Game One Hundred Thirty: Cubs (54-75) vs. Cardinals (68-60)
Game Time – 7:05pm C.T. ESPN, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 187
Location – Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Les Walrond (0-0, -.–) vs. Jeff Weaver (5-13, 6.11)
Updated 4:35pm C.T. with Roster Moves – Walrond Recalled – Ryu Optioned to Iowa – Wood Moved to the 60-Day DL
The last game of the season against the Cardinals….5 weeks and after tonight only 32 games left in the 2006 season and another rookie is scheduled to make his first Major League start. Les Walrond was drafted by the Cardinals and made his Major League debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2003. The 29-year old lefty will be the 14th different pitcher to start a game for the Cubs, the 8th different rookie (Hill, Guzman, Marshall, Marmol, Ryu, Mateo, O’Malley) and the 7th to make his first Major League start. Walrond was a non-roster invitee to Spring Training and had some success with the I-Cubs this season (9-3, 3.77, 103 k’s in 133 1/3 innings), he will look to salvage the last game of the series and end the season series for the Cubs against the Cardinals with a win. Another question for the Cubs is who will be either sent down or released to make room for Walrond. Walrond is not on the 40-man roster and the logical move would be to place Kerry Wood on the 60-day DL to create room. On the active roster the Cubs will be making more than just a move today with Derrek Lee expected to be activated during the Pirates series starting on Monday. The logical move would be to DFA Glendon Rusch but more than likely the move will be to send Jae Kuk Ryu back to Iowa for a week. With Walrond scheduled to pitch one must wonder if Glendon Rusch has finally fallen out of grace with Cubs’ management because a roster move so close to the rosters expanding makes little to no sense.
Jeff Weaver has performed of late the way the Angels thought he would we they signed him as a free agent last off-season. Some have said Weaver has thrown better, again of late, than any other starter on the Cardinals roster with the exception of Chris Carpenter. After another horrible start against the Phillies on August 2nd Weaver has not allowed more than 4 earned runs and has pitched into the 6th inning in all but one. Weaver is 1-1 with a 3.42 ERA in his last 4 starts. The Cubs pounded Weaver on July 27th; he gave up 4 runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings, Rich Hill started that game and the Cubs came back and beat Tyler Johnson. The Cubs must get to Weaver early and allow him to beat himself again.
Let’s Talk Cubbies Baseball….
Roster Moves – According to a report from the Associated Press out of St. Louis, the Cubs recalled Les Walrond from Triple-A Iowa to start Sunday night’s game against the Cardinals, optioned Jae Kuk Ryu back to Iowa and moved Kerry Wood to the 60-day DL to make room for Walrond on the 40-man roster, officially ending Wood’s season and possibly his career with the Chicago Cubs.