Both the Cubs and Brewers continued doing what they've been doing throughout this four-game series, and the results Wednesday night were the same. The Brewers homer-happy bats going quiet, their bullpen proving shaky, and defense suspect; the Cubs executing pitches, getting timely hits, and extending innings, resulting ultimately in a 7-2 Cubs win. They've now taken the first three from the Brewers, with a chance to complete the previously unthinkable four-game sweep this afternoon.
If you're a Cubs fan, you're pressed to find any fault in the game last night. Ryan Dempster -- who picked up his 12th win of the season -- was effective, the bats -- with 14 hits and eight walks -- were fantastic, and the bullpen was lights out. Unfortunately for the Brewers, this game was a hot mess for them from the outset. Literally. With two out in the first, Reed Johnson strikes out on a pitch that should have ended the inning. Instead, starter Manny Parra throws a wild pitch, allowing Johnson to reach base. The next batter then hits a single to center to score Derrek Lee, setting the tone for the the entire game. The Cubs continued to work Parra and extend innings, and finally got to him in the sixth inning, scoring three times in all; the killer hit coming from a two-rbi triple by Ryan Theriot.
However, the most interesting move of the night was probably in the ninth inning, with reliever Brian Shouse in, and the game holding at an at least interesting 5-1. Now, I can appreciate Ned Yost's decision to let him deal with Kosuke Fukudome, who grounded out weakly to 2nd base. However, I'm at a loss to figure out why he stuck with Shouse, especially after giving up consecutive hits to Henry Blanco and Ronny Cedeno. It cost him. Brian walked the next two batters, and ultimately Blanco and Cedeno would come back to score before Guillermo Mota would come in to clean up the mess. Top of the lineup, with runners on, and you stick with the lefty? Against the Cubs? Dumb. And with that any momentum that the Brewers might have had died.
Anyway, it's a short turnaround today. It's getaway day, and there is a 1:05 start time. I say get greedy and go for the sweep. Pull out all the stops. In the meantime -- not that you need to be reminded -- the non-waiver trade deadline is today at 4:00 Eastern. The most interesting news so far has to be tentative deals sending Ken Griffey, Jr. to the White Sox, and Manny Ramirez to the Marlins. However, I hear that St. Louis is shopping Kyle Loshe. Huh? I'm not generally a big ESPN fan, but I'm loving the Trade Deadline blog. Good stuff.
The Cubs used a big five-run 6th inning, and a Cy-Young caliber performance from starter Carlos Zambrano to dispatch the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 on Tuesday. The win assures the Cubs of not only at least a series split, but that they will return to Wrigley Friday still in 1st place.
You know, when I was scouting this series initially, it was hard to imagine the Cubs taking the first two games of this set, mostly due to Milwaukee starters CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. But this is why they play the games. First the Cubs beat CC quite handily Monday - apologies for not posting, by the way - then actually did pretty much the same thing last night, and in much the same manner.
Ben Sheets was great through five, dropping fastballs in the mid-90s on a dime at the outside corner, and really doing a nice job with the curveball. He made some mistakes in the sixth that were going to cost him regardless, but what really blew the game open was defense, particularly in left field with Ryan Braun. First, with two on and no outs, Ryan misplays a ball hit by Kosuke Fukudome, which then goes all the way to the wall, allowing both runners to score and giving Kosuke a triple. It was a generous call. Then, apparently not picking up the ball off the bat well on consecutive hits from Mike Fontenot and Geovany Soto; both looked like plays that a more competent fielder would have caught. And this came back to bite the Crew when a Carlos Zambrano infield hit and Alfonso Soriano sac fly would laater score DeRosa and Fontenot. And as for the Zambrano infield hit to J.J. Hardy, I'm still not sure what possessed him to try to throw that ball side-arm and off-balance from deep in the hole to home. There may have been a better play at third, and with still no one out at the time, an errant throw had the potential to crack the game wide open; not that I would have minded. Fortunately for him, it merely hit DeRosa.
This was a good game for the Cubs. Everyone got a hit, including Carlos. Zambrano was very sharp through eight innings of work, and the bullpen was able to collect a nice rest. Jeff Samardzija came in for a quick inning of work in the ninth, giving up the only run of the game. I'm sure they'll be a kangaroo court appearance for the rookie blowing the shutout, but it was good to see someone not named Marmol in late. My only quibble was with Geovany Soto, who was batting eighth last night. The way that pitchers have been expanding the strike zone on him outside is getting a touch embarrassing. He went 2-4 last night, which is great, but with two strikeouts. I'd really love to see him back off those pitches for a bit, and force pitchers to come more inside.
In other quick news and notes, the Angels have acquired Mark Teixeira from the Braves for Casey Kotchman and prospects. Putting aside the fact that I never understood the Braves acquiring him in the first place, it's a deal that probably has all parties a bit annoyed, except maybe Mark, who should be able to turn a playoff showcase into a much bigger payday. The Braves gave up a lot to get Mark - they don't appear to have gotten equal return back - and I sense that Anaheim preferred not to part with Casey. But fear the Angels; the only hole they had going into the season was power. With Tori Hunter and Mark batting around Vlad, I think the best just got better. Also, rumor has it that Scott Eyre is on the block. Sounds like some serious bullpen housecleaning may be on the way, but a trade here could actually net a pretty nice return. It's a touch troubling to imagine relying on Neal Cotts for the duration, but hey; there relievers. Ride them while they're hot.
Now that the Cubs have finished the latest homestand with a win against the Marlins - or as I've been calling it, live batting practice - it's time to move on to the latest nasty baseball rivalry. Maybe it's the proximity, the overflow of Cubs fans in Miller Park when the two teams play, or perhaps it's just that raw feeling from the Cubs beating them out for the NL Central title last year. Whatever the case, it's ugly; and in a way that even exceeds the disdain that Cubs and White Sox fans have for each other. Now don't get me wrong; I like the Brewers. Good team. Nice pitching. Really potent offense. Personally, I don't think that they can sustain well enough to take this division, but that's more a function of a troubling defense and a little inexperience than anything else. And I do think that they are playoff bound. However, I'll say though that if the Brewers do come back to take the Central this year, this rivalry will look very much like Cardinals/Cubs when the 2009 season rolls around.
And as for the series itself? Split. Honestly, I keep looking at the stats and thinking that the Cubs are primed to lose this series, however the Rich Harden vs. Dave Bush matchup Thursday just looks like a deal breaker. Bush - career 9-9, 4.88 ERA against the Cubs - looked great in his last start, but given that the Cubs have beaten him so badly over the last few seasons, this series looks like a draw. I suspect the fight is going to have to be decided in the September 16th - 18th rematch.
But it's a big week for Bob Howry, who has been absolutely dreadful in 2008. While the reports are that GM Jim Hendry is standing pat at the trade deadline, it's entirely possible that he's bluffing. Even if not, a roster move will need to be made once Kerry Wood is activated from the DL sometime later this week. Another bad outing, and it might be time to consider shutting him down for awhile, or possibly even DFA'ing him. Personally I think the bullpen is screaming for Ron Mahay, a lefty that I suspect Lou Piniella is more inclined to trust than Scott Eyre. But this time last year, Lou rode the hot arm of Kevin Hart into the playoffs, even leaving the relative unknown on the playoff roster. If Jeff Samardzija performs anything like he did yesterday over his next few outings, look for the same thing this year, quite possibly at Bob's expense.
And speaking of relievers, can we all just agree that Jon Lieber isn't a fit, and trade him? He likely won't return next year, he won't bring compensation back when he leaves this off-season, and someone can use a starter to pitch a few stretch-run innings. I don't know what he's done to not get more appearances, but admit it's not working, activate and trade him, and move on.
I think umpire Rob Drake shouldn't work anymore Cubs games this season. Better yet, considering that he's tossed Ozzie Guillen too, how about no more Chicago games at all for awhile?
And in ex-Cub news, Matt Murton has been optioned to AAA by the Oakland Athletics. I've been a big fan of his for a long time, but at this point, maybe it's time for us to acknowledge that he has had chances to win a starting job, and failed.
Looking around the league....
I can only dream of having been a fly on the wall as the negotiations between the Boston Red Sox and Scott Boras - agent for Manny Ramirez - on a contract extension got to the point that they would so blatantly choreograph this latest Manny being Manny moment. Now, I get the idea, as some quick math indicates that Manny could probably either get at least a extension similiar to the Tori Hunter contract now, or walk away at seasons end and get it in a new deal. So, at 36, and with those options looming, Manny could lose 25-30 million dollars from this arrangement without trying. But seriously, who the hell needs him right now, and more importantly, who'd give back anything of value after this latest contract nonsense? Any chance of some monetary arrangement to resolve this?
And really, if you had that kind of talent to deal and money to spend, and the need for a left fielder, wouldn't you be leaning toward Matt Holiday anyway?
Congratulations to the 2008 Hall of Fame inductees; Rich Gossage, Williams, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O'Malley, Billy Southworth, and Barney Dreyfuss. As a kid growing up in Chicago, I can't tell you how exciting it was watching Goose pitch in '88. He was a little scary, but he always rated high on the coolness scale. It probably was the statch. Now, I understand the rest of the inductees getting in through the Veterans Committee, but I have to ask what took so long for WIlliams?
St. Louis Cardinals, we're waiting. It's great that Chris Carpenter returns Wednesday, but after this most recent freefall - losing six of the last seven - maybe it's time to get a little help. Just saying.
Till next time.
Pinch-hitter Mike Fontenot hit a three-run double in the 7th, and Jeff Samardzija went two innings in relief for his first major-league save, as the Cubs outlasted the Florida Marlins 9-6. The win restores the Cubs to sole possession of 1st place in the NL Central, as the Milwaukee Brewers lost earlier this afternoon.
I'm reminded of an exchange that I had earlier this week at another blog. With the health of Jim Edmonds in question at the time, someone was explaining the logic of calling up Felix Pie. While the guy made a fine argument, my position ultimately was that it was highly unlikely that this would happen, as Kosuke Fukudome in center, Mark DeRosa in right, and Mike Fontenot at 2nd base was perfectly acceptable when facing a right-hand pitcher for awhile if needed. Basically, why replay the Pie foibles when you have a .280/.373/.528 left-handed solution on the bench already? I'm still waiting for an answer, but in the meantime, Mike keeps coming up big; this time with a go-ahead double that scored three to give the Cubs the win.
Both teams had little trouble scoring runs today actually, albeit for perhaps different reasons. The Cubs took advantage of a bad starter in Rick VandenHurk, who couldn't throw strikes in his 3 2/3 innings of work, and an equally bad back-half of the Marlins bullpen. The Marlins went homer happy off of Jason Marquis - three in all - who regressed to his normal summertime state. Too many home runs, too much nibbling, and frankly, he just looked dazed and confused. Again. I often wondered why Cardinals fans referred to him as bipolar Betty. I shouldn't have asked. Fortunately, he pitched just well enough to not completely blow the game,
What was really interesting though was the use of Chad Gaudin and Samardzija in relief. Like I spoke of yesterday, I sensed that Lou Piniella would stretch out a couple of guys to get his relievers aligned and rested for the Brewers set. That looked to pretty much be the thinking today from the outset. First, he stuck with Marquis for six innings - much longer than he wanted, to be sure - and then brought Samardzija back in the ninth for a save opportunity that you'd normally expect him to go to Marmol for, even if his arm was dangling. Fortunately, Jeff proved up to the task, although a diving catch by Jim Edmonds for the third out of the inning saved him from getting burned by another one of those laissez-faire fastballs.
So, with strong relief, and good hitting, including a pair of home runs by Alfonso Soriano and Derrek Lee, the Cubs split the series. It wasn't pretty, but I'll take it. On to Milwaukee, and hopefully a series win against the Brewers.
The Cubs once again failed to show up at the plate, and to take advantage of another solid Rich Harden outing in losing 3-2 to the Marlins in 12 innings. Coupled with the Brewers comeback win over the Astros last night, both teams are now tied for 1st place in the NL Central.
You know it's been a practically a day since the game started, and I'll still not sure what to think of what I saw. Whether it was the 12:05 start time, the umpire delay in the second inning, someone other than Carlos Marmol pitching in relief, or Kosuke Fukudome hitting 8th in the lineup - man, how the mighty have fallen - this game was almost surreal. And that was before both Matt Sinatro and Lou Piniella were ejected in the 9th arguing a Mark DeRosa infield hit. Mark probably should have kept on running, but instead chose to slide head-first ahead of a Hanley Ramirez throw to first. He looked safe, but when he was called out, all hell broke loose. First 1st base coach Matt Sinatro was ejected immediately. Then Lou Piniella was tossed by 1st base ump, wait for it...Rob Drake. This is starting to become a bit of a habit, and one has to wonder whether there is a bit of an axe to grind. Unfortunately for Lou though, I think he'll be on the wrong side of this battle, as it appears from some photos I've seen this morning, he bumped him, and that should mean suspension. Sadly, count on the bleacher drunks to embarrass the city yet again by tossing plastic bottles and garbage onto the field. This put another 10 minutes on the game delay, and proovided what should be national fodder for the next day or so. Like I said, weird day.
All this ruined yet another outstanding outing from starter Rich Harden, again fanning 10 in six innings of work. He really does look destined to be the tough-luck pitcher this season, as his sub-1.00 ERA has been good for an 0-1 record since joining the Cubs. Sean Marshall then came in to go three strong innings in relief, which was a sight unto itself for obvious reasons. Even more interesting was Sean hitting for himself in the seventh inning, which I cried foul about. Well, at least until he smacked a solid single into left. I sensed that Lou was prepared to eat this game if need be, to reset the bullpen the way that he needed. The upcoming Milwaukee series looms even larger now, and I think he might have been looking to rest his power arms a bit. Don't be surprised to see more of the same today. Could even a Scott Eyre sighting be in our future?
It was pretty much for naught though, as the Cubs offense couldn't do anything against what looked like the entire Marlins bullpen, forcing Piniella to use those power arms anyway. Marmol went 1 2/3 innings, with another two from Chad Gaudin, who took the loss when Jorge Cantu beat him for a 12th-inning double.
This is way too much good pitching to not capitalize. Let's get this game today, and get ready for the Brewers. There are some nice shots from the game yesterday in the media gallery; check them out. And by the way, the game today has been moved to TBS; same start time. I feel for those outside the Chicagoland area. Let's just say that I think that Ron Darling needs some work.
Well, that didn't take long. It's official, Jeff "The Shark" Samardzija was recalled from AAA Iowa today, and inserted into the Cubs bullpen. Furthermore, he made his first major-league appearance, which is about the only good piece of news coming out of the 3-2 loss to the Marlins.
Sigh. Bullpen woes. I can't think of anything that turns a contender into a pretender quicker. Those dog days of summer role around in August, and you find out quickly whether or not you're for real. We'll see about this team, but right now, they look stretched thin, After barely escaping with a win last night due to shaky bullpen work, the saga continued today, with only worse results. Following a very so-so performance by Ryan Dempster in six innings of work - should have known his 6/6/6 statline was going to be trouble - Samardzija was inserted into the game to start the seventh, and found out what every rookie quickly does; your stuff doesn't scare people anymore. He got this lesson taught to him when he tried sneaking a belt-high fastball - 97 on the gun by the way - past Jorge Cantu, who had no problems sending it hard down the left field line for a game-tying double. I'm sure Jeff got tons on hitters out with it in AAA, no matter where he spotted it, but that's meat and potatoes to big-league hitters. He went two innings in all though, with that his only run. Let's hope that the lesson was learned, and he'll not be so laissez-faire with that fastball again.
Things really went wrong in the ninth though when Bob Howry gave up a pinch-hit home run to Jeremy Hermida to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead, and the win. Now, I could comment on Cubs hitters leaving 13 men on base, but you know what? Games like this happen, and it was just going to be that kind of low-scoring affair. You've got to win one-run games, and sometimes that means putting it on the bullpen to get the job done. It was a bad job today, and while I can't get on-board with some bloggers suggestions of DFA'ing Howry, I've two other thoughts. First, it's time to DL him for certain. Doing it Wednesday when Kerry Wood returns sounds like a good time to me. Second, I understand that the Cubs are looking at Damaso Marte, and Ron Mahay. I love it, and I think that this needs to happen like oh...tomorrow. The trading deadline is next weekend, so perhaps it can wait a few days. But there are micro-fractures developing there, that could turn into full-blown tears by the end of August. You got to fix that now.
And fly that flag. The Cubs got back to their winning ways at Wrigley last night - their first game there in nearly two weeks - beating the Florida Marlins 6-3. It was their second win in a row, and allowed them to continue to stay ahead of the surging Brewers, who got a late home run from Ryan Braun to beat the Cardinals 4-3.
Was there something in the air last night at Wrigley? Just about every pitcher labored through the game. And I do mean labored. Even Carlos Zambrano, who picked up his 11th win of the season, toiled through his seven innings of work. Falling behind hitters, plenty of foul balls, and just really extended himself overall. It was not his finest hour, and frankly I was a bit surprised when Lou Piniella chose to leave him in for the seventh; even more surprised when he left him in to face Hanley Ramirez with two out, Carlos over 120 pitches at the time, and a man on second. Ramirez flied out to deep center to end the inning, but it was an off move, in my opinion. Z looked gassed, the bullpen was ready - or so we thought - and Ramirez had already homered earlier in the game. Odd.
The good news was that the Cubs had given him a 6-2 lead by that time, getting to Marlins starter Scott Olsen for four runs in the fifth inning, with even Carlos himself getting in on the act. Zambrano hit a double to left that scored Mark DeRosa. Then with the bases loaded, Aramis Ramirez hit a double to right that scores two, before Alfredo Almezaga completes a relay through to gun down Derrek Lee at home, and end the inning.
The bullpen continued their streak of shaky work though, with four relievers working to complete the last two innings for the win. Chad Gaudin and Neal Cotts combined in the 8th to literally load the bases, while getting no one out between them. They gave way to Bob Howry, who got the next two outs relatively unscathed, mostly from a highlight grab of a hard-hit line drive by Mark DeRosa. Marmol, closed out the inning, and finished in the 9th. Marmol loaded the bases, before finally striking out Wes Helms to end the inning. I'm not going to worry too much for now, although with Kerry Wood making his annual trip to the DL, this could be a very taxing weekend for the bullpen. Word is that we may have a Jeff Samardzija sighting in the next few days, to which I say great. He can't be any more ineffective than the other middle relievers have been lately.
The Cubs broke out their big bats in time to salvage the series - and road trip - and welcomed back Alfonso Soriano from the DL with a 10-6 win against the Diamondbacks Wednesday night. The win was highlighted by a Reed Johnson grand slam in the 8th inning that ultimately provided the margin of victory.
What can you say? A team in need of a spark was finally able to find one against a soft-tossing Doug Davis. They do seem to love mashing on left-handed pitchers, really a complete reversal from last year. The Cubs wasted no time jumping on him, with Derrek Lee hitting a solo home run to give the Cubs an early lead. There was a time in the earlier innings though where you thought that this might be it. At one point Doug proceeded to retire six in a row, and started taking advantage of some liberal calls on the outside corner to expand the strike zone. The Cubs finally got wise, and stopped taking the bait, forcing him to come inside with what's a very sub-par fastball. You can pretty much guess what happened after that. Down 2-1 after a Tony Clark homer, the Cubs grabbed three in the 5th inning, keyed by of all things a Ted Lilly seeing-eye single that scored Mark DeRosa. Ugliest swings I've ever seen from a hitter, to be sure, but he's a .205 hitter for the year. And he even stole a base, taking third pretty easily actually.
The Diamondbacks came back with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it close, but once again, the Cubs eventually got into a bad bullpen and capitalized. This time, Micah Owings was the victim - what has happened to him? - getting lit up for five runs in 1/3 inning. With a run already in, he walked Kosuke Fukudome and Mark DeRosa on consecutive at-bats, the latter walking in a run, and leaving the bases loaded. After being relieved by Leo Rosales, Reed Johnson comes to bat, and drives a ball to right-center for a much-disputed home run. Honestly, it did look like a fan interfered, plucking the ball as it was about to drop below the home run line. However, what you quickly learn after awhile in baseball is that it's better to be lucky than good, especially during a slump. We'll take it.
Thanks to Bob Howry for scaring all of us silly, by giving up a three-run home run to Chris Snyder in the 8th, his only inning of work. I know that most of that bullpen is a touch rusty, but these moments have been a touch too common for me this season, and it might be time to look into some other late-inning options. Chad Gaudin has looked extremely effective so far as a Cub, and while I know you hate to play with roles this late in the season, it might be wise to relegate Bob to middle relief duty for awhile.
Oh, and Soriano? 1-5, with a K. Don't ask me how good he looked, as normally some of the pitches that he was swinging at I'd attribute to rust, but this is Soriano we're talking about, so who knows. Let's see what happens tonight.
The Cubs continues their offensive funk of this road trip, and the Diamondbacks exploded for six runs on the Cubs bullpen, beating Chicago 9-2 Tuesday night in Arizona. The losing streak is now at five of six games, and coupled with the Brewers win against the Cardinals, shortens their division lead to one game.
Maybe it's time to leave Jason Marquis alone for awhile. Once again last night, the Cubs got good starting pitching, and were unable to capitalize. Now I know that Jason is likely to have another second-half swoon, but he's not there yet. He did struggle a bit to be sure, giving up a 1st inning home run to Conor Jackson - his first of three RBI - before settling down for the night. This was fairly understandable, as this was his first start since July 11th. Marquis's fastball looked a little too strong and high early on, a supposed common problem amongst sinkerball pitchers throwing on extra days rest. He lasted six innings, giving up three runs. Jason is now 0-2, with a 2.25 ERA for July, after a pretty good June - yes, I'm forgetting about the dude against Baltimore. Maybe this is how you maximize his talents; keeping him in the 5th starter role, and missing a turn or two down the stretch to keep him a bit more fresh. I certainly saw enough last night to feel that he can continue to make a contribution, and he certainly pitched well enough to win.
But what really did the Cubs in was no offense. Now granted, they got a late pinch-hit home run from Daryle Ward to bring the deficit to 5-2 at the time. But the middle of the order continued their funk, going 0-10, with eight left on base. Let me make a suggestion. Sit Aramis Ramirez today. Release Alfonso Soriano from his chains, and play Mark DeRosa at 3rd. We'll just consider this the lost road trip for Aramis, and move on. This is streak is now 2-33, and he appears to be just killing the Cubs.
And speaking of releasing prisoners, it's time to activate Scott Eyre. The Kevin Hart party is over, as the meltdown last night proved. And put Kerry Wood on the DL if you must, because this is crazy. The kid has shown absolutely nothing in his turn here, and if you don't have the 12th pitcher that you want, go get him. The kid had a filthy slider last year that got hitters out, and he made quite a difference down the stretch. So, I understand why Lou wanted to give him another look. Now though, he's just way too wild, and can't seem to find the release point on that pitch. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed this morning to hear that the Diamondbacks acquired Jon Rauch last night. It's an under-the-radar sort of deal that many won't talk about, but I promise their opponents took notice. Jon has established himself as a top-shelf reliever, and I've fancied him a Cub for the last few years now. I'm still very in favor of the Cubs pursuing Ron Mahay though, because no one in the farm system has stepped up for that middle relief role, and Sean Marshall, who had his own problem in relief last night - 2/3 innings of work, with two earned runs - doesn't appear to be the guy either.
I've said enough. Let's grab the win today, and end this debacle of a trip. But that match-up in Milwaukee next week is looming larger. Get it together Cubs.
Rich Harden did everything that you could hope for from a pitcher and more, but he couldn't escape the light-hitting Alex Romero, whose home run in the 6th inning proved enough to beat the Cubs last night in Arizona.
Poor Rich is probably wondering what he has gotten himself into. After much ado about his health, the need to potentially rest him, and all the other naysays and doubts, he's performed like Cy Young - or at least a Cy Young candidate - over his last two starts. 12 1/3 innings. Six hits. 20 strikeouts. One run. No wins. Honestly, I haven't seen bad luck like this since Mike Morgan in 1993. I mean, he was great last night, striking out ten for his second straight start, and giving up one hit over seven. Unfortunately, that hit was an Alex Romero home run to right field. It was the first of only two Arizona hits for the night. However, as a suddenly revitalized Randy Johnson was also able to hold the Cubs to two hits, the result was a loss, and more precisely their 4th in five games. It was a bad night, and the only good news was that with Micah Owings - the scheduled starter for tonight - making a relief appearance, Well, that and Alfonso Soriano being back as soon as tomorrow. Yusmeiro Petit gets the ball tonight for the Diamondbacks. Here's to a big night against him.
