vs
The Reds travel to Chicago for a 3 game stance against the Cubs this will be the last stop before returning home on what was a very long road trip for the Reds. 10 games in 11 days when it is all said and done, but they still won't get a day off when they get home because they play 6 in a row at GABP before getting a day off only to hit the road again. So far the Reds have won both series that they have played on the road, and I am kind of glad to see us get a lot of road games against division rivals out of the way so early in the season.
Weather Forecast:
Game One: 8:05 PM ET Tuesday 4/21/09
Snow with a high of 45°F and a low of 36°F
Game Two: 8:05 PM ET Wednesday 4/22/09
Sunny and calm with a high of 52°F and a low of 43°F
Game Three: 2:20 PM ET Thursday 4/23/09
Partly cloudy with a high of 72°F and a low of 56°F
Pitching Matchups:
Game One:
Micah Owings (ERA 7.20 REC 0-1)
VS
Rich Harden (ERA 5.00 REC 0-1)
Game Two:
Johnny Cueto (ERA 4.22 REC 0-1)
VS
Ted Lilly (ERA 3.86 REC 2-0)
Game Three:
Aaron Harang (ERA 2.70 REC 1-2)
VS
Carlos Zambrano (ERA 5.21 REC 1-0)
Fielders:
R. Hernandez____Catcher____G. Soto
Joey Votto _____1st Base____D. Lee
B. Phillips ______2nd____M. Fontenot
Encarnacion_____3rd_____A. Ramirez
A. Gonzalez _____SS______R. Theriot
C. Dickerson _____Left_____A. Soriano
W. Taveras _____Center____R. Johnson
D. McDonald _____Right_____K. Fukudome
Jay Bruce is probably not going to play, so it's a guess as to who will be playing the corner spots in the outfield for the Reds. Bradley is a likely scratch for the Cubs, I thought I saw something somewhere about him being suspended by the team for a couple of games, but I am not sure if I saw that correctly or not, but he has been out of the lineup anyways, so if I got the lineup wrong, I apologize Cubs fans.
Reds-Cubs Preview
After two days off, the Chicago Cubs are gearing up for a heavy dose of baseball.
The Cubs will begin a stretch of 20 straight games without an off day when they open a three-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.
Chicago (7-4) had the finale of a four-game series with St. Louis rained out Sunday night, and was off Monday. The break was welcome for the Cubs' bullpen, which pitched a total of 17 innings over the last four games, posting a 3.18 ERA.
"No question, our bullpen could use a break," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "There's no question about that."
The Cubs' next day off is May 11.
One reason why the manager was forced to go to his relievers early was Rich Harden's last start. Harden (0-1, 5.00 ERA) lasted three innings and gave up four runs Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to Colorado.
Harden will try to bounce back versus the Reds (7-5), who he is 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA against in two outings. The right-hander's loss last week was his first at Wrigley Field in eight starts.
The Cubs are hoping to have outfielder Milton Bradley back in the lineup Tuesday. Bradley, in a 1-for-19 slump, has been out of the lineup for five straight games with a right groin strain.
"I would think there's a good chance to see him on Tuesday night. I would say that the chances are good," Piniella said.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has five RBIs in the last two games for the Cubs, including a two-run walk-off homer in the 11th inning of a 7-5 win over St. Louis on Saturday.
Chicago went 8-7 against Cincinnati last season, including a 6-3 mark at home. The Cubs have won four straight home series against the Reds.
"They're a good young club, they've got some pitching," Piniella told the Cubs' official Web site. "They're going to have a say in this National League Central. We'll be ready for them."
Cincinnati improved to 5-2 on this 10-game road trip against NL Central foes with a 4-3 win at Houston on Monday. Joey Votto doubled in two runs in the seventh inning to put the Reds ahead for good and Francisco Cordero worked the ninth for his fifth save in as many chances.
"It feels great to beat a team in our division and to win on the road," Votto said. "But the best part of it was I don't think a single player on the bench was concerned when we were behind."
Reds right fielder Jay Bruce has not started the last three games with a sore right hand, but may return Tuesday.
"That's my goal, but I can't say definitely," he told the Reds' official Web site. "It's continuing to get better."
Micah Owings (0-1, 7.20) will try to fare better than he did in his Cincinnati debut last Wednesday at Milwaukee. He allowed four runs over five-plus innings in a 9-3 loss.
The right-hander is 0-1 with a 7.94 ERA against Chicago in four appearances, including two starts.
Owings, also known for his bat, is 2-for-5 this season, including a pinch-hit, two-run double in a 4-2 win at Houston on Sunday.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview?gameId=290421116
Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
- el loco
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Re: Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
- el loco
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Re: Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
Game one: Was all Cubs
Game two: Went to the Reds
Game Three: Is on now, top of the 4th, 0 outs, man on 3rd (Dickerson led off with a triple). Still a 0-0 game, for all of those reading
Game two: Went to the Reds
Game Three: Is on now, top of the 4th, 0 outs, man on 3rd (Dickerson led off with a triple). Still a 0-0 game, for all of those reading
Re: Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
- el loco
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Re: Reds (7-5) @ Cubs (7-4) April 21,22 & 23
It turned out to be an impressive road trip for the Reds who won every series on the trip. Now if they can learn to do that at home, we might be onto something.