Jason Marquis threw seven shutout innings, and the Cubs scored two runs in the seventh to beat the Pirates 2-0 Thursday afternoon at PNC Park.
Many people who saw the game this afternoon will probably tell you that this was the best outing of the season for Marquis. Personally, I think his June 8th start against the Dodgers -- a more potent and veteran lineup by comparison -- ranks as his best, but this was a very, very good performance. Minus a Freddie Sanchez triple that rolled past a diving Mark DeRosa in the fourth, and yet another error by Alfonso Soriano in the first allowing Jack Wilson to reach base, Jason didn't allow another hitter past second. He walked none today, and even helped his own cause with a single in the fifth. It was great stuff, and really a continuation of his good performance last week against the Nationals -- no, the loss was not his fault. Jason mentioned in an interview earlier this month that he'd been working with a sports psychologist for the last year or so to help deal with his late-season struggles, which he acknowledges are likely more mental than anything else. The results are encouraging, because he's been worlds better, and even an average Marquis in September is an absolutely huge boost for the Cubs. Let's hope that his success continues.
The best part of this game though was the seventh inning, when the Cubs scored their only two runs. I've been angry with manager Lou Piniella a number of times this season for letting hitters do their own thing at the plate at times to the point of insanity. Today though, he really flipped the script. First, Ronny Cedeno scores Reed Johnson on a RBI-groundout, for a 1-0 lead. Then, with Mark DeRosa on third, Henry Blanco lays down a suicide squeeze that took everyone by surprise. Johnson scored, and Blanco was barely out at first on the play. That was more than enough for Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood to sew things up from there.
So, the Cubs finish with a perfect road trip, a three-game sweep, and a 14-4 record against the Pirates for the season. I couldn't be happier. Playing bad teams when you're contending is like a trip to the dentist; an obligation that is required, but it doesn't really do much to make you better in the grand scheme. I'm looking forward to seeing the Cubs against stronger opponents, smoothing out their rough spots, and getting themselves in playoff shape against the best in the league.
And by the way...has anyone heard from Chad Gaudin since last week? I hope there isn't a new member of Lou's doghouse.
Ted Lilly went seven strong innings for his 13th win of the season, and Chicago hitters pounded out 17 hits -- including three by Kosuke Fukudome, as the Cubs beat the Pirates 12-3. The Cubs now enjoy a five-game lead over idle Milwaukee, with 31 left to play.
Apparently, those extra sessions with hitting coach Gerald Perry have had some success. It's been all of five at-bats since his day off -- a lovely euphemism for removed from the lineup, if there ever was one -- and we're already seeing a return to April/May Kosuke. Yes, the hips are still flying open on inside pitches. And yes, he's still working out some of those bad habits that Lou mentioned earlier this week; proof for certain being the two-hop groundout to second in the third inning. But he's driving the ball, shooting line drives again, and backing off of some of those crummier sliders that he'd been fouling off before altogether. Fukudome went 3-4 last night -- and a sac fly -- with four RBI. Here's to hoping that he can continue to make those adjustments.
That said, there was no star last night; it was about as strong a team offensive effort as you'll see. Even Ted Lilly joined in, who sustained a five-run fifth inning with an RBI-single to center. Initially, I thought it was Pirates starter Jeff Karstens, yanked after a four-run third inning in favor of Jason Davis. An Aramis Ramirez three-run homer was the catalyst, making the game 5-0, and pretty much ending it right there. I'm looking to see Jeff shutdown sometime soon, because he didn't look well at all. Not only was he having no success in finding the release point on his breaking pitch, but seemed to use some extra torque to try and get some extra juice on the fastball. Not a good sign. Davis had even less success though, giving up another five runs to the Cubs, but in two innings of work.
The Pirates made it a bit closer with a two-run homer by Adam LaRoche in the 6th. Ted Lilly, got a bit hittable late, and the Pirates took advantage. Fortunately, with the bottom of the Pirates lineup due in the 7th, he was able to come back out, and go another quiet inning before giving way to a tolerable performance by Bob Howry, and a inning of work by Kerry Wood.
It was a good win, and a great way to start the road trip. Someone reminded me last night that after some very poor play on the road, the Cubs are now one game over .500 for the season, one of only five teams to be so. Interestingly three of the five are from the NL Central; Cubs, Brewers, and of course the Cardinals.
Oh, and congratulations to the Iowa Cubs, winners of the PCL American North division. The ballclub will to have to figure out how much they'll let the playoffs impact roster expansion, but seeing success across the organization like this is very encouraging. It says that you're doing things right, and that your success is likely to be sustainable. That's real good news for fans of an organization that made its way through the wilderness of baseball for way too long.
The Cubs used three home runs -- including a pinch-hit shot by Kosuke Fukudome -- to power themselves to a 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals Sunday afternoon. Chicago is now at a season-high 30 games over .500.
I admit it. I watch alot of baseball, but injuries and West Coast time zones kept me from seeing Rich Harden much over the last few seasons. As such I was apprehensive about the reviews and feedback that I got when the Cubs acquired him. Could a pitcher -- an admittedly two-pitch one at that -- be this good? Well, the answer is yes, and I'm convinced. Watching his start in person against the Reds earlier this week, and today against the Nationals has made me a Rich Harden fan. He was very good this afternoon, going seven innings, while fanning 11. The best part? No walks. Nothing. Harden hit the mid-90s early and often, clocking 96-97 on a number of occasions, so you can imagine how off-balance hitters looked dealing with a 84MPH changeup to follow that up. In many at-bats, he didn't even appear to be trying to spot it well; it was more "here's my A stuff, now hit it". Of course, leave it to Austin Kearns to get ahold of one; hitting a solo shot to the bleachers for the National's only run today.
The Cubs gave Rich all the support that he needed in the second inning, when Geovany Soto hit a two-run homer in the second to follow a Mark DeRosa solo shot earlier in the inning, taking advantage of a wild Jason Bergmann. Bergmann didn't look long for this game early on, not being able to spot his slider through the first few innings. Even Alfonso Soriano took a walk, just to give you some idea. However, he found his release point shortly after, and settled in for a decent start.
Well, at least the seventh, when a double to Mike Fontenot was enough to chase him from the game, in favor of Steven Shell. Kosuke Fukudome -- pinch-hitting for Rich Harden -- then hits a two-run shot to the right field bleachers. The news from the clubhouse is that he's working on hitting adjustments, and should be back in the lineup tomorrow.
"We'll talk about hitting, hitting mechanics, not about anything else. He's in-between. He's slightly behind the fastball and ahead of the breaking ball. Whether it's him or anybody else, you have to hit one of the two with consistency."
I caught a slight change in the leg kick, but couldn't make out much more than that. If someone was able to pick up on any other alterations, drop me a note. And expect Derrek Lee to join him Monday against the Pirates, after sitting out this game with back spasms.
Carlos Marmol and Jeff Samardzija closed out the game in mopup, with Marmol loading the bases in the eighth before striking out Christian Guzman. After that, the National went pretty quietly in the ninth.
I did hope for a better homestand, but 4-2, and 30 games over .500 is an awfully good place to be at this time of the year. Hopefully, the best is yet to come.
You know the play, don't you? A bad team comes to town to face a very good one, usually riding some sort of losing streak. They've started their youth movement, so you send your bench guys in to smack them around, take the series, and you go on your way. That's what supposed to happen with championship-caliber teams. Or, somebody gets desperate and angry from the other side, and you end up getting your butts handed to you. The latter happened Friday, as Willie Harris lead the Nationals to a 13-5 victory over the Cubs. Harris had two home runs, including a grand slam off of Neal Cotts.
Well, at least you got a respectable effort out of Jason Marquis. He actually sailed uneventfully through the first five. Admittedly though, he started the trouble in the sixth inning, letting the first two baserunners on. However, my beef is probably more with Lou Piniella, who I felt managed the situation poorly. Anything more than five innings from Jason is a gift, and as such I thought that the long man should have been getting loose as the inning started. Maybe you can get out of the sixth without much damage, but the idea of getting six shutout innings out of Marquis was slim to none, and slim just left town. Instead, Lou scrambled for Bob Howry and Neal Cotts probably a few batters too late. So Marquis walks Ryan Zimmerman, and Emilio Bonifacio scores on a Lastings Milledge sac fly. Neal Cotts comes in, walks the pinch-hitting Austin Kearns, and leaves me with the question that I'll be mulling all weekend -- who gives up a grand slam to Willie Harris?
