Pretty big night for the Phillies. The once great Pedro Martinez is making his Phillies debut at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The question now seems to be can he be great once again? Or even just an effective fifth starter? Phillies fans seem to be hoping for the former and banking on the latter. The only sure thing is that it'll be an exciting ride with Petey taking the hill.
Pedro's last start in the bigs -- ahem, for the Mets -- was against this Cubs team back in September of last year. His line on that day looked a lot like what many expect from him today: 6 IP, 7 hits, 5 earned, 9 Ks, and 1 HR. If Martinez can last six innings tonight, I'll be moderately surprised.
Almost every major Ruben Amaro Jr. decision to date has worked out well, we'll get a taste of how swapping Moyer for Pedro in the rotation will pan out tonight.
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The Cubs will give former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija his first start. He hasn't fared too well against the Phils in his three relief appearances, earning a 7+ ERA. For a mid-August affair, this one has all of the excitement you could want. The game will be on ESPN nationally. Join us for the LIVE BLOG below.
<p><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=2de3590576" >Pedro Martinez's Phillies Debut</a></p>