Cubs at Giants
Jeff Samardzija looks to break a 16-game winless streak Monday, when the Chicago Cubs visit the San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-game series. Samardzija leads the majors with a sparkling 1.46 ERA, but the Cubs are 1-9 in his first 10 starts this season. He faces an uphill battle against San Francisco, which boasts the majors’ best record at 32-18 after completing a three-game sweep of Minnesota over the weekend.
Junior Lake continues to swing a hot bat for Chicago, which has split the first four contests of its 10-game, 11-day road trip. Lake homered in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to San Diego and is batting .339 (19-for-56) with five doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs in his last 16 games. San Francisco's Pablo Sandoval enters the series on a similar tear with four homers in his last seven games after going deep just twice in his first 42 contests.
TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jeff Samardzija (0-4, 1.46 ERA) vs. Giants RH Yusmeiro Petit (3-1, 4.76)
Samardzija recorded his eighth quality start of the season against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, when he scattered four hits over seven scoreless innings. The 29-year-old didn’t allow a home run for the fourth straight start covering 27 innings. Samardzija, who has yielded two or fewer earned runs in 13 consecutive outings dating to last season, is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA in seven career games (two starts) against San Francisco.
Petit takes the mound in place of Matt Cain, who hopes to miss just one start while battling a strained right hamstring. The 29-year-old Petit is 1-0 with a 7.04 ERA in three starts this season while posting a 2-1 mark and 2.89 ERA in 10 relief appearances. Petit, who last faced Chicago in 2009 while with Arizona, is 2-1 with a 5.23 ERA in six career games (four starts) against the Cubs.
WALK-OFFS
1. San Francisco is 24-4 when scoring first.
2. The Cubs are 5-19 in games decided by two runs or fewer.
3. Giants CF Angel Pagan was given a day off Sunday to rest his sore right knee, but he’s expected to return to the lineup Monday.