San Diego @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Mar 27, 2010 ) San Diego 2, Chi. Cubs 2
The Chicago Cubs return home probably feeling a little bittersweet about taking two of three against the St. Louis Cardinals over the weekend.
Sure, they finally nailed down a pair of victories on Saturday and Sunday and evened their season series with the Cardinals at four wins apiece, but it means a whole lot less when you’re just playing out the string of a lost season.
The Cubs have now won just four of their last 14 games. Their offense has been inconsistent at the best of times and a young bullpen combined with a spotty starting rotation have made for a long season.
Now, after becoming sellers at the trade deadline, Chicago has a mix of the old guard with band-aid replacements just to get it through the season. Outside of Ryan Dempster and Marlon Byrd, most of the players the Cubs were counting on to carry them this season have been major disappointments.
Derrek Lee had a big day on Sunday by belting two solo homers, but left the game in the fifth inning with a stiff lower back. Reports indicate it may have just been a precautionary move as the Cubs were leading 8-1 at the time. He’s considered day-to-day.
Meanwhile, it’s a completely different story for the NL West-leading San Diego Padres. San Diego just took two of three from the San Francisco Giants and come into Monday’s game against the Cubs having won six of seven.
The Padres’ pitching staff continues to shine, leading the league in team ERA and WHIP, while ranking second overall in strikeouts.
San Diego will send out Kevin Correia, who has won four of his last five outings.
Correia tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers last week and hasn’t allowed more than five runs in a game since late June.
San Diego is also pushing some runs across for its pitching staff. Adrian Gonzalez is having a huge season even though he went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts on Sunday.
Outside of Gonzalez, San Diego tends to rely on manufacturing runs any way possible. The Padres did just that by bouncing San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum to the showers after just 3 2/3 innings on Sunday.
With the victory, the Padres moved 3.5 games ahead of the Giants at the top of the NL West. The Padres are 33-25 on the road this year and have won 12 of Correia’s last 15 starts away from home.
The Cubs will counter with Tom Gorzelanny, who allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings on Wednesday. The 28-year-old left-hander was left with a no-decision in a 5-4 loss against the Giants.