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 I call this series, "The Beginning" because it's the beginning of a stretch of games for the Cubs against a relatively easy schedule. They have the Phillies at the end of this week but over the next three weeks they play the Pirates six times, the Reds three times, and the Nationals three times. This is where the Cubs should start pushing their way to the top of the NL Central. This is also the first road trip of the season so the Cubs can hopefully use this as a time to get used to their teammates and get away from the city to relax.
Where they stand: Cubs (3-3) vs. Pirates (3-3), tied 4th in the NL Central
Series Mission: Get the top of the order going.
Probable Pitchers: (Monday) Ted Lilly (0-1, 7.71 ERA) vs. Tom Gorzelanny (0-1, 4.50 ERA), (Wednesday) Ryan Dempster (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Zach Duke (0-0, 3.18 ERA), (Thursday) Rich Hill (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Matt Morris (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
Who to watch out for: RF Xavier Nady is off to a scorching start with 3 homers and 9 RBI's already this season. C Ryan Doumit is hitting .450 this season in his journey to being the full-time catcher for the Pirates. LF Jason Bay is off to a very slow start and is probably due to go on a hot streak.
What the Cubs need to do to win: With Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome hitting the ball hard, it's time for the Cubs to get the top of the order on base with more regularity. If Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot get on base a lot this series, the Cubs win. If the Cubs pitch well and keep OF Nate McLouth off the bases, they win. If the Cubs play up to their capabilities they shouldn't just sweep this series, but they should dominate it.
Misc: With Ryan Theriot getting off to a slow start to the season look for Ronny Cedeno to get a start at SS during this series......At the beginning of his career Pirates SP Zach Duke absolutely killed the Cubs but last season he really struggled with his command. If he's turned things around this season, he's dangerous in the second game of the series.......Keep an eye on Ted Lilly as he's out to prove that his first start of the season was a fluke.
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2008 Cubs Preview
