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GAME 44 PREVIEW HOUSTON ASTROS (15-30) at CHICAGO CUBS (21-22) Wrigley Field, 6.05pm CT, TV: ESPN, CSN

SP Greg Maddux	SP Brandon Backe
CF *Orlando Palmeiro	CF Jerry Hairston
RF *Todd Self	SS #Neifi Perez
2B Craig Biggio	1B Derrek Lee
LF #Lance Berkman	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
1B *Mike Lamb	3B Aramis Ramirez
3B Morgan Ensberg

GAME 43 PREVIEW HOUSTON ASTROS (15-29) at CHICAGO CUBS (20-22) Wrigley Field, 7.05pm CT, TV: WGN, Fox Sports SW

SP Sergio Mitre	SP Roger Clemens
CF Willy Taveras	CF Jerry Hairston
RF *Todd Self	SS #Neifi Perez
2B Craig Biggio	1B Derrek Lee
LF #Lance Berkman	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
1B *Mike Lamb	3B Aramis Ramirez
3B Morgan Ensberg

GAME 42 PREVIEW HOUSTON ASTROS (15-28) at CHICAGO CUBS (19-22) Wrigley Field, 7.05pm CT, TV: CSN, Fox Sports SW

SP *Glendon Rusch	SP *Wandy Rodriguez
CF Willy Taveras	2B Jerry Hairston
LF *Todd Self	SS #Neifi Perez
2B Craig Biggio	1B Derrek Lee
1B #Lance Berkman	3B Aramis Ramirez
3B Morgan Ensberg	RF *Jeromy Burnitz
RF Jason Lane	LF Jason Dubois
SS Adam Everett	CF *Corey Patterson
C Brad Ausmus	C Michael Barrett
Pitcher's spot	Pitcher's spot

They're like buses - you wait ages for one, and then two come along at once. Rookie opposition starters that is. Yesterday the Cubs got Brandon McCarthy, but they didn't manage to actually get to him. In fact, McCarthy was very impressive, striking out the first ever major league batter he faced (Hairston) and pitching a very solid five and a third innings before Guillen very cautiously lifted him. Today the Cubs get Wandy (yes, Wandy) Rodriguez, who starts in place of Andy Pettitte, and hopefully they'll at least give one of these two rookies a major league welcome to make them wish they'd never been promoted. Rodriguez doesn't have the same prospect calibre of McCarthy though, nowhere near - he's a 21, no, 25, er 26 year-old soft-tossing lefty out of Venezuela with a fastball, changeup, curveball arsenal that he throws for strikes, and at best he projects as the lefty out of the 'pen that makes up the numbers. He's going on just three days of rest and will be looking to end a five-game Houston losing streak. [Update] According to Bruce Levine at least, the Cubs are about to pull off a big trade, but that's all he's saying! Talk about keeping us on tenterhooks! Anyway, speculate away amongst yourselves. All I have to say is that I hope that Corey Patterson, whose name seems to be getting bandied around quite a bit, isn't involved. This is no time to give up on him.

With a quarter of the season in the books, it's time that our foes in the NL Central got the once over.

 

Pos	Team	W-L	PCT	GB		RS	RA	Pythg		Home	Away	1-run	Extra
1	Cardinals	27-16	.628	--		228	187	26-17		12-9	15-7	9-7	1-0
2	Brewers	20-23	.465	7.0		188	173	23-20		11-9	9-14	7-5	1-2
3=	Cubs	19-22	.463	7.0		179	178	21-20		10-10	9-12	8-9	2-2
3=	Pirates	19-22	.463	7.0		161	178	18-23		7-13	12-9	3-8	1-1
5=	Astros	15-28	.349	12.0		159	198	17-26		13-9	2-19	4-10	0-3
5=	Reds	15-28	.349	12.0		190	253	16-27		10-12	5-16	7-9	0-1