Saturday, July 28th (All times eastern)
Chicago Cubs (53-48) at Cincinnati Reds (45-59), 7:10 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Chicago - Sean Marshall (4-4, 3.25) Cincinnati - Aaron Harang (10-2, 3.45)
The Chicago Cubs try to put the brakes on a two-game losing streak this evening when they play the second of three games versus the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
The Cubs lost for the fourth time in six chances on Friday, as Edwin Encarnacion singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Reds to a 5-4 win in the series opener.
Bob Howry (5-6) started the inning on the hill for Chicago and allowed a leadoff single to Norris Hopper. Pinch-hitter Juan Castro moved Hopper over with a sacrifice bunt, and Encarnacion followed by ripping a 3-2 pitch to left that allowed Hopper to score standing.
The euphoria came after the Cubs scored a pair of runs off David Weathers (2-3) in the top of the frame. Aramis Ramirez ignited the rally with a single to left, and a base hit by Cliff Floyd put runners at the corners with no outs. Mark DeRosa’s base hit cut it to 4-3, and after Jacque Jones was retired on a fielder’s choice, Jason Kendall’s single to left scored pinch-runner Angel Pagan with the tying run.
It was the fifth blown save for Weathers, who couldn’t hold the lead for starter Bronson Arroyo after the right-hander allowed two runs on four hits, with a walk and five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings.
Encarnacion also added a solo homer for the Reds, who have won four of their last five games.
DeRosa finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Ryan Theriot had a pair of hits and knocked in a run for the Cubs, who are still a major league-best 31-17 since June 3.
Chicago, which is three games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the NL Central, has not lost three in a row since its season-high six-game slide from May 27-June 2.
Hoping to get the Cubs back in the win column tonight will be lanky left- hander Sean Marshall, who is winless in his last four starts. Marshall suffered the loss on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, despite a pretty solid effort. He surrendered a run on five hits in six innings of that one, but still fell to 4-4 to go along with a 3.25 ERA in his team’s 3-0 setback.
Marshall has never faced the Reds.
Cincinnati will counter with Aaron Harang, who is 10-2 with a 3.45 ERA. Harang had one of the most impressive outings of his career in his last trip to the hill on Monday against Milwaukee when he allowed a run and seven hits in 10 innings. Harang didn’t get the victory in that one, but Cincinnati won the contest and has now won his last nine starts.
Harang defeated the Cubs earlier in the year and is 6-1 lifetime against them with a 4.23 ERA in 11 starts.
The 29-year-old right-hander, who hasn’t lost at Great American Ball Park since May 5, is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in his last seven home starts.
The Reds have bested the Cubs in five of their seven meetings this year, including a 3-1 mark at home. The teams split 10 games in Cincinnati last season.
