I'm exhausted from last night. Now if I'm this tired, imagine how wiped out the players must feel after having played that long. (Of course, they didn't get up at 6:30 a.m. to write a recap!)
Very often, after games like that one, the next day features low scoring and quick play. That'd be a good thing for everyone involved.
Just a couple of brief notes before tonight's particulars. You know that Anthony Rizzo is leading the National League with 25 home runs. The White Sox' Jose Abreu is leading the American League with 31. The last time two players from one city led both leagues in HR for a single season was 1956, when Duke Snider (Dodgers) hit 43 to lead the N.L. and Mickey Mantle (Yankees) had 52 to pace the A.L.
Also, though errors aren't the best measure of fielding worthiness, we should note that Starlin Castro has 36 consecutive errorless games dating back to June 18. That's 140 consecutive errorless changes for Castro, and I'd consider that progress. The major-league record for such things is held by Mike Bordick, who set it for the Orioles in 2002: 110 games and 543 chances.
Cubs lineup:
Alcantara 2B, Coughlan LF, Rizzo 1B, Castro SS, Valbuena 3B, Lake CF, Sweeney RF, Baker C, Wood P
Rockies lineup:
Blackmon CF, LeMahieu 2B, Arenado 3B, Morneau 1B, Stubbs LF, McKenry C, Barnes RF, Culberson SS, Anderson P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Let's face it. Travis Wood has been almost as bad as Edwin Jackson this year. He's gone more than five innings just twice in his last seven starts, and has a 5.83 ERA in 15 starts covering 83⅓ innings since May 7.
Given last night's marathon, the Cubs really really really really need Wood to go at least seven innings tonight. The last time he faced the Rockies at Wrigley Field -- May 13, 2013 -- he did just that, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just two hits.
A repeat of that would be nice.
Brett Anderson was once a top prospect, both for the Diamondbacks and the Athletics, but injuries have set him back. Once again a rotation starter, he's been decent for the Rockies this year in six starts. He has never faced the Cubs and the only player on the Cubs roster he has faced is Nate Schierholtz, who has gone 2-for-2 with a homer off him. So there's that.
Anderson looks sad in that photo. Or unhappy. Or both.
Today's game is on CSN Chicago Plus (check your cable/satellite system for the channel number).
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Rockies site Purple Row.
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.