Game One Hundred Fifty-One: Cubs (63-87) vs. Brewers (66-83)
- Game Time – 7:10pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: Comcast SportsNet Plus – Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channels 189/844
- Location – Miller Park, Milwaukee
Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.44/1.36/3.79) vs. Marco Estrada (6-4, 4.29/1.18/4.27)
The Cubs and Jeff Samardzija will try to bounce back tonight and not only end their three-game losing streak but pick-up a rare win against the Brewers in Miller Park.
Dale Sveum’s team is 5-11 in the first 16 games of the season against Milwaukee. The Cubs have three games remaining against a Brewers’ team that has outplayed them in every aspect of the game over the last two years. The Cubs have dropped 20 of the last 24 games at Miller Park and 24 of the 33 games to Milwaukee over the past two seasons.
The Cubs need a good outing from Jeff Samardzija tonight and for him to finish the year on a positive note.
Dave Eanet will join Keith Moreland and Judd Sirott in the booth tonight to call the game on WGN. Pat Hughes is off for the next three days. Pat said everything is fine that the next three days are scheduled days off and he will be back in the booth for the beginning of the final homestand of the year against the Braves on Friday afternoon.
Tonight all starts with Jeff Samardzija …
Jeff Samardzija is coming off another poor outing and is looking to put his last three starts behind him tonight. Samardzija has three starts, including today, in order to finish his first complete season as a starting pitcher at the big league level on a positive note. Samardzija has created more questions and doubt with his last three starts than anything else. Three strong outings will silence some of his critics while three not-so-good outings will create an off-season full of debate about whether or not Samardzija should be considered a building block for the Chicago Cubs.
The Reds lit up Samardzija last Wednesday afternoon in the Queen City. Samardzija gave up six runs on eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Samardzija has given up 17 runs on 25 hits with seven walks and 20 strikeouts over his last three games (18 1/3 innings) … 8.35 ERA, 1.75 WHIP.
Jeff Samardzija has pitched a lot better on the road this year (5-7 in 14 games with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP) than at Wrigley this year (3-5 in 16 starts with a 4.96 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP) and he will face the Brewers for the third time tonight.
One of Samardzija’s best starts of the second half (3-3 in 11 starts with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP) came against the Brewers at Wrigley on July 29. Samardzija tossed seven innings of shutout ball while giving up just three hits. For the year, Samardzija is 0-1 in two games versus Milwaukee with a 2.57 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP.
Brewers Career Numbers against Jeff Samardzija
- Jonathan Lucroy – 1-for-12 with a triple and two walks
- Norichika Aoki – 5-for-13 with a double, a triple and a walk
- Jean Segura – 2-for-9
- Juan Francisco – 1-for-5 with a walk
- Carlos Gomez – 1-for-6 with a home run
- Yuniesky Betancourt – 0-for-5
- Aramis Ramirez – 1-for-5
- Marco Estrada – 0-for-4
- Jeff Bianchi – 0-for-3
- Caleb Gindl – 2-for-3 with a double
Marco Estrada spent a majority of the season on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Estrada has pitched rather well since he returned and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Cardinals in his last outing. Estrada ended up giving up one run on two hits with three walks and six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
The crafty right-hander was 2-0 in five starts last month with a 2.61 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP and shutdown the Cardinals in his first action in 11 days. Estrada has been good when he’s been on the mound this season, and he has owned the Cubs during his career.
The Cubs will face Estrada for the third time this season tonight. Marco Estrada is 2-0 in the first two starts with a 3.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Estrada is a perfect 4-0 in 10 career games, five starts, against the Cubs with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.
Cubs Career Numbers against Marco Estrada
- Starlin Castro (.285) – 6-for-15 with two doubles and a triple
- Anthony Rizzo (.251) – 1-for-12
- Darwin Barney (.227) – 0-for-8 with a walk
- Welington Castillo (.347) – 1-for-8 with a home run
- Nate Schierholtz (.272) – 1-for-6 with a double
- Luis Valbuena (.241) – 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk
- Brian Bogusevic (.310) – 1-for-4
- Jeff Samardzija (.214) – 0-for-2 with a walk
- Darnell McDonald (.286) – 0-for-1 with a walk
- Donnie Murphy (.280) – 1-for-2 with a double
- Dioner Navarro (.304) – 0-for-1
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …