Game One Hundred Nine: Cubs (49-59) vs. Dodgers (58-49)
- Game Time – 3:05pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: WGN TV – Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channels 184/844
- Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Travis Wood (7-7, 2.79/1.07) vs. Hyun-Jin Ryu (1-1, 3.13/1.24)
Weather permitting … The Cubs will try to get back on track this afternoon against the red-hot, high flying Los Angeles Dodgers. Don Mattingly’s team has won 11 straight road games, tied for the longest road winning streak in franchise history (’55 Brooklyn Dodgers) and has shown no signs of slowing down.
Travis Wood has the tough task of trying to keep the Dodgers off the board while the Cubs’ offense tries to figure out lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Korean southpaw has been very good in a limited time in the big leagues. The Cubs are believed to have finished second on the bidding for Ryu in the off-season.
Dale Sveum should resist the urge to fill his lineup this afternoon with as many right handers as possible. Ryu has held right-handed hitters to a .232/.288/.297 slash line with 76 strikeouts and 29 walks while lefties have hit .283/.350/.414 against Ryu with 13 walks and 29 strikeouts.
After a very successful 6-4 trip out west, the Cubs are 1-4 over the first five games of the eight-game homestand.
This afternoon all starts with Travis Wood …
Travis Wood is coming off a solid start and a win against the Giants. Wood allowed one unearned run on four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings. Wood did not pitch as good as he final line indicates and if he pitches the same way today, the Dodgers will keep the scoreboard operator busy. Wood struggled with his command and pitched from behind in the count for a majority of his outing.
Travis Wood finished July with a 2-1 record in five starts with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Wood must work on his strikeout to walk ratio, which is less than 2:1 over his last 31 innings.
Travis Wood is 4-4 in 12 home starts this season with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
Travis Wood is 1-1 in three career starts versus the Dodgers with a 6.48 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. Wood received a no decision in his only appearance against the Dodgers last season. Wood allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts in six innings.
Dodgers Career Numbers against Travis Wood
- Mark Ellis – 1-for-3 with a walk
- Andre Ethier – 3-for-7 with two double
- Adrian Gonzalez – 0-for-3
- Jerry Hairston Jr. – 1-for-1
- Hanley Ramirez – 2-for-5 with two doubles
- Juan Uribe – 1-for-3 with two walks
The Cubs will get their first look at lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu this afternoon. The Korean southpaw has had a very good start to his big league career. Ryu is coming off a win against the Reds. Ryu allowed one run on three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in seven innings.
Hyun-Jin Ryu has worked through a tough stretch after an excellent start to the season. Ryu has not lost a game since June 19 and the Dodgers are 8-2 in his last 10 starts.
Hyun-Jin Ryu is 3-0 in his last four starts with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. On the road this season, Ryu is 4-2 in 10 starts with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …