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Chicago Cubs, Red Sox finish MLB betting series
NOTE: The Cubs announced a late pitching change with James Russell starting in place of Matt Garza.
Major League Baseball had been waiting for this matchup for nearly a century and now the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox play the series finale at Fenway Park Sunday night in front of a national audience, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05 p.m. on ESPN.
Before Boston’s 15-5 blowout victory Friday night, Chicago had not played in front of the Green Monster since losing the 1918 World Series. The series has been greeted by incredible enthusiasm from the fans, especially those from the Windy City.
“There hasn’t been energy like this since the ’04 World Series,” said Sly Egidio, who has sold programs outside of Fenway for 20 years. “There’s more Cubs fans, I think. This is the most road fans I’ve ever seen, I feel like I’m selling at Wrigley again.”
Chicago is hoping the excitement of playing in this type of environment will jump start its play against American League opponents, as the club began this three-game set with a 98-107 all-time record in interleague play. The Cubs went 8-10 versus the Junior Circuit in 2010.
Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza (2-4, 3.72) is no stranger to pitching at tonight’s venue, spending his first five seasons in the American League, including his last three with the Rays. The right-hander has registered a solid 7-4 record and 3.83 ERA in 19 career appearances (18 starts) versus the Red Sox.
He will be toeing the rubber for the ninth time at Fenway Park, producing a 5-3 mark and 3.75 ERA. Garza will need pay special attention to throwing against Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who has blasted four home runs off of him in 29 plate appearances.
Boston has now played each of the 30 MLB teams during the regular season both at home and on the road and is likely wanting to switch leagues due to its recent success versus the Senior Circuit. The Red Sox tallied an impressive 13-5 mark against National League opponents during the 2010 campaign and began the year with the fourth-best record at 140-107.
May has been a blessing for the club, ranking second in the majors with an AL-high .279 team batting average during the month, trailing only the Cubs (.288). Boston had won eight of 10 heading into the middle game of the series and has the chance to end the weekend atop the division standings.
Red Sox veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (0-1, 5.40) is set to make his 12th appearance (third start) of the season and hasn’t seen action in 11 days since a relief outing at Toronto. The right-hander suffered through a miserable start the last time he was at home, surrendering a season-high eight runs (six earned) and nine hits in just 4 1/3 innings of work.
In six career outings (five starts) against tonight’s opponent, Wakefield has garnered a 3-1 mark and 3.68 ERA.
He may elect to pitch around Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, a batter that has gone 11-for-36 against him (.306), leaving the yard four times.
Home plate umpire Ed Hickox can certainly be categorized as “pitcher-friendly” this season. His 10 games have averaged just 7.40 runs per contest, causing the ‘under’ to cash six times. Both of today’s scheduled starters have thrown in Hickox’s zone just once in their careers, leading their teams to victory in both instances.
Weather forecasts call for cloudy skies Sunday evening in the Boston area with temperatures in the low-50s for the first pitch and a 5-10 southeasterly breeze. A 30 percent chance of showers may affect the game in the middle-to-late innings.
NOTE: The Cubs announced a late pitching change with James Russell starting in place of Matt Garza.
Major League Baseball had been waiting for this matchup for nearly a century and now the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox play the series finale at Fenway Park Sunday night in front of a national audience, with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05 p.m. on ESPN.
Before Boston’s 15-5 blowout victory Friday night, Chicago had not played in front of the Green Monster since losing the 1918 World Series. The series has been greeted by incredible enthusiasm from the fans, especially those from the Windy City.
“There hasn’t been energy like this since the ’04 World Series,” said Sly Egidio, who has sold programs outside of Fenway for 20 years. “There’s more Cubs fans, I think. This is the most road fans I’ve ever seen, I feel like I’m selling at Wrigley again.”
Chicago is hoping the excitement of playing in this type of environment will jump start its play against American League opponents, as the club began this three-game set with a 98-107 all-time record in interleague play. The Cubs went 8-10 versus the Junior Circuit in 2010.
Cubs starting pitcher Matt Garza (2-4, 3.72) is no stranger to pitching at tonight’s venue, spending his first five seasons in the American League, including his last three with the Rays. The right-hander has registered a solid 7-4 record and 3.83 ERA in 19 career appearances (18 starts) versus the Red Sox.
He will be toeing the rubber for the ninth time at Fenway Park, producing a 5-3 mark and 3.75 ERA. Garza will need pay special attention to throwing against Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, who has blasted four home runs off of him in 29 plate appearances.
Boston has now played each of the 30 MLB teams during the regular season both at home and on the road and is likely wanting to switch leagues due to its recent success versus the Senior Circuit. The Red Sox tallied an impressive 13-5 mark against National League opponents during the 2010 campaign and began the year with the fourth-best record at 140-107.
May has been a blessing for the club, ranking second in the majors with an AL-high .279 team batting average during the month, trailing only the Cubs (.288). Boston had won eight of 10 heading into the middle game of the series and has the chance to end the weekend atop the division standings.
Red Sox veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (0-1, 5.40) is set to make his 12th appearance (third start) of the season and hasn’t seen action in 11 days since a relief outing at Toronto. The right-hander suffered through a miserable start the last time he was at home, surrendering a season-high eight runs (six earned) and nine hits in just 4 1/3 innings of work.
In six career outings (five starts) against tonight’s opponent, Wakefield has garnered a 3-1 mark and 3.68 ERA.
He may elect to pitch around Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, a batter that has gone 11-for-36 against him (.306), leaving the yard four times.
Home plate umpire Ed Hickox can certainly be categorized as “pitcher-friendly” this season. His 10 games have averaged just 7.40 runs per contest, causing the ‘under’ to cash six times. Both of today’s scheduled starters have thrown in Hickox’s zone just once in their careers, leading their teams to victory in both instances.
Weather forecasts call for cloudy skies Sunday evening in the Boston area with temperatures in the low-50s for the first pitch and a 5-10 southeasterly breeze. A 30 percent chance of showers may affect the game in the middle-to-late innings.
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