Game Previews

The Cubs activated Kerry Wood before the game and put Carlos Zambrano on the disabled list. With the All-Star Break looming, Z may only miss one start. In the meantime, Wood sat on the bench while Wells gave up the game tying home run in the 7th and then the lead.

Oh Q-Ball, you're nothing if not consistently wrong...

Join the fun in Parachat if you're going to be tuned in to watch Stephen Strasburg's debut and stay for the Cubs game that starts an hour later or if you want to talk about the Blackhawks game(which doesn't happen until tomorrow).

Cubs try to even up their series with the Bucs after losing the first four matchups of the season series. It's the first time the Cubs have dropped their first four games against Pittsburgh since...well, I refuse to look it up because it would depress the crap out of me.

The lefty Paul Maholm (2-3, 4.91) starts this afternoon against Ryan Dempster (2-3, 3.44). This was the pitching matchup back on 5/4 at PNC when the Cubs clung to a 2-1 lead with two out in home 6th. Dempster then told Lou Piniella that he had enough left in the tank to retire Ryan Church with the tying run aboard, at which point Church crushed a pitch into the rightfield bleachers, and all of everybody's premonitions about how Lou should have yanked Dempster in favor of Sean Marshall were proven right.

Cubbie memories—there's nothin' like 'em.

Saturday's starting lineups:

The first in-season roster move was annouced as Esmailin Caridad will go to the disabled list for sucking, a forearm strain with Jeff Gray getting called up. I updated the bullpen chart on the right with the green indicating Gray's appearances in the minors. Derrek Lee takes the day off with the sore right thumb, conveniently on day when Dave Bush is pitching, whom Lee is 5/31 against in his career against with a .413 OPS.

Lineups after the jump...

A battle of two of the better rookie pitchers from 2009 as the Cubs try to avoid the sweep.

CHAT | TV: CSN, Direct TV 737 | RADIO: XM 175, WGN

And we do it again. Here are the lineups for Opening Day 2010. Parachat is up and running as it will throughout every game of the season(you can access it via the menu bar above). You do have to register and it is a different registration than your TCR account.

Everyone's last chance to see some baseball for a few days, join the fun in Parachat.