Oct 2, 2007 - 2:18 AM
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By Brian Joura PA SportsTicker Contrbuting Writer
A preview of the National League Division Series matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which begins Wednesday in Arizona.
Probable pitching matchups:
Game One in Arizona: Carlos Zambrano (18-13) vs. Brandon Webb (18-10) Game Two in Arizona: Ted Lilly (15-8) vs. Doug Davis (13-12) Game Three in Chicago: Rich Hill (11-8) vs. Livan Hernandez (11-11)
Probable Starters:
Chicago Arizona
C Jason Kendall Chris Snyder 1B Derrek Lee Tony Clark/Conor Jackson 2B Mark DeRosa Augie Ojeda 3B Aramis Ramirez Mark Reynolds SS Ryan Theriot Stephen Drew LF Alfonso Soriano Eric Byrnes CF Jacque Jones Chris Young RF Cliff Floyd/Craig Monroe Justin Upton/Jeff Salazar
Season Series: The Diamondbacks took four of six, winning two of three both home and away. ... Webb lost his only decision against the Cubs this season which dropped his lifetime mark against Chicago to 4-1 in seven games. ... Zambrano did not face the Diamondbacks this season and has a lifetime 1-2 record with a 4.88 ERA in four games. ... Diamondbacks closer Jose Valverde earned saves in all four wins the club had against the Cubs this year. He has allowed just one earned run in 14 lifetime appearances vs. Chicago. ... Snyder batted .368 with a .632 slugging percentage while Jackson batted .350 with a .600 slugging mark against the Cubs. Young had just four hits in 28 plate appearances, but three of those were home runs. ... Ramirez led all Cubs hitters with seven RBI.
Keys to the series: 1). Can the Cubs earn another win vs. Webb? While the Cubs defeated him during the regular season, they scored just two earned runs in seven innings. And that game was in Chicago. He is set up to start Games One and Five in Arizona. Webb finished the season strong, winning 10 of his last 12 decisions. In that span, which covered 92 2/3 innings, he allowed just three home runs.
2). Will the Diamondbacks score enough runs? Arizona had the third fewest runs scored of any team in the National League with 712. Only the Giants and Nationals scored fewer runs. On the flip side, Cubs pitchers had the second best ERA in the senior circuit with a 4.26 mark. Opponents outscored the Diamondbacks during the season, as they allowed 732 runs, 20 more than they scored. Every other team that made the playoffs outscored its opponents by at least 62 runs.
3). Does the record of the Diamondbacks in one-run games make their youngsters ready for the playoffs? This is the first trip to the postseason for Arizona in five seasons and no player on the current roster was a member of that team. Only Byrnes, Clark, Livan Hernandez and Bob Wickman have playoff experience. First and second-year pros like Reynolds, Drew, Young and Upton are among the most important members of the squad. While Byrnes thinks the team's 32-20 mark in one-run games will serve the youngsters well in the playoffs, no one can say for sure how they will act on the big stage under the bright lights
4). Will Ryan Dempster get the job done as Chicago's closer? After the All-Star break, Dempster went 1-4 with a 6.19 ERA. In September, he had a 9.82 ERA in 15 games. Dempster struggled with the long ball. He allowed seven home runs in 14 2/3 innings in the season's final month. He gave up runs in eight of his final 12 outings. The playoffs are not the time to experiment with your bullpen but can the Cubs count on Dempster to shut the door if given a lead?
Inside the numbers: After starting the season at 22-31 and being seven games behind the division-leading Brewers, the Cubs went 35-18 (.660) to forge a tie for first place by August 1. ... Soriano hit 20 of his 33 home runs on the road; no other player hit more than nine road homers for the Cubs. ... Zambrano, slated to start Games One and Five in Arizona, was 12-4 away from the Friendly Confines. ... In games decided by five or more runs, the Cubs were 27-17 while the Diamondbacks were 20-26. ... The Diamondbacks won 50 games at home but were under .500 on the road. Arizona won a major league-best 69 night games. Four of the five games in the series are scheduled at night. ... Clark hit six home runs in 54 at-bats in September. Davis went 8-2 in 15 starts after the All-Star break.
They said it: "We got there. We had some bumpy road, we really have," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "But our team endured. We've been in a tough pennant race the last six or seven weeks. I think that will pay some dividends in the postseason."
"They played us tough. We had some close games with them," Piniella on the Cubs' 2-4 regular season record vs. the Diamondbacks. "They're a good young team. They've got good pitching. But we feel we can go in there and win."
Prediction: Cubs in four.
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By Brian Joura PA SportsTicker Contrbuting Writer
A preview of the National League Division Series matchup between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks, which begins Wednesday in Arizona.
Probable pitching matchups:
Game One in Arizona: Carlos Zambrano (18-13) vs. Brandon Webb (18-10) Game Two in Arizona: Ted Lilly (15-8) vs. Doug Davis (13-12) Game Three in Chicago: Rich Hill (11-8) vs. Livan Hernandez (11-11)
Probable Starters:
Chicago Arizona
C Jason Kendall Chris Snyder 1B Derrek Lee Tony Clark/Conor Jackson 2B Mark DeRosa Augie Ojeda 3B Aramis Ramirez Mark Reynolds SS Ryan Theriot Stephen Drew LF Alfonso Soriano Eric Byrnes CF Jacque Jones Chris Young RF Cliff Floyd/Craig Monroe Justin Upton/Jeff Salazar
Season Series: The Diamondbacks took four of six, winning two of three both home and away. ... Webb lost his only decision against the Cubs this season which dropped his lifetime mark against Chicago to 4-1 in seven games. ... Zambrano did not face the Diamondbacks this season and has a lifetime 1-2 record with a 4.88 ERA in four games. ... Diamondbacks closer Jose Valverde earned saves in all four wins the club had against the Cubs this year. He has allowed just one earned run in 14 lifetime appearances vs. Chicago. ... Snyder batted .368 with a .632 slugging percentage while Jackson batted .350 with a .600 slugging mark against the Cubs. Young had just four hits in 28 plate appearances, but three of those were home runs. ... Ramirez led all Cubs hitters with seven RBI.
Keys to the series: 1). Can the Cubs earn another win vs. Webb? While the Cubs defeated him during the regular season, they scored just two earned runs in seven innings. And that game was in Chicago. He is set up to start Games One and Five in Arizona. Webb finished the season strong, winning 10 of his last 12 decisions. In that span, which covered 92 2/3 innings, he allowed just three home runs.
2). Will the Diamondbacks score enough runs? Arizona had the third fewest runs scored of any team in the National League with 712. Only the Giants and Nationals scored fewer runs. On the flip side, Cubs pitchers had the second best ERA in the senior circuit with a 4.26 mark. Opponents outscored the Diamondbacks during the season, as they allowed 732 runs, 20 more than they scored. Every other team that made the playoffs outscored its opponents by at least 62 runs.
3). Does the record of the Diamondbacks in one-run games make their youngsters ready for the playoffs? This is the first trip to the postseason for Arizona in five seasons and no player on the current roster was a member of that team. Only Byrnes, Clark, Livan Hernandez and Bob Wickman have playoff experience. First and second-year pros like Reynolds, Drew, Young and Upton are among the most important members of the squad. While Byrnes thinks the team's 32-20 mark in one-run games will serve the youngsters well in the playoffs, no one can say for sure how they will act on the big stage under the bright lights
4). Will Ryan Dempster get the job done as Chicago's closer? After the All-Star break, Dempster went 1-4 with a 6.19 ERA. In September, he had a 9.82 ERA in 15 games. Dempster struggled with the long ball. He allowed seven home runs in 14 2/3 innings in the season's final month. He gave up runs in eight of his final 12 outings. The playoffs are not the time to experiment with your bullpen but can the Cubs count on Dempster to shut the door if given a lead?
Inside the numbers: After starting the season at 22-31 and being seven games behind the division-leading Brewers, the Cubs went 35-18 (.660) to forge a tie for first place by August 1. ... Soriano hit 20 of his 33 home runs on the road; no other player hit more than nine road homers for the Cubs. ... Zambrano, slated to start Games One and Five in Arizona, was 12-4 away from the Friendly Confines. ... In games decided by five or more runs, the Cubs were 27-17 while the Diamondbacks were 20-26. ... The Diamondbacks won 50 games at home but were under .500 on the road. Arizona won a major league-best 69 night games. Four of the five games in the series are scheduled at night. ... Clark hit six home runs in 54 at-bats in September. Davis went 8-2 in 15 starts after the All-Star break.
They said it: "We got there. We had some bumpy road, we really have," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "But our team endured. We've been in a tough pennant race the last six or seven weeks. I think that will pay some dividends in the postseason."
"They played us tough. We had some close games with them," Piniella on the Cubs' 2-4 regular season record vs. the Diamondbacks. "They're a good young team. They've got good pitching. But we feel we can go in there and win."
Prediction: Cubs in four.