Finally, it's time to say goodbye to long-time columnist and baseball historian Jerome Holtzman. There are a number of fond baseball moments that I have from my childhood. One of them is the first few times that I read Jerome's articles in the Tribune. As far as I was concerned he was Chicago baseball. He gave a kid who couldn't get to many games a vivid take on the sport that lives on to this day, and personally I'll never forget him for it. Tim Russert. Tony Snow. Jerome Holtzman. It's been a bad year. Jerome, you'll be missed.
Ryan Dempster delivered yet another pitching gem this season, and the Cubs scored five runs in the 9th to turn what was a close game into a full-fledged blowout, beating the Astros 9-0 Sunday.
Okay, I'm finally off my ledge this morning. After hearing the pitter-patter of Cardinal feet over the last few days, I was very nervous entering the game yesterday. Now, I wouldn't have called it a must win, but heading into a three-game set with the Diamondbacks, it would be preferable not to be coming off of a sweep. Fortunately, Ryan Dempster was up to the task of streak breaker, going eight shutout innings to pick up the win. I won't call this his best performance of the season -- that I still think is reserved for his May 15th performance against San Diego -- but he dazzled, to be sure. The only real trouble that he faced was in the 5th, where consecutive singles by Miguel Tejada, Geoff Blum, and Hunter Pence loaded the bases with no out. However, he hunkered down, and with the help of some gracious strike calling, struck out J.R. Towles and Brandon Backe, before forcing a popup by Kaz Matsui to end the inning.
Brandon Backe was actually pretty effective for most of this game, and he really had some of the best movement that I've seen from a pitcher this year anywhere. Granted the Cubs got to him early, with two runs in the 1st. The Cubs - who had 13 hits in all - scored on Derrek Lee and Jim Edmonds RBIs, and picked up single runs in the 5th and 7th innings to take a four-run lead into the 9th. And that's where the Cubs again did what they do best, pounding bad bullpens senseless. They got to the combination of Chris Sampson and Tim Byrdak for five runs in all, lead by a Derrek Lee 2-RBI single. Carlos Marmol came in for a shutdown 9th, and with that the Cubs salvaged what was an unkind weekend in Houston.
Well, onto Arizona. While the Cardinals and Brewers are fighting for second-place in St. Louis, the Cubs are on to face Randy Johnson tonight there. This is not the Randy of old, as after a nice start, age may have finally caught up with him. He's 2-6, with an 6.85 ERA over the last two months, and been reduced to a five-inning pitcher. It's a good night to get a new streak going.
Carlos Zambrano walking too many, and Cubs hitters not walking enough, combined to send the Cubs to a 4-1 loss to the Astros Saturday night in Houston. This was the Cubs 3rd straight loss, and coupled with the St. Louis win, reduced their divisional lead to two games. It has now been reduced by more than half since Thursday night.
Like I said, this is so Cub. Coming off of a wildly successful first half, and ensuing All-Star game, you'd expect to see Chicago come back by pounding a cellar dweller like the Astros in submission. Establish your foundation, pad your lead, and don't let up on your foes. What we've gotten instead the last few days is a milquetoast offensive effort that has lead to two losses, and a now wide open NL Central race. Where are you, Alfonso Soriano? Oh wait, he's here; hoping to return Thursday after some extended games in Arizona. Not a moment too soon, in my opinion.
Back to last night's game for a bit. While you definitely got a gritty performance from Carlos Zambrano - including his solo home run in the 7th - this was not his finest hour. Going 6 1/3 innings, walking six, and frankly looking like he was on the verge of a meltdown in the early innings. Now, it hard to tell whether he just wasn't feeling right, he didn't like the strikezone or the pitch selection, or Geovany Soto left him with the bar tab in New York, but he was good and raw. Finally, after a Larry Rothschild meeting in the 3rd inning, he calmed down enough to stay in the game, and keep the Cubs close. He was helped by a couple of fantastic plays though that are worth mentioning; Reed Johnson's catch in the gap on a Brad Ausmus hit ball to end the 6th, and a catch and throw by Derrek Lee to Zambrano himself to nab Kaz Matsui in the 3rd. The real pitching high point though was Chad Gaudin in relief. He went scoreless over 1 2/3 innings, and after his now 5th appearance, he looks to be a significant upgrade over Michael Wuertz.
But the Cubs couldn't score runs - again - even with nine hits off of Wandy Rodriquez in 6 2/3 innings. The Astros bullpen came in and completely shut them down after. So bad are things that Kosuke Fukudome was dropped to 7th in the lineup, which may be something worth sticking with for a few days. It was a good move, as Ryan Theriot and Reed Johnson went a combined 4-7 at the top of the lineup. But with Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto a combine 0-8, it was just going to be that kind of night. And Ryan Theriot , inexpicably thrown out at 3rd on a grounder hit to the shortstop with one out in the 5th, pretty much killed what likely was the Cubs best potential run scoring inning.
