Atlanta @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 20, 2010 ) Atlanta 5, Chi. Cubs 3
The Atlanta Braves simply refuse to lose - and have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in a major league-best 22 games in their last at-bat this season.
Conversely, it's the same old song and dance for the woe-begotten Chicago Cubs, as they continue to disappoint the Windy City faithful.
Let's consider Friday's afternoon game as Exhibit A. With the Cubs nursing a 3-2 lead, they sent closer Carlos Marmol to the mound in search of his 22nd save of the season. Three of the first four batters walked to load the bases, and Rick Ankiel brought them all home with a three-run triple.
In the bottom half of the frame, closer Billy Wagner worked around a leadoff single before retiring the side for his 30th save of the season.
The end result was a 5-3 victory for the NL East-leading Braves (72-50), who claimed their eighth win in 10 outings to remain 2.5 games ahead of Philadelphia (69-52). The Phillies posted a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals later in the evening.
Atlanta will look to continue its winning ways when it sends Tommy Hanson (8-8, 3.41 ERA) to the hill against Chicago (50-73) on Saturday.
Hanson has recorded an 0-3 mark in eight starts since July 9, but the right-hander has a slim 1.93 ERA in that stretch. Unfortunately for Hanson, he has received six total runs of support in his last five games.
The 23-year-old Oklahoma native's last outing seems to adequately tell the tale, as he allowed just one run and five hits in seven innings. The end result? A no-decision, but the Braves rallied for a 4-3 triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.
Chicago will counter with Tom Gorzelanny (6-7, 3.85 ERA), who has struggled in his last four contests. The 28-year-old left-hander has struggled for nearly one month, posting an 0-2 mark with a 5.96 ERA in his last four games.
Gorzelanny will have to contend with former teammate Derrek Lee, who was acquired by the Braves on Wednesday for a trio of minor league pitchers.
Lee went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts in his debut on Friday, but has enjoyed considerable success against Gorzelanny. The slugger is 7-for-15 with two home runs against the hurler in his career.
As for Chicago, it simply needs to get out of its funk. The Cubs have lost five straight and a major league-worst 19 of their last 23. Toss in eight straight setbacks at Wrigley Field and, well, you get the picture.
On Friday, Aramis Ramirez belted a solo homer and had an RBI double and Koyie Hill added an RBI single, but was quickly undone by Ankiel's ninth-inning heroics.