The Cubs still can win both the series and have a winning road trip by taking today’s game.
Wednesday notes…
- DAY BASEBALL IN THE DESERT: Today’s game, the Cubs’ 92nd at Arizona, is their 25th day game there, but first on a weekday afternoon since Monday, July 5, 2010. They won that day, 9-4, as Kosuke Fukudome led off the game with a home run and Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run pinch homer in the ninth. Geovany Soto had 2 doubles and a single. Of the Cubs’ 12 subsequent day games in the desert, 11 were on Sunday and one on Saturday. Their only previous game at Arizona on a Wednesday afternoon was April 29, 2009. They managed only singles by Aaron Miles and Ryan Theriot in a 10-0 loss. The Cubs won 16-6 on Monday afternoon, April 4, 2005, which was Opening Day. They lost their only Tuesday games, 4-0 in 1998 and 3-2 in 2001. Overall, the Cubs are 10-15 in day games at Arizona: 2-5 on weekdays and 8-10 on weekends. At night, they are 28-39. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
- HAPP-ENINGS: After going 1-for-22 with eight strikeouts in the first six games of the current Cubs road trip, Ian Happ is 4-for-11 (.364) in the last two games with a double, last night’s grand slam, and three runs scored.
- THE BUSCH LEAGUE: Though Michael Busch’s five-game home run streak ended Tuesday night, over his last six games he is batting .381/.500/1.143 (8-for-21, 1.643 OPS) with a double, five home runs, five walks and six runs scored.
- RUN SCORING NOTE: The Cubs’ 11 runs last night marked the second time they have scored in double figures this year. Their 5.65 runs per game ranks sixth in MLB behind the Braves, Brewers, Orioles, D-backs and Guardians.
Here are today’s particulars.
Cubs lineup:
Here is today’s #Cubs starting lineup at Chase Field.
Tune in: https://t.co/Gs2hZXzr9f pic.twitter.com/7fHwYq27Zy
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 17, 2024
D-backs lineup:
Game 19.
⌚️ 12:40pm
https://t.co/epBmrbYHsx | https://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d
98.7 FM @AZSports
️ @ChaseField pic.twitter.com/FnC6QFFHR4— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 17, 2024
Jordan Wicks, LHP vs. Brandon Pfaadt, RHP
Jordan Wicks has work to do, specifically on his walk rate. His K rate is way up from his seven starts last year, but his walk rate has nearly doubled. That can’t go on. Among other things, it’s giving him huge pitch counts early.
Last year against the Diamondbacks, September 17 in Arizona, he also had walk trouble, issuing four in less than five innings.
Change that and this start could be successful.
Brandon Pfaadt (pronounced “fought”) was a Top 100 prospect before last year. He has not shown that at the MLB level, with a 5.83 ERA in 22 career appearances (21 starts).
Two of his better outings last year were against the Cubs, though, overall he had a 3.18 ERA and 1.147 WHIP in 11⅓ innings thrown against the Cubs.
He did allow three home runs to Cubs hitters in those two games. Christopher Morel, Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson all took him deep. Let’s hope for some repeats of that today.
Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. You can find out if Marquee is available via a provider in your area here.
Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Diamondbacks site AZ Snakepit. If you do go there to interact with D-backs fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2024 Game Thread procedure will be like last year’s, similar to what we’ve used for Spring Training.
You’ll find the game preview posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game, including the First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread, as well as the recap when it’s published. The recap will also live on the front page as a separate post.
You will also be able to find the preview, First Pitch Thread and the overflow thread in the box marked “Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page (you can also find them in this section link). The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
The First Pitch thread will post at five minutes before game time, then an overflow thread at 90 minutes after the scheduled game time.
Discuss amongst yourselves.