Game Forty-Two: Cubs (21-20) vs. Padres (21-22)
Game Time – 3:05pm C.T.
Coverage – TV: WGN TV – Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 189
Location – PETCO Park, San Diego
Ted Lilly (5-3, 3.35/1.04) vs. Chris Young (3-2, 5.07/1.49)
The Cubs will look to avoid their worst losing streak under Lou Piniella this afternoon and salvage the last game of the series…as well as the road trip. The Cubs are in the middle of their worst string of games in over three years. They are not hitting and are wasting solid pitching performances by the entire staff (14 earned runs in 40 innings). The Cubs tied their longest losing streak under Lou Piniella with Saturday night’s loss…the last time this organization dropped seven in a row was in May of 2006 (a eight-game slide from May 2 – May 9)
The offensive ineptitude on the road trip is unbelievable and it might be a good time to give Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot a day off. With the Pirates sending two southpaws to the mound in the three-game series that starts on Monday, Reed Johnson could use a few at bats (5-for-19 in nine games in May with a double and a triple)…the lineup needs a little energy and Johnson could help.
The Cubs offense is hitting .166 (26-for-157) with a .225 OBP and a .210 slugging percentage on this road trip…just three runs in five games
Today’s pitching match-up is a rematch of the rain-shortened game on May 13 at Wrigley. Ted Lilly got the best of Chris Young that night and the only mistakes ‘The Bulldog‘ made was serving up two longballs to Adrian Gonzalez. The Padres will be in their familiar Sunday camouflage uniforms this afternoon…a day before Memorial Day. Ted Lilly has been the most consistent starter for Lou Piniella this season. The Cubs are 5-3 in his eight starts…and Lilly has figured into the decision each time. Lilly could easily be 7-1 instead of 5-3…two of the Cubs four shutouts this season have come in games Lilly has started and he allowed a total of four earned runs combined in those losses.
‘The Bulldog‘ is coming off a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals. The Cubs offense allowed Joel Pineiro to dominate them and Lilly made only one mistake…a two-out, two-run homer by Colby Rasmus in the fifth inning.
Lilly has struggled on the road this season (2-2 in four starts with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP) but is 3-1 in his last four starts with a 2.96 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP…opponents are hitting just .212 against him.
Today will be Lilly’s seventh career start against the Padres. He is 5-1 in seven career games with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP…at PETCO, 1-1 in two career start with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP (three runs on 10 hits, two home runs with four walks and 14 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings).
- Henry Blanco – 0-for-3
- Chris Burke – 4-for-16 with a double and a triple
- David Eckstein – 5-for-37 with a double and 2 walks
- Brian Giles – 3-for-12 with 2 doubles and 3 walks
- Edgar Gonzalez – 1-for-6 with a double
- Adrian Gonzalez – 3-for-12 with a triple, 2 home runs and a walk
- Scott Hairston – 5-for-14 with two home runs
- Kevin Kouzmanoff – 3-for-12 with a double
The Cubs will face a much different Chris Young today. The Padres’ second best starter has not lost at home this season (3-0 in four starts) and gives up nearly six runs less at PETCO than on the road (8.03 ERA away from PETCO, 2.16 ERA at home)…and is close to unhittable during the day (1-0 in three starts with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP, opponents hit just a buck sixty-two against him). In other words the Cubs struggles will not get any help this afternoon.
The Cubs touched up Chris Young at Wrigley to the tune of six runs on six hits in four innings…Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot (twice) all went deep against Young.
Young is 1-1 in five career starts against the Cubs with a 3.90 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.
- Milton Bradley – 1-for-1 with a walk
- Mike Fontenot – 0-for-2
- Ryan Freel – 1-for-5 with a double
- Kosuke Fukudome – 0-for-3
- Reed Johnson – 1-for-2
- Derrek Lee – 0-for-5 with a walk
- Aaron Miles – 1-for-5
- Alfonso Soriano – 4-for-13 with a double, a triple and 2 home runs
- Geovany Soto – 2-for-2 with a home run
- Ryan Theriot – 2-for-4 with 2 home runs and 2 walks
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball….