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Sunday, April 20, 2014 Homer Bailey v. Carlos Villanueva
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Fresh off of his appearance in Pirates-Reds Home Run Derby, Homer Bailey will look to secure his first win of the season against the lowly Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, in their march to .500 baseball, the Reds' lineup will look to take advantage of Carlos Villanueva's poor start to 2014.
Historically speaking, the Reds have had mixed success against Villanueva. Right handers Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier have struggled against the Cubs' starter; with Phillips going 3 for 24 in his career against Villanueva with a cool OBP of .160. Hopefully, another 0-fer day for Phillips won't lead to further media overreaction. Meanwhile, Joey Votto sits on the opposite side of the spectrum, with a career OPS of 1.032 in eighteen plate appearances.
Homer is making his seventh career start at Wrigley Field and seeks to maintain, if not lower, his career 2.95 ERA in Chicago. In doing so, he will face a Cubs lineup that features three lefties in a row followed by four righties in a row. There is perhaps no clearer indication that the days of Dusty Baker, and respectable baseball, have long since passed on the north side of Chicago. Therefore, as a matter of course, the Reds need to win today. For crying out loud, it's just the Cubs.
Go Reds! Happy Easter!*
*Easter? I HARDLY KNEW HER!