Sadly, the rest of the bullpen was no better, with Bob Howry hit for a run in the seventh, and Chad Gaudin...well, lit up for six runs in two innings of work. Too much plate resulted in a three-run double for Aaron Boone, and yet another home run to Willie Harris; this time, a two-run blast in the ninth that had a rain-soaked crowd muttering under their respective breaths expletives about Cotts, Harris, and Ronnie Belliard that I'd rather not repeat. Ronnie was almost as bad, going 4-5, with two RBI.
Win the next two, and all is forgotten. But the Nationals are winners of two in a row now, after losing their previous 12. Don't let a AAAA team start thinking that they can compete. Oh, and for those interested, there's excellent photos of todays game here, in the photo gallery for this homestand.
"Sometimes I need to take my time, and let the ball come out of my hands."
That was the best quotable from the post-game press conference with Carlos, as he discussed his do-it-all day today; going seven strong innings, and hitting yet another home run to lead the Cubs to a 3-2 win over the Reds. While not one of their more productive series, the Cubs still took two of three over Cincinnati.
It's been a rough month for Zambrano. After being chastised in the media and by fans for "only mentally being prepared to go five innings" in his August 3rd start against the Pirates, he followed that outing up with a couple of real clunkers, resulting in a 0-1 record, with a 8.80 ERA for the month. All of a sudden, people are talking about Harden being the real "ace", Dempster deserving a Game 1 start in the playoffs, and that Z is going back to his petulant and emotional ways. You get the idea.
Today though, we got a great bounce-back outing, with Z keeping Reds hitters off balance for most of the game. He couldn't get past Jay Bruce, who went yard on Z in the sixth, his 13th of the season. But he did a great job with everyone else, sailing through six, and getting out of the seventh with a pair of runners on by forcing Jeff Keppinger to ground out to first. And did I mention his third-inning homer, his fourth of the season?
Good thing too, as this offense continues to be in need of a spark. The only bright spot today was Mark DeRosa, who continued his hot home stand with a solo home run in the second. With lefty Odalis Perez on the mound tomorrow, a heavy dose of Reed Johnson -- and perhaps Ronny Cedeno -- is probably just what the doctor ordered. I would have thought that Josh Fogg might be that jump start, but he was surprisingly effective in his four innings of work, before being lifted for reliever Nick Masset.
Joey Votto continued his hot season against the Cubs, blasting an eighth-inning homer off of Carlos Marmol that was deep on to Sheffield. Sigh. We just got rid of Adam Dunn, and along comes yet another left-handed tormentor from Cincinnati. This made things white-knuckle interesting in the ninth, as Kerry Wood rambled through an extended Corey Patterson at-bat -- he grounded out to first -- before striking out Paul Bako and Javier Valentin for the save.
Bring on the Nationals, who go into tonight's action losers of their last 12. Personally, they scare me. Desperate teams have a tendency of not staying to the script. You'd think that this team would be fodder, but expect to see a club letting it all hang out this weekend. Oh, and for those who need a laugh, Carl Pavano is scheduled to start this weekend for the Yankees against the Orioles? Now he's healthy?
If you missed last night's game -- that 2-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, you missed, well...nothing. And I do mean nothing, as there was little to like about the loss. I generally disregard the notion when I hear it applied to sports, but this time I'm comfortable saying it: Ted Lilly deserved better. He dazzled for seven innings, even carrying a no-hitter through the first five. I personally tend to think that the talk of a no-hitter should be saved until after six complete, but that's a story for another time. And the bullpen was solid in relief, giving the Cubs ample opportunity to steal this win.
Sadly though, two things happened. The Cubs -- and really, the Reds as well -- looked like a bunch of guys who didn't want to be there. Tired, uninspired, and yes; even bored. The whole thing had a classic dog days of summer feel about it. The Cubs finished with three hits; two by Mark DeRosa, whose great catches and multi-hit game were about the only bright spot with that offense.
The other thing? Take a guess. Here, I'll give you a hint. 2-1, 2-0, 3-2, 3-2, 3-0, 2-0, 2-1, and 2-1. If there is one complaint that I have with Lou Piniella, it's that he refuses to take the bat out his players' hands at times to the point of insanity. Now I realize that the quality of pitching is such that you'll have games like this; get good outings consistently, and you'll have a fair share of these low scoring games. And I appreciate that these are some good hitters. But when the late innings roll around, and your offense isn't clicking, do something. Steal a base. Lay down a bunt. Acknowledge the fact that you're probably going to have to manufacture something. Seriously. And Kosuke Fukudome? My friend, it's one thing when he's not hitting, but driving the ball. It's entirely different when you're hitting weak, two-bounce grounders for outs. Josh Fogg has been moved up a day, and brings his 7.71 ERA to the mound. It might be a good time to insert Mike Fontenot, and give Kosuke a day or two off. Just saying.
