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A visual representation of the Cubs' results at Miller Park since the beginning of 2011:
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6-23. Now, if you just count the last seven games, it's 3-4... which is still bad. I certainly won't be expecting a different result this evening. Will you?
The Bulls and Blackhawks are both off tonight in their opening-round playoff series. Thus... you'll probably be watching this game. So will I. Let's hope for a better result than last night.
Cubs lineup:
Bonifacio CF, Valbuena 2B, Rizzo 1B, Castro SS, Schierholtz RF, Olt 3B, Sweeney LF, Castillo C, Wood P
Brewers lineup:
Gomez CF, Segura SS, Braun RF, Ramirez 3B, Lucroy C, Davis LF, Reynolds 1B, Weeks 2B, Estrada P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Travis Wood faced the Brewers just once last year, oddly enough, and it was more than a year ago, April 9, 2013 at Wrigley Field. That start was decent enough; better is his beginning to 2014, where he has four solid outings and has walked just four hitters in 25 innings. Now if he could just get some run support -- he ranks 123rd of 145 qualified starters in run support, 2.8 runs per start. Hard to win that way.
Like Travis Wood, Marco Estrada has made four starts, all of them at least decent. Last year, the Brewers won all three games he started against the Cubs, in which he posted a 3.60 ERA and 1.000 WHIP. Current Cubs are hitting .188 (16-for-85) against Estrada with three home runs (two by Welington Castillo) but 25 strikeouts. Doomed? Probably.
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. As always, be careful over there.
For 2014, we are going to have the same game-thread routine as 2013. Here's how it works.
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.