Game Eighty-Two: Cubs (41-40) vs. Nationals (32-49)
Game Time – 6:05pm C.T. WGN TV, WGN Radio, XM Radio Channel 183
Location – RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington D.C.
Carlos Zambrano (9-6, 4.20/1.33) vs. Tim Redding (0-0, -.–/-.–)
Lou Piniella’s crew will look to get a little distance tonight between them and the .500 mark. Ex-Cub, Micah Bowie was scheduled to make the start tonight for the Nationals but he was placed on the 15-day DL on Monday with a hip injury. The Nationals called up Tim Redding from Triple-A Columbus to take his place in the rotation. Redding will be making his first start of the season and will be the 10th different starter and 20th different pitcher Manny Acta has used this year. Carlos Zambrano is coming off a very impressive June after a not-so-spectacular start. Since “his season started“, Zambrano is 4-1 and has allowed 6 earned runs on 18 hits in 37 2/3 innings (1.43 ERA) with more than a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio (43 k’s, 13 walks). Zambrano beat the Nationals back on May 4th at Wrigley, 6-4. He allowed 4 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings of work. In 9 career games, 7 starts, against the Nationals, Zambrano is 4-2 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP….tonight will be his second start at RFK. He is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in his only other start in the Nation’s Capitol on May 14, 2005….4 runs on 4 hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Tim Redding was 9-5 with a 5.32 ERA in 17 games, 16 starts, for Columbus this season and has a career record of 21-34 in 5 big leagues seasons (Astros, Padres and Yankees) with a 5.16 ERA. Redding was 10-14 with a 3.68 ERA with the Houston Astros in 2003. Redding is 2-4 in 11 games, 7 starts, against the Cubs with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
- Derrek Lee – 2-9, with 2 home runs and 2 RBI’s
- Aramis Ramirez – 5-23, with a triple and 2 RBI’s
- Alfonso Soriano – 2-3
- Daryle Ward – 2-6, with a home run and 2 RBI’s
- Carlos Zambrano – 1-3
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball….