Milwaukee @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 3, 2010 ) Milwaukee 4, Chi. Cubs 3
With the Chicago Cubs in apparent shutdown mode, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder have been taking full advantage.
Braun and Fielder will be looking to continue their strong series when the Milwaukee Brewers attempt to sweep a three-game series from the Cubs on Wednesday.
Milwaukee’s dynamic 3-4 combination combined for 10 hits in the series opener on Monday as the Brewers snapped a five-game losing streak in emphatic fashion with an 18-1 rout. Fielder drove in five in that contest and Braun added two RBIs and three runs scored.
Tuesday wasn’t nearly as prolific, but Braun and Fielder still managed to enforce their will on the Chicago pitching staff, combining to go 5-for-8 with an RBI and a run scored in the 4-3 victory. Casey McGehee has gotten into the act as well, driving in four runs on Monday and chipping in a pair of RBIs on Tuesday.
The onslaught has come at the expense of a Cubs team that seems to have lost its way. Thought to be a contender before the season started, Chicago has watched its 2010 campaign go from bad to worse all season, with it current seven-game losing streak just another in a series of disappointments.
No one on the team seems to be living up to expectations, and bloated contracts have left the front office with little wiggle room when it comes to improving the on-field product. The excitement brought by the promotions of highly touted prospects like Starlin Castro and Andrew Cashner has been tempered by the constant losing and some growing pains for Cashner.
Ryan Dempster will get the ball for the Cubs in the finale looking to give the fans a glimmer of hope. The staff leader in innings pitched, Dempster has been good at keeping Chicago in games this season when he can keep the ball around the plate.
Walks have been an issue for the right-hander, and he issued five free passes while getting roughed up for five runs in four innings to suffer a loss at Colorado over the weekend.
Dempster lasted 5 2/3 innings against the Brewers on June 10, allowing two earned runs in a no-decision. He owns a 13-3 mark with a 2.81 ERA in his career against the division rivals and has managed to hold Braun and Fielder to a combined 15-for-63 with four homers and 15 RBIs.
Getting the call for Milwaukee will be left-hander Manny Parra. Flipped back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen this season, Parra has gotten knocked around a lot recently, going 1-3 with an 8.07 ERA and a .336 batting average against in his last six starts.
He made a relief appearance against Chicago on April 23 and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four. In four career appearances - two starts – against the Cubs, he is 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA.