Cubs scouting report
Cubs vs. New York Mets at Citi Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet Friday and Sunday; WGN Saturday
Radio: WGN 720-AM
Pitching matchups: The Cubs' Travis Wood (3-3) vs. Johan Santana (6-4) Friday at 6:10 p.m.; Jeff Samardzija (6-7) vs. Dillon Gee (5-7) Saturday at 3:10 p.m.; TBA vs. Jonathon Niese (7-3) Sunday at 12:10 p.m.
At a glance: The Cubs took two of three from the Mets last week at Wrigley Field, getting blown out 17-1 in the finale. They'll face the same three pitchers they faced in Chicago, meaning they'll again miss knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Cubs ace Ryan Dempster could come off the disabled list and start Sunday. If not, the Cubs will run Chris Volstad out there again and hope he can get his first win of the season. David Wright entered Thursday as the Mets' key offensive force with a line of .350/.441/.559 for an OPS of 1.000. Lucas Duda led in homers (11). New York ranked third in the NL in runs scored while the Cubs were 15th. The Mets were sixth in team ERA (3.89), and the Cubs were 14th (4.37).
Next: Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, July 13-15.