Your team is 20 games under .500 going into the night's action. Your stars have been traded away. You're on your last coaching stop, and the guy who hired you is long gone. Did I mention that your style doesn't gel with that of the new guy? And you're helping to push yourself out the door with lovely quotable like:
"I have never wanted to win more than I do right here, and I will, but this is Wayne Krivsky's team, not Walt Jocketty's and not mine. I just hope there is enough out there after the season that we can get to help us."
Whatever the reason, he was all smiles Tuesday, as he rolled the Cincinnati Reds into town for a three-game set, the final visit for 2008. And more importantly, it was a short-lived smile, as the Cubs offense exploded late to win 5-0. Rich Harden continued his string of dominant performances; going seven shutout innings, with ten strikeouts -- there's that number again -- for the win.
I've not seen personally seen a better pitching matchup this year. Johnny Cueto is a star in the making; I said so earlier this season, and he's done little to change that opinion. He's taken his lumps this year, as shown by the 4.90 ERA. But he's got two nasty pitches in the fastball and slider, and I suspect that time, natural development, and getting away from Dusty will take care of the rest. He and Rich Harden pretty much went tit for tat through seven, with the Cubs only run on a Harden sacrifice to score Geovany Soto in the fifth inning, which was more bad Joey Votto throw than anything else. Well, Ceuto was a bit more wild than Harden, plunking both Aramis Ramirez and Jim Edmonds.
You wondered though whether Rich was again going to be the victim of poor run support, as he was lifted after seven for pinch hitter Mike Fontenot, with the Cubs nursing a 1-0 lead. Nope. The Cubs ran wild all over that Reds bullpen in the eighth, with four straight hits off of reliever Mike Lincoln, who retired no one. Bill Bray did marginally better, retiring PH Reed Johnson, before intentionally walking Soto to get to Kosuke Fukudome. Perfect situation really; one out, slow-footed catcher on first, out at every base, lefty-on-lefty matchup, and a struggling hitter at the plate. I honestly debated the merits of lifting Kosuke for Henry Blanco or Ronny Cedeno, the last righties left on the bench. But Piniella seems to be allowing him a great deal more leash than most managers would, given the situation and time of year. This was shown by letting him play in both games of the twin-bill last week against the Braves -- after he struggled in the first game -- and I think again last night. Lou was rewarded, as Kosuke sent a groundball single into center, scoring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Classic 2008 Reds. Good ideas, poor execution. By then, nothing left to do but send in the hounds to seal the deal; Kerry Wood pitched a quick ninth to preserve the win.
It was good win; now do it five more times this week. And if you're a photo fan, you should definitely check out the photo gallery for last night's game. I hadn't seen Rich Harden up close yet this season, so I splurged a bit. I think you'll like the results.
Even on the slowest days in baseball - there were only eight games scheduled yesterday -- you can find a little excitement. The LA Times is reporting that Greg Maddux is being traded to the LA Dodgers, for as-yet-unknown considerations. Other media outlets are reporting this as a done deal, however as most, if not all acknowledged LAT as the original source, I'm going with their version. One rumor that's been floating around is that owner Frank McCourt has demanded that any trades this season be payroll neutral, which may be the source of the delay, as the dollars get ironed out.
It's a good deal for the Dodgers, who have quickly turned themselves into contenders within a span of just a few weeks. Maddux is a small improvement over the Dodgers house options, with Brad Penny likely out for the year. And he represents even more of an upgrade in a playoff series. When you couple that with an offense surging behind Manny Ramirez -- even if Jeff Kent doesn't agree -- and they've suddenly become the team to beat out west.
Oh, and if you're looking for something more game-centric, the Brewers won again, beating the Houston Astros 9-3 in a game that really wasn't even that close. However, CC Sabathia did again go the distance; his fifth complete game this season. Ryan Braun left the game with a recurrence of his rib cage injury, and appears to be day to day. While I'm impressed at the CC factor, I can't help but wonder what possesses Ned Yost to send his ace out for 130 pitches in August, in a game I'm leading big in against the likes of the Astros. And this isn't the first time. I'm really starting to think the Brewers are going to use him to the point of abuse.
