Brewers-Cubs Series Preview

[jflick1215]

Hello all. While Brewerfan goes through some exciting aesthetic changes in the coming weeks, I'm excited to be able to provide some content to the site before the changes go live. Hopefully I can bring some insight. First piece is a basic series preview that I will you will enjoy!

 

 

By Josh Flickinger

 

The Brewers and the Cubs will meet

beginning Friday night in a three-game weekend set at Miller Park. While huge

crowds typically gather for these rivalry matchups, the Brewers ticket office

says plenty of seats remain for the Friday and Sunday games.

 

The Brewers have started out

streaky, losing their first four games of the season, while winning the last

three. In their four game series against the Braves, they allowed just 10 runs,

and received four solid to spectacular outings from their starting pitchers.

 

At the plate, it’s been Ryan Braun

with a fast start, hitting .391 with 3 home runs and a 1.300 OPS, while Rickie

Weeks’ .978 OPS has been highlighted by 3 dingers as well. Nyjer Morgan has been a pleasant surprise,

hitting .462 with a 1.192 OPS along with the best alternate personality in the

league, the gentleman Tony Plush.

 

The Cubs, meanwhile, come into

their first road trip of the year at an even 3-3, splitting a homestand against

the Pirates and Diamondbacks. Starlin Castro has been the star offensively so

far, batting .400 with two double, two triples, and carrying a 1.084 OPS. Also

off to a strong start is LF Alfonso Soriano, who has blasted three homers en

route to a 1.015 OPS.

 

 

 

Game One: Randy Wolf

(0-1,13.50 ERA) v. Carlos Zambrano (0-0,

4.50 ERA)[/b]

 

Wolf is

coming off a lackluster spring training, and much more applicable, a tough

first outing Sunday in Cincinnati. Wolf was tagged for 10 hits and six runs in

just four innings, allowing two walks as well for an uber-ugly 3.00 WHIP

through one outing. Wolf finished 2010 with a flourish, notching a 3-2 record,

but 1.85 ERA and .916 WHIP in his final 6 starts.

 

The Brewers will hope that Wolf can

get on track in 2011 against the Cubs.

Chicago features a lineup steep with RHH’s, and it’s interesting to note that

righties hit just .250 against Wolf with a .728 OPS, while lefties hit .286

with an unseemly .889 OPS. Those numbers belie his career marks of .758 OPS vs.

RHH and .699 vs. LHH, and in the first game, righties went 8-16 with two home

runs against him, while lefties “only” hit .400 (2-5). Still an interesting

stat to take a look at in 2011.

 

Wolf was a mixed bag against the

Cubs in 2010, allowing 8 runs in just 4.2 innings of work in a Miller Park

start on June 9, while a home start on September 11 saw him dominate. Wolf

allowed just one run on four hits (one of them a Xavier Nady HR) in a 1-0

defeat.

 

Zambrano had a solid first outing

of the season, pitching six innings and allowing three runs against the

Pirates. He did allow three walks to go along with five hits, and departed

after 99 pitches with cramping in his pitching hand. Like Wolf, he was

outstanding down the stretch in 2010, going 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA and .976 in his

final six starts. Lifetime, he’s 9-5 with a 3.19 ERA at Miller Park that of

course included a no-hitter against the Astros in 2008. His numbers lifetime against the Brewers are 12-8

with a 3.60 ERA. Last season, he was 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 5 games (3 starts).

 

 

 

 

Game Two: Chris

Narveson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) v. Matt Garza (0-0, 3.86 ERA)[/b]

 

Narveson

picked up right where he left off in 2010 in his first start. Monday at Miller

Park, he shut the Atlanta Braves down on three hits over six scoreless frames

in the home opener. Though he didn’t get the victory, it was a terrific way to

begin a season for the 29-year old southpaw. Narveson was solid in his last 12

starts of 2012. Narveson went 6-6 with a 3.65 ERA and a .624 OPS against, and a

1.18 WHIP. He only made one start against the Cubs in 2010, and he allowed just

one run in 5.2 innings in a 4-3 win at Wrigley on August 3.

 

Garza,

the prize off-season acquisition by Cubs General Manager Ted Hendry, was solid

in his first start, allowing three runs in 7 innings of work Sunday against

Pittsburgh. The former Ray had a very strange line, allowing a whopping 12

hits, but walking no one, and striking out 12. He was remarkably consistent in

his three years in Tampa, starting between 30 and 32 games, pitching between

184 and 204 innings, an ERA between 3.70 and 3.95, and a WHIP between 1.24 and

1.26. Garza has never faced the Brewers.

 

Game Three: Yovani

Gallardo (1-0, 1.20 ERA) v. Casey Coleman (_)[/b]

 

Gallardo

has been terrific so far in 2011. He got his second opening day assignment and

allowed two run in six innings in Cincinnati, and followed that by hurling a

two-hit shutout on Tuesday against Atlanta, giving the Brewers their first win

of the campaign.

 

Last

season, Yovani shut the Cubs out over seven innings on June 8^th in a

Miller Park start, and allowed just one run on two hits while striking out 12

Cubs at Wrigley August 2^nd. His final start of the season against

Chicago also saw a lot of success, as he threw 7 scoreless frames at Miller

Park September 12. Lifetime against the Cubs, Gallardo is 3-1 with a 3.19 ERA

in 7 starts.

 

 

 

With a win, Yovani can climb into a

tie for 20^th place on the team’s all-time leading win list with 38,

tying Doug Davis and the immortal Eduardo Rodriguez.

 

Coleman is expected to be recalled

on Sunday in place of injured starts Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells, who were

placed on the disabled list Monday. A 15^th round pick by the Cubs in

2008, Coleman is 28-16 with a 3.73 ERA in the minors. He made his major league

debut in 2010, but spent the majority of the campaign at AAA Iowa, where he

posted a record of 10-7 with a 4.07 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. The aforementioned debut

came on August 2 against Milwaukee. Coleman allowed six runs in 2.1 innings of

relief, but later made a solid start at Miller Park September 12^th,

going six innings and allowing just one run. In 8 starts last year, he went 4-2

with a 3.33 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.