Just to show you how quickly fortunes can turn in baseball: if Geovany Soto makes the play in yesterday's game -- and he should have -- he's a hero, the Cubs would have a had dramatic win and the game would have been remembered as one of the best of the year, in fact, one of the best in many years. It would have given the team three wins in a row over the defending league champions and maybe some momentum and some more hope for a miraculous comeback.
Instead, there are torches and pitchforks out for a usually lights-out closer who had a legendary meltdown. (The same closer got universal praise for his outstanding outing just one day earlier.)
As noted in the post below this one -- if you are reading this before 7:05 CDT and wondering why the game hasn't started yet, it's because the game time was changed from original schedules.
A fairly large thunderstorm blew through the north side of Chicago just before what would be a normal game time on a Sunday afternoon (1:20), dumping a lot of rain. But now it's clear again and though there is a chance of rain this evening, it looks like we'll get the game in. Tonight's lineup via tweet from Carrie:
#Cubs lineup Sun nite vs #Phillies: RF Colvin, SS Castro, 1B Lee, 3B Ramy, CF Byrd, LF Sori, C Soto, 2B Riot, P Gorzelanny
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Roy Halladay has thrown at least eight innings in each of his last three starts. Part of the reason for this is that he's a horse -- he leads all active pitchers with 56 CG -- but the rest of it is that the Phillies bullpen has been pretty bad. If the Cubs can get to Halladay relatively early, they can win this game; the Phillies' record in Halladay's 19 starts this year is only 11-8. In 12 innings over two starts vs. the Cubs while with the Blue Jays, he has a 3.00 ERA -- but two losses. Current Cubs are hitting .277 (28-for-101) against him -- but with only one walk.
Tom Gorzelanny has pitched very well since returning to the rotation -- a 2.25 ERA in three starts, although with 10 walks in 16 innings. Six of those walks were in the first of those outings (vs. the Diamondbacks). He also threw six shutout innings vs. the Phillies on May 19 in Philadelphia, a game the Cubs won 4-1. No current Phillies hitter has more than six career AB vs. Tom, and altogether they are hitting .220 (9-for-41) against him.
Tonight's game is on ESPN. Please email me if Joe Morgan utters the words "Banks Boulevard" so I can rip him a new one again. Most games are over by now, but here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Phillies site The Good Phight.
Today's first pitch thread will be up at 7 pm CDT, and the overflows will post at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.