Game One Hundred Twenty-Five: Cubs (53-71) vs. Phillies (62-62)
Game Time – 7:05pm C.T. Comcast Sports Net, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 187
Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ryan O’Malley (1-0, 0.00) vs. Jamie Moyer (6-12, 4.39)
With Roster Moves – Izturis Placed on 15-Day DL – Buck Coats Selected from Iowa
The 43-year old against the 26-year old, the Battle of the Lefties and the Cubs’ past against their future….which headline is most fitting? Jaime Moyer will make his first start at Wrigley Field since October 2, 1988….18 long years. Moyer made his Major League debut with the Cubs in 1986 and beat the Phillies’ Steve Carlton, his childhood idol. Now it is time for Ryan O’Malley to face a former member of his favorite team….turnabout would be fair game, right? Ryan O’Malley will make his first career start at Wrigley after a stunning Major League debut last Wednesday in Houston. Everyone knows by now O’Malley’s story and hopefully his success against the Astros will continue against a high powered offense that is clicking on all cylinders right now.
Jaime Moyer (1986-1988) will make his first start for the Phillies after being acquired in a trade on Saturday night from the Seattle Mariners for Minor League pitchers Andrew Baldwin and Andrew Barb. Moyer was 4-5 with a 3.80 ERA at Safeco Field but was 2-7 with a 5.29 ERA on the road and is just 1-4 with a 7.15 ERA since the All-Star break. The Cubs will have plenty of chances against Moyer, but he is left-handed, so this could be a closer game than it should be.
Turn off your radar guns, there is no point….tonight is all about location, location, location.
Let’s Talk Cubbies Baseball….
Roster Moves – For the second consecutive day the Cubs placed a starter on the DL. The Cubs place Cesar Izturis on the 15-Day DL with a strained right hamstring and selected Buck Coats from Triple-A Iowa to take his place on the roster. Coats has played all 3 outfield positions as well as shortstop, 2nd base and 3rd base this season for the I-Cubs.