Cubs at Athletics
The Chicago Cubs dealt Bartolo Colon his first defeat since May 9 and will try to follow that up by handing the Oakland Athletics their second series loss since mid-May when the teams clash in the finale of a three-game set Thursday afternoon. Chicago has won five of seven overall and is 5-3 on its nine-game road trip. After Thursday's game, the Cubs will head toward the All-Star break with 10 straight in Chicago, including a makeup contest at the crosstown White Sox.
Oakland, which owns the second-best home record in the American League at 27-14, is 5-2 in its last seven games, scoring 33 runs in the victories and one in each of the two losses. Brandon Moss supplied the only offense with a solo homer in Wednesday's 3-1 defeat - one of only four hits mustered by the Athletics. Josh Donaldson, who had six multi-hit games in his previous 10 contests, went 0-for-3 and had his six-game hitting streak snapped.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), Comcast SportsNet California (Oakland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Travis Wood (5-6, 2.85 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Dan Straily (4-2, 5.00)
Wood is winless since May 30, going 0-3 in his last five outings despite giving up a total of 11 earned runs. The inability to win has been a season-long trend for Wood, who has 15 quality starts in 16 trips to the mound. Wood will be facing his third straight AL West opponent - he held Seattle to two runs in 6 1/3 innings last time out and Houston to three runs in six innings in his previous start.
Straily, scheduled to make the start in place of Jarrod Parker (hamstring), pitched a career-low 3 1/3 innings at Seattle in his last outing and went 4 2/3 innings at Texas in his previous start. He was sent to Triple-A because of a light schedule and was raked for six runs (two earned) and nine hits in six innings Saturday. Straily has been much better at home, winning twice and yielding four runs in his last three starts.
WALK-OFFS
1. Athletics closer Grant Balfour has a streak of 38 straight saves dating to last year, two shy of Dennis Eckersley's franchise record.
2. Division play has killed the Cubs, who are 11-25 against the NL Central and 25-21 against all other opponents.
3. Oakland INF Jed Lowrie 1-for-10 lifetime versus Wood.