W: Ryan Dempster (1-0)
L: Doug Davis (0-1)
HR: Ryan Braun (2), Xavier Nady (1), Jeff Baker (2), Aramis Ramirez (2)
MVP: Casey McGehee (+.050)
LVP: Doug Davis (-.265)
Win Expectancy Graph and Star of the Game voting
SBNation Coverage
Well, I'd say this is roughly what most of us were afraid of.
Doug Davis laid an egg in the Cubs' home opener today, allowing six runs (all earned) on seven hits and two walks in just 3.1 innings, needing 89 pitches to do so. He allowed two home runs, both in the third inning (to Xavier Nady and Jeff Baker), and gave the Cubs an advantage they never relinquished.
The Brewers showed some signs of life at the plate with four of their eight hits going for extra bases, but Ryan Braun (2-for-4 with a home run) was the only Brewer to muster multiple hits. Gregg Zaun went 0-for-4, was the Brewers' least valuable batter by WPA and is still hitless on the season.
Let's see if we can find some bright sides here:
- Chris Narveson, Carlos Villanueva and Todd Coffey pitched well in the fifth, sixth and seventh and eighth. Narveson went two innings and allowed an unearned run on one hit, striking out four. Villanueva pitched a perfect seventh with two strikeouts. Todd Coffey allowed a hit while pitching a scoreless eighth.
- Joe Inglett picked up his first Brewer hit (a triple) and run in the seventh.
- Gregg Zaun made an outstanding throw in the eighth to nab a would-be basestealer, but Ryan Theriot kicked the ball out of Rickie Weeks' glove on the tag. The Brewers responded by turning a 5-3-5 double play.
- The Brewers won't lose tomorrow (they're off).