The Cubs, led by a Reed Johnson three-RBI double, slugged their way through a eight-run seventh inning Sunday afternoon, and beat the Marlins 9-2. It was the 14th victory of the season for starter Ryan Dempster, and coupled with a 7-5 walk-off win by the Dodgers over the Brewers, extended the Cubs lead to 5.5 games over second-place Milwaukee. Thank you, Andre Ethier.
Times they are a changin. If there has been one saving grace for the rest of the National League this season, it's been that you had a fairly decent chance of beating the Cubs if you got them on the road. The Cubs seem to be straightening that out --winning nine of their last 10 away from Wrigley -- although admittedly I'm not certain why. Part of this streak may very well be in the quality of teams they've played away recently, Take away the Brewers series -- it practically is a home game for the Cubs -- and they've played average or worse teams, and beat them accordingly. But they're gelling, and getting some really good starting pitching in these games, which is always going to improve your odds. There are big road games looming in September that will ultimately tell the tale, but at least now the Cubs are competitive on the road, and should remain so, as average teams start to check out for the season, turning the games over to call-ups as the season ends.
But back to that pitching for moment, which was again huge yesterday. Ryan Dempster is a Cy Young candidate! No, he won't win it, but this is a statement that I never expected to make. He's done a really nice job curtailing his walks this season, and I think that the results are really starting to come through. Ryan went six strong innings yesterday, scattering five hits, while striking out 10, which by the way seems to be becoming the favorite number of Cubs starting pitchers. The Cubs offense however was going nowhere against Chris Volstad -- who settled down from early wildness to throw a pretty decent game -- so he was lifted in the seventh. Good thing too, as the Cubs finally got to Volstad with hits by Mike Fontenot and Reed Johnson, who would get two hits in the inning. Volstad was then pulled in favor of Cubs ex-farmhand Renyel Pinto, who got worked over. First by Alfonso Soriano, who sent a double to the left field wall past a diving Luis Gonzalez. Then, by an Aramis Ramirez RBI-double. Kosuke Fukudome would add a sacrifice fly before Reed Johnson would return to the plate, and deliver the deathblow; a three-run RBI double off of Logan Kensing to effectively end the game. Reed would later add a sac fly in the ninth to conclude his four-RBI day.
And so, after now concluding their 5-1 road trip, the Cubs have the day off before returning to Wrigley for a matchup with the Reds, followed by a three-game set with the Nationals. It's a good week to pad a lead.
The Cubs jumped out on the Braves 2-0 in the first inning, and cruised from there, winning 11-7 Thursday night at Turner Field. The game however was marred by both a bench-clear altercation in the sixth, and an injury to Aramis Ramirez.
Not even Tom Glavine, activated from the DL shortly before this game, could save the Braves from a series -- and season -- sweep .Truthfully, he probably should have stayed inactive for awhile longer; I've seen Glavine at his sharpest, even in recent years. This wasn't even close. After giving up a couple of runs in the first on a Reed Johnson single, and Geo Soto bases-loaded walk, things went from bad to worse. First, Aramis Ramirez would drive a three-run homer to deep right-center in the third, scoring Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome. Then Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run shot to hell left that we're still waiting to see come down. Tom couldn't hit that sweet spot on the outside corner, and couldn't drop strikes on the inside corner enough to keep hitters off balance. And so with that, he was gone, in favor of Buddy Carlyle. He didn't fare much better, getting tagged for two in the fifth, when a bad throw by second basemen Martin Prado allowed Geovany Soto to advance to third on his RBI double, and later score.
Well, you can pretty much guess the rest. By then the Braves are down 9-4, being humiliated at home, looking at a season sweep, and the the Cubs still don't look like they're done. Well, there was Mark Kotsay hitting for the cycle; a sweet moment in an otherwise dreary game for Atlanta. So Lilly exacts Cubs revenge; plunking Yunel Escobar, and sending both teams out to the diamond for a war of words. Amazingly, no one was tossed; shocking actually, given the history between these teams, and the fact that Francisley Beuno was suspended for three games earlier in the day for throwing at Soriano just the day before. Forget yesterday though, I'm still thinking of the Edgar Renteria incidents last year, and the resulting head shot to Mike Fontenot on Renteria's slide into second. Well, at least Lou chose to wait until the game was well in hand. Oh, wait...
The knew it was coming part was Bob Howry, who served up a fastball so sweet to Jeff Francoeur in the seventh that I could have hit it, resulting in a three-run blast to left. Ugly, ugly job in his 2/3 innings of work. 6.75 ERA in July, 9.00 in August, and heading toward 6.0 for the season. You can get better than this out of Michael Wuertz, especially in low-stress innings. Let it go Lou.
And Aramis Ramirez? Reports are he's fine this morning, after leaving the game with a hip contusion that he picked up on a head-first slide at home in the fifth. My life flashed before my eyes when it happened, so it's good to hear that he's likely to not even miss a game.
You got swept in a doubleheader? Yeah, they're really that bad. The last time I checked in on the Atlanta Braves was during their June 10 - 12 stint at Wrigley Field. At the time, they were a bad team; hanging on by a little luck, a hot Chipper Jones start, and some pretty decent starting pitching. Now they're an awful team, as shown by their 10-2 and 8-0 losses to the Cubs Wednesday. While I saw a lot to like about the Cubs yesterday, I wouldn't get too excited; about the best thing that this team has going is a young developing infield in Escobar, Johnson, and Kotchman, and that looks at least a good season away from being something.
For the Cubs, you had to appreciate a quality start -- I know, not officially -- by Jason Marquis, who went 5 1/3 innings for the win in the matinee. Interestingly, for a guy known for late-season meltdowns, Jason is doing quite nicely over the last few months, going 2-3, with a 1.28 WHIP and 4.12 ERA. He got his run support too; early and often. Braves starter Charlie Morton looked waay over his head yesterday, with the Cubs jumping on him for two runs in both the second and third innings. He was just too wild, and Bobby Cox -- who later got tossed from this game for arguing about lights, off all things -- gave him the quick hook. He walked Jim Edmonds and Mark DeRosa to setup a Geo Soto RBI-double in the second. Then after a Edmonds home run in the third, he walks DeRosa yet again. Bobby was able to stem the tide with Buddy Carlyle for a few innings, but Vladmir Nunez just got plastered, including back-to-back homers by Edmonds and DeRosa to put the game away for good.
Not that the Cox ejection was the only controversy, as Soriano was caught yet again admiring his pretty handiwork on a ball to left that he thought was a home run. It wasn't, and his posing left him at first base with only a single. He later apologized, of course:
"I apologized to [Piniella], and I apologized to my teammates." "I said to him that's not going to happen again. I apologized to him."
Sure Fonzie, everyone understands. Except the Braves, who had Francisley Beuno send a fastball at his head in the ninth. Better cut it out man. And no beanball wars with a team going nowhere either. Leave the payback to next season.
The nightcap wasn't much different. Rich Harden was effective -- if only wildly -- in his five plus innings of work. Admittedly, he had little to no control, even walking the bases loaded in the third, before forcing Casey Kotchman to ground out. Fortunately, with the Cubs having jumped on Jorge Campillo for four runs in the first, lead by a...wait for it, Kosuke Fukudome two-run RBI single, Lou could pull him and give some relievers work. Kosuke went 2-5 in the nightcap, which was great to see. Also nice was a Kerry Wood appearance, who looked both crisp with the fastball, and nasty with the slider. I suspect that his next appearance will be in his typical closer's spot; he looks ready.
The Braves are an ugly team, but you take the wins anywhere and anyway that you can get them. Here's to hoping that they close this out with a win over Tom Glavine tonight.
Torrential rains in the Atlanta area Monday night resulted in cancellation of the Cubs-Braves game, and gives us one the rare treats of the season today; a classic day-night doubleheader. The makeup game will be played at 12:05 CT, followed by the regularly scheduled matchup at 6:15 CT this evening.
Honestly, as I get older I really can't decide whether I like or hate them. It's great to settle in a catch and long day of baseball when time allows, to be sure. And I'm sure that certain players -- cough, Fukudome, cough -- could use the extra time off. But two days without a game drives you crazy, and a long day of August baseball can throw a team out of whack for days. Oh, well. It is the first, and hopefully last one of the season.
While we're waiting then, let me pass along a couple of nuggets for thoughts, most importantly Gary Sheffield news. No, not him being put on waivers, which is something of non-news, in my opinion. Everyone gets thrown on the waiver wire at this time of year, so it's no surprise. It's hard to see the Tigers eating his 2009 salary at this point, so we'll have to see what happens. It's the original comments that were made, such as:
"I can be in the outfield and play every day. I don't want to DH,". "I don't feel like a baseball player when I DH. I don't know how to be the leader that I am from the bench. I can't be a vocal leader. I can't talk to guys from the bench because I don't feel right about it."
New team, same Gary. The whole hubbub is completely sensationalized, but at this point in his career, Gary knows better than to provide this sort of fodder in the middle of a pennant race. Some have said the Cubs could use him. Others have tossed out Tampa as a destination. My suggestion? Let Leyland and the Tigers deal with him for the rest of the season, and let some sucker take him at the Winter Meetings. No true contender should come within a mile of this guy. I love this time of year though; you get to really see what kind of people and teammates players are. Two weeks ago it was Manny throwing an entire franchise under the bus to get his coin. Last week it was Brian Giles turning down a trade in the twilight of his career to a legitimate World Series contender, so he could wake up to sunny days. Now this.
And did anyone else catch this? Great game, but I have to wonder why is it that the annual MLB slugfest seems to always involve the Rangers? Last year it was the 30-3 beating of the Orioles. This year, a 19-17 shootout. Man, if only that team could find some pitching.
The Cubs used a combination of quality pitching, hitters extending innings, and spectacular defensive plays Sunday night to beat the Cardinals 6-2 at Wrigley Field. With the victory, the Cubs close out the homestand with a 6-3 record, and collect their fourth series win in a row.
Last night was about as complete a victory as you will see this year. The pitching? Rock-solid. Ryan Dempster went deep into the seventh before being relieved in favor of the combination of Samardzija, Marmol, and yes, even Kerry Wood. The Cardinals were able to put a bit of a mini-rally together in the seventh, getting both their runs then on a pair of Joe Mather and Albert Pujols RBI doubles, before Jeff Samardzija would strike out Ryan Ludwick to end the inning. Kerry looked sharp enough in the eighth, letting a number of 95MPH loose, but I didn't see quite enough to make an opinion about the status of his back. And the Cubs for sure won't tell.
Offense? Absolutely. After a slow go early on against Chris Carpenter -- who was very effective in 5 1/3 innings before leaving with a mild tricep strain -- the Cubs exploded all over the Cardinals for five runs in the fifth. After Derrek Lee singled to score Alfonso Soriano, things really took something of an odd turn. First, Adam Kennedy boots a Jim Edmonds grounder at second, allowing Derrek Lee to score. Then,von the following Mark DeRosa RBI-single, Jim Edmonds was thrown out at third trying to take the extra base. Now this wouldn't have been so bad, were it not for Ronny Cedeno also trying to take third; this time attempting to extend a double to right into a triple. I'll save my Cedeno diatribe, as you know what I think about his head. However, I don't recall teams at any point this season -- and I watch alot of baseball -- more willing to run themselves out of innings than the Cubs and Cards this weekend. The Cubs could have easily extended that inning further, but took themselves out by not being smarter on the basepaths. The only real grumble about the hitting though is Kosuke Fukudome, who continues yet another slump; 3-28 in August. Personally, while I feel like if we wanted a .750 OPS right fielder, we would have stuck with Matt Murton, I'm happy to stick him in eighth spot for awhile, and figure things out. But people are starting to notice, including Lou:
"We need him to start hitting," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said before Sunday night's 6-2 win against the Cardinals. "If not, I'm going to have to start looking for other options."
Wow. I think that's what you call being put on notice. Don't think for a second that Lou won't spell him with Micah Hoffpauir, or use DeRosa more in right. With both Micah and Mike Fontenot hot, you probably wouldn't miss a beat.
And last, you can't say enough about the defense. Whether it was the Cedeno's barehand throw and Lee tag in the sixth, the Fukudome dive in the 9th to rob Felipe Lopez, or the Jim Edmonds diving catch in the 4th to save two runs, they came to play. Now, if someone could just fix that infield dirt.
The St. Louis Cardinals came back with a vengeance Saturday, clubbing four home runs en route to a 12-3 win over the Cubs. With the win, the Cardinals broke the Cubs three-game winning streak, and reduced their lead in the division to six games. The rubber match is scheduled for 7:05 Sunday night on ESPN.
