Phillies Series Preview: at Chicago Cubs
By Matt Veasey
The Philadelphia Phillies visit historic Wrigley Field for a weekend series with the Chicago Cubs.
Following a day off on Thursday tossed down smack in the middle of a relatively quick six-game road trip, the Phillies travel to historic Wrigley Field and a weekend series with the host Chicago Cubs.
The ‘Lovable Losers’ no longer fit that moniker, as the team just happens to be the best in Major League Baseball thus far in the 2016 season. Their 31-14 record and .689 winning percentage are the game’s best by a wide margin.
The North Siders hold a five game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Central Division, and have fashioned a 14-6 record in home games at their ivy-walled Lakeview ballpark.
The Phillies erupted for eight runs on Wednesday to salvage an Interleague series at Detroit. The Phils remain one of baseball’s top feel-good stories. Their 26-21 record has the club just two games behind the Washington Nationals in the NL East race.
Escaping from Wrigley with even one victory this weekend would have to be considered a win for the Fightin’ Phils. Anything more should leave fans of the team ecstatic, and would ensure at least a .500 road trip.
Not only are these Cubs good, but they are good and young. A full half-dozen of their regulars are aged 26 or younger. The youthful and talented lineup is supported by a mostly veteran pitching staff, providing the club with a nice balance.
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The manager brought on board a year ago to help cultivate a winning attitude and guide the young position players is Joe Maddon, who Phillies fans will recall was the skipper for the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2008 World Series.
Maddon was a longtime respected coach with the Angels who had a 27-24 record in two stints as the Halos interim manager. He then fashioned a 754-705 mark across nine years with the Rays, with a pair of AL East Division crowns and that 2008 American League Pennant.
In his first year on the North Side, Maddon guided the Cubs to 97 wins and a Wildcard playoff berth a year ago.
Chicago dispatched two Central rivals in the postseason, taking out the Pittsburgh Pirate in the Wildcard game and the Saint Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the NLDS. In the National League Championship Series, the Cubbies were swept out by the New York Mets.
This year, Maddon and the Cubs entered as one of the favorites to win the World Series. If they can accomplish that feat, it will mark the franchise’ first world championship since 1908. The club has gone 0-7 in World Series appearances since then, but has not won an NL Pennant since 1945.
Leading the Cubs offense is 26-year old 1st baseman Anthony Rizzo. He has a .371 on-base percentage, leads the club with 11 home runs, and is tied for the team lead with 35 RBI.
24-year old 3rd baseman Kris Bryant was last year’s NL Rookie of the Year. He is hitting for a .279/.368/.503 slash line with 10 homers and 35 RBI, and is second on the club with 33 runs scored.
Dexter Fowler is the club’s 30-year old center fielder who was obtained from the Houston Astros in trade back in January of 2015 after eight mostly underachieving years in the big leagues spent mostly with the Colorado Rockies.
This year, Fowler has been a revelation. He is hitting for a .319/.436/.524 slash line with 32 runs scored and a half-dozen stolen bases.
The 2nd baseman is a veteran from Maddon’s days with the Rays, 35-year old Ben Zobrist. The versatile super-sub has stepped up as a regular, hitting .346/.453/.519 with six homers, 31 RBI, and a club-high 34 runs scored.
24-year old left fielder Jorge Soler and 26-year old big-ticket free agent right fielder Jason Heyward give the club a pair of athletic corner outfielders, albeit underachieving bats to this point.
Even with Zobrist playing every day, the Cubbies still have a talented supersub in 23-year old Javier Baez, who has played every position around the infield as well as a couple of innings in the outfield.
When Maddon goes to his bullpen, he has a six-man veteran mix, most of whom have starting experience, on whom to call upon. Righties Trevor Cahill, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm, and Adam Warren, and lefties Travis Wood and Clayton Richard.
At the back-end to close out games, 28-year old Hector Rondon usually gets the nod. Rondon has an outstanding 1.17 ERA, 0.652 WHIP, and a phenomenal 26/2 K:BB ratio over 15.1 innings in which he has allowed just eight hits.
