6/30 What To Look For: Sox/Cubs Edition

Probable Starters: John Garland (6-3, 5.76) vs. Sean Marshall (4-6, 5.13)

As everyone knows, John Garland has had trouble with big innings and homeruns. In his last start, he gave up 5 earned runs and 8 hits over 5 innings. He has shown good control this year giving up 24 walks over 95.1 innings pitched. The key for him is to use the whole strike zone, including the inner half, and to avoid hanging his breaking pitch.

The Cubs are starting a rookie, Sean Marshall. Marshall pitched very well for the Cubs early on and was 3-1 at one point. However, he is 1-5 since then. The White Sox struggled with lefties during the first two months of the season, but they seem to have rectified that problem. Marshall has not lasted longer than 5 innings in 3 weeks and has only done so in 7 of his 15 starts. Marshall is 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in day games, but he is 2.2 with a 3.12 ERA at home. Lefties hit just .191 against Sean Marshall. I have seen Marshall pitch several times this year, and he is similar to Garland. Both are prone to big innings.