A Daffy Duck lead pipe lock special ...
Everyone's favorite Duck hit on yesterday's rock 'em sock 'em robots play of the night with the White Sox.
And now it's time for MORE!
CHICAGO CUBS over 4.5 runs
I really like the Cubs offense to get it back together in this spot. They've had two days off now with the Pitt finale getting rained out and yesterday's scheduled day off. So they should come into this one well rested.
This two-day break is a welcomed one for the Cubs, who were beginning to slide once again after making a brief mini run just two weeks ago. Soriano's average has dropped 30 points. Castro has been in a slump. Lee, though he has shown signs of life, still doesn't have the focus he needs at the plate.
But now, the Cubs roll into Houston against the worst team in the National League and arguably the NL's worst pitcher in Felipe Paulino. Carlos Zambrano makes his return to the rotation, and I expect the Cubs offense to be extra motivated to get him some run support.
It shouldn't be a problem against Paulino.
Paulino is 0-2 in two career starts against the Cubs with a 7.82 ERA. He's walked seven batters in 11 innings and has allowed two home runs. While he has been better at home this year -- his ERA is 3.89 at Minute Maid Park -- I don't think he'll be able to keep it up against a Cubs lineup that is poised to break out. The Cubs already tagged him for five runs earlier this year in a game at Wrigley, a 7-2 Cubs win.
If Paulino can limit the Cubs to 3 runs over 6 innings, and that's a big IF, the Cubs shouldn't have much trouble getting a few more runs in the later innings against the Stros' mess of a bullpen. They were horrible last night, the night before and probably every night before then.
I'm not sure if the Cubs win this one (the Astros bats, led by Berkman and Lee, have been hot in their own right), but I do expect the Cubs to get some early runs to support Big Z.