NewsDempster's baseball goal within reach
Chicago (83-77) vs. Arizona (69-92), 1:20 p.m. CT
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
10/03/09 5:35 PM EST
CHICAGO -- Ryan Dempster needs five innings and a miracle. The right-hander, who will start the Cubs' regular-season finale on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, is five innings shy of 200, which is his baseball goal. Dempster's personal goal is to find a cure for a rare disease, DiGeorge Syndrome, which has affected his family. Dempster's 6-month-old daughter, Riley, was diagnosed with the disease, which means she is missing a part of a chromosome that disrupts her natural swallowing reflex. Dempster spent most of the early part of the season commuting between ballgames, the hospital and home, but was eventually able to bring Riley home. He won't use it as an excuse, but her illness was on his mind early in the season. Dempster was 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in a difficult April. He's finishing strong, though, going 3-1 in September with a 1.39 ERA. "It's been a tough summer for Ryan and his family," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said on Saturday. "He's a professional. Invariably, you've got to be able to block out -- and I know it's difficult -- but you have to be able to block [things] out when you come to the ballpark and put the uniform on. You have to be able to concentrate on your job and what that entails. "The guys who are very professional can do it a lot easier than guys who aren't as focused. I'm not saying it's easy, but you have to be able to do it if you want to come out here and perform your best." Dempster has done that, and hopefully, Wrigley Field fans will applaud him when he takes the mound. Pitching matchupCHC: RHP Ryan Dempster (11-8, 3.51 ERA)
Dempster is coming off a five-hit shutout in his last start against the Pirates, when he picked up his 87th career win. He's one of two active pitchers with at least 87 wins and 87 saves; John Smoltz is the other one. Dempster, who has been on a roll, is 2-0 with an 0.84 ERA in his last four starts. He's struck out 22 and walked five over 32 innings in that stretch. In his last 26 innings at Wrigley, he has not given up an earned run. ARI: LHP Doug Davis (8-14, 4.19 ERA)
Davis needs to pitch at least 4 2/3 innings to reach his goal of 200, and he'll need to be a little more efficient with his pitches to reach that goal. He threw 103 pitches and lasted four innings in his last outing, a loss to the Giants. Davis walked five, hit a batter and gave up seven hits to fall to 1-4 in his last nine starts. Tidbits
Opening Day 2010 is on April 5 at Atlanta. ... Fans with tickets to Thursday's game against the Pirates can get a refund. ... Kyler Burke and Casey Coleman, the Cubs' Minor League player and pitcher of the year, were honored prior to Saturday's game. Brett Jackson, the No. 1 Draft pick, was also in attendance. ... Nick Frangella was named the organization's top Minor League athletic trainer. Tickets
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• Monday, April 5: Opening Day
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
