Cincinnati @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2010 ) Cincinnati 4, Chi. Cubs 3
The sight of the Chicago Cubs seems to bring out the best in Drew Stubbs.
In his first game back in the lineup since a five-game benching, Stubbs had three hits, including a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, to power the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.
The timing was perfect for Stubbs - and not just because he helped put the Reds in position for a three-game sweep heading into Sunday's series finale at Wrigley Field.
Cincinnati picked up a game on St. Louis on Saturday to open a 1 ½-game lead in the National League Central and will leave town with the lead regardless of the outcome of today’s game.
With Chris Dickerson tearing up Triple-A after recovering from wrist surgery on May 3, there was widespread speculation that Stubbs was about to lose his starting job and possibly his spot on the roster.
Mired in a 1-for-37 slump, Stubbs was offering little reason to show he deserved to stay in the lineup - until he arrived in Chicago.
When Stubbs was last seen at Wrigley on the Fourth of July, he clubbed three home runs and drove in five runs to spark his own personal fireworks display in a 14-3 romp.
For the season against Chicago, Stubbs is batting .318 (14-for-44) with five home runs and 16 RBIs.
The Reds send rookie Travis Wood (2-1) to the mound today in search of their seventh win in the last eight games.
While he doesn’t have the body of work that, say, Stubbs owns against the Cubs, Wood will forever has a lasting memory of the Windy City and Wrigley Field.
The 23-year-old left-hander made his major league debut against the Cubs on July 1 and turned in a sparking performance, allowing two runs on two hits in seven innings. He didn’t factor in the decision in Cincinnati’s 3-2 win.
Wood has won his last two starts, including a dominating effort last time out against Pittsburgh on Monday, when he limited the Pirates to two hits in seven scoreless frames to lower his ERA to 2.42.
Opposing Wood will be rookie right-hander Thomas Diamond, who suffered a loss despite an impressive performance in his major league debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Diamond (0-1) struck out 10 batters while permitting three runs on seven hits in six innings of a 4-3 loss. The only other Cubs pitcher since 1920 to register at least 10 strikeouts in his debut was Mark Prior.
One area of concern for the Reds despite the recent run is at the back end of their bullpen. Closer Francisco Cordero has been shaky in both outings against the Cubs and had to be yanked from Saturday’s game after walking three and hitting a batter.