Chicago @ Los Angeles preview
Dodger Stadium
Last Meeting ( Jul 10, 2010 ) Chi. Cubs 7, LA Dodgers 3
Carlos Silva will indeed answer the bell for the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night when they complete a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was legitimate concern that Silva might need to be scratched due to a calf injury, but the pitcher assured the Cubs on Saturday that he was good to go for the team’s final game before the All-Star break.
Silva has been one of the bright spots in a disappointing first half for the Cubs. Acquired from Seattle in the Milton Bradley trade, Silva has compiled a 9-2 record and 2.96 earned-run average.
He won his first eight decisions before finally losing to the Chicago White Sox 2-1 on June 12.
Silva has been consistently good for Chicago after going 5-18 in two seasons with Seattle. He has allowed three runs or less in 10 straight starts and has more than four times as many strikeouts (70) as walks (16).
The 31-year-old Silva beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last start despite being bothered by the calf injury. He pitched six innings and allowed two runs and four hits.
Silva is 5-0 on the road this season and starts for just the second time in Dodger Stadium. He’s 3-0 lifetime against Los Angeles with a 4.08 ERA.
With Vicente Padilla starting for Los Angeles, a good pitcher’s duel could be on the horizon.
Padilla has been exceptional over his past three outings, allowing just five runs in 20 2/3 innings while winning two of the starts. He struck out a season-high nine in his last start, giving up two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings to beat Florida.
In four starts since coming off the disabled list in mid-June, Padilla has an outstanding strikeouts-to-walk ratio of 25 to 3.
Padilla (3-2, 4.72 ERA) is 3-4 lifetime against the Cubs with a 4.79 ERA. He will be looking to silence a Chicago offense that has scored 14 runs – seven each day – in the last two games.
Geovany Soto went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs in Chicago’s victory on Saturday. Starlin Castro, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez each had two hits. Castro drove in two runs and Ramirez hit his 10th homer of the season.
One night earlier, All-Star center fielder Marlon Byrd had four hits and three RBIs and Ramirez had three hits but the Cubs lost 9-7.
Ramirez’s two-hit game on Saturday was his fifth consecutive multi-hit contest. Ramirez is 11-for-21 (.524) during the span with four homers and nine RBIs.
Dodgers first baseman James Loney went 0-for-5 on Saturday for only his second hitless game of July.
Loney has had six multiple-hit games during the month and is hitting .429 (15-for-35) despite Saturday’s rough outing.