Results tagged ‘ Travis Wood ’
September 17, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs Pirates
I should caution that this is weather permitting as widespread rain is supposed to cover the area by game time, I hope that’s not the case because I want to watch Anthony Rizzo hit baseballs, hard. Travis Wood gets the ball tonight as the Cubs try to win three out of four from the Pirates. I’m sure the Pirates will be very happy to be done with the Cubs this year as they are a big reason why the Pirates are fading down the stretch. Here is how the Cubs will line up tonight behind Travis Wood.
Thanks for reading, GO CUBS!
- George
September 14 – 17, 2012; vs. Pirates – Series Preview
The Pirates comes to town looking very much like the 2011 version of the club that collapsed down the stretch and finished with a below five hundred record yet again, and nothing like the surging contender earlier in the year. The Pirates sit just two games over five hundred now and are
losers of six straight games, three of those against the Cubs in Pittsburgh last week. The Cubs on the other hand are playing solid baseball, winning five out of their last six games, all on the road which is really saying something given how bad they have been away from Wrigley this year. Solid starting pitching and the long ball have paced the Cubs in September as they have ten home runs, 5th most in the National League this month. No one has contributed more to that total than Alfonso Soriano as he has five home runs in just 12 games this month. After being pulled in the third inning two nights ago, and missing yesterday’s game it sounds like Anthony Rizzo will be back in the Cubs lineup tomorrow, that collision could have been much worse.
Here are the pitching matchups for the four game series.
Friday September 14, 2012
Pittsburgh: James McDonald (12-7, 3.93 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Rusin (0-2, 5.73 ERA)
Saturday September 15, 2012
Pittsburgh: Jeff Locke (0-1, 4.11 ERA)
Cubs: Jason Berken (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday September 16, 2012
Pittsburgh: Wandy Rodriguez (10-13, 3.72 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Volstad (3-10, 5.99 ERA)
Monday September 17, 2012
Pittsburgh: Kevin Correia (10-9, 4.29 ERA)
Cubs: Travis Wood (6-11, 4.23 ERA)
Season Series: Series Tied 6-6
Prediction: Cubs win series 3-1
Thanks for reading,
- George
Soriano Powers Cubs to Series Win
There is no slowing down for Alfonso Soriano, sure he would like to see his average a little higher but the aging slugger is putting up some eye-popping numbers this year. With his huge performance last night, which led the Cubs to a 5-1 victory, he is now hitting .260 on the year with 29 home runs and 96 
RBI’s, he’s actually within striking distance on the National League lead in RBI’s (102 – Headley). Travis Wood also turned in an outstanding performance to register his 6th win of the season against eleven losses. Wood tossed 7.2 strong innings giving up one run on four hits while walking one and striking out six. Soriano wasn’t the only Cub with a great day at the plate, Dave Sappelt continued his hot play of late. Sappelt was 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored, he is now hitting .350 in limited duty since his call up. Last night was the 20th straight day with a game for the Cubs, they have today off before welcoming the Pirates to town this weekend. It was also the last time the Cubs will visit Houston while they are in the National League as they move over to the American League next year. Hitters are probably not too thrilled with the move, but I’m sure some of the pitchers are just fine with it.
Scary Moment for Storey
Game Highlights:
Soriano’s 29th Home Run
Wood’s Great Outing
Recker’s RBI Double
Soriano Doubles
Castillo’s RBI Single
Thanks for reading,
-George
September 12, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs Astros
Let’s hope this one comes in under four hours tonight, that’s all I ask. The last two nights have been terrible, I guess the Astros figure the longer the game goes the better chance they have to win. Travis Wood takes the ball tonight and will be backed by a very different lineup as Anthony Rizzo is out of the lineup after last nights collision. From all accounts he is okay, just sore and in need of a day off.
1. Mather – CF
2. Barney – 2B
3. Castro – SS
4. Soriano – LF
5. Castillo – C
6. Vitters - 3B
7. Sappelt – RF
8. Recker – C
9. Wood
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
September 10 – 12, 2012; @ Astros – Series Preview
The Cubs are heading into this series on a high note coming off a three game sweep in Pittsburgh, a sweep that put a major dent in the Pirates playoff hopes. It will be quite the different atmosphere in Houston as this three game set will be a battle for the first pick in the draft. 
Huge crowds usually don’t turn out for these types of series, couple that with the NFL season getting underway and it could be a very empty ballpark. The Cubs shouldn’t worry about that, they should worry about going out there and getting better with each game, and trying to win a job for next year. Two guys that have jobs locked up for next year, Starlin Castro, and Anthony Rizzo, are leading the Cubs charge as both are red-hot at the plate. Castro is hitting .333 in September, and Rizzo is hitting a whopping .382 during the month, unfortunately that hasn’t translated to many win as the Cubs are a less than stellar 3-6. If the Cubs want to extend their winning streak this week they are going to need the starting staff to step up as it will now be without Samardzija for the rest of 2012.
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Here are the pitching matchups for the four game series.
