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Less than 24 hours ago, a cold breeze blew thick fog over Wrigley Field from Lake Michigan. For tonight's game, it should be 25-30 degrees warmer, humid, with the wind blowing out.
That's Chicago weather for you.
Chicago baseball, at least the Cubs version, is likely to be pretty much the same. The Cubs simply cannot seem to beat the Reds, or, truth be told, anyone in the N.L. Central. The only team in the Central the Cubs don't have a losing record against is the Cardinals (1-1).
Still, despite the current 25-36 record, the Cubs still project as a Pythagorean .500 club due to the run differential of -7. Other teams with similar run differentials: Giants, -10 (33-29); Indians, +2 (30-33), Royals, +5 (29-32).
With a little better bullpen work and more RISP hitting, the Cubs could be close to those records, too. Not too much to ask, I wouldn't think.
Cubs lineup:
Barney 2B, Ransom 3B, Rizzo 1B, Soriano LF, Hairston RF, Castillo C, Castro SS, Sweeney CF, Garza P
Still no rest for Starlin Castro. Of course, the Reds are going with a lefthander. Maybe tomorrow.
Reds lineup:
Choo CF, Cozart SS, Votto 1B, Phillips 2B, Bruce RF, Frazier 3B, Paul LF, Hanigan C, Cingrani P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Matt Garza started one of the two games the Cubs have actually won against the Reds this year. The bad news is that he didn't really have a good outing that day, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks. Jay Bruce homered. Garza did strike out seven, though. Perhaps today will be better.
Tony Cingrani, a Chicago-area native (Evergreen Park), made six good-to-very-good starts for the Reds in April and May; his reward was a trip to Louisville. This is his first start since his recall; one of the previous starts was April 23 in Cincinnati against the Cubs, where he threw seven innings and allowed just five hits and two runs, striking out nine. Cody Ransom homered off him, for whatever that's worth; Ransom's hitting second tonight, maybe he can do it again.
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 Reds site Red Reporter. Be careful over there, though.
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.
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.