Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
August 11, 2004
Game of the Day

Sterling Hitchcock makes his 2nd start of the year for San Diego this evening as the Padres chase Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs for the NL Wild Card. Hitchcock, a lefty has had success in his limited appearances against Sammy Sosa. Sosa is 3 for 17 against Sterling with 1 HR.

Zambrano has had a great year at Wrigley, going 6-1 with a 1.99 ERA, the best home ERA in the NL. It's not clear why he's so good at home. He gives up more walks and HR per 9 than on the road, but opponents are batting .174 against him at Wrigley vs. .255 on the road. Does the defense see the ball better in day games at Wrigley, or has the wind been blowing in?

Enjoy!


Posted by David Pinto at 11:08 AM | Games | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I've long suspected that Wrigley has a tough hitter's background. The Cubbie staff averaged a much higher K/9 rate last year at home. The hitting background in Wrigley is unlike any other, and it's probably comparatively bad.

Posted by: Tim Schultz at August 11, 2004 01:09 PM

My guess is that Wrigley's notorious long grass benefits a sinker-baller like big Z. When he's in top form, he gets a lot of ground outs.

Posted by: Brian Hipp at August 11, 2004 01:57 PM