In side news, the deadline has passed for final proposals for purchase of the Cubs. According to the report, the list includes:
• Cuban, the billionaire owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. • A group headed by John Canning, chairman of Madison Partners LLC and part-owner of the Milwaukee Brewers. • Thomas Rickets, whose father founded Ameritrade. • Don Levin, the owner of the Chicago Wolves, a Minor League hockey team. • The duo of Jim Anixter, president of A-Z Industries Inc., and attorney Thomas Mandler. • Sports Properties Acquisition Corp., a shell company with $215 million available to spend on a sports property. • A team led by Broadway Theater owner Rocco Landesman that includes Chicago real estate developer William Marovitz.
• Cuban, the billionaire owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
• A group headed by John Canning, chairman of Madison Partners LLC and part-owner of the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Thomas Rickets, whose father founded Ameritrade.
• Don Levin, the owner of the Chicago Wolves, a Minor League hockey team.
• The duo of Jim Anixter, president of A-Z Industries Inc., and attorney Thomas Mandler.
• Sports Properties Acquisition Corp., a shell company with $215 million available to spend on a sports property.
• A team led by Broadway Theater owner Rocco Landesman that includes Chicago real estate developer William Marovitz.
Canning, Levin, and Rickets? This is where we officially say goodbye to Mark Cuban. It's been a nice bout of self-promotion Mark. I hope you've enjoyed the ride.
And after news of Jon Lieber being added to the DL -- yeah, I'm not buying it either -- comes news that Kerry Wood's blister is worse than originally thought, and that a DL trip may be required. Yep, oh so Cub.
Baseball's second half picked up last night with a small slate of games; most notably the Cardinals-Padres matchup in St. Louis. As proof of exactly how weird and wonderful 2008 is coming out to be, the Cardinals won 4-3, with Kyle Lohse outdueling Jake Peavy for the win. Hell has officially frozen over. All the Cardinals runs were scored via the long ball, four in all. As much as think that the Cardinal will regress, it doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon, as the win last night allowed them to pick up a half-game over the idle Cubs.
And so, with the Cardinals and Brewers four and five game back respectively, the Cubs kick off the second half of the season tonight against the Astros in Houston. Personally, I can't wait, even if they are facing 10 of their next 14 games on the road. One thing is certain, this next two weeks will probably say much about whether they can take this division. Fumble these road trips, and they probably come back to Wrigley in August with that lead evaporated; or worse. But with a decent record over this haul, Scott Eyre and Alfonso Soriano back within the next two weeks, and some help on the way at the deadline - no, I don't think they're done dealing -- this could be the moment when the Cubs bury at least one of those divisional opponents, and buffer their lead against the other.
While waiting for baseball over the last few days, I've noticed alot of pundits revising predictions, and raising questions about the stretch run. Unfortunately, their questions only raised more questions for me. That said, here are a few things I'm interested to learn as the season winds down.
Will the real Kosuke Fukudome please stand up?
How do you go from the reincarnation of Ichiro Suzuki one moment, to Adam Dunn the next? Consider that after hitting .296 thru June, he has completely fallen off in July, with a .166/.222/.262 line. Oh, and 15 strikeouts. The power is gone, the plate discipline is nonexistent, and even his much-admired balance at the plate appears to be off. He's a hot mess. And while Kosuke doesn't need to be Ichiro, he does need to resemble the .290/.380/.480 hitter we'd seen earlier this season for the Cubs to be successful. It's no surprise that Micah Hoffpauir figures to be recalled this weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune. It's getting ugly here in Chicago.
Back to respectability?
Let me start by saying that while the Rays are a great story, and most definitely turning things around in Tampa, I don't see them winning the AL East. And probably not making the playoffs. The Red Sox are a juggernaut that they're just not ready for, financially and on the field. But what really intrigues me about them is they are among a trio of teams looking to break the respectability bar in 2008, which is itself is significant. The Pittsburgh Pirates have not had a winning record since 1992; the Baltimore Orioles 1997; and the Rays? Never. Yet all are hovering near or above the mark, and doing it in much the same way; young talent, good coaching, and solid defense. I love their stories; and the fact that each could be -gasp!! - mild buyers at the deadline is likely to impact the Cubs and their competition more than you might think.
Can the Marlins win in 2008?
A 21 million dollar payroll, a second-year manager, and virtually no local fan support. Yet, as the second half begins, the Marlins are 50-45, and 1.5 games back in the East. Win this year, and they may well turn baseball on its ear. Big payrolls, and free-agent talent. Who needs it? Prospect development, and strong front-office personnel could be the SOP for more teams going forward. And wouldn't that be interesting, given a sport flowing with cash, and veterans looking to get their share?
I'll trade you my Cy Young for your MVP
Is the Josh Hamilton-Edinson Volquez trade going to turn out to be exactly that? Could happen.
