[pete_b]

The Cubs, after getting swept by the Braves, play the Reds for three games in the friendly confines. The Reds are 28-22 and just recently got knocked out of first place by the Cardinals. The Reds who are four games behind the Cardinals, just finished losing two out of three to the DBacks who lead the West.

For today's game, the Cubs are placing the ball in the hands of Kerry Wood, who has had two starts, and has a 6.30 era and and 0-1 record. The Reds are putting up Ramirez who in is five starts is 2-3 with a 3.72 era. The Cubs are in for another torturous three days.

[legend]

The Reds are heading back to below the .500 mark, where they will comfortably be by season's end. They just do not have enough pitching to hold up. The Cubs may pick up a pair of wins in this series.

[MJHMarc]

I think Kerry Wood should rebound from his past injuries. He was a bright prospect a few years back, and I would love to see him shine again. It is just his luck that he spends more time on the DL, than on the mound.

[pete_b]

legend and Marc, I gotta hand it to ya both. You called it. The Cubs won their first game in seven yesterday with a victory over the Reds. Wood pitched 85 pitches and gave up only two runs ( one of them unearned ) on five hits in six innings. The bullpen came in to set up the ninth for Dempster who struck out three and gave up a hit. Nice win for the Cubs. Scoring four runs on Ramirez is no easy feat for this team.

Next up is our right hand man Mauddux versus Claussen. Claussen has a 5.25 and is 3-5. It could be two in a row for the Cubbies.

[MJHMarc]

I'm going to go with the Cubs again on this match-up.
--Maddux is having a spectacular year and he should add another easy win to his record. The Reds are supposably a good team, but I don't think they will put up a huge fight for this win.
--Claussen is having a horrible year for the Reds, with a wild ERA well over 5. His record is unbearable and I think the Reds should search for possible pitching solutions before they blow the season on Claussen and his recent pitching struggles.

[pete_b]

The Cubs have won two in a row. This is the first time that the Cubs have won two consecutive games since May 16 and 17 versus the Nationals. The Cubs are now 20-31 and still 13 and a half games out of first. Maddux only threw sixty-four pitches in almost six innings but fifty of them were strikes. The Cubs bullpen including Aardsma, NOvoa, Ohman and Dempster allowed no hits and only one walk and struck out four. The Cubbies rocked Claussen for five runs and their bullpen for five more. Way to go Cubs.

Today's match-up is the Cubs ace Zambrano who is 2-0 and has a 2.49 era in his last three starts. The pitcher for the Reds is Milton who has a 5.52 era in five starts. I smell a sweep. Anybody else?

[pete_b]

The Cubs lost the third game of the series to the Reds by a score of 3-2. Zambrano only gave up two runs in six innings. The rest of the Cubs bullpen did a fabulous job of keeping the Reds in line. In the eighth, Jones the Cubs right fielder knocked a two run homer but it wasn't enough and the Cubs went down.

Today is an off-day for the Cubs, but coming up in a ten game three series road trip, the Cubs play the Cards Houston and then the Reds again.