Results tagged ‘ Cubs TV schedule ’
Series Preview – Reds @ Cubs; May 3 – May 5, 2013
The Cubs come into this series playing well, okay, play well for most of the game I guess. The Cubs could have very easily taken three out of four from the Padres, or two out of three from the Reds last month, but they just can’t get out of their own way. Today the Cubs welcome those Reds to Wrigley Field for a three game weekend set, and hopefully some revenge as well. The Reds took two out of three from the Cubs in Cincinnati the last time these two teams met. 
It was a great series, and the Cubs pitchers shut down the Reds vaunted lineup, but couldn’t find a big hit the whole series, or a closer the whole series and ended up losing two out of three. It will be another challenge this weekend for the Cubs pitchers as the Reds continue to hit and score runs, they have scored 128 runs, good enough for sixth in baseball compared to the 100 runs the Cubs have scored which is 26th in baseball. The Reds team ERA is also impressive, currently they sit fourth in the Majors with a 3.32 ERA, the Cubs are not too far behind though, they have a team ERA of 3.72, that’s good for twelfth in the Majors. This should be a good series, hopefully the results are better this time around.
Last Series:
The Cubs split a four game series with the Padres at Wrigley.
The Reds lost two out of three to the Cardinals in St. Louis
Game Times and Broadcast Information:
- Friday, May 3, 2013 – 1:20 PM CST on CSN Chicago
- Saturday, May 4, 2013 – 12:05 PM CST on CSN Chicago
- Sunday, May 5, 2013 – 1:20 PM CST on WGN TV
Starting Pitchers Scheduled:
Cubs:
Game One – Carlos Villanueva (1-1, 2.29)
- Career vs. Reds (21 appearances, 6 GS) (2-2, 3.72)
Game Two – Jeff Samardzija (1-4, 3.35)
- Career vs. Reds (17 appearances, 3 GS) (1-2, 4.09)
Game Three – Edwin Jackson (0-4, 6.27)
- Career vs. Reds (3 GS) (1-0, 2.57)
Reds:
Game One – Mike Leake (1-1, 4.34)
- Career vs. Cubs (11 GS) (4-2, 3.46)
Game Two – Tony Cingrani (2-0, 1.50)
- Career vs. Cubs (1 GS) (0-0, 2.57)
Game Three – Mat Latos (2-0, 1.83)
- Career vs. Cubs (6 GS) (3-2, 2.58)
Bold Prediction:
The Cubs are playing better baseball, but it’s still not good enough to win games consistently at the Major League level. I think too many mistakes pop up again this weekend and the Cubs lose two out of three to the Reds. Prove me wrong….please?
Thanks for reading,
- George
Series Preview – Padres @ Cubs; April 29 – May 2, 2013
The Cubs are playing better baseball of late, and they were finally rewarded with a few wins in Miami as they took three out of four. The Cubs starting pitching really didn’t miss a beat this past weekend as they continued to turn in quality start after quality start. The pitching has been better than anyone could have imagined up to this point in the season. Currently the Cubs team 
ERA is 3.42 that is ninth best in all of baseball. Breaking that down even further, just looking at the starters the Cubs ERA is 3.14 which is good for fifth in the Majors, impressive. The Cubs staff should have continues success this week against the Padres as they are twenty-sixth in all of baseball in runs scored, part of that has to do with where they play their home games, the other part has to do with their sub par lineup that has been slow to get going. The Padres pitching hasn’t taken advantage of the comfortable surroundings of Petco Park however, as they have a team ERA of 4.39 which is “good” enough for twenty-sixth in baseball. All signs point to a successful series for the Cubs, but they still have to execute, if they do they should be able to win this series.
Last Series:
The Cubs won three out of four in Miami over the Marlins
The Padres swept a three game series from the Giants in San Diego
Game Times and Broadcast Information:
- Monday, April 29, 2013 – 7:05 PM CST on CSN+ (Channel Finder)
- Tuesday, April 30, 2013 – 7:05 PM CST on WCIU, MLBN
- Wednesday, May 1, 2013 – 7:05 PM CST on CSN Chicago
- Thursday, May 2, 2013 – 1:20 PM CST on CSN Chicago
Starting Pitchers Scheduled:
Cubs:
Game One - Jeff Samardzija (1-4, 3.03)
- Career vs. Padres (4 appearances, 2 GS) (2-1, 2.20)
Game Two – Edwin Jackson (0-3, 4.76)
- Career vs. Padres (8 appearances, 6 GS) (0-3, 4.32)
Game Three - Scott Feldman (1-3, 3.92)
- Career vs. Padres (2 appearances, 1 GS) (1-1, 5.40)
Game Four - Travis Wood (2-1, 2.25)
- Career vs. Padres (5 appearances, 4 GS) (0-1, 4.21)
Padres:
Game One - Clayton Richard (0-2, 7.94)
- Career vs. Cubs (2 GS) (2-0, 0.57)
Game Two - Edinson Volquez (1-3, 6.39)
- Career vs. Cubs (6 GS) (4-0, 2.21)
Game Three – Andrew Cashner (1-1, 3.26)
- Career vs. Cubs (2 appearances) (0-0, 9.00)
Game Three - Eric Stults (2-2, 5.67)
- Career vs. Cubs (4 GS) (1-3, 5.21)
Bold Prediction:
I like the direction of the Cubs right now, I know it’s hard to say that with a straight face, but this team could easily be contending in the Central without bullpen blow ups. I think the good vibes continue in this series and the Cubs take three out of four again. Committed is the Cubs slogan, maybe I should be with all my positive thoughts, go Cubs!
