Game Seven: Cubs (3-3) vs. Astros (1-5)
Game Time – 1:20pm C.T. WGN TV, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 185
Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ted Lilly (1-0, 1.29/0.57) vs. Woody Williams (0-1, 5.79/2.14)
The 2007 Home Opener…. In the first 6 games of the season Lou Piniella’s Cubs showcased what they are capable of….a high powered offense with solid starting pitching. Now they just have to keep it up, something probably easier said than done. Ted Lilly was very impressive in his Cub debut last week against the Reds but will have a real test today against an Astros’ offense that features Lance Berkman and the biggest Cub killer of them all….Carlos Lee. The Astros paid big money for Carlos Lee in the off-season who, like Alfonso Soriano, is off to a slow start. Lee is hitting just .278 with a .250 OBP and has just one long ball and 5 RBI’s. In 63 career games against the Cubs, Lee has hit 19 home runs and drove in 57 with a .318 average, a .379 OBP and a .620 SLG….in 14 career at bats against Ted Lilly he has just 2 hits, a double, and 2 walks.
Ted Lilly is coming off of a tremendous outing against the Reds and allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 7 innings while striking out 9 and walking just 1. When the Cubs signed Lilly the main concern was the amount of home runs he has allowed in his career (144 in 186 games) and the fact he is a fly ball pitcher in an unfriendly pitcher’s park….when the wind is blowing out. Lilly has faced the Astros just once in his career and is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. In 6 innings he gave up 4 runs on 7 hits that included 3 home runs. walked 1 and struck out 1.
Woody Williams, the former Cardinal and Padre, is 3-8 in 16 career games, 15 starts, against the Cubs with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Williams has allowed 103 hits in 93 innings. Williams has struggled in his career at Wrigley and in 8 career starts he is 1-6 with a 6.04 ERA (30 earned runs in 44 2/3 innings) with a 1.48 WHIP. In his first start this season he struggled against the Pirates and allowed 5 runs, 3 earned, on 8 hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Several Cubs that should be in the starting lineup today have performed extremely well in their career against Woody Williams.
- Derrek Lee – 9-26 with 3 doubles and 6 RBI’s (.346/.414)
- Aramis Ramirez – 12-40 with 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s (.300/.333)
- Cliff Floyd – 10-24 with a double, 2 home runs and 5 RBI’s (.417/.440)
- Michael Barrett – 6-15 with 2 doubles and a triple (.400/.471)
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball….