Filed:May 30th, 2009
This time, it's the Dodgers feeling blue as the Cubs win 7-0 (Cubbie Nation/file)
Last season, the Dodgers spoke almost boastfully of how well they scouted Ryan Dempster, using advanced reports to help beat the Cubs 7-2 in Game 1 of the NLDS. Apparently, they've lost the playbook, as Dempster and the Cubs bullpen combined on a five-hit, 7-0 shutout of the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.
Look, there are a lot of reason why one might say that the Cubs won this game, and frankly, looked so completely different than we've seen them over the last month.
You can definitely start with Dempster, who threw strikes early and often in his seven innings of work. Ryan was featuring a really good slider, but what you had to like was that he kept pounding the Dodgers with a crisp fastball, that they were often behind on. He's strike out five, but more importantly, walked one, and kept those base-stealing 1 - 3 hitters for the Dodgers off the base paths.
Or you could say the ineffectiveness of Dodgers starting pitcher Eric Stults, who had extremely sub-par stuff. Stults was supposedly nursing a bruised thumb for this start, and it really showed the second time through the Cubs lineup. The Cubs would score runs in three of the first four innings against him, and frankly, it looked like BP out there by the fourth inning.
And let's not forget Mike Fontenot, who's fourth-inning triple would score Bobby Scales, and chase Stults for good. Both his hits were against the lefty, a real good sign if he's going to continue to man third for the foreseeable future.
But I think the real reason is that as the 3-4-5 hitters go, so goes your ballclub, and they went very well today. Derrek Lee, Milton Bradley, and Reed Johnson went a combined 7-10, with two walks. Johnson would actually put the cap on the day, when he sent a solo homer into the left field bleachers for the game's final run in the seventh.
Look who's getting dialed in. After a Mendoza-esque .627 OPS to start the season, Bradley has now gone 9-24 over the last week, and is showing some serious signs of reverting to form. I'll give credit where it's due, and I expect to see a much sharper Milton in June.
Aaron Heilman would create his usual drama, allowing the first two runners to reach in the ninth, before James Loney grounded into a double play to remove the threat, but this was just not the day for the Dodgers. Hopefully, neither will tomorrow, as the Cubs hope to take the series with a win on ESPN.
Sigh. Maybe Joe Morgan will call in sick, or even better, find himself lost on Banks Boulevard.
Filed:May 28th, 2009
Juan Pierre scores in the first inning Thursday against the Cubs (Cubbie Nation/file)
Click here for the photo gallery of Thursday's game
They're deep. They have a real good pitching staff. They're athletic; even balanced. And they're the best team in the National League. They're the Dodgers, and they're everything that the Cubs were supposed to be this year once, you know, they got more left-handed. And they showed exactly why Thursday, beating the Cubs 2-1 in a game where they kept the Cubs tantalizingly close, but never really in it.
The Dodgers got all they needed with their feet, and by executing fundamentals, even while the Cubs were losing their sense of things. They'd score in the first when Juan Pierre would single, then steal second to move into scoring position. Rafael Furcal would drive him in with a bunt single that would shoot past third baseman Mike Fontenot, and into left field.
It only got worse when the Dodgers scored again in the third. Rafael Furcal went from first to third on a James Loney single in front of a, um, less than aggressive Alfonso Soriano. Furcal would later score on a Casey Blake groundout, before the Cubs retired Andre Ethier to end the inning.
And that my friends, was the ball game. Randy Wolf, a rumored potential Cub in the off-season, gave them something to think about as he worked seven plus innings of one-run ball. If I see any more of his 66MPH softball pitches, it will be too soon. The same goes for the Cubs, I suspect. He'd finally give way to Ramon Troncoso, after giving up a pinch-hit home run to Bobby Scales.
For those who hadn't heard, Bobby apparently didn't even leave Chicago Tuesday, with the Cubs placing Ryan Freel on the 15-day DL. Bobby will replace him for at least the next two weeks, and possibly the season at this rate.
I give the rare hat tip to Troncoso, who went two innings in relief for the old-school save. Somewhere Goose Gossage is smiling. He'd run into trouble when the after the Scales homer, the next two hitters reached. However, a Ryan Theriot double play off of the pitcher's mound killed the rally, and sealed the deal on the Cubs loss.
Listen, I don't want to knit-pick, but I've got to ask. Is anyone able to see the logic in announcing Koyie Hill, then sending Kosuke Fukudome to the plate, as Lou Piniella did in the eighth inning? When the Cubs put two runners on in the ninth, and were on the cusp on a walk-off victory, Lou was forced to stick with Jake Fox, as opposed to using a left-hander to face Troncoso. I kept hoping to see Micah Hoffpauir, then realized that the bench was blown, and there were no infielders, should the game go into extras. Well, Fox would strike out, as you'd expect, leaving many to wonder if this was another blown game that you could put on Lou.
Maybe you can figure it out. I can't, and it may have just been the difference in the ballgame.
Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson (Cubbie Nation/file)
Filed:May 27th, 2009
The Cubs got timely hitting, good pitching, and the obligatory theatrics Wednesday, seizing on a three-run eighth inning to beat the Pirates 5-2. Reed Johnson would get the game-winning hit, sending a solo shot into the right field bleachers to start off the inning.
It's fascinating to watch so much change take place inside of a day. First, Cubs are back on a winning streak, taking a series for the first time in two weeks. And runs, scoring more runs in each of the games against the Pirates as they did combined in their last two series.
But the biggest of news is definitely the roster changes. Officially, the moves are as follows:
Aaron Miles -- 15 day DL
Neal Cotts and Bobby Scales - Optioned to AAA Iowa
Jake Fox, Jason Waddell, and Andres Blanco - Recalled to the major league club
My joy runs over. Neal Cotts, good riddance. It's time to acknowledge that 2005 was a fluke, and move on. I know lefties get a long leash, but really. Enough.
Andres Blanco. Fantastic. I thought he should have made the club out of Spring Training, and consider his presence here another acknowledgement that the Cubs vision for 2009 was terribly flawed.
And Jake Fox? Beats the hell out of "the other guys". Stick him at third for a bit, and let's see if he can hit major league pitching once and for all. Worst case, if he can muster better than a .600 OPS, he's still an upgrade.
So, the Cubs scored runs, won two in a row, relieved themselves of the team's red-headed stepchildren, and got immediate contributions from their call-ups (Fox and Blanco RBI doubles in the eighth). What could possibly make this day bad? Carlos Zambrano.
Yes, Carlos, who got himself ejected from the game with a rant that should have made manager Lou Piniella proud; finger pointing, tossing objects, and all. The only down side is that it was so audacious that he's all but guaranteed a healthy fine and suspension, even if he hadn't bumped the ump, which I'm pretty sure he did.
Here's how it went down. With Nyjer Morgan on third in the seventh, Zambrano throws a wild pitch that Morgan races home on. Geovany Soto throws to Zambrano at the plate, and he applies the tag.
It's a close play, to be sure. But Morgan is clearly safe, and Zambrano just come undone. On the field. In the dugout. Down the steps. And I'm pretty sure in the clubhouse. The funniest point had to be when he came back to the dugout, just to get a couple of extra cracks with the bat on that Gatorade machine. Pity the poor Gatorade machine.
That's now three outlandish swipes at the umpires in the last week, by supposed leaders of this team. Hmm. Let the war begin, I guess. The Cubs may not make the playoffs, but at least they're going to make this season interesting.
Filed:May 25th, 2009
80's icon Mr. T. throws out the first pitch at Wrigley Monday (Cubbie Nation/file)
Click here for the photo gallery of Monday's game.
Or you know, maybe I should call this post Living in the Land of the Stupid, because everything that I saw Monday, watching the Cubs lose 10-8, was a case of people who had taken the holiday off from sense.
Think I'm kidding? I'm not. Start with the appearance of Mr. T, who has convinced me once and for all that it's time to kill the celebrity guest for the seventh-inning stretch. It was enough that he rolled up to the mound like a pot belly pig to throw out the first pitch, but his rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game was likely the worst I've ever heard. Worse than Ozzie. Worse than Denise Richards. And it even included an "I pity the fool" reference. Stop. Please, just stop.
Ted Lilly is another nut, who gets himself ejected from the bench for arguing balls and strikes with Bob Davidson, one day after Milton Bradley all but outright blamed the umpires for his crummy start. You really want to do this guys? Eight losses in a row, and you want to start a war with the umpires? Keep it up, and you'll be out of contention by the end of June.
Oh, but it gets so much better. Even Lou Piniella got in on the act, the second day in the row he's left fans scratching their heads about his moves.
The offense is clicking. You're fighting to break this streak, and win a ball game. You've got the lead late. So what do you do? Let's see. Jose Ascanio, in for the shelled Ryan Dempster, is allowed to hit for himself in the fifth, with a runner in scoring position. Now, this in itself is fine, given he'd had a real nice inning in the top half. But instead of bringing him out to start the sixth, you insert Neal Cotts. Huh? Now, two of the next three batters were left-handed, given, but Cotts can't get anybody out. And even if he could, would it not have been more logical let Ascanio at least face Nyjer Morgan -- who scares no one -- and bring in Cotts to face McLouth if Jose got into trouble. You know, let the LOOGY get one out?
Instead, he turns the inning into a hot mess, in the end serving up a McLouth homer, and another run when Andy LaRoche doubles his brother Adam home.
Lou, stop being part of the problem, and start being part of the solution.
And letting Carlos Zambrano pinch-hit in the seventh? On a cool night? With the team down? With runners in scoring position? Do you remember how your ace ended up on the DL? Listen, I know the team is short-handed, with Lee sick last night, but letting Koyie Hill take an at-bat, or letting Fukudome take it would have made a lot more sense, lefty or not. Crazy.
It was one thing when the team stopped hitting; that's just baseball. But the pitching is going, the team is getting distracted, and even the managerial decisions have become questionable. Someone right this ship, because it's on the verge of sinking.
Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff (Cubbie Nation/file)
Filed: May 24th, 2009
Well, the Cubs put the cap on a perfect road trip Sunday -- perfect as in 0-6 -- by losing 7-2 to the Padres at Petco Field. The Cubs now have dropped seven in a row, and sit at .500 for the season.
You know, over the course of a season every team has a week - 10 day period that we'd all like to forget about; usually at least two actually. Consider even the Cubs themselves.
2008? Lost six straight, August 30th - September 5th.
2007? Lost six straight, May 27th - June 2nd.
And those were division winners, no less.
So, you and I know that this isn't a very good team, especially sans Aramis Ramirez. So, I see these losses, and wonder if this just isn't reversion to the mean, as a .500 record as constructed sounds about right.
But if you're a Cub, you need to come home, sleep in, take a breath, and forget that the last week ever happened. It's really all that you can do.
Even if that's easier said than done after Sunday's game, a perfectly winnable matchup, with the Padres sending Chris Young to the mound. No one has ever confused him for Cy Young, but he looked it, one-hitting the Cubs through five.
Fortunately, Ted Lilly was equally as effective early, giving some hope that this game would be the streak buster. But two things happened that shouldn't have. First, Lilly misplayed a David Eckstein suicide squeeze in the fifth, turning what looked to be an out at the plate into a ball sailing over Geovany Soto's head. The run would score, after which Lilly would induce a Scott Hariston double play to end the inning.
Then in the seventh, Lou Piniella choose to stick with Lilly, who promptly gave up a double to pinch-hitter Edgar Gonzalez. Lilly would give way to Aaron Heilman -- you can see where this is going -- who after intentionally walking Adrian Gonzalez, serves up a three-run homer to Kevin Kouzmanoff to put this thing away for good.
Now, Lilly's pitch count was good entering the seventh, but it was clear that he was losing presence on the mound in the sixth, and more importantly, the Padres were hitting him well, suggesting that he was losing something on his pitches. Might you have gone to Jose Ascanio to start the seventh, who'd had a real nice performance in his last outing? Or sent Heilman in to start the inning? My point is this bullpen stinks, and they're not the sort of crew that I send in to firefight. Maybe you send those guys in with no one on, and get a different result, especially when they would have faced the pinch-hitter, David Eckstein, and Scott Hairston; not the most fearsome trio in baseball, by any means. But a high-stress situation? You're just asking to lose.
But as I said, forget about it. The Cubs have a nice set against the Pirates starting Monday, they're still on the right side, record-wise of .500, and they're miraculously sitting only four games out after this awful stint. Just go play some good baseball.
Filed: May 21st, 2009
San Diego Padre Jake Peavy and Cleveland Indian Mark DeRosa (Cubbie Nation/file)
Well, once again the Cubs wasted good starting pitching, losing 3-1 to the Cardinals Thursday. The loss leaves them swept by the Cardinals, losers of four in a row, and frankly, looking a bit demoralized.
If you're looking for highlights, or hell, even some nice green shoots, you're going to be hard pressed to find them. Albert Pujols set the tone with a homer in the first that we're all still waiting to come down. And so it went. Adam Wainwright, probably the most complete pitcher that I've seen at this stage of development in recent memory dazzled in a complete-game victory.
But hey, at least the pitching was good, including the bullpen, which got great work from Jose Ascanio and Neal Cotts in the loss.
So, while the Cubs limp along to San Diego to face the Padres, I want to talk about a couple of things on my mind.
First Jake Peavy, who I should probably thank for giving me some good laughs yesterday. As most know by now, the Padres and Chicago White Sox agreed to terms to trade Peavy to the Sox for a pair of prospects, which Peavy quickly nixed.
Now, I applaud Kenny Williams. His team hasn't played very well so far this season, but it's still a very winnable division really, assuming that he can get some pitching. Everyone knew that for them to compete, they'd need strong performances from Jose Conteras and Bartolo Colon. They've gotten neither, and so they're sitting under .500. That's that with that.
And kudos to Kevin Towers, who evidently has learned some lessons from the off-season debacle with the Cubs, and kept his mouth shut, getting a deal completed so quietly that not even super rumor mill Jon Heyman was the wiser.
But Peavy? Please. It's like people haven't been paying attention. When you're BFF to Greg Maddux, carrying both a Cy Young and no-trade protection in hand, you're not coming within a mile of the AL. Don't even think it. It honestly makes me wonder whether the Padres front office and the Peavy people are even communicating, because this deal strikes me as a non-starter for him from go.
I've been telling people this for awhile, and I'll stick to it: Peavy will be traded. He will be traded this summer. It's probably not to the AL, and even less likely the Cubs.
Speaking of Heyman though, he announced in his most recent column that the Indians are dangling Mark DeRosa for pitching help. Know what I think? It's time for DeRosa to come on back.
Sometimes, you just have to man up, and say "I made a mistake". And more and more, it's looking like that's really what Jim Hendry did. The bench begs for the versatility of DeRosa, Mike Fontenot is turning into a pumpkin, Milton Bradley isn't hitting, and Aaron Miles looks like a DFA in waiting.
In short, you need him.
Now, I know Mark is off to a rough start, although he's been heating up of late. I've seen just enough of those games to attribute it to the league switch. And the Cubs would have to reconcile some financial considerations -- DeRosa is still owed 4.4 million -- along with finding some pitching that they could shave off. Ascanio and returning Jeff Stevens might be a good place to start. But I'm high on the idea, and I hope that Hendry can look past his sensitivities on this matter to at least make some calls. The Cubs don't need a poor man's DeRosa right now -- Ryan Freel -- they need the real thing. It's time to man up Jim.
Filed: May 20th, 2009
St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols (Cubbie Nation/file)
To paraprhase Will Leitch, blogging is hard work. And in addition, I might say the most time-, money-, and soul-sucking endeavor that I've ever been apart of. I'm even embarrassed to tell my accountant what I spend on this "hobby".
When I started Cubbie Nation, it was with the notion that there are plenty of Cubs fans that, if they're lucky, catch a live game once a year. The best thing that I could do was give them a feel for the sights and sounds at the park, and maybe a few things you miss watching on TV. Ha! And then the bill came.
And let's not even get started on losing streaks, where a sensible cat would normally catch up on his social life in the middle of a bad streak. No, you're forced to watch that train wreck; closely too, with a scout's eye about the whole thing.
What my point, you're asking? You got to pay the bills. Work getting in the way of work, and all that. So the day job has kept me from talking Cubs for the last week, and even watching close enough to give them an evaluative look.Trust me; don’t write about what you cannot intelligently speak.
Now, I've seen the good (5-4 win vs. Astros), the bad (6-5 loss Sunday), and the ugly (the Kevin Gregg implosion Saturday).
And after looking at the Cubs over the last two series, all I can say is that they're holding on with luck and pitching.
Luck because they certainly didn't win Saturday; the Astros lost. I mean, who throws anything remotely near the plate when you've got Alfonso Soriano down 0-2? Seriously. You've got at least a couple of pitches to waste; hit the bull. It's better than 50-50 that he swings anyway.
So, add that together with a rainout Friday, and after last night's 2-1 loss to the Cardinals, we all could be going nuts over a five-game losing streak this morning.
I've got one word: pressing. Yes, I say pressing, because the Cardinals pitching just wasn't that good You got five shutout innings from Chris Carpenter, which is fine. But when the likes of Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte, and assorted cohorts hold you to a run over four innings, and your teams strikes out nine times against that Cardinals staff, something is just not quite right.
That means you Mike Fontenot (.152 in May), who I think we all can agree now is not an everyday player. You too, Geovany Soto. And you Milton Bradley, who is still yet to hit his weight for the season. You know what? That's the middle of the Cubs order right now, and they all don't look so hot.
And even Reed Johnson, who with the Cubs rallying in the ninth inning against closer Ryan Franklin, swung at some of the most awful, obviously junk stuff that you could imagine to end the game. This of course was after a Micah Hoffpauir RBI-single has sent a run in, and with the tying run 90 feet away.
Seriously guys, loosen up. You will hit. Just don't take too long to do it.
Filed:May 12th, 2009
Rich Harden delivers a pitch against the Padres Tuesday (Cubbie Nation/file)
Click here for the photo gallery of Tuesday's game.
He came. He pitched. He lost.
Jake Peavy made his first appearance at Wrigley since the much-discussed rumors of his trade to the Cubs ended. He was good, but Rich Harden was better, and a Milton Bradley two-homer sealed the deal on a 6-2 Cubs win.
This had to be the most fun I've had at a ballpark all season. Really, not only was it 70 degrees and sunny at game time, with a light breeze, but this game had something for everyone.
For the first few innings, you got treated to something of a pitcher's duel. Harden had a lot of trouble getting past the meat of the Padres lineup early, serving up an Adrian Gonzalez home run in the first, to put the Cubs down 2-0. Should have pitched around him, as Adrian really is about the only guy who really can do much damage in that lineup. Harden would settle down quickly though, pretty much cruising through the next five, before exiting after six.
Peavy was almost as flawless; perhaps even more so. The Cubs were out in front of everything, and what weren't harmless ground balls were strikeouts. Peavy had nine in all in over his six innings of work. And personally, I hope every liked what they saw, because I think that's the last time you'll see Peavy at Wrigley this year, if you know what I'm saying.
But he couldn't get past Milton Bradley in the sixth. With Kosuke Fukudome on, Bradley drove a ball deep into the right field bleachers to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead, and that was pretty much the ball game.
Not that we mind insurance runs, and neither do the Cubs, who grabbed three more against the Padres bullpen, highlighted by a Bobby Scales, pinch-hit home run. The guy looks like he's having A LOT of fun out there, and Cub fans are really taking to him. It's the feel good story of year around here, and I hope he enjoys every second of it.
And for those that were wondering, Derrek Lee was back in the lineup Tuesday for the Cubs, and yes, he still looks awful. 0-3, with three strikeouts, and a walk. If you missed it, good. I won't even tell you how bad Peavy made him look.
Cubs starter Sean Marshall (Cubbie Nation/file)
Filed:May 10th, 2009
After allowing runs in each of the first two innings, Cubs starter Sean Marshall settled down, the bullpen got nasty, and the Cubs roughed up Jeff Suppan in the third inning to escape Milwaukee with a 4-2 win. The game was highlighted by an Alfonso Soriano two-run homer, his 10th of the season.
What a crazy week. I couldn't have imagined that when everything was said and done, the Cubs would return to Chicago fresh off a winning road trip. But if there is one thing that the Cubs have enjoyed this so far this season, it's good starting pitching. It's kept them in games over the last few weeks, and the team will need for it to stay solid for at least a few more, if they're going to weather this tough time.
That good pitching was on display today; well, at least once Sean Marshall found the release point on his curveball. The game would start badly for the Cubs, with Richie Weeks jacking a leadoff homer for a 1-0 lead. The game looked to get ugly early, when Marshall would put a couple on, before striking out JJ Hardy to end the inning.
It was more of the same in the second, when a Jason Kendall "triple" scored Bill Hall, and Marshall would walk Richie Weeks. A triple is...kind, as in reality it was a double to left, that Alfonso Soriano bobbled, kicked, and lolly-gagged back to the infield, allowing Kendall to take the extra base. You have to give it to the home scorers, as it was probably the most generous call you'll see this year.
Two things happened though after the second inning: Sean Marshall would settle down, and Jeff Suppan turned into a pumpkin. The Cubs would grab a four spot off him in the third, when Soriano would homer, and the Cubs took advantage of a Kendall errant throw to the plate on a pitch that bounced away to score Kosuke Fukudome.
And for once, the bullpen would hold. Credit Angel Guzman for two much needed innings of scoreless work. Carlos Marmol would scare the hell out of everyone, loading the bases in the eighth, but would get Kendall to ground into a 5-3 force out to keep the score intact. Kevin Gregg would then end things uneventfully in the ninth, picking up his 5th save of the month, after only one in April.
I'm just going to keep muttering to myself, "There's no such thing as a bad win. There's no such thing as a bad win"...
Lou Piniella checks in on an injured Aramis Ramirez - (Darren Hauck - AP)
Filed: May 9th, 2009
The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...
Every season has its theme, and apparently 2009 is the season of M.A.S.H. Walking wounded. Dying hopes. And the occasional laugh, if only not to cry.
The Cubs put the topper on last night, when Aramis Ramirez would leave the game against the Brewers with a dislocated shoulder. The only news at this point is that he's expected to be out for 4-6 weeks.
Sigh. This is the third time Ramirez has suffered this injury in his career, with the two previous DL stints being about a month, so when I hear six weeks, I at least believe it. I hope more than anything that this doesn't become something more chronic, and that his recovery is 100%.
As for the Cubs, well, they're just a mess. More specifically though, they're really just not that good a team with the product that they're currently fielding. .500? Probably, but when half your starters aren't healthy, the other half isn't hitting, and your bullpen is DOA, it's probably time to start thinking about how to best manage the situation enough to keep your head above water, and less about playoff plans.
The acquisition of Ryan Freel from the Orioles will help; a K-Mart version of Mark DeRosa, who can play some games at third. And Bobby Scales can probably get a refill on that cup of coffee.
But this is the type of injury that leaves you in No Man's Land. Not long enough to splurge on a big-time replacement, but longer than these fill-ins should really be playing. Maybe you kick the tires on a Frank Catalonnotto. Maybe a Ray Durham. Someone who can give you a few weeks; maybe allow Fontenot to man third regularly for a while. We'll see.
In reality though, someone on the current roster is going to have to step up, and make plays. I don't give up on a season in May. Teams don't give up on a season in May. And I certainly hope fans don't give up on a season in May.
The Cubs will need to create some runs, fix that awful bullpen -- that Randy Wells start last night has me wondering if he can help -- and try to keep headlights on the Cardinals. If they can do that, they should be able to get some reinforcements by the All-Star Break, be it Ramirez back, or an impact bat to add to the mix.
So, after fans screaming loudly all off-season about the incredible need for a capable bench player to man third, the Cubs finally figure out what even 17-year old, pimply-faced teenagers knew three months ago, and now spend a few million -- if not more -- for Ryan Freel to fix it. I look at this team, and wonder more each day what the hell Jim Hendry was thinking last winter.
Filed:May 7th, 2009
Cubs starter Ted Lilly (Cubbie Nation/file)
Mike Hampton and Russ Ortiz ought to be four-letter words. Oft-injured, overrated, and well past their respective primes, you almost pity Astros manager Cecil Cooper for having not one, but both on his roster. It makes me wonder if owner Drayton McLane is made at him, or something.
So one night after the Cubs trounced Hampton, they had their way with Ortiz, chasing him in the third inning en route to an 8-5 win.
You have to give a lot of credit to a couple of guys for this win. The first is Ted Lilly, who while he looked as bad as Ortiz early on, settled down enough to go six innings for the win. The Astros picked up a pair in the first, when he couldn't throw strikes, and eventually left a fastball up for Miguel Tejada to jettison over the left field wall. He found his release point as the game progressed, and would go scoreless the rest of the way.
The other was Alfonso Soriano, who homered twice in the game. First, in the fourth inning on a solo shot. Then again in the ninth, with Aaron Miles on. That was part of a big four-run inning at the expense of a ridiculously ineffective Felipe Paulino.
And as it turned out, the Cubs would need it. What was a 8-2 laugher suddenly got real serious when Lou Piniella chose to then sit Kevin Gregg down in the bullpen, in favor of inserting Chad Fox to close out the game.
Now, you would probably think that Fox could make it through the bottom portion of the Astros lineup without giving up too many runs. I'm guessing Lou thought that also.
We were all wrong.
Fox stunk up the joint, serving up hard hit RBI triples by Ivan Rodriguez and Darin Erstad to bring the Astros within three. Kevin Gregg was then forced to enter