The Chicago Cubs host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday afternoon Wrigley Field turns 100 and has a birthday and the MLB baseball matchup at the historic stadium starts up at 2:20 pm ET and comes as both these teams are looking to get on the right track and the matchup will be streaming online from the MLB.com website.
The Cubs have started off the season slow, but they haven't been as bad as the Diamondbacks and now the two sides will face off as Wrigley goes ancient. The stadium predates World War I and most technology and is a beacon of the history of baseball and the fact that it's that old makes everyone remember it's been a couple years longer than that since the Cubs have won the World Series.
The game will have Wade Miley on the mound against Jeff Samardzija and that is a solid pitching matchup on both sides and they come in at 2-2 and 0-2 respectively on the season and this will be the third of four games and tomorrow the finale will also be in the afternoon. The Cubs are not expected to do much in what is the toughest division in the NL this season with the Reds, Pirates and Cardinals making the playoffs last year and the Brewers leading and the Cubbies right now are the anchor of the five teams at the bottom and they are 7-12. The D-backs have not recovered from their Australia trip and they are just 5-18 on the season.
The Cubs come in after a win against the Diamondbacks and that sent Brandon McCarthy to another loss and Edwin Jackson will be on the mound for the team on Thursday. The Cubs come into the game ranked 25th in the league in runs and 17th in batting average and they are also 18th in on base percentage and 25th in slugging through the first three and a half weeks of the year. The pitching has been solid, nothing special, but they rank 10th in quality starts and 16th in ERA, while the WHIP is 19th and the BAA is 13th.
There have been some famous moments and games at Wrigley over 100 years and some are not as fond as others, like the Steve Bartman moment in the playoffs in 2003. The Diamondbacks are looking to get something going and they are coming into the game ranked 18th in runs this season and 21st in batting average. The team is 27th in on base and 23rd in slugging and they need to simply get more consistent. The pitching has been terrible and that was expected to be a strength, as they rank 30th in the league in ERA and quality starts and the rest hasn't been much better with WHIP and BAA near the bottom at 29th and 28th in the MLB.
Happy birthday Wrigley Field, here is to 100 more years and hopefully some upgraded amenities for fans.
Check here for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks live stream coverage.
