Game Fifty: Cubs (35-14) vs. Dodgers (27-25)
- Game Time – 7:05pm CDT
- Coverage – TV: ABC-7, ESPN – Radio: WSCR 670 The Score, Cubs Radio Network, XM Radio Channels 187, 844
- Location – Wrigley Field, Chicago
Jake Arrieta, RHP (9-0, 1.72/0.89/2.73) vs. Scott Kazmir, LHP (4-3, 4.84/1.30/5.14)
Weather permitting … Jake Arrieta gets the ball tonight as the Cubs shoot for their seventh win in a row.
The last time Jake Arrieta faced the Dodgers he pitched the first no-hitter of his career. Arrieta struck out 12 and walked one in Los Angeles last August 30. Arrieta was in the middle of the most dominating second half ever seen in the big leagues.
The Cubs will face a Dodgers’ lefty for the second day in a row. The Cubs were heavily linked to Scott Kazmir last summer before he was traded to the Astros. Kazmir signed with the Dodgers in the off-season after rumors suggested the Cubs were one of the teams interested in signing him. Joe Maddon knows Kazmir extremely well from their days together in Tampa.
Dexter Fowler is expected back in the lineup tonight after missing the opener with a sore right heel. Maddon should run out a balanced lineup with Kazmir on the mound. Left-handers have hit .250/.324/.453 with a .777 OPS against him this season while right-handers have put together a .236/.320/.433 line with a .753 OPS.
Tonight all starts with Jake Arrieta …
Jake Arrieta struggled in his last start and completed only five innings. The Cubs hung on and beat the Cardinals in the finale in St. Louis. But Arrieta was not good. Arrieta has been giving up a lot of hard contact. It all caught up to him in St. Louis. Arrieta should be better tonight against the Dodgers.
Even with giving up four runs on seven hits in five innings to the Redbirds, Arrieta is 4-0 in his last five starts with a 2.53 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Arrieta has allowed 10 runs, nine earned, on 22 hits with 11 walks and 35 strikeouts in 32 innings. A very good stretch and it just goes to show how spoiled even his teammates have become when he takes the ball.
Jake Arrieta is 3-0 in four starts at Wrigley Field this season with a 1.73 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Arrieta makes his fourth career start against the Dodgers tonight.
Jake Arrieta no-hit the Dodgers last August in one of the most dominating single-game performances in the history of the game. Arrieta is 1-2 in three career starts against the Dodgers with a 4.50 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
Dodgers Career Numbers against Jake Arrieta
- Adrian Gonzalez: 5-for-18 with one double, one home run and one walk
- Carl Crawford: 5-for-14 with two doubles, one home run and two walks
- Chase Utley: 0-for-10
- A.J. Ellis: 0-for-3 with two walks
- Howie Kendrick: 1-for-4 with one walk
- Yasmani Grandal: 0-for-3
- Kike Hernandez: 0-for-3
- Joc Pederson: 0-for-3
- Yasiel Puig: 2-for-3 with one double
- Justin Turner: 0-for-1
Scott Kazmir has been inconsistent at best this season. The veteran lefty will make a good start and follow it up with a rough outing. For example, Kazmir has struggled against the Padres but shutdown the Cardinals.
Kazmir is 3-1 in his last five starts with a 4.13 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. And on the road this year, he is 2-0 in five starts with a 6.26 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
The Cubs must make him work early and not allow him to get comfortable on the mound.
Scott Kazmir is 1-0 in two career starts against the Cubs with a 2.53 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Kazmir makes his second career start at Wrigley Field tonight.
Ben Zobrist (2-for-10 with one walk), Dexter Fowler (1-for-9 with one walk) and David Ross (0-for-4) are the only three players on Joe Maddon’s active roster that have faced Scott Kazmir in a regular season big league ballgame.