Game Twenty-Four – Cubs (7-16) vs. Brewers (18-6)
- Game Time – 1:10pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: WGN TV – Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channels 186, 844
- Location – Miller Park, Milwaukee
Jason Hammel (3-1, 2.60/0.69/4.53) vs. Wily Peralta (3-0, 2.19/1.09/4.51)
The Cubs will try to salvage the finale of the weekend series in Milwaukee and pick-up a rare win over the Brewers this afternoon. The Cubs have won only six games since 2011 at Miller Park (6-24).
Jason Hammel has been very good this year and has been on the winning end of nearly half of the Cubs’ victories this season. As has been the case for the Cubs’ staff this season, Hammel can only do so much and will need some sort of support in order to end the Cubs four-game losing streak.
Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Welington Castillo and Mike Olt continue to show improvement at the plate, but for the most part the Cubs are not hitting and a majority of Renteria’s lineup has stopped grinding out at bats. The offense followed up the 12-strikeout, one walk performance on Friday with 11 strikeouts and zero walks on Saturday.
Rick Renteria did not follow the splits with his starting lineup on Saturday night, maybe he will today. The lefty-righty splits are pretty even during Peralta’s career (LH: .251/.327/.338, RH: .265/.332/.322). Right handed hitters have pounded Wily Peralta this season (2.79/.354/.469) while left handers have not hit him much whatsoever (.180/.212/.241). And the Cubs’ lefties have had very little success against him.
Today all starts with Jason Hammel …
Jason Hammel will be one of the few players in the Cubs’ clubhouse that will not be glad to see a new month on the calendar in a couple of days. Hammel has been very good throughout the month. Hammel has taken the hill four times and has posted four quality starts. Hammel is coming off an excellent outing against the Diamondbacks. Hammel limited Arizona to one run (solo home run) on four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings.
Hammel has given up a home run in each of his last three starts and five longballs on the season. There is a very good chance that the Brewers will take him deep today. The key will be limiting Milwaukee to solo shots and keep them from the multi-run dingers.
Jason Hammel is 3-0 in four starts against the Brewers in his career with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP … at Miller Park, Hammel is 1-0 in two starts with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.
Brewers Career Numbers against Jason Hammel
- Lyle Overbay: 2-for-19 with one walk
- Ryan Braun: 5-for-11 with one double and one walk
- Mark Reynolds: 2-for-11 with one walk
- Carlos Gomez: 2-for-8
- Aramis Ramirez: 1-for-5
- Jonathan Lucroy: 2-for-4
Wily Peralta has always had the stuff but had not been able to put together a string of outings that matched his ability, until this year. Wily Peralta has been very, very good and he’s coming off a solid outing against the Padres. Peralta held San Diego to three runs, two earned, on six hits with one walk and six strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Peralta is throwing strikes, only six walks in 24 2/3 innings, and he’s had a lot of success against the Cubs.
Wily Peralta is 2-2 in five career starts against the Cubs with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.
Cubs Career Numbers against Wily Peralta
- Starlin Castro: 7-for-16 with one double and one home run
- Anthony Rizzo: 5-for-13 with one double and two walks
- Nate Schierholtz: 0-for-14
- Luis Valbuena: 2-for-13 with two walks
- Welington Castillo: 3-for-10 with one double
- Darwin Barney: 1-for-6 with one walk
- Ryan Sweeney: 2-for-5 with one walk
- Junior Lake: 0-for-3
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …