The Cubs' current road trip has given fans very little to cheer about. It started out with a sweep in St. Louis where a certain first baseman ended the last two games on homeruns. Then to Cincinnati where they lost the first two games both by the score of 8-2. Thanks to some clutch hitting and pitching by Ryan Dempster, the Cubs won the finale and actually started to turn things around on the trip. They took the first in Philly and then even last night made a nice rally but still fell a little short in a 7-5 loss. It won't get any easier in game three Saturday if the Cubs want to end the trip on a positive note.
Saturday's game three matchup has the makings of a good pitchers duel. The Cubs (25-37) are sending Matt Garza to the mound. Garza is just 2-5 on the season but has pitched better then his record would indicate. This will be the third time he has faced Philadelphia. Garza's first start against the Phillies was in Game Three of the 2008 World Series in which he got a no decision. His second start against Philadelphia was much better. Garza went eight innings and allowed just one run on three hits.
Cliff Lee will be on the mound for the Phillies (38-26). Lee hasn't been his dominant self of recent seasons, but is still a pitcher to fear. He comes in with a 5-5 record, but also has an impressive 3.62 ERA. This will be the fifth time Lee has started against the Cubs. In his previous four outings he is 3-0 with an ERA of just 1.71.
The weather in Philadelphia at the time of first pitch is temps in the low 80's under cloudy skies. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 CST. The game can be seen on Fox.