Thanks for reading,
- George
Series Preview – Cubs @ Marlins; April 25 – April 28, 2013
Well, based on the records, this could be an ugly series as the Cubs come in at 6-14 with the Marlins sporting a 5-16 record, that’s a lot of losses. As one could imagine, it hasn’t gone well of late for either team as the Cubs are 2-8 ion their last ten games, of course at least half of those losses could be wins, and the Marlins are 3-7 in their last ten. The Marlins struggles are similar to the that of the Cubs, they can’t score runs. The Marlins have the worst team batting average in all of baseball (.221), the Cubs aren’t much better at .229 (26th in MLB). The Marlins are also dead last in runs scored with 54, eleven fewer than the Cubs on the season. The Cubs also hold the edge in the pitching department as they sport a 3.44 team ERA which is 9th best in all of baseball, think about that for a second, the Cubs have the 9th best ERA yet sit eight games under .500 this year. The Marlins team ERA is a full run worse than that of the Cubs, they sit 26th in the Majors at 4.50. All signs point to a successful weekend in Miami for the Cubs, but they still have to go out there and perform.
Last Series:
The Cubs left Cincinnati wanting more, they lost two of three and could have easily won two of three.
The Marlins split a rain shortened series in Minnesota.
Game Times and Broadcast Information:
- Thursday, April 24, 2013 – 6:10 PM CST on WCIU
- Friday, April 25, 2013 – 6:10 PM CST on WGN TV
- Saturday, April 26, 2013 – 6:10 PM CST on CSN+ (Channel Finder)
- Sunday, April 27, 2013 – 12:10 PM CST on CSN Chicago
Starting Pitchers Scheduled:
Cubs:
Game One – Edwin Jackson (0-3, 4.84)
- Career vs. Marlins (8 appearances, 7 GS) (1-6, 6.69)
Game Two – Scott Feldman (0-3, 4.50)
- Career vs. Marlins (First appearance)
Game Three – Travis Wood (1-1, 2.08)
- Career vs. Marlins (2 GS) (0-2, 16.88)
Game Four - Carlos Villanueva (1-0, 1.53)
- Career vs. Marlins (10 appearances, 2 GS) (1-1, 5.79)
Marlins:
Game One – Kevin Slowey (0-2, 1.90)
- Career vs. Cubs (1 GS) (1-0, 4.50)
Game Two – Wade LeBlanc (0-3, 6.27)
- Career vs. Cubs (2 appearances, 1 GS) (1-0, 2.08)
Game Three – Alex Sanabia (2-2, 5.09)
- Career vs. Cubs (1 GS) (0-1, 3.18)
Game Three - Ricky Nolasco (1-2, 3.81)
- Career vs. Cubs (8 appearances, 7 GS) (4-2, 2.85)
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not:
The Cubs have struggled all season long with runners in scoring position, even more troubling is their inability to get runners in from third base and less than two outs. That is a situation where contact needs to be made and the run needs to score. So far this season the Cubs have had twenty-three at bats with a runner at third with less than two outs, they only have two hits, that’s a .077 average. They have only scored eleven times in those twenty-three chances, 
for one, they need more chances, and two they need to capitalize starting yesterday. Anthony Rizzo is having better at bats as of late unfortunately that is not yielding better results. Over his last six games Rizzo is hitting .185 (5-for-27), he does have three home runs and five RBI’s during that stretch. Darwin Barney has struggled mightily at the plate since returning from the DL, he is hitting .174 (4-for-23) in his last six games, but does have a game winning homer. David DeJesus has been lighting it up of late, he is hitting .368 (7-for-19) over the last six games with a double, a triple, two home runs, three RBI’s, and four walks. On the mound, Carlos Villanueva has been outstanding in his last two starts going 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA only giving up seven hits in 15.1 innings.
