Game 132 – Preview

Scouting Report on todays starters from MLB.com
Manny Parra – Instead of using righty Yovani Gallardo on regular rest the Brewers are expected to pitch Parra, who would make his second big league start. The Cubs are 12-20 against left-handed starters this season and entered the series batting .252 against left-handed pitching overall and .274 against right-handers. Parra’s only other start was July 28 at St. Louis, his third Major League appearance. Parra pitched six innings against the Cardinals, allowing three runs, one of them earned.

Ted Lilly – Lilly rebounded from a couple of poor recent starts but took a hard-luck loss on Saturday against the D-backs. He had given up 11 runs over his previous two starts, but held the D-backs to two runs on just four hits over six innings. Lilly struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. However, he made one mistake to Conor Jackson, a fastball out over the plate, and Jackson parked it for a two-run homer that was enough to saddle Lilly with the loss.

What to Watch For
Facing a pitcher making his second major league start in the heat of a pennant race and countering with our most consistent starter all year, there is no excuse for why we shouldn’t come away with a win of the game and the series this evening. I will accept no less.

View the game preview from Baseball Reference for all sorts of useful information including how our guys have faired against today’s starter, bullpen rest report, and much more.

Roster Move(s)

The Cubs have sent Buck Coats to the Reds for a player to be named later. Remember, the Cubs are still owed a player from Pittsburgh as well from the Ceasar Izturis trade.

The Cubs have sent Clay Rapada to Detroit via waivers, which satisfies the player we owed them from the Craig Monroe deal.

News and Notes

Tyler Colvin, the Cubs first round pick last year, is preparing to play for Team USA (Source) and was mentioned as the 12th best CF in the minors in Kevin Goldstein’s Future Shock column on Center Fielders:

A first-round pick last year, Colvin has good numbers on the surface, reaching Double-A in his full-season debut and accumulating 225 total bases in 118 games. Unfortunately, the bad news balances out the good, for the most part. Colvin’s over-aggressive approach has led to just 14 walks in 462 at-bats, including just four in 55 games since a promotion to Tennessee. In addition, Colvin’s ability to play center has come into question, leading us to one of the tenets of prospect analysis–-when there are whispers that a player might have to move off a position, the chances are overwhelming that in the end that player will move off the position. There’s lots to like here, but still lots of work to be done, and if the walks don’t reach something approaching an even marginally acceptable level, then none of his other skills will matter much. (Source)

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