I've got a few more questions on my mind, but let's make this a starting point for now. Till tomorrow.
Tim Lincecum out-dueled Ryan Dempster in a battle of All-Star starters, helping the Giants best the Cubs 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The win snapped the Giants' six-game losing streak and ended the Cubs homestand with Ryan Dempster's first home loss this season.
Success makes you greedy. It really does. You're out to perform the hardest task in sport -- the sweep -- against arguably the best pitcher in the National League, and really, didn't you have still have the broom ready? I did, and I should have known better. Tim Lincecum came out smoking, and stayed that way; striking out nine, while scattering six hits over eight innings of work. The Cubs were able to take advantage of what was really the only Lincecum mistake; a one-out walk to Mark DeRosa, that Jim Edmonds followed with an RBI double. Past that, Tim pretty much did as he pleased for the afternoon, combining a fastball consistently in the mid-90s with a slider that locked up the Cubs hitters often. He's the real deal, and I have to say it's a shame -- and not just because he beat the Cubs -- that he had to start today. As with Ryan Dempster, his start today makes it very unlikely that he'll see much if any of Tim in the All-Star game Tuesday, especially as both threw 116-plus pitches. With late West Coast games, and a sub-.500 team, it would have been a great chance to showcase what may very well be the next young pitcher to the baseball world at large.
And Dempster? Well, he probably deserved better. However, his inability to spot his curveball -- often either high and way outside, or bouncing in front of home plate -- was really his undoing. He made a game of it, going 6 2/3 innings, while allowing all the Giants runs. Interestingly enough though, the death blow was really his inability to get Tim Lincecum out in the 3rd inning. Instead, with two out, he hits a triple to right, that just bounced under the glove of Mark DeRosa, and to the wall. Omar Vizquel scored, and soon after Fred Lewis hits an RBI single to plate Lincecum; that was pretty much the ballgame. The Cubs were able to grab a late run in the 9th on a Geovany Soto pinch-hit single, but facing All-Star pitchers all day, it was really too little, too late.
Now, speaking of All-Star pitchers come news that Carlos Marmol is replacing Kerry Wood on the National League All-Star roster, to which I say huh? I'm ecstatic about what is now the selection of eight Cubs to the squad this year, but considering that likely half -- Ryan Dempster, Alfonso Soriano, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Marmol himself, who I would guess at Lou's request would only be used if needed -- are likely not to play, seems a bit much. Add Kosuke Fukudome -- a selection much the product of international voting, as opposed to performance -- and I'm sure many eyebrows will be raised this week over the Cubs selections.
Having not had a chance to post in the last few days, I've many thoughts to share about this weekend. Look for many of them in an upcoming Ten Things I Think I Think this week. Wuertz optioned to Iowa, the first Rich Harden start, bullpen overuse, etc. But one thing that I don't think can wait is acknowledgment of this team as we hit the end of the first half of the season. The Cubs are now 57-38, tied for the best record in baseball. Having had a chance to watch most of these games with a critical eye, and keeping an equally watchful eye around the league, I'm very comfortable telling you that they are most definitely for real. If you're looking for some type of tragic breakdown that Cubdom has been known for, I think you'll be disappointed. They've got some holes to address, some questions to answer still, and alot more ballgames to actually play. But it's a very good team, capable of going far. Here's to the second half, and what I suspect will be a very fun ride.
The Reds chased starter Ted Lilly after 2 2/3 innings, and clubbed seven home runs in route to a 12-7 victory over the Cubs Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. It was Lilly's shortest outing of the season, and prevented the Cubs from sweeping the three-game set against Cincinnati.
Someone asked Lou Piniella during the post-game interview if he knew how many homers were hit, and when told, said he'd never seen anything like it. That was a surprise, given that it was eerily similar to the May 7th game in Cincy, where the Reds clubbed seven home runs, chasing starter Jon Lieber after two-plus innings. If there is one thing that the Reds can do well, it's hit home runs. Really though it was just that sort of day, as a hot, somewhat windy summer day is never good news for Ted Lilly, an extreme fly-ball pitcher who tends to be homer prone.
The game started off well enough, with the Cubs grabbing taking a 3-1 lead into the 3rd inning. However, A Ken Griffey, Jr., double scored Jerry Hairston, Jr. And Brandon Phillips took a home run ball deep to center. By then, Lou had clearly seen enough, and went to the bullpen. Michael Wuertz was able to get out of the inning, but faltered shortly thereafter, as did the entire bullpen yesterday, giving up eight runs in 5 1/3 innings. Very ugly.
Credit the Cubs for keeping it interesting, picking up a pair of runs in the 4th and sixth innings. Especially Mike Fontenot, who hit his 7th home run of the season in the 4th.That now gives him a 277/.366/.519 line for the season. You can really start to see what the Orioles saw in him when they drafted Mike in the first round.
Anyway. Sweeps are great, but I'll take the two of three, and move on. Here's to a great series against the Giants this weekend.