Giants Throw Ace
Over the past few weeks, the Chicago Cubs have been playing with some significant holes in their lineup, and wins have been infrequent as a result.
That could quickly change, however, as they are starting to return to full strength.
The NL Central-leading Cubs expect to get cleanup hitter Aramis Ramirez back in the lineup Thursday as they try to earn a rare road series win when they face Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made San Francisco -135 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has been set at 7.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 52% of bets for this game have been placed on San Francisco -135 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
Chicago (51-34), which has been playing without leadoff hitter Alfonso Soriano (finger) since June 11 and staff ace Carlos Zambrano (right shoulder strain) since June 18, has needed different players to step up. On Wednesday, Mike Fontenot provided a lift as his tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning gave the Cubs a 6-5 win over the Giants (37-48).
Chicago won for the sixth time in its last 15 games, as it remained 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place St. Louis in the Central.
While the Cubs own the best record in the NL, winning on the road has been a challenge as they head into the finale of this four-game set. Wednesday’s victory was their second in nine games away from Wrigley Field, and they have won just three of 13 road series this season. Chicago will be getting reinforcements soon, though.
Ramirez is second on the Cubs with 14 home runs and has a team-high 55 RBIs, but missed the last three games while attending the birth of his son in the Dominican Republic.
In addition to Ramirez’s return, Reed Johnson (back spasms), who has 31 RBIs, is set to come off the disabled list for the series finale. On Friday, Zambrano is scheduled to be activated to start in St. Louis.
"It’s always good to have those guys coming back, to have everybody healthy and ready to go," said Geovany Soto, who drove in two runs Wednesday and will likely be the first rookie catcher to start for the NL in the All-Star game. "But most important, it’s the other guys, when those guys aren’t around, stepping and getting the job done. It was good to see a guy like Fontenot hit a home run in that situation. It feels like guys are coming around."
The Cubs are hoping Ramirez will break out of his slump, as he’s 0-for-14 in his last four games after going 10-for-22 (.455) with four home runs and 10 RBIs in his previous five. It won’t be easy, though, as he’s hitless in six career at-bats versus Lincecum (9-1, 2.38 ERA).
In just his second season in the majors, Lincecum has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant pitchers and is likely heading to Yankee Stadium for the All-Star game.
The hard-throwing right-hander has yielded one run or none in four of his last six starts, leads the NL with 114 strikeouts and has the league’s second-best ERA. On Saturday, Lincecum gave up five hits and matched a season high with 11 strikeouts in seven innings of a 1-0 win over Oakland.
"He’s unbelievable, the determination he has when he takes the mound," Giants closer Brian Wilson said. "He’s a true gamer."
Lincecum made two starts against the Cubs last season as a rookie, going 0-1 with a 2.51 ERA. He struck out 15 in 14 1-3 innings in those contests.
The Cubs will send Sean Gallagher (3-3, 4.36) to the mound in the series finale, as he makes his first career start against the Giants.
Gallagher gave up five runs, eight hits and matched a career high with eight strikeouts in six innings of a 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, but the right-hander was not a factor in the decision. The Cubs have lost each of Gallagher’s last four starts.
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