National League Early Game

[anjac]

At 2:20 the Chicago Cubs(5-4) host the St Louis Cardinals(8-3) in Chicago.
Carlos Zambrano(1-0) after 2 starts with an ERA of 3.00 is scheduled to take the mound for Chicago. He won 4-2 over Houston on April 6th, and went 6 full innings, allowing 5 hits(all singles) struck out 6 and gave 3 free passes. Then on April 11th at Milwaukee he again went 6 full innings, allowed 7 hits(4 singles,2 doubles and 1 HR), struck out 7, and issued 3 walks. Zambrano gave up 18 HRs(19 if you count his 1 appearance in the play-offs against the LA Dodgers) in 188 2/3 innings. That's 1 every 10.5 innings, which is not real bad. He recorded 130 SOs, about 1 every 1.45 innings, which is very, very good in my limited opinion. He already has 13 SOs in 12 innings in 2009, but he also has 6 walks to his credit, which is a bit shakey. He gave up multiple walks in 20 of his 30 starts last season(14 times he gave up 3 or more). As a 6'5", 27 year old right hander, he tips the scales at 255 lbs. and should be in the peak of his career.
At first it sounds like it is all Chicago. Especially when you facter in that St Louis is scheduled to start a 24 year old, 200 lb, 6'4" right handed rookie named P J Walters, who was just called up from Tripple A. Mitchell Boggs was also called up to try to fill the void from the injury to starting pitcher Chris Carpenter. I could not find much on Walters, and if he doesn't go, Lohse probably will......and the line will surely not be the St Louis +168 that it is now.

I don't like Zambrano in this game, and I will briefly state why. St Louis has been hitting the ball, and playing all around good solid baseball. Zambrano gives up way too many free passes, and there are three guys on the St Louis club that hit Zambrano, and hit him hard....Schumaker, Pujols and Ludwick. Zambrano recorded 5 or more SOs in 15 of his 30 starts last year, but he did not pitch well vs St Louis when at home(8 singles,3 doubles and 5 HRs along with 5 walks) in 2 games at Chicago. But he did give a great performance in St Louis vs the Cards going 6 full innings, giving up 4 singles, 0 HRs, 2 walks and he struck out 5. I think Zambrano will get tagged early in this game.......and who knows what Walters will turn in. My choice is St Louis plus the juice, but I could be entirely wrong.

"Everybody plays the fool, sometimes.....there's no exception to the rule."