Ryan Dempster has made five starts this season, and none of them have been quality starts. To earn one, he'd have to pitch at least six innings and give up no more than three earned runs. The fewest runs Dempster has given up this year has been four, in his lone win of the season. The long ball and lengthy innings have plagued Dempster, who is currently sitting at 1-2 with a 7.63 ERA and 1.63 WHIP on the season.
He'll make his second start against Arizona this season hoping to get back on track. Over his career, Dempster is 2-7 with a 5.99 ERA and 1.43 WHIP against Arizona. In his most recent start against them he lasted seven innings but gave up five runs (four earned) on ten hits. Gerardo Parra was the main source of damage against Dempster that game, going 3-for-3 with a double. Chris Young also went 2-for-4.
Starting for Arizona will be Barry Enright. Enright made his first start of the season against the Cubs all the way back on April 5th, where he gave up four runs over seven innings on seven hits. Since then, he's been pretty consistent in his starts, giving up four or five earned runs while pitching five innings and change. Several Cubs got hits off of Barry Enright when they saw him last, including Marlon Byrd who was 2-for-3, Starlin Castro who was 1-for-3 with a double, and Tyler Colvin who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
First pitch tonight will be at 8:40 P.M., CDT. The game will be televised on WGN and FS-A.