Dodgers Take on Cubs
After Carlos Zambrano’s last game, most of the discussion revolved around his prowess at the plate.
The Chicago Cubs ace, however, wanted to concentrate on what he does best – which is still pitching.
As well as he’s fared in the batter’s box, Zambrano remains focused on continuing his success on the mound and will try to help the Cubs continue their dominance at home in the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Chicago -153 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 9 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 71% of bets for this game have been placed on Chicago -153 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Zambrano (7-1, 2.47 ERA) leads all pitchers with 11 hits and is tied for the lead among NL hurlers with four RBIs and four runs scored. Four of his hits came against Pittsburgh on Friday, when he raised his season batting average to .343 – the best among Cubs players with more than 10 at-bats.
Zambrano also delivered on the mound in that game, holding the Pirates to two runs in seven innings of a 12-3 win – his sixth since suffering his only loss April 11 at Philadelphia.
When asked after the game what he wanted to talk about, the right-hander told the Cubs’ official Web site, "Pitching. That’s my job."
He’s done that job very well this season. He’s tied for second in the NL in wins and ranks third in ERA.
"He has good stuff – utilize it, maximize your pitch count so you can go eight innings in a game," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "When it’s all said and done, he’s 7-1 for us, and that’s a pretty darn good start."
Piniella has to be equally pleased with his club’s play at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs (31-21) have one of the majors’ best home records at 21-8. They’ve won 10 of 12 games there since May 9, including back-to-back 3-1 victories over the Dodgers (26-25) in the first two games of this series.
The Cubs haven’t swept the Dodgers at Wrigley since May 4-6, 2001.
The Dodgers have dropped four of five games, scoring one run or fewer in each of those losses. They’ve stranded 20 runners on base in the first two games of this series.
"We’re fighting it now," Dodgers manager Joe Torre told the team’s official Web site. "We give ourselves very little room for error. When it’s a close margin, everybody feels the pinch right now."
That doesn’t bode well for this matchup with Zambrano, who had been masterful against the Dodgers before his last start against them in 2007.
He was tagged for eight runs in 4 1-3 innings in that game – an 11-3 home loss on Sept. 3. That performance inflated Zambrano’s career ERA against the Dodgers from 1.86 to 3.35 and dropped him to 2-2 in 10 games – six starts – against them.
Los Angeles will counter with Derek Lowe (2-5, 5.03), who hasn’t won in more than a month. After improving to 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA with a win over Arizona on April 23, the right-hander is 0-4 with a 7.29 ERA in six starts.
Lowe delivered his first quality start since April 12 on Friday, holding St. Louis to two runs and five hits in seven innings. However, he got two runs of support or fewer for the seventh time this season and suffered the 2-1 defeat.
"I still got a loss," Lowe said. "I’m not here for moral victories. I still lost and I’m not leaving the park with a good feeling."
Lowe is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in six career starts against the Cubs, and the Dodgers are 4-2 in those games. Chicago’s Derrek Lee is 10-for-22 (.455) lifetime against Lowe, but has seven strikeouts and only one home run against him.
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