Game Fifty-One: Cubs (22-28) vs. Marlins (25-27)
Game Time – 7:05pm C.T. WGN TV, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 185
Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ted Lilly (4-2, 3.20/1.02) vs. Sergio Mitre (2-2, 1.89/1.11)
The Cubs will look to salvage the last game of the series tonight behind Ted Lilly. Lilly has pitched very well for the Cubs this season. He has produced 8 quality starts in 10 outings and he finds his team in a must win situation. The Cubs enter play tonight 6 games under .500 with a 12-14 record in the month of May having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Ted Lilly is coming off his worst start of the season against the Dodgers last Friday. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits in 4 1/3 innings and walked a season high 4 batters while striking out a season low, 2. Lilly had a bad outing plain and simple, it was his first loss since April 20 against the Cardinals.
Lilly is 0-2 in 3 career games against the Marlins with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP but has not faced the Fish since June 5, 2003 with he was with the Oakland A’s. Lilly was credited with the loss but he gave up just 1 earned run in 7 innings of work.
Sergio Mitre was one of three pitchers dealt to the Marlins in December of 2005 for Juan Pierre. While Pierre is wearing Dodger blue, Mitre continues to win games for the Marlins. Mitre is 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA on the road this season with a 0.87 WHIP. Mitre showed his potential while in a Cubs’ uniform back in 2005 but he was unable to put it together for the Cubs and was easy tradebait at the end of the 2005 season.
After posting a 1-5 record with a 5.71 ERA in 15 games (7 starts) in an injury-shortened season of 2006, he has already started 8 games this season after spending time on the DL with a blister on his right middle finger. Tonight will be the first time Mitre has faced his former team. In 20 career games (9 starts) at Wrigley Field, Mitre is 2-3 with a 5.14 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball….