Chicago @ Houston preview
Minute Maid Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 21, 2010 ) Houston 4, Chi. Cubs 3
With the trade deadline fast approaching and the Chicago Cubs looking to shed some of their bloated payroll, Ted Lilly is the latest to step up to the auction block.
Lilly will be attempting to impress some potential suitors when he starts for the Cubs against the Houston Astros on Monday.
With Cliff Lee having been dealt earlier in the month and Dan Haren going from Arizona to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Sunday, the starting pitching market is becoming much clearer. While Houston’s Roy Oswalt remains at the top of the wish list of plenty of teams, Lilly and his veteran savvy are making their way up near the top as well.
His 3-8 record certainly isn’t pleasing, but Lilly is still sporting a 3.88 ERA and an 81-to-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also has the reputation of being an absolute bulldog on the mound, something competitive teams are always attempting to acquire.
Earning $12 million in the last season of a four-year, $40 million pact, Lilly probably won’t bring back a slew of top prospects unless the Cubs decide to eat some of the remaining money. Then again, at this point, Chicago might be happy to be getting rid of any money.
With a payroll of over $144 million, the Cubs are one of baseball's biggest disappointments due mainly to the mediocre play of high-priced stars like Carlos Zambrano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Dempster. With most of those players locked in past this season and some far into the future, rebuilding will take some time and creativity.
But Lilly’s money shouldn’t be hard to shed, especially if he shows scouts on Monday the same things he had last week, when he allowed one run on seven hits while striking out six in 7 1/3 innings against the Astros. He has allowed one earned run or less in five of his last nine starts.
Lilly has dominated Houston in the past, owning a 7-1 record with a 2.36 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 11 career starts against the division rivals.
The Astros, who are actively involved in trade talks of their own centering around Oswalt, will hand the ball to left-hander Wesley Wright. The 25-year-old was moved into the rotation last week against the Cubs and got lit up, allowing six runs - one earned - and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Wright has made 14 appearances against Chicago in his career - one start - and has allowed a total of 12 runs - seven earned - and 13 hits in 15 1/3 innings.
The Cubs took two out of three from the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend, but dropped a heartbreaker in 11 innings on Sunday night. The Astros had a better end to their weekend, avoiding a sweep with a 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.