Chicago Cubs game threads

Open Thread: Cubs vs. Rockies, Sunday 6/1, 1:20 CT

By Al Yellon@bleedcubbieblue Jun 1, 2008, 11:00am CDT

Next Game

Sunday, Jun 1, 2008, 1:20 PM CDT
Wrigley Field

Ubaldo Jimenez vs Sean Gallagher

Sunny. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 75.

This one's going to be quick because I have a plane to catch this morning, to get to Wrigley Field by game time. Looks like it's going to be a gorgeous summer day at the ballpark, and a chance to sweep an entire 7-game homestand. Yes, win today and that WILL be seven in a row.

The Cubs are 35-21. There have been only 11 Cub teams in history with a better record over the first 56 games (since 1900):

1907, 44-121918, 39-171906, 39-171969, 37-18 (one tie)1910, 37-191977, 37-191909, 37-191903, 36-201904, 35-19 (one tie)1911, 35-19 (one tie)1908, 35-20

That's five pennant winners (1906-07-08-10-18), a second-place team that won over 100 games (1909), three second-place teams that won over 90 (1904, 1911, 1969), a second-place team that went 82-56 (1903), and the outlier, 1977. We shall see where this year goes, but right now it looks pretty darn good.

Today's Starting Pitchers


S. Gallagher Cubs	vs.	U. Jimenez Rockies


2-1	W-L	1-5
4.50	ERA	5.37
17	SO	48
10	BB	33
2	HR	3
vs. Col	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Sean Gallagher	2-1	6	4	0	0	0	0	26.0	26	13	13	2	10	17	4.50	1.38

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Ubaldo Jimenez	1-5	11	11	0	0	0	0	58.2	67	40	35	3	33	48	5.37	1.70

Ubaldo Jimenez has been bad this year. Ubaldo Jimenez has been bad in two career starts against the Cubs (0-1, 8.31, and that includes this October 1, 2006 game in which he actually pitched well). He hasn't faced any current Cub more than four times; Jim Edmonds has a double (in 3 AB) and Aramis Ramirez a HR (in 3 AB).

Sean Gallagher threw exceptionally well in his last start. If he can keep this going, he will quell a lot of the "GETANOTHERSTARTERNOW!!!1!!" talk that's been going around this site. He has never started against the Rockies; his only career appearance was last August 11, when he did some mopup work in a game the Cubs were losing 7-2 in the 7th. Click on the link to see how poorly he did. However, no one he will face today had more than 1 AB vs. Gallagher that day.

Today's game is on CSN and on broadcast TV in Denver and at the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday (2007 version)

MLB.com Gameday (2008 version)

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Today's 1st overflow comment thread will post at 2:30 pm CT and the 2nd overflow thread at 3:30 pm CT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.