Chicago Cubs (6-6, 3rd in the NL Central)
2010 Record vs. Colorado: 2-3
Last Series vs. Rockies: July 30 through August 1, 2010 (L 0-3 at Coors Field)
The Cubs were in the midst of a pretty bad stretch of baseball when the Rockies arrived at Wrigley Field in May of last year. By the time they left, the Lovable Losers and their fans had hope again, as the Cubbies silenced the Rockies' bats and earned a two-game sweep. Let's just say that things would be different, however, when the Cubs made the trek to Coors Field in late-July. The Rockies used a historic inning, as they racked up 11 consecutive two-out hits (and 13 straight two-out baserunners) to put up 12 runs in the eighth inning, which turned a fairly tight game into a complete laugher. More LoDo magic would ensue the following night, as Carlos Gonzalez hit a walk-off home run off of Sean Marshall which also gave him a cycle in the ballgame. An 8-7 victory in the finale gave the Rox a sweep, leaving thousands of insufferable Cubs fans stunned as they finally left Coors Field.
Marshall, who is still in the Cubs' pen, had a miserable series at Coors last year and is definitely one to watch if the Cubs use him in relief during the upcoming series.
Last Series Results: L 1-2 at Milwaukee, W 2-1 at Houston
The Cubs have been led offensively by Starlin Castro, who has 10 hits over the last two series (although all of them are singles), and Aramis Ramirez, who has posted a .933 OPS in that same timeframe. Meanwhile, Alfonso Soriano has gone ice cold, as his .556 OPS over the past week would suggest.
Pitching-wise, the Cubs best starter has been Matt Garza, who is pitching much better than his ERA (5.68) and lack of wins would indicate. He has racked up 20 strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched, while walking just 4. Ryan Dempster has posted a nice strikeout rate (22 in 20 innings), but he has also allowed four homers.
See what the Cubs' SBN community, Bleed Cubbie Blue, has to say.
Pitching matchups and other pertinent information after the jump...
Friday through Sunday: 3-game series at Coors Field
Expected Pitching Matchups
Friday, April 15, 2011 @ 6:40 PM MT
Saturday, April 16, 2011 @ 6:10 PM MT
Sunday, April 17, 2011 @ 1:10 PM MT
* - AAA stats; Sunday will mark Johnson's MLB debut.
Expected Lineup
| Player | Pos | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ |
HR | RBI |
| Starlin Castro | SS | .389 | .411 | .500 | .407 | 145 | 0 | 3 |
| Darwin Barney | 2B | .345 | .394 | .448 | .352 | 109 | 0 | 4 |
| Marlon Byrd | CF | .353 | .377 | .471 | .362 | 116 | 0 | 4 |
| Aramis Ramirez | 3B | .326 | .404 | .478 | .383 | 129 | 1 | 6 |
| Carlos Pena | 1B | .185 | .343 | .222 | .278 | 62 | 0 | 4 |
| Alfonso Soriano | LF | .250 | .283 | .545 | .346 | 106 | 4 | 10 |
| Geovany Soto | C | .220 | .304 | .341 | .292 | 71 | 1 | 3 |
| Tyler Colvin | RF | .147 | .237 | .382 | .261 | 51 | 2 | 6 |
Bench
| Player | Pos | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ |
HR | RBI |
| Koyie Hill | C | .000 | .400 | .000 | .279 | 63 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeff Baker | Util | .385 | .385 | .577 | .417 | 151 | 1 | 6 |
| Blake DeWittt | IF | .125 | .222 | .250 | .218 | 24 | 0 | 2 |
| Kosuke Fukudome | OF | .313 | .500 | .313 | .393 | .136 | 0 | 1 |
| Reed Johnson | OF | .100 | .100 | .200 | .127 | -35 | 0 | 0 |
Closer