 13, is International Left Handers Day, so it seems appropriate for the Cubs to have a lefty on the mound tonight. On to tonight's particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Coghlan RF, Baez 2B, Rizzo 1B, Castro SS, Valbuena 3B, Alcantara CF, Baker C, Lake LF, Wada P
Brewers lineup:
Gomez CF, Lucroy 1B, Braun RF, Ramirez 3B, Davis LF, Weeks 2B, Maldonado C, Segura SS, Lohse P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Tsuyoshi Wada. Well, I dunno. His ERA and WHIP are good. His FIP is good. The Cubs have lost four of his five starts but that isn't really his fault (just 17 runs scored for the Cubs in those five games). There's just something about him that doesn't excite me about his future as a Cubs pitcher. Don't ask me to define it, I can't. Here's hoping he has a good game tonight against the Brewers, a team he has yet to face.
On the other hand, Kyle Lohse has started more games (22) than he has against any other team (tied with the Pirates). Two of those starts are this year, in which he has thrown 16 innings, posted a 0.88 WHIP and 1.69 ERA, and walked just one in 16 innings. He's having a good year, although he got hit pretty hard by the Cardinals start-before-last. Pretty good career for a 29th-round draft pick.
Today's game is on CSN Chicago.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball. The usual caution is advised.
For 2014, we are going to have the same game-thread routine as 2013. Here's how it works.
You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStream™, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.
You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "Chicago Cubs Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). They will also appear in this StoryStream™. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.