Ryan Dempster will take the mound for the Cubs today as they try to do the near impossible: win a series against the Rockies at Coors Field. The last time the Cubs won a series in Denver was when they swept Colorado at Coors from August 3rd-5th, 2004. Since then, they've gone 7-14 against the Rockies in Colorado.
Dempster has had a rough start to the season, currently sitting at 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. He's improved steadily over his starts, however, giving up six, then, five, then just four earned runs. He'll try to continue that improving trend this afternoon at Coors Field. Against the Rockies, Dempster is 5-4 over ten starts, with a 6.79 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Despite the horrid stats, Dempster has handled some of the current Colorado threats relatively well. Troy Tulowitzki is just 1-for-6 against Dempster. Carlos Gonzalez and Todd Helton are the only Rockies to hit Dempster well. Gonzalez is 3-for-6 with a double and a home run. Helton is 9-for-21 with a double and three home runs.
Taking the mound for Colorado will be a journeyman minor leaguer making his first start in the majors. Alan Johnson has spent the last five years climbing through the minor leagues, and today will be his first ever major league start. Johnson had a 4.55 ERA and 56-42 record in 153 minor league games.
The weather in Denver is forecast to be nice, partly cloudy, with a high in the upper 60's. First pitch is at 2:10 P.M. CDT, and the game will be televised on WGN and ROOT Sports.