Los Angeles @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 31, 2010 ) LA Angels 11, Chi. Cubs 0
The Los Angeles Angels make their first visit to Wrigley Field on Friday, but the first pitcher they'll face there is an all-too-familiar foe.
Carlos Silva looks for his ninth victory of the season as he leads the Chicago Cubs into the opener of a three-game interleague series against the visiting Angels. The teams have met just once before, with Los Angeles taking two out of three at home against the Cubs in June 2004.
It's been a difficult season so far for the Cubs, who had visions of competing for the top spot in the National League Central. They'd be in far worse shape if not for Silva (8-1), who has been one of the biggest surprises in the majors in a season full of unexpected performances.
The towering right-hander had been unbeatable until his previous start, when he allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings but went on to drop a 2-1 decision to the cross-town White Sox.
He had won his previous six starts, including back-to-back outings where he surrendered just a lone run on six hits to earn victories over Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
Silva knows the Angels well from his days in the American League and, despite a somewhat uneven career in the Junior Circuit, the 31-year-old has always had a soft spot for the guys from Anaheim. He's 7-2 all-time against the Angels - his highest victory total against any opponent - and one of his two career shutouts came against them.
The Cubs could use another solid outing from Silva as they look to extend their rare winning streak to three games. Recently benched outfielder Kosuke Fukudome drove home the winning run in the ninth as the Cubs beat the Oakland Athletics 3-2 on Thursday, giving Chicago a two-game winning streak for the first time since May 22-25.
The Cubs are going to need to string more than a few victories together to get themselves back into the division race. At 30-36, Chicago finds itself 6 1/2 games back of the Central-leading Cincinnati Reds and six back of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals.
Cincinnati (22-14) and St. Louis (17-13) also have considerably stronger division records than the Cubs, who are just 13-20 against their Central foes.
Chicago will look to do some damage against Scott Kazmir (6-5), who has had a yo-yo of a season so far. The hard-throwing left-hander has won four of his last five decisions following a personal three-game losing streak and is coming off a decent showing against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing two runs in five innings of a 4-2 victory.
Kazmir has made just one start against the Cubs in his career, earning a no-decision after allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.
The Angels are as hot as they come in the majors right now, having gone 11-5 in June to close to within 2 1/2 games of the Texas Rangers in the American League West. Los Angeles has been especially dangerous on the road, going 11-3 on a 14-game road trip to open the month.