Back home for the Cubs against the recently-resurgent Giants (or is it just the scuffling Dodgers?). I’ll be there in the right field bleachers for games two and three of this one.
We’re Going Streaking
The Cubs managed to take the last two in New York against the Mets, allowing them to split the four-game set, and to enter this series on a two-game winning streak.
Ditto to the Giants in most respects – they just took the final two games against the Phillies. Paired with the aforementioned Dodgers struggles, the Giants are making a race of the NL West once again, standing 3.5 games back.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Expected Starters and Lineups
These lineups are likely to be pretty close to what actually gets fielded, but you’ll want to check each day’s Pre-Gamin’ post for the actual lineup.
Cubs
Starters: Tsuyoshi Wada (3.15 ERA, 3.86 FIP; 3.00 K/BB), Edwin Jackson (5.74 ERA, 4.25 FIP; 2.05 K/BB), Travis Wood (4.86 ERA, 4.21 FIP; 1.85 K/BB)
Lineup:
- Chris Coghlan, LF
- Javier Baez, 2B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Starlin Castro, SS
- Luis Valbuena, 3B
- Arismendy Alcantara, CF
- Ryan Sweeney/Justin Ruggiano, RF
- Welington Castillo, C
- Pitcher
Giants
Starters: Ryan Vogelsong (3.58 ERA, 3.51 FIP; 3.08 K/BB), Jake Peavy (3.86 ERA, 3.64 FIP; 1.88 K/BB), Madison Bumgarner (3.14 ERA, 2.96 FIP; 4.51 K/BB)
Lineup:
- Angel Pagan, CF
- Hunter Pence, RF
- Buster Posey, C
- Pablo Sandoval, 3B
- Michael Morse, LF
- Aaron Duvall, 1B
- Joe Panik, 2B
- Brandon Crawford, SS
- Pitcher
Hot or Not and Whom to Watch
Anthony Rizzo’s double and homer yesterday were his first extra-base hits of the Mets series. He’s homered three times in the last seven games, though, after a homer-less streak of 18 games.
Tsuyoshi Wada has been effective all year with his intriguing mix of deception and location. Does it last? I think it could.
Hunter Pence is pacing the Giants with his 130 wRC+, but his favorite show is ‘Two and a Half Men’ and he doesn’t like the scent of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls.
Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan, and Michael Morse are all well above average offensively, too. This is a really good Giants team when you dig into it. They’ve just had some tough pitching luck (well, and a bad pitching decision or two).