Series Preview: Cubs v. Reds, April 11,13-14, 2016
Home sweet home. The Cubs head to beautifully renovated Wrigley Field tonight to kick off their home opener against the Reds. In case you missed it, the Cubs were like little kids at Christmas last night when they got their first glimpse of the new clubhouse. It’s awesome and makes playing for the Cubs even more appealing to players.
When the Cubs open up tonight against the Reds they will take on a team that’s started a surprising 5-1, to match the Cubs hot start. We’ll soon find out if the Reds are for real or not.
Game Times & Broadcast Info
- Monday, April 11 at 7:05 PM CDT on WGN
- Wednesday, April 13 at 7:05 PM CDT on CSN+
- Thursday, April 14 at 7:05 PM CDT on CSN
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Team | Pitcher | Age | Throws | ERA | W/L | K/BB |
| 4/11/2016 | Cubs | Jon Lester | 32 | L | 1.29 | 1-0 | 5.14* |
| Reds | Brandon Finnegan | 22 | L | 3.00 | 0-0 | 9.00 | |
| 4/13/2016 | Cubs | John Lackey | 37 | R | 9.00 | 1-0 | 4.00 |
| Reds | Alfredo Simon | 34 | R | 1.80 | 0-0 | 3.50 | |
| 4/14/2016 | Cubs | Jason Hammel | 33 | R | 1.50 | 0-0 | 2.00 |
| Reds | Raisel Iglesias | 26 | R | 2.31 | 1-0 | 6.00 |
What to Watch For
- The Cincinnati Reds come in a surprising 5-1. They opened the 2016 season by sweeping the Phillies and then went on to take 2 of 3 games against the Pirates. Both series were played at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati so this will be the first road trip for the Reds. It will be interesting to see if they play as well away from home.
- Look for John Lackey to bounce back from his tough first outing against the Dbacks. John got the win last week, thanks to an offensive explosion by the Cubs bats scoring 14 runs, but he did give up six runs over six innings. John gave up a home run on his first pitch as a Cub and he appeared visibly rattled after that. He did settle down after the third inning, allowing only 2 hits and no runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. But, nevertheless, he still got hit hard in those later innings.
- The weather can play a big roll in games at Wrigley. Fortunately, the forecast is for no rain with warmer temperatures and highs in the 50s. Although with the games at night, temps will be in the low-to-mid 40s. Bundle up if you’re head to the games for this series.
Notes:
*Jon Lester issued no walks in his first start, therefore we used K/9 instead of K/BB.