Los Angeles @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 19, 2010 ) LA Angels 12, Chi. Cubs 0
Two pitchers who expected more out of their respective seasons will face off Sunday. And if the previous two games were any indication, Joe Saunders should have the upper hand.
Saunders looks for his third win in the past four starts as the Los Angeles Angels go for a sweep of the Chicago Cubs in their first-ever visit to Wrigley Field. The Angels opened the series with a 7-6 nail-biter on Friday night, then thumped the Cubs 12-0 Saturday afternoon.
With the offensive outburst, Los Angeles improved to 12-2 in its last 14 road games. Despite the success away from California, the Angels will no doubt be happy to embark on a 12-game homestand beginning Tuesday against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
To complete the sweep, they'll need a solid bounce-back effort from Saunders (5-7). The veteran left-hander won 33 games in 2008-09, but has already equaled his loss total from both seasons. He's coming off a dismal outing in which he surrendered six runs in just 5 2/3 innings of a 12-2 loss to the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Saunders had pitched well before that start, earning consecutive 7-1 victories over the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. The 29-year-old pitched six strong innings against the Mariners and went the distance on a seven-hitter to beat Oakland.
Saunders has never faced the Cubs in his career, but he may not be the biggest fan of a Wrigley Field matinee game. Despite owning a 15-6 career record in day games, his ERA in those contests is a bloated 4.89, with opponents hitting .285 off him.
If he gets the kind of run support the Angels provided Saturday, none of that will matter. Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter both had homers for the second consecutive game, and Los Angeles limited the punchless Cubs to just a pair of hits. Chicago didn't help itself, either, committing three errors in the rout.
The Cubs send Carlos Zambrano (2-5) to the mound in today's series finale. Zambrano has had a disastrous season marked by a trip to the bullpen and he hasn't done that well since returning to the starting rotation, going 1-2 in three starts while failing to make it past the sixth inning in any of them.
Zambrano was burned by the Cubs' porous defense in his last outing, surrendering five runs - two earned - in six innings of a 9-5 loss to the Athletics. His ERA is an unsightly 5.66, opponents are hitting .292 off him and he has issued 24 walks in just 47 2/3 innings.
Following today's finale, the Cubs head out for a six-game road trip beginning Tuesday in Seattle. They'll return to Chicago for a three-game series against the cross-town White Sox before returning home to face the woeful Pittsburgh Pirates.