Monday September 10, 2012
Cubs: Chris Volstad (2-10, 6.23 ERA)
Houston: Dallas Keuchel (1-7, 5.54 ERA)
Tuesday September 11, 2012
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-6, 6.95 ERA)
Houston: Jordan Lyles (3-11, 5.55 ERA)
Wednesday September 12, 2012
Cubs: Travis Wood (5-11, 4.42 ERA)
Houston: Fernando Abad (0-3, 5.30 ERA)
Season Series: Chicago leads 5-4
Prediction: Cubs win series 2-1
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs End Six Game Skid in Spectacular Fashion
If you knew nothing about baseball and sat down to watch this one you would think that the Cubs were the team fighting for its playoff life and the Pirates were on their way to a 100 loss campaign. Well, we all know that it’s the other way around, which is what makes this game so very weird. Travis Wood got the start 
for the Cubs tonight and was nearly perfect over six strong innings, he gave up no runs on one hit while walking three and striking out five. It’s always easier to pitch with a big lead and that is exactly what the Cubs offense gave Wood early on. By the time Wood left the game in the 7th the Cubs held a 12-0 lead, yes you read that right, can’t remember the last time the Cubs were on the right side of one of these. Sure the Cubs offense was solid tonight, but they got a lot of help from the Bad News Bears, I mean Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucco’s made seven errors tonight, seven, that’s really hard to do in a major league game. Starlin Castro had a historic night in Pittsburgh, sure he went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI’s but the thing that will be remembered tonight is Castro recorded his 500th hit as a Major League player. For Castro to accomplish that feat before the age of 23 is amazing, just some context, he is a full two years younger than Pete Rose when he recorded his 500th hit. Alfonso Soriano and Brett Jackson stole the show in the field tonight as both guys made spectacular catches, robbing Andrew McCutchen both times, with Jackson’s catch quite possibly being the catch of the year. Jackson had to leave the game, but was only diagnosed with a bruised knee, he should be fine.
Brett Jackson’s Amazing Catch
Pirates Make Seven Errors
Game Highlights:
Castro’s Big Night
Soriano’s Great Catch
Valbuena’s Two Run Double
Thanks for reading,
- George
September 7 – 9, 2012; @ Pirates – Series Preview
Let’s hope the Cubs have some fire left over from yesterday as they could use some of that on the field this weekend against the Pirates. The season is becoming historically bad, and facing another contender on the road is not going to make it any better. 
The Cubs come into this series losers of six straight with only two wins in their last ten games. Anthony Rizzo is one guy that has been earning his paycheck of late as he is hitting .423, with a double, three home runs and three RBI’s in his last seven games. The pitching staff on the other hand should give their money back to the organization. The Cubs staff has a record of 0-6 with a 7.20 ERA, such is life in September with a bunch of guys basically trying out for next season. The Pirates have been mediocre as of late as they try to summon the energy for one final push for the postseason, they trail both Atlanta and St. Louis in the race for the Wild Card by 1.5 games.
Friday September 7, 2012
Cubs:Travis Wood (4-11, 4.64 ERA)
Pittsburgh: A.J. Burnett (15-5, 3.63 ERA)
Saturday September 8, 2012
Cubs: Jeff Samardzija (8-13, 3.91 ERA)
Pittsburgh: James McDonald (12-7, 3.90 ERA)
Sunday September 9, 2012
Cubs: Chris Rusin (0-2, 9.00 ERA)
Pittsburgh: Jeff Locke (0-1, 4.82 ERA)
Season Series: Pirates lead 6-3
Prediction: Cubs Win Series 2-1, how do you like those apples?
Thanks for reading,
- George
September 2, 2012 – Cubs lineup vs. Giants
Travis Wood will get the start today against Matt Cain and the first place Giants. The game is set to start at 1:20 on WGN. Here is a look at the Cubs lineup for today.
DeJesus – RF
Valbuena - 3B
Rizzo – 1B
Soriano – LF
Castro – SS
Clevenger – C
Jackson – CF
Barney – 2B
Wood – P
Go Cubs!!
-Mark
August 31 – September 2, 2012; vs. Giants – Series Preview
Time to play spoiler as the West Division leading Giants roll into town for a weekend series. Ever since the Giants got the news that Melky Cabrera was going to be suspended they have taken off, and now hold a four game 
lead over the Dodgers in a race for the Western Division crown. The Giants are getting it done with a balanced attack as they are right in the middle of the pack in runs scored and ERA in the National League. The Cubs are going to need to have a solid offensive approach against the Giants if they want to take this series. The Giants are a baseball team in every sense of the word, they play, and win as a team. If the Cubs can do the same thing, and have an approach like they did in the series finale against the Brewers they might be able to play spoiler. The team could look rather different come Saturday as the rosters will expand, Sveum has cautioned that there might only be six or so call ups, we’ll see, and of course keep you updated.
August 31, 2012 – September 2, 2012; Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Here are this weekends pitching matchups.
Friday August 31, 2012
San Francisco: Madison Bumgarner (14-8, 2.93 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Volstad (1-9, 6.28 ERA)
Saturday September 1, 2012
San Francisco: Tim Lincecum (7-14, 5.30 ERA)
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-4, 5.91 ERA)
Sunday September 2, 2012
San Francisco: Matt Cain (13-5, 2.82 ERA)
Cubs: Travis Wood (4-11, 4.71 ERA)
Season Series: Giants lead series 4-0
Prediction: Giants sweep series 3-0
Thanks for reading,
- George
August 28, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs. Brewers
Tonight’s goal, strike out less than ten times, let’s do it! Travis Wood takes the ball tonight for the Cubs as they look for some sort of success against a Brewers team that they have lost to 11 out of 14 games this season. Here is how the Cubs will line up tonight.
1. DeJesus – RF
2. Valbuena - 3B
3. Rizzo – 1B
4. Soriano – LF
5. Castro – SS
6. Castillo – C
7. Jackson – CF
8. Barney – 2B
9. Wood – P
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
