Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg is very familiar with the Chicago Cubs. The manager started his career with the Phillies before being traded to the Chicago Cubs where he spent most of his career. He played 15 seasons at Wrigley Field and finished his impressive career with a .285 batting average and 282 home runs. Now, he returns to the field in a much different capacity as the two teams start a weekend series.
The Cubs are trying to rebound from a terrible 2013. The club led the National League with the worst home record going 31-50 at Wrigley. Pair that with four straight losing seasons and Wrigley is not the place Sandberg once remembered. Young hitters in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro will help the Cubs rebuild as Emilio Bonifacio will hopefully help as well. He scored twice in the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting his Chicago career off going 11 for 16 at the place. Castro on the other hand is 1 for 13 while Rizzo is just 2 for 13.
The Phillies will be starting Roberto Hernandez at the mound. He will be making his Philadelphia debut after playing for Fausto Carmona. Last season he went 6-13 with a 4.89 ERA while playing for the Tampa Bay Rays after spending seven series in Cleveland.
Chicago will be starting Travis Wood who went 9-12, ranking sixth in the National League with a .222 opponent batting average. He also ranked 12th with a 3.11 ERA. The left hander has yet to record a decision in his career against the Phillies, but has held their batting lineup to a .177 average with a 2.11 ERA. The Phillies have struggled to hit against Wood. Ryan Howard is hitless in six at-bats. Philadelphia has lost two one-run games to start the season.
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