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I don't know how many of you read the comic strip "Dustin" that currently runs in the Tribune. It bears mentioning here because Tuesday, the strip was Cubs-related. I think the radio host has it backwards -- better hitting is what this team needs.
Beyond that, I've decided that today is pick-on-the-Marlins day here in the game preview. Why is that? Because I have a couple of news items that... well, you decide.
- Local police threw a couple of fans out of Marlins Park Monday night for "creating a disturbance". I think you'll agree after reading that article that the only disturbed people involved are Marlins management.
- A Marlins fan has an interesting license plate that apparently got by all the Spanish-speaking people at the Florida DMV.
All right, enough Marlins. The weather isn't great in Chicago this late afternoon, but it does look like they'll get this one in. After today? Well, according to that, the next day when it's not supposed to rain is Friday. And then, we might get snow flurries. The sun might come out again... Saturday.
Cubs lineup:
DeJesus CF, Castro SS, Rizzo 1B, Soriano LF, Schierholtz RF, Castillo C, Valbuena 3B, Lillibridge 2B, Wood P
Brewers lineup:
Aoki RF, Weeks 2B, Braun LF, Lucroy C, Gonzalez 3B, Gomez CF, Segura SS, Betancourt 1B, Peralta P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Travis Wood had one of the best starts of his career in his first 2013 outing. He faced the Brewers twice in 2012 -- back-to-back starts in August -- and threw well both times; seven innings, three ER in both games, both of which the Cubs lost (which wasn't Wood's fault; the Cubs didn't score runs). As yesterday, a depleted Brewers lineup should be defeatable, but ...
Wily Peralta -- no relation to recently returned Cubs prospect Starling Peralta -- is making his eighth major-league appearance (seventh start). He has never faced the Cubs and the only two Cubs who have faced him (Scott Hairston and Dioner Navarro) are 0-for-3. You know what usually happens in situations like this.
Today's game is on WGN.
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.
Here's the scoop on game threads for 2013. 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.
As has been the case during spring training, 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.