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D'backs' McCarthy faces Cubs hoping to end April drought

Apr 22, 2014 - 2:58 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Arizona right-hander Brandon McCarthy will try again to snap a recent April drought on Tuesday night, when his Diamondbacks visit Wrigley Field for game two of a four-game set with the Chicago Cubs.

McCarthy is winless in April over the last two seasons, going 0-6 with a 7.38 earned run average.

He was touched for three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 5-2 loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday, a decision that dropped him to 0-3 this year but was the first of 2014 in which he surrendered less than five runs.

In two career meetings with the Cubs -- one as a starter and one as a reliever, and none since 2006 -- he has a 2.45 ERA.

Chicago hasn't won a series since last September and have the National League's worst record since that point, which was also the last time they won consecutive games.

Starter Jason Hammel tries to put an end to the latter stat when he takes the mound opposite McCarthy.

In three starts with Chicago, he's picked up two wins, pitched to a 3.05 ERA and has held opponents to a .143 batting average.

In his lone loss, on Wednesday against the New York Yankees, he went seven innings and gave up just the three runs in a quality start.

Against Arizona, Hammel is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA in eight starts.

On Monday, Cubs starter Travis Wood tossed seven stellar innings and went 2- for-3 at the dish with a home run and four RBI to lead Chicago to a 5-1 win.

Wood (1-2), who allowed one run on six hits while striking out nine, has homered in all five of his major league seasons and is the only active pitcher with more than one game with four-plus RBI. He has seven career home runs.

Welington Castillo and Ryan Kalish each had two hits for Chicago, which has won two of its last three games.

Bronson Arroyo (1-2) surrendered all five runs on eight hits for Arizona in 5 1/3 innings to absorb the loss. Mark Trumbo went yard in the defeat.

Arizona was 4-3 against the Cubs last season.