Fortunately for the Phillies, they will miss 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta (see video in our Pitching Matchups section) in this series. Arrieta has already thrown a no-hitter this season, and is 9-0 with a 1.72 ERA. He has allowed just 40 hits over 68 innings in which he has a 67/21 K:BB ratio.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY: Adam Morgan (1-2, 5.61 ERA) vs Jon Lester (4-3, 2.60 ERA): Lester is a veteran lefty who spent nine years and won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox, was dealt to the Oakland A’s at the 2014 trade deadline, then signed with the Cubs as a free agent that off-season. The 32-year old is off to another strong season at 4-3 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.084 WHIP. He has allowed just 45 hits in 55.1 innings with a fine 52/15 K:BB ratio. Morgan has been up and down, and is coming off a strong outing against Atlanta six days ago in a 2-0 loss. The Phils really need a 2nd straight strong start from the lefty.
SATURDAY: Jerad Eickhoff (2-6, 3.86 ERA) vs Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 3.30 ERA): Hendricks is a 26-year old right-hander who has been nothing but consistently solid since entering the Cubs’ rotation in 2014. Over 53 career starts he has allowed 275 hits in 306.2 innings with a 252/70 K:BB ratio. He is the type of arm who always keeps the Cubs in the game. Much the same can be said of Eickhoff with the Phils. He is coming off seven shutout innings against the Braves, and has gone at least 6 innings in six of his last eight outings. The sometimes dominating Eickhoff needs to show up for the Phillies to take this one.
SUNDAY: Vincent Velasquez (5-1, 2.75 ERA) vs John Lackey (4-2, 3.38 ERA): Lackey is a 37-year old righty who spent the 2000’s with the Angels, then moved on to the Red Sox and Cardinals before signing with the Cubs as a free agent back in December. The definition of a steady veteran at this stage of his career, he has been excellent with Chicago, having allowed just 45 hits in 61.1 innings with a 61/13 K:BB ratio this season. The mercurial Velasquez needs to find a way to start controlling games better, cutting down on the number of pitches he throws and lengthening his outings. He has special talent.
KEYS TO PHILLIES VICTORY
KEEP MISTAKES TO A MINIMUM: the Cubs are too good to be given any gifts by the Phillies defense, and if the Phillies offense continues to leave a ton of men on base, that helps Chicago even more. If those things happen, the Phils could get swept out of the Windy City. Play hard and with confidence, as if to prove something. But play smart as well. You cannot hand out freebies to a team this talented.
PRAY THE CUBS ARE OFF THEIR GAME: even if the Phillies play textbook ball this weekend, the ultra-talented and confident Cubs could easily win the series. The Phils swept the Cubs last year in Chicago, including the Hamels no-hitter. To do so again, the Phillies need to play and pitch well, as well as hope that the Cubbies are a bit off their game.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
| Friday, May 27th | @Chicago Cubs | 2:20 PM EDT | TCN TV | 94 WIP FM radio |
| Saturday, May 28th | @Chicago Cubs | 2:20 PM EDT | CSN TV | 94 WIP FM radio |
| Sunday, May 29th | @Chicago Cubs | 2:20 PM EDT | CSN TV | 94 WIP FM radio |
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE forecast for Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL
Friday
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 79. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sat Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Sunday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82.
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INJURIES / DISABLED LISTS
Chicago Cubs
| Date | Player | Status |
| 5/17 | Joe Nathan, P | Recovery from right elbow surgery (on 60-day DL) |
| 4/8 | Kyle Schwarber, LF | Torn ligaments in left knee (on 60-day DL) |
| 3/25 | Dallas Beeler, P | Right shoulder inflammation (on 15-day DL) |
| 3/25 | Aaron Brooks, P | Hip contusion (on 15-day DL) |
| 3/25 | Christian Villanueva, 3B | Right fibular fracture (on 60-day DL) |
| 2/26 | Zac Rosscup, P | Left shoulder inflammation (on 60-day DL) |
Philadelphia Phillies
| Date | Player | Status |
| 4/29 | Dalier Hinojosa, P | Right hand contusion (on 15-day DL) |
| 4/24 | Charlie Morton, P | Torn left hamstring – out for season (on 15-day DL) |
| 4/2 | Aaron Altherr, LF | Torn tendon in left wrist (on 60-day DL) |
| 4/2 | Matt Harrison, P | Lower back inflammation (on 60-day DL) |
| 4/2 | Mario Hollands, P | Recovery from left elbow surgery (on 60-day DL) |
| 3/25 | Cody Asche, LF | Strained right oblique (on 15-day DL) |