Pity Carlos Zambrano, who really was his own worst enemy today. Although he hit his third home run of the season in the third inning to make things a bit interesting, things really got out of control for him pretty quickly. First Skip Schumaker and Albert Pujols jacked solo home runs in the third. Then Troy Glaus, stuck in an extremely odd 0-30 streak against the Cubs, went wild; first hitting a two-run shot in the fourth inning, then upping the ante with a three-run home run in the fifth, part of a four-run inning. Frankly, Carlos got way too much plate all day long, and looked a little too strong actually, not getting quite the movement on the fastball or slider that you'd normally expect to see. Bottom line, when Felipe Lopez goes 2-4 off of you -- when did the Cards pick him up anyway? -- you know you're hitting the showers early.
About the only good thing that you can say about yesterday's game was the work of Sean Marshall, who went 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work, and continues to show why it was time for Scott Eyre to move on. I was almost prepared to say the same thing about Chad Gaudin, who came in to finish the last two innings. But when St. Louis rallied late for three more runs in the ninth, lead by a Yadier Molina two-RBI single, that pretty much went out the window. He's done nice work so far this season, but probably should have been yanked in the ninth, big deficit or not, as it was clear he wasn't going to be effective. Actually, it probably would have been a good time to get Kerry Wood in for an inning of work, but the disappearing man was available, but not really yesterday. Kerry says he's ready to go, which was funny to me, given Lou Piniella's post-game comment about using him yesterday only if he "really, really needed to get him in". Hmm. Either way, I'd look for him to see some work this evening, as Lou was quite defensive at reporters who suggested that Kerry would be hidden in the bullpen another day, so as to give him a couple of more days before the Braves series in Atlanta.
Well, here's to a series win, and a blowout tonight. And as a small site note, Cubbie Nation is transitioning Internet Service Providers, with the change tentatively scheduled for Tuesday night. We expect the site to be unavailable for as much as a few hours.
Henry Blanco hit a bases-loaded single to score Derrek Lee, and give the Cubs a thrilling 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings Friday. The win -- the Cubs 10th in 12 games -- pushes the Cardinals to seven games back in the NL Central standings.
There was way too much Déjà Vu today. After watching Jim Edmonds abuse the Cubs over his eight seasons with the Cardinals, it was awfully good to watch him return the favor to Cardinals fans; at Wrigley Field, no less. And he did exactly that, pounding two solo home runs today, the second of which tied the game in the seventh inning. Thrilling stuff, and given some of the discord already boiling in St. Louis between he and Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, sure to be fodder for the remaining six games with them.
And the Cubs needed both today, as they were very much on the verge of giving away another great pitching performance. It seems like the theme for the summer. Starting pitcher is lights out; gets no offense, and loses. Pitchers throws just good enough to win; Cubs win in blowout. Today was the exception. Ted Lilly was great, going seven-plus, and the bullpen proved to be stellar. And that included Bob Howry, who closed out the top of the 11th to set the Cubs up for the bottom of the inning, striking out both Troy Glaus and Yadier Molina in the process. Interestingly, they were able to take advantage of a number of Tony LaRussa miscues -- I swear it's like Manager Gone Wild lately -- to stay in the game. Tony seemed more than happy to run himself out of innings on more than one occasion. First, Caesar Izturis is tagged out at home on a botched bunt attempt in the fifth. Then Alfonso Soriano throws out Joe Mather at home, with the bases loaded, and no out in the sixth. Why anyone would chose to run on Soriano off of a lazy, medium-depth fly ball is beyond me. And doing it with the bases loaded? Bizarre. Then Albert Pujols is picked off trying to steal second in the 10th, with two out. The moves made no sense and killed potential big innings, and the Cardinals ultimately paid for it.
Remember this? The last time that we saw Henry Blanco with the bases loaded, it resulted in one of the most disappointing moments of the season. Not this time. Derrek Lee walked to start the inning, and Aramis Ramirez took a high fastball to right off of displaced closer Ryan Franklin. LaRussa then ordered Kosuke Fukudome walked to set up outs at each base, and drew the infield in. With the bases loaded, and no one out in the 11th, Henry hit a sharp single to left past Izturis to score Derrek Lee, and give the Cubs the win.
This was a great win all around, with good strong contributions from all; defense, pitching, and coaching. A couple of more games like this, and it will be time to say goodbye to the Cardinals for 2008.