Game 2 – Recap

Brewers – 8
Cubs – 2
W: Suppan (1-0)
L: Lilly (0-1)

The Cubs’ bats continued to slumber as the Northsiders dropped their second game of the young season. The Brewers scored early and often in an all-around sloppy game by the Cubs.

Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks put Ted Lilly’s first pitch of the game onto Waveland Avenue and it was quickly 1-0 Brewers.
The Brewers continued the onslaught in the fourth when 3B Bill Hall singled to center, driving in LF Ryan Braun. 2-0 Brewers. The Brewers scored again in the fourth when RF Corey Hart doubled to center, knocking in Hall. 3-0 Brewers.

The Cubs added a run in the bottom half of the fourth when 1B Derrek Lee hit a solo home run off of Suppan. 3-1 Brewers.

The Brewers wouldn’t relent as they added runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Braun hit a single to left and C Jason Kendall scored. 4-1 Brewers. In the sixth, Hart scored on a throwing error by C Geovony Soto. 5-1 Brewers.

The seventh inning looked promising for the Cubs after Soto hit a solo shot to cut the lead to 5-2 Brewers. The Cubs then had men at the corners with one out before SS Theriot filed out to right, and LF Alfonso Soriano struck out swinging, leaving both stranded.

The Brewers weren’t done scoring. CF Gabe Kapler grounded out to short in the eighth, scoring PH Joe Dillon from third. 6-2 Brewers.

In the ninth, former Cub Kendall doubled to deep right scoring both SS J.J. Hardy and CF Tony Gwynn, Jr. 8-2 Brewers.

News and notes: The Cubs have never led in either of the first two games of the 2008 campaign; every Cubs run of the year has come via a home run; typically big hitter 3B Aramis Ramirez is hitless on the season; Cubs were outhit 14-8; Lilly only lasted 4.2 innings; reliever Michael Wuertz worked out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the seventh; Ramirez and Soto made the first two Cubs errors of the year; the Cubs have not started a season 0-2 since 2001 when the club dropped its first two against the Montreal Expos.

Most Valuable Cub: Lee (2/4 – 2B, HR, RBI, R)

Cub Killer: Kendall (3/4 – RBI, BB, SB, R)

MLB/Cubs.com Recap
ESPN.com Recap

Game 2 – Preview

Brewers (1-0) @ Cubs (0-1)
Wed., April 2; 1:20 p.m. CT
TV – CSN Chicago
Radio: WGN 720 AM

The Cubs look to rebound after a disappointing Opening Day defeat in 10 innings at the hands of the Brewers. After a day off, the club will hopefully be ready to notch their first win of the season.

On the hill for the Cubs will be veteran southpaw Ted Lilly. Lilly is a career 1-1 with a 5.09 E.R.A. in only 17.1 innings against the Brew Crew.

The Brewers will counter with righty Jeff Suppan. Suppan, who is 5-5 in 16 starts against the Small Bears, has a 3.15 E.R.A. in 100 innings of work against the club.

Game-time weather is expected to be partly cloudy with a temperature near 50 and only a 10 percent chance of rain – welcome news to those who may have been at Monday’s game.

Injury Report: P Carlos Zambrano left Monday’s game with cramps in his right arm. Manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times that Zambrano is OK, and that the righthander had similar cramps before. While the team’s Web site doesn’t list Zambrano on the injury report, ESPN.com says he is day-to-day.

ESPN.com game preview