Ready for eight? The Cubs have not won eight or more in a row since the 12-game winning streak in 2001, which is the longest in my lifetime. Other numbers they could surpass: at 15 games over .500, the Cubs are at their highest point over .500 since the last day of the 2004 season, when they were 89-73, sixteen over. They can match that today. The high point of that year was 87-66, 21 over before they lost 7 of their last 9. And before that, you'll have to go back to the last day of the 1989 NL East title season, when they finished that year 93-69, 24 games over .500, also the high water mark of that year.
Ain't this fun?
News item: the US Supreme Court will not hear MLB's appeal of the fantasy baseball ruling that went against them in federal appeals court:A federal court and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled in favor of the fantasy baseball business, saying that enforcing state law rights would violate C.B.C.'s right of free speech protected by the First Amendment.
The case is Major League Baseball Advanced Media v. C.B.C., 07-1099.
| Today's Starting Pitchers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Cubs have faced Baek a couple of times in spring training the last two years, but never during the regular season. The only Cubs he has faced are two he faced in the AL, Mark DeRosa (1-for-6) and Reed Johnson (2-for-5). Johnson will probably not start tonight. Baek has allowed more HR than Z in about 1/3 as many innings.
Z, for his part: well, just keep up the good work. He has never allowed a run in 14 IP at Petco, and no current Padre hits him well. This ought to be a real good night for Z, if those patterns hold.
Today's game is on CSN in Chicago, Cox Cable 4 (right, SDSJM?) in San Diego, and at the MLB.com Mediacenter.
MLB.com Gameday (2007 version)
MLB.com Gameday (2008 version)
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Today's overflow comment thread will post at 10:30 pm CT. Since you guys seem to like extra threads, I'll have another one post at 11:30 pm CT, long after I am asleep.
Discuss amongst yourselves.