The Marlins glaring issues are scoring runs, and then preventing them once the bullpen comes into the game, sounds familiar, eh? I mentioned the Marlins offensive woes above, but their bullpen ERA is just as bad. The 
Marlins sit 28th in the Majors in bullpen ERA with a 4.98 ERA, which is worse than the Cubs if you can believe that. Get ready for a lot of names that you probably don’t know, starting now. Not much has gone right at the plate for the Marlins, but Rob Brantly has been a bright spot lately. Over the last five games Brantly is hitting .313 (5-for16) with three doubles, four RBI’s, and two walks. Justin Ruggiano on the other hand has been awful in the last seven games hitting .207 (6-for-29), of those six hits two have left the park. Ryan Webb has been one of the few bright spots out of the Marlins pen of late as he has tossed six innings over the last seven days giving up only one run. Jon Rauch has been stupid bad in his last two appearances, giving up five runs on four hits in 1.2 innings.
Bold Prediction:
These close games are bound to start going in the favor of the Cubs, and I think that starts now. The way the Cubs staff has been throwing the ball I like their chances against a weak Marlins line up. I also think the Cubs will start getting some timely hits and take three out of four this weekend….please??
Thanks for reading,
- George
April 23, 2013 – Cubs @ Reds; Lineups!
Carlos Villanueva has been excellent all year, and tonight the Cubs need him to play stopper, although, if the offense continues to “perform” like it has it might not matter. The Cubs will face Reds prospect Tony Cingrani, he’s impressive, and was very impressive in his MLB debut last time out. Game starts at 6:10 PM CST on CSN Chicago, here are the lineups.
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
Series Preview: Cubs @ Braves; April 5 – April 7, 2013
Consider this a stiff test for the Cubs, nothing against the Pirates, but the Braves are a different animal. The weather should be much nicer than it was in Pittsburgh so hopefully that means that Cubs bats will heat up with the temperatures as they have been cold as ice so far. That said, the Cubs enter the series with a 2-1 record, the same as the Braves, below you will find all the important information pertaining to the upcoming series, everything you need to know in one convenient place.
Last Series:
Cubs won two out of three against the Pirates in Pittsburgh
Braves won two out of three against the Phillies at home
Game Times and Broadcast Information:
- Friday, April 5, 2013 – 6:30 PM CST on CSN+ (click to find your channel), MLBN
- Saturday, April 6, 2013 – 6:10 PM CST on WGN TV
- Sunday, April 7, 2013 – 12:35 PM CST on CSN Chicago
Starting Pitchers Scheduled:
Cubs:
Game One – Scott Feldman (0-0, 0.00)
- Career vs. Atlanta (1 GS) (0-0, 2.57 ERA)
Game Two – Carlos Villanueva (0-0, 0.00)
- Career vs. Atlanta (10 appearances, 1 GS) (1-2, 7.20 ERA)
Game Three – Jeff Samardzija (1-0, 0.00)
- Career vs. Atlanta (8 appearances, 2 GS) (2-0, 2.66 ER)
Braves:
Game One - Mike Minor (0-0, 0.00)
- Career vs. Cubs (4 GS) (4-0, 4.30 ERA)
Game Two - Julio Teheran (0-0, 0.00)
- Career vs. Cubs (First appearance)
Game Three - Tim Hudson (0-0, 6.23)
- Career vs. Cubs (6 GS) (2-1, 3.44 ER)
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not:
For the Cubs, the entire offense is frigid, only scoring six runs over the first three games of the season. They aren’t getting hits either as they have the worst team batting average in all of baseball at .121, they don’t ask how, just how many when it comes to wins….or something like that. Closest thing resembling a hot hitter would be Nate Schierholtz, Nate had a huge two-run homer yesterday, and is hitting .333 on the season. The Cubs pitching has been fantastic, well Cubs pitching not including anyone named Carlos Marmol. The Cubs are 8th in the Majors with a 2.08 team ERA, a big reason why they are 2-1.
The Braves have as many home runs as the Cubs do runs (six). Freddie Freeman is on a mission in the early going, hitting .500 (5-for-10) with one double, one home run, and six RBI’s. One of the Braves newcomers isn’t finding things so easy, B.J. Upton has been slow out of the gate going 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts. The Braves are hovering around the middle of the pack when it comes to team ERA with a respectable 3.00, surprisingly Tim Hudson isn’t helping as his only start was a rough one where he gave up three runs in 4.1 innings of work.
Bold Prediction:
Look for the Cubs bats to get healthier in this series despite having to face two young stars in Minor and Teheran, and one solid veteran in Hudson. Unfortunately the Braves will continue their hot hitting and take two out of three from the Cubs this weekend.
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
April 27 – 30; @ Phillies – Series Preview
Fresh off their first series win of the season against the Cardinals, the Cubs roll into Philly to take on the banged up Phillies. It’s not your “normal” Phillies squad, at least at the plate, no Utley, no Howard, both are out hurt for extended periods of time. The Phillies are just as good as they’ve always been with the likes of Hamels, Halladay, and Lee. The four game set is huge for the Cubs given their success in their last series, it’s imperative to build on that series or else this could be a rough trip. Full previews after the jump.
