A Royals loss coupled with a Cubs win will eliminate the Cubs from getting the top pick in next year's draft, mostly thanks to the Royals recent seven game skid. The Cubs are 2.5 back of the D'Rays for the second spot at the moment and you never know if the Royals will cheap out on a signing bonus (or for that matter the D'Rays) so there's still hope the Cubs can land the best talent in next year's draft. The Royals did shell out on Luke Hochevar this year so they may finally realize the value in building from the ground up.
This is likely Sean Marshall's final start of the year and his last chance to leave something better than the taste of rotten milk on the Cubs palette. It hasn't been pretty at all for Marshall since his return from the DL (which coincided rather closely to the loss of his mentor
Greg Maddux).
Carlos "Don't Call Me Hector" Villanueva is a 22-year old Brewer prospect who was the bounty in the big
Wayne Franklin deal with the Giants two years ago. He didn't break the Brewers top 10 prospect list by Baseball America last year but he was rated as having the best changeup in their organization. He put up a nice season between AA and AAA this year going a combined 11-6 with a 3.22 ERA, 120 K, 40 BB, 12 HR in 128.2 IP. This will be his first chance to terrorize us for many years to come.
Go Cubs!
GAME ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT IN-GAME DISCUSSION THREAD [PARACHAT]
MILWAUKEE BREWERS (73-83 (Draft) 7th) AT CHICAGO CUBS (63-94 (Draft) 3rd - 4.5 GB)
Wrigley Field, 7:05 pm CDT
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees, Wind out to CF @ 6 mph
TV: WCIU, DirecTV 744
Radio: WGN, XM 188
Sean Marshall, LHP
5-9, 5.64 ERA, 119.2 IP
74 K, 56 BB, 19 HR
270/357/440 against | Carlos Villanueva, RHP
1-1, 3.35 ERA, 40.1 IP
30 K, 9 BB, 5 HR
204/264/395 against |
|
Brady Clark, CF
Tony Graffanino, 2B
*Prince Fielder, 1B
Bill Hall, SS
Corey Hart, RF
Kevin Mench, LF
David Bell, 3B
Mike Rivera, C
Carlos Villanueva, P | *Juan Pierre, CF
Ryan Theriot, 2B
*Jacque Jones, RF
Matt Murton, LF
*John Mabry, 1B
Henry Blanco, C
*Scott Moore, 3B
Ronny Cedeno, SS
*Sean Marshall, P |
| Brewers vs. Marshall:
No Brewers have ever faced Marshall | Cubs vs. Villanueva:
No Cubs have ever faced Villanueva |
Well if that lineup doesn't scare the hell out of Hendry into giving Ramirez whatever he wants, nothing will.
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