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Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets Preview, Monday 6/25, 7:05 CT

By Al Yellon
Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney hits a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks beat the Cubs 5-1. Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE
Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Darwin Barney hits a double against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks beat the Cubs 5-1. Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

Really, I know you don't want to do much besides talk about Anthony Rizzo this afternoon. So go on back to this post and keep things going there. Go on. This game preview will be here waiting for you when you're done.

The Cubs will be facing four lefthanded starters on this homestand (Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Wandy Rodriguez and J.A. Happ). That does not bode well. The Cubs are 3-16 against lefthanded starters this year, despite starting the all-righthanded lineup you see below.

Seems to me that after failure after failure with that lineup, you as manager would try something different. Dale Sveum hasn't. Maybe that's just me.

Cubs lineup:

Johnson RF, Barney 2B, Castro SS, Soriano LF, Baker 1B, Soto C, Mather CF, Valbuena 3B, Wood P

Mets lineup:

Torres CF, Tejada SS, Wright 3B, Hairston LF, Duda RF, Cedeno 2B, Davis 1B, Nickeas C, Santana P
Today's Starting Pitchers
Travis Wood
Travis Wood
Cubs		 vs. Johan Santana
Johan Santana
Mets
1-3 W-L 5-3
4.14 ERA 3.00
29 SO 84
19 BB 28
7 HR 8
vs. NY -- vs. Cubs
W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
2012 - Travis Wood 1-3 7 7 0 0 0 0 41.1 33 19 19 7 19 29 4.14 1.26
W-L G GS CG SHO SV BS IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP
2012 - Johan Santana 5-3 14 14 2 2 0 0 84.0 66 30 28 8 28 84 3.00 1.12

Travis Wood's second MLB start was against the Mets July 5, 2010, the only time he's faced them. It wasn't good. Don't click. (Don't say I didn't warn you.) Current Mets are 7-for-16 against Travis, too small of a sample size to determine anything.

Johan Santana last faced the Cubs April 22, 2010 in New York. It's just a little over two years later, yet only three Cubs who played in that game (Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto and James Russell) are still on the team. The Cub who hits him best is Reed Johnson (13-for-25, .520, a double, a triple, a home run).

Today's game is on CSN Chicago Plus (check local listings, etc).

Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin' Avenue.

Today's first pitch thread will post at 7:05 p.m. CDT and the overflows at 8:05, 9:05 and 9:50 p.m. CDT. If you need more overflows due to extra innings or rain delays, post them in the fanshot section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

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