Coming off a sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs are truly experiencing life as a ballclub under construction – so much so that they had to call up reinforcements in the forms of Triple-A Iowa studs Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters. And with the exit of Jeff Baker, this team looks a lot different than it did in April. Though only 14 players from the Cubs 25-man Opening Day roster remain, this was the plan all along. Now the Cubs move into phase two, giving their young guys a chance to adapt and develop in the big leagues, which will continue tonight against the San Diego Padres.
Probable Starters
Game 1 (Monday, 9:05 p.m. CT)
Travis Wood (4-7, 4.90 ERA) vs. Eric Stults (1-2, 3.19)
Game 2 (Tuesday, 9:05 p.m. CT)
TBA vs. Ross Ohlendorf (3-2, 6.27)
Game 3 (Wednesday, 5:35 p.m. CT)
Jeff Samardzija (7-9, 4.37) vs. Clayton Richard (8-11, 4.01)
Series Studs (last series)
CHC: Welington Castillo (3-8, 1 RBI, 1 HR)
Castillo appeared in the final two games of the series, but has been doing relatively well when called upon to catch. He has at least one hit in his last five appearances, and two home runs. He will definitely continue to see more playing time with the exit of Geovany Soto.
SD: Yonder Alonso (5-11, 2 RBI)
Alonso has been consistent for the Padres, notching doubles in all three games of their series against the Mets. He also had a home run and only one strikeout.
Series Duds (last series)
CHC: Bryan LaHair (1-5, 0 RBI, 4 SO)
LaHair’s poor performance since the All-Star Game doesn’t spell good news for his starting spot. In his last ten games, he has three hits, no RBIs and 13 strikeouts. He will most likely lose playing time to Brett Jackson.
SD: Cameron Maybin (1-9, 0 RBI)
Maybin hasn’t done much for the Padres as of late, sporting a .212 batting average and having only four hits in his last ten games.
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