Cubs-Dodgers

Friday's Day Game Features Strong Matchup

By Lucas Belcher

After dropping last night's game, Chicago takes on the Dodgers as it looks to even the series score. The Cubs will turn to their young southpaw Travis Wood, who's coming off seven innings of one-run ball against the Giants last Sunday. He'll go head-to-head with Los Angeles' Hyu-Jin Ryu who looks to extend the club's on-the-road winning streak to a formidable 12 games.

Wood has been the Cubs most consistent starter this season, posting 18 quality starts in 21 games. His seven wins and 2.79 ERA lead Chicago's pitching staff, as the lefty continues to impress. Tonight he'll face a hard-knocks Dodgers lineup that improved to 11-2 since the All-Star break after Thursday night's victory and have been on a tear since mid-June. Ryu is by no means the ace of a staff that includes Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, but with nine wins and a 3.14 ERA he has played a critical role in the Dodgers recent hot streak. Last time out, Ryu pitched his own seven-inning, one-run game in a win against the high-powered Cincinnati offense.

The Cubs will hope to keep their bats going with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who has connected for three long balls over the last two games, and rookie sensation Junior Lake, who tagged two solo blasts in last night's loss. The key for Chicago's offense tonight will be to get men on base infront their sluggers, as Ryu has given up a team-leading 11 homers this season.

Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig will lead the Dodger offense against Wood. Ramirez got the scoring started for L.A. with a two-run double last night, but it was Puig's eighth inning solo shot that finished it. It was Puig's 11th home run in 51 games this season.

Wood is scheduled to throw the first pitch for the North Siders at 3:05 CST.

International Prospect Signing

Cubs sign top-rated Jimenez

By Tony Rusch

source

The Cubs continued to spearhead an insurgency into the international market Thursday night when the club announced the signing of Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez, the top-ranked player on the list of the MLB's top 100 international prospects.

The Cubs have made several moves this season, dealing big-time names like Garza, Feldman, and Soriano while accumulating a cache of local prospects and international-signing money. That cash was used to sign Jimenez, Gleyber Torres, and a list of other highly-anticipated international phenoms who the Cubs hope will help to bolster their farm system.

The Jimenez' deal is worth a reported $2.8 million and even though the Dominican outfielder is only 16-years-old, he is worth every penny. Jimenez is seen as the complete package of this year's prospects. He is a multi-tool player and his 6-foot-4, 198-pound frame is a perfect match for a corner outfielder with raw power who can hit for average. Jimenez is also reported to have decent speed and is expected to become a base-stealing threat as he matures.

With a farm system that includes Jorge Soler, Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, Albert Almora, and now Eloy Jimenez, Cubs fans can rest assured that the Epstien-era reconstruction is moving in the right direction and with good pace. With the majority of the club's farm talent scheduled to debut by 2014 and 2015, it would difficult to picture the Cubs as a non-contending team by 2016.    .



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Cubs-Dodgers Recap

Big bats not enough against dodgers

By Lucas Belcher

source

Cubs fans had plenty to cheer about throughout Thursday night's series opener, but four solo home runs were not enough to bring the NL West leading Dodgers back to earth.  

L.A. (58-49) marks their 11th win in 13 tries as they continue to separate themselves from the rest of West. Chicago moves to 49-59, dropping four of their last five.  

The North Siders' offense was provided by what fans are hoping will become a deadly duo in the years to come as Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo teamed up for two solo home runs each. The sluggers went back-to-back in the bottom of the first, giving the Cubs an early 2-0 lead. 

Cubs' starting pitcher Chris Rusin would only hold the lead until the third, when the lefty surrendered two runs of his own to a Hanley Ramirez double. But Dodgers' starter Ricky Nolasco handed the lead right back to him after Lake notched his second homer of the game and his 4th of the season.  

L.A. continued to scatter hits against Rusin until the sixth when ex-Cub Jerry Hairston came up with a two-run single to give the Dodgers their first lead of night. A single by Adrian Gonzalez scored Hairston to make it 5-3, and the Dodgers never looked back.  

Rizzo added his second blast of the day in the eighth off lefty reliever Paco Rodriguez, but Dodgers' starlet Yasiel Puig added insurance with a solo homer of his own in the ninth. Closer Kenley Jansen's 15th save meant a win for Nolasco, as he improves to 7-9 on the season.Rusin finished the day posting four earned runs in five innings, falling to 1-1 overall.

The Cubs managed only five hits Thursday night, but the two-man slugfest was an encouraging sign for the young club.  General Manager Theo Epstein hopes he has the early foundation for the middle of his team's lineup, and fans are becoming increasingly familiar with Lake's patent-pending, vicious swings.

Chicago gets a chance to even the series with a day game at 3:05 p.m. against the Dodgers on Friday.  They'll send out the reliable Travis Wood, boasting a 7-7 record to go along with a stellar 2.79 ERA.  The Dodgers will turn to Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu.  The left-hander has had a very solid season despite a few ups and downs, sporting a 9-3 record with a 3.14 ERA.  Fans can expect a great pitching dual from these two rising youngsters with both starters coming off impressive wins in their previous outsings.

(watch the game recap here)