The right-hander appeared to answer them Saturday at Cincinnati. He allowed three runs in the first three innings but settled down from there, finishing with nine strikeouts over seven innings while pitching Chicago to a 4-3 victory.
Zambrano has been better on the road than at Wrigley throughout his career. He’s 46-39 with a 3.73 ERA in Chicago but is 60-30 with a 3.37 ERA in opposing parks, and that contrast was even more startling in 2009. Zambrano was 7-2 with a 2.73 ERA on the road but 2-5 with a career-worst 5.03 ERA in 13 home outings.
He’s 0-2 with a 4.62 ERA in his last eight starts at Wrigley against Milwaukee (3-5).
Thursday’s start will be the first of the season for Jeff Suppan(notes) (7-12, 5.29), who opened on the 15-day disabled list with cervical disc pain.
Suppan’s neck was improving enough last week that he took the mound Friday for Class A Wisconsin, and he gave up one run and seven hits over 4 1-3 innings.
There are a few Cub hitters Suppan won’t be anxious to see, including Zambrano, who’s 4 for 9 with three RBIs against him. Of greater concern might be Derrek Lee, a lifetime .431 hitter with five homers against Suppan.
Lee was held out of Wednesday’s game because of inflammation in his right thumb that forced him to leave Monday’s home opener, but manager Lou Piniella expects him to play Thursday.
Lee, who needs one homer to become the 10th player to hit 100 at Wrigley Field, hit .357 and had 15 RBIs in eight home games against Milwaukee in 2009.
Team Comparison
| Team | Record | Standings | Away/Home | Streak | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 3-5 | 5th Central | Away 0-2 | Lost 2 | 3-5 |
| Chicago | 4-4 | 3rd Central | Home 2-0 | Won 2 | 4-4 |
Bet on MLB betting now
0 comments:
Post a Comment