Game Twenty-Six: Cubs (14-11) vs. Diamondbacks (14-13)
Game Time – 8:40pm C.T. on Comcast SportsNet, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 188
Location – Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Greg Maddux (5-0, 1.35) vs. Miguel Batista (2-1, 6.33)
Greg Maddux, the National League Pitcher of the Month for April, goes to the hill tonight against former Cub Miguel Batista (1997) and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Maddux is looking for a 6-0 start and career win number 324. Maddux has pitched better thus far in the season than anyone anticipated he would and he is arguably off to the best start of his Hall of Fame career. Maddux has been the rock the Cubs have leaned on the entire season and they look for Maddux to start this 9-game West Coast swing with a win against the D’backs. The Diamondbacks will go with two former Cubs in the series, Batista tonight and Juan Cruz (2001-2003) on Thursday and they are both right-handers. The Cubs are 11-4 against righties this season and they have to use this series to their advantage and get back on track….both mentally and physically. The Cubs have to get the offense going, they have only recorded 51 hits in the last 8 games and were shutout twice. Aramis Ramirez, Jacque Jones and Juan Pierre have to step up their performance (or lack there of) at the plate and take some pressure of the rest of the team. The Cubs are hitting right around the Mendoza Line since the injury to Derrek Lee.
Maddux should supply the Cubs with enough pitching to win, but the question remains….can the Cubs score enough run to get the “W”?
Let’s Talk Cubbies Baseball….