Rookies Everywhere!
Submitted by John Hill on Mon, 05/23/2005 - 3:16pmGAME 42 PREVIEW
HOUSTON ASTROS (15-28) at CHICAGO CUBS (19-22)
Wrigley Field, 7.05pm CT, TV: CSN, Fox Sports SW
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.
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 |
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