Chicago Cubs starter Travis Wood looked to be having a breakout 2012, but his season has gone a bit off the rails in his last three starts. In those starts, Wood has given up a whopping 22 earned runs and nine homers in 15.2 innings. The good news for Wood is that he'll be facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are a far step down offensively from the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that Wood faced twice in those aforementioned three starts.
If the Pirates knock Wood around, it will be on the Cubs hitters to pick up the slack vs. Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, who is 3-2 on the season in nine starts with a 3.88 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.
Here is today's lineup for the Cubs:
- David DeJesus, CF
- Starlin Castro, SS
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Alfonso Soriano, LF
- Bryan LaHair, RF
- Jeff Baker, 2B
- Wellington Castillo, C
- Luis Valbuena, 3B
- Travis Wood, P
Game date/time: Wednesday, August 1, 1:20 p.m. CT
Location: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.
TV: WGN
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more comprehensive coverage of this series, head over to Cubs blog Bleed Cubbie Blue and PIttsburgh Pirates blog Bucs Dugout.
