I refuse to be bullied by the pitcher formerly known as Matt Harvey. But he’s really earning it.
Since joining the Reds on May 11, Harvey has his ERA down to just 3.86 and his FIP to 4.21. His last three starts, however, have been particularly good. Against the Brewers, Braves, and Cubs – three of the best teams in the NL – Harvey has allowed just 3 earned runs in a combined 18.1 innings pitched, while striking out 14 batters and walking just 2. Fuuuuuudge. Hopefully, having faced the Cubs so recently works against him, because the dude is on a role.
And then there’s Tyler Chatwood. Our old friend and roommate. Chatwood only allowed three walks during his last start, but that was in just 5.0 innings and he also allowed 7 hits and 7 earned runs, so …. I’m not sure what’s left to say at this point. He has SO MUCH talent bottled up in that electric arm, but if he can’t learn to command the pitches, it’s not going to matter.
Yu Darvish will come back eventually and Mike Montgomery is still pitching well. Perhaps working with Victor Caratini will make the difference today, but it’s not like Caratini is known for his receiving/framing skills and he’s not exactly a veteran catcher either. If this Chatwood thing is going to work, he’s going to have to make himself better.
Hey, Cubs, please win so we don’t have to have nightmares about being swept by the Reds in back-to-back games on a Saturday night. Thanks.
Game Info
Chicago Cubs (49-36) vs. Cincinnati Reds (39-49) – Saturday, July 7 at 1:20 CT on CSNC, MLBN (out-of-market), 670 The Score
Game Thread and Series Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun today.
Starting Pitchers
Cubs: Tyler Chatwood (R): 3.55 ERA, 4.01 FIP; 2.05 K/BB
versus
Reds: Matt Harvey (R): 3.83 ERA, 4.69 FIP; 2.38 K/BB
Cincinatti Reds:
- Scott Schebler, RF
- Tucker Barnhard, C
- Joey Votto, 1B
- Scooter Gennett, 2B
- Eugenio Suarez, 3B
- Henry Winkler, LF
- Jose Peraza, SS
- Matt Harvey, P
- Billy Hamilton, CF
Chicago Cubs Lineup:
- Ben Zobrist, RF
- Jason Heyward, CF
- Javy Baez, 2B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Ian Happ, 3B
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Victor Caratini, C
- Addison Russell, SS
- Tyler Chatwood, P