Game Eleven – Cubs (4-6) vs. Cardinals (5-5)
- Game Time – 1:15pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: Comcast SportsNet – Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channels 184, 844
- Location – Busch Stadium, St. Louis
Carlos Villanueva (1-2, 4.26/1.58/4.51) vs. Adam Wainwright (1-1, 1.29/1.00/2.24)
It’s a quick turnaround for the Cubs after another late finish and extra innings game on Friday night. Rick Renteria will hand the ball to Carlos Villanueva today in need of a long outing from his starter. The Cubs bullpen could use a breather after another extra inning game. Plus, Renteria’s pen figures to be a reliever short this afternoon with Jose Veras throwing 27 pitches (13 strikes) on Friday night. Justin Grimm and Pedro Strop should be available despite their 20-plus pitch outings on Friday.
The Cubs offense will face their biggest challenge of the season, to this point, in Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is off to a good start to his season which is not good news for a team that’s had trouble scoring runs.
Junior Lake and Mike Olt could be in today’s starting lineup that is if Olt can play. Rick Renteria said before Friday’s game both Lake and Olt might be in the starting eight behind Carlos Villanueva. Lefties have hit better (.253/.315/.340) than righties (.240/.283/.325) off of Adam Wainwright during his career.
This afternoon all starts with Carlos Villanueva …
Carlos Villanueva makes his fourth appearance of the season this afternoon. Villanueva has already appeared in close to a third of the Cubs’ first ten games. Villanueva is coming off a very good outing against the Phillies. Villanueva set the tone at Wrigley last Sunday and helped his team salvage the first series of the season at Wrigley. Villanueva held the Phillies to one run on six hits in five innings. The key to his success was not giving Philly any extra baserunners … and he must do that again today. If Villanueva starts walking batters, it could be a long day for the overworked bullpen.
In three appearances, one start, this season, Villanueva has allowed three runs on 10 hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
Carlos Villanueva is 5-4 in 31 career games, 10 starts, against the Cardinals with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Villanueva posted a 0-1 record in six games, three starts, against the Redbirds last season with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. For his career at Busch Stadium, 3-1 in 16 games, five starts, with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Cardinals Career Numbers against Carlos Villanueva
- Yadier Molina: 5-for-25 with one double
- Matt Holliday: 5-for-16 with three walks
- Matt Carpenter: 4-for-9 with one double and two walks
- Allen Craig: 2-for-8 with two walks
- Daniel Descalso: 1-for-7
- Pete Kozma: 2-for-6 with one walk
- Adam Wainwright: 1-for-7 with one home run
- Matt Adams: 0-for-3 with one walk
- Jhonny Peralta: 0-for-4
- Peter Bourjos: 0-for-1 with one walk
- Tony Cruz: 0-for-1
- Shane Robinson: 0-for-1
The Cubs offense gets the pleasure of facing Adam Wainwright this afternoon. Wainwright has been, well, Adam Wainwright over his first two starts. Wainwright has allowed two runs on eight hits in 14 innings this season with a surprising six walks and 16 strikeouts. The Pirates and Reds managed only a .170 batting average against him.
Adam Wainwright is arguably the best right handed starter in the Senior Circuit and is coming off a season in which he posted a 19-9 record in 34 starts with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
The Cubs have struggled over the years, as most teams have against Wainwright. The Cardinals’ ace is 8-6 in 31 games, 22 starts, against the Cubs with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Wainwright was 2-1 in four starts versus the Cubs last season with a 3.20 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP … 22 hits, three walks and 23 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings.
Cubs Career Numbers against Adam Wainwright
- Starlin Castro: 7-for-25 with one double, one triple and two walks
- Darwin Barney: 8-for-26 with two doubles and one home run
- Nate Schierholtz: 4-for-16 with two doubles
- Anthony Rizzo: 3-for-13 with one walk
- Welington Castillo: 1-for-8
- Luis Valbuena: 3-for-8 with two doubles and one walk
- Emilio Bonifacio: 1-for-7 with one walk
- John Baker: 1-for-7 with one double
- Ryan Sweeney: 2-for-6 with one double and one home run
- Carlos Villanueva: 0-for-6
- Junior Lake: 2-for-5 with one double
DVD Giveaway
Its contest time once again at the CCO.
