The second half of the baseball season gets underway on Thursday as the Florida Marlins vs. the Chicago Cubs game is one of the many highlights.
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The July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline looms now that the Midsummer Classic has come and gone, and though the Marlins are likely to be sellers at the All-Star break, president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said Wednesday he wasn't sure the moves would be blockbuster.
The Cubs, meanwhile, had tensions run high during their final days before the break, but manager Mike Quade thinks that's in the past.
Quade and right-hander Ryan Dempster had a very public disagreement in the dugout when the manager told the pitcher he was finished on Saturday after five innings against the Pirates.
On the mound Thursday for the Marlins is Anibal Sanchez, who will meet the Cubs' Matt Garza in the first of a four-game set Wrigley Field.
Both clubs are under .500, but after a June to forget, the Marlins are 7-3 in July, which featured five straight wins heading into the All-Star break, including a sweep of the Astros.
"It's always important, but I hate to see the break come," manager Jack McKeon said before the break. "We're playing well now. I hate to get this train off the track. You've got a couple of days of relaxation, and then you've got to recharge yourself."
The Cubs can relate to that, even after the dugout blowup and two losses to the Pirates to make for a 2-5 road trip against upstart teams in Washington and Pittsburgh. A physical and mental timeout is what the doctor ordered for the Cubs.
For Quade, a key coming out of the break will be to get things started on the mound, beginning with Garza, who has gone 4-7 with a 4.26 ERA in his first 16 starts since being traded from Tampa Bay in the offseason.
This game is pivotal to start the second half of the season and it will be interesting to see how both teams react