Saturday, September 17, 2011

Extra Innings - Astros Cubs - Preview

THE STORY: The Chicago Cubs in addition to Houston Astros are sometimes blended 67 game titles listed below .500, however it doesn t look while in case also group has quit for the season. After an extra-inning combat while in the first online game on the series, every single group evaluations bounce again robust with Saturday. The Astros need a win to hold on to away your franchise utes primary 100-loss marketing campaign protected Cubs tend to be doing the job their particular way up the standings. Henry Sosa and Rodrigo Lopez will rectangle out of within Chicago.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), my20 (Houston)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Rodrigo Lopez (5-6, 5.04 ERA) vs. Astros RH Henry Sosa (2-4, 5.02).

Lopez includes achieved it through half a dozen innings only once in his / her continue seven party as well as have not noted down an out while in the seventh around in which span. The journeyman righthander handled for you to safe a earn Monday as a result of many strong service as they appeared to be knocked available soon after enabling all 5 attained extends within 5 various 1/3 innings. Lopez picked up at Houston upon Aug. 15, surrendering a pair of attained goes within five 1/3 innings. He was lit up by means of this Astros with his Cubs debut with Wrigley Field about May 30, yielding six runs as well as 10 sinks into in four 2/3 frames. Sosa possessed your chain with three direct quality commences found yourself in an end Sunday any time your dog seemed to be knocked around with regard to five works and also eight hits, such as about three household runs, in 2 2/3 innings. The rookie righthander is usually looking to make a strong impact on direction and also freeze up some sort of identify inside up coming year vertisements rotation. Sosa lost in order to Chicago and Lopez on Aug. 15, allowing four extends around six innings.

ABOUT THE CUBS (66-85): Chicago includes trialled two extra-inning online games in the line to get almost eight hours of hockey throughout a lot less than 24 hours. The Cubs argued back to be able to force further innings inside Cincinnati about Thursday evening merely to get Jay Bruce click a walk-off home operate in the 11th to offer the particular Reds this win. It toiled in the reverse Friday afternoon when Chicago came out to possess the experience in mind which includes a 3-1 lead inside ninth inning and Matt Garza cruising. But Carlos Lee forced extra innings which has a two-run homer and also the Cubs fought to be able to pull out there the victory inside the 12th on Marlon Byrd s infield single. That snapped your three-game slide regarding your Cubs, whom still have your shot with jumping up and also robbing fourth place inside National League Central in the Pittsburgh Pirates.

ABOUT THE ASTROS (51-99): Houston finally baseman Chris Johnson designed the curious selection that will attempt to arena a slow-moving roller about the foul line as opposed to waiting to determine if it could move potent while in the 12th. With not any an opportunity to have Starlin Castro along at the plate, a common anticipation the Astros experienced was your baseball planning foul. Mental flaws from young children have got been part of the particular rising aches and pains just for this period for Houston, which often has commenced a full-scale reparing efforts to be able to put together results. Lee, considered one of the lone big-money veterans still around, was the cause of all the Astros runs Friday, belting a solo homer while in the second plus forcing excess innings together with his two-run blast from the ninth.

FINAL PITCH: Castro journeyed 0-for-4 that has a pair of corners Friday to keep stuck upon 193 hits. Castro, 21, is actually highest taker being this youngest gambler in Cubs record to achieve the actual 200-hit mark. He is 1-for-3 in their career in opposition to Sosa plus 5-for-23 against Brett Myers, who's scheduled to start out with regard to Houston inside Sunday s sequence finale.

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