TO HELP CELEBRATE THE NEW 2014 BASEBALL SEASON, TAKE YOURSELF OUT TO THE BALLGAME WITH SPECIALLY-PRICED WORLD SERIES FILMS, BLOOPERS, TV SERIES AND DOCS – ALL UNDER $10, AVAILABLE NOW ON iTUNES!
MLB’s Download-To-Own Offerings – Including 70 Historic and Official World Series Films from 1943-2013, “MLB Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders” and the Complete First Season of “This Week in Baseball” — Allows Fans to Bring America’s Pastime With Them Wherever They Go!
Last week, 30 Major League Baseball® teams took the field for Opening Day 2014. Fans have been thronging to ballparks around the country, and tune in on TV, radio and online, as their respective teams begin the months-long campaigns toward their ultimate goal: the World Series Championship.
To celebrate the new season, A+E Networks Home Entertainment has launched a digital download sale on nearly 100 great programs from Major League Baseball, encompassing some of the league’s best TV programming, special documentaries and features, as well as the annual crowning achievement: the Official World Series Film, from 1943 to the present day.
Allowing fans to watch everything from their favorite teams and players to some of the greatest moments in Major League Baseball history anywhere a smartphone or tablet can go, MLB’s digital downloads have never been easier to attain! Until April 15, simply visit www.iTunes.com/MLB to purchase any of the specially-priced programs, including:
- 100 Years of Wrigley Field
- All-Time Bloopers
- Angels Memories
- Astros Memories: The Greatest Moments in Astros Baseball History
- Baseball Seasons: 2004
- Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders
- Bryce Begins
- Detroit Tigers: Hometown Heroics
- Fenway Park Centennial – 100 Years as the Heart of Red Sox NationGame 162
- Letters from Jackie: The Private Thoughts of Jackie Robinson
- Major League Baseball Official World Series Films, 1943-2013
- Major League Baseball’s All Century Team
- MLB 25: Greatest Postseason Home Runs
- New York Mets: 50 Greatest Players
- Pride and Perseverance: The Story of the Negro Leagues
- Prime 9 Vol. 1 (TV Episodes 9 x .5 hr
- Sudden Death Baseball
- Superstars: Impact Players
- Superstars: World Powers
- The Best of the Home Run Derby
- This Week in Baseball, Season. 1 (TV Episodes 17 x .5 hr)
- World Series: History of the Fall Classic
A+E Networks contacted the CCO once again and asked for us to let our readers know the films are now available for download on iTunes and have set aside three copies of “Prime 9: MLB Heroics” for us to give our readers.
Beginning today, April 12, and concluding with the opener in the Bronx on Tuesday night (April 15), the CCO will conduct a contest each day (three total) and the winner will receive a copy of the DVD from A+E.
Here is how the contest works:
There will be only (1) winner per day. All entries must be posted in the comments section with a time stamp prior to first pitch. All entries made after first pitch (1:15pm CDT) will NOT be valid. If any rules are not followed then those entries will NOT be valid. All entries must include answers for all questions and failure to do so will make that entry invalid. Only (1) entry per day, per person, per IP address.
There will be one question posted in each of the three game previews. The person with the correct answer for the question will be that day’s winner. The tie breaking procedure will follow the order in which the questions are asked, not based on the amount of correct answers. All answers must be exact, close is not good enough. If more than one entry has all (6) questions answered correctly, the winner will be determined by the time stamp as answering the questions first and correctly.
The winner will be posted in the comment section of that day’s game preview (Talkin’ Cubs Live). The winner will have to email the CCO with a correct mailing address. A+E Networks will send out the DVD to the winners within the continental United States only.
Contest One – April 12, 2014
Number of Strikeouts for Carlos Villanueva
- Tie Breaking 1) Amount of earned runs allowed by Carlos Villanueva
- Tie Breaking 2) Amount of hits allowed by Carlos Villanueva
- Tie Breaking 3) Amount of walks allowed by Carlos Villanueva
- Tie Breaking 4) Amount of home runs allowed by Carlos Villanueva
- Tie Breaking 5) The final score between the Cubs and Cardinals
Let’s Talk Cubs Baseball …