The Chicago Cubs will try to continue their recent success this month when they open a four-game series versus the San Francisco Giants tonight at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs are 8-3 in July and just pulled off a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros over the weekend at home. They completed the sweep with Sunday’s 7-6 win, as Derrek Lee went 3-for-3 with a three-run homer to lead the way.
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Ryan Theriot and Angel Pagan also went deep for the Cubs, who have won five of their last seven games and sit 3 1/2 games off the lead in the NL Central. Starter Jason Marquis was tagged for six runs in just four innings of work before the bullpen combined for five innings of shutout ball. Michael Wuertz earned the win and Bob Howry posted his fifth save of the season.
Taking the ball for the Cubs tonight will be Rich Hill, who is 5-6 with a 3.81 ERA in 17 starts this season. Hill is 0-2 over his last five starts and was beaten by Washington the last time out on July 4, allowing 10 hits and six runs over six innings of a 6-0 loss.
The left-hander, who is 2-2 in seven home starts in 2007, owns a 1-1 mark in three career starts against San Francisco.
Meanwhile, the Giants have dropped four in a row, including Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game series from AT&T Park. Barry Bonds went 0-for-5 and is hitless in his last 20 at-bats. The future Hall of Famer is still stuck on 751 career home runs, four shy of tying Hank Aaron for the all-time record.
Dave Roberts went 3-for-5 and scored twice for the Giants, who are last in the National League West standings — 12 1/2 games off the pace. Starting pitcher Noah Lowry had a three-start winning streak stopped and saw his seven-game home winning string come to an end after giving up 10 hits and five runs — four earned — over 5 2/3 innings.
San Francisco will send rookie pitcher Tim Lincecum to the mound Monday night and he is 4-2 with a 4.63 ERA in 12 starts this season. Lincecum is riding a personal two-game winning streak and is unbeaten over his last three starts with a 1.34 earned run average.
In his previous performance on July 7 against St. Louis, the right-hander posted the win after yielding three runs in six innings of a 7-6 triumph.
Lincecum will face the Cubs for the first time in his career tonight.
Chicago and the Giants are meeting for the first time since San Francisco took four of six games during the 2006 campaign. The Giants went 2-1 at Wrigley Field that season.
