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You feel like the Cubs had a rough time in July, right?
They wound up 15-12 for the month, their best record for any calendar month this year. They've won three straight and four of five and generally have looked pretty good doing it.
The Brewers have traded away five players (Aramis Ramirez, Mike Fiers, Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Broxton and Gerardo Parra) off their 25-man roster in the last 10 days, clearly in rebuild mode. This would be a perfect time to win some games against them. The Cubs are now 4-4 against Milwaukee this year. Let's make it 5-4 tonight, shall we?
ICYMI, a few roster notes:
Montero starts rehab Sunday at double-a Tennessee, baxter outrighted to Iowa, Clayton Richard starts Sunday at Milwaukee
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) August 1, 2015
#Cubs option Yoervis Medina to Iowa.
— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) August 1, 2015
After tomorrow, Richard will likely be sent back to Iowa to make room for Dan Haren, who will (probably) start Wednesday's game in Pittsburgh. Tommy Hunter should be available out of the pen tonight with the option of Medina. The 40-man roster again stands at 40 with the DFA of Ben Rowen and the trade of Junior Lake for Hunter. (I think that's got the roster moves straight!)
Finally, here's hoping the Cubs broadcast crew doesn't have the same transmission issues they've had for the last two nights. On the other hand, the Cubs won both games.
Here are today's particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Fowler CF, Schwarber C, Coghlan LF, Rizzo 1B, Bryant 3B, Soler RF, Castro SS, Hendricks P, Russell 2B
Game three of four in Milwaukee. #LetsGo Game preview: http://t.co/5huhaAwucZ pic.twitter.com/hP39yeskU6
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 1, 2015
Brewers lineup:
Gennett 2B, Peterson CF, Braun RF, Lind 1B, Davis LF, Segura SS, Perez 3B, Maldonado C, Garza P
Today's Starting Pitchers |
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Kyle Hendricks had one of his better games of the year May 10 at Miller Park, allowing five hits and no runs over 5⅓ innings. This is one of the games where Joe Maddon might have pulled him too early (85 pitches); the Cubs eventually lost the game. Hendricks had a rough end to July (5.40 ERA over his last three starts) so it would be nice to see him get things straightened out as we begin August.
People always say teams should bunt on Matt Garza, but he's just been bad all year. At no time this year has his ERA been under 4, and his high point of the year was that May 10 game against the Cubs (4.04), where he threw seven solid innings (one run). Since then Garza has a 5.93 ERA in 12 appearances. One of those was a five-inning relief stint in this 17-inning game Milwaukee played against the Diamondbacks May 31. He's allowed 17 home runs in 110⅔ innings this year.
Forget bunting. Just hit him.
Oh, and you're welcome for the new Cubs pitcher photos, which will look like tonight's photo of Kyle Hendricks (plain background) for the rest of the season.
Today's game is on ABC7 Chicago. For coverage info in other Midwest markets click here (link opens .pdf).
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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The 2015 Game Thread procedure has changed a bit. Here's how it will work going forward.
You'll find the game preview posted separately on the front page, two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream™ containing the preview will also post on the front page. The First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads will be published in that stream, as well as the recap. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post, and at the time I write the recap I will rename the stream "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread, all the overflow threads and recap 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 the game's StoryStream™ as noted above.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at one hour, two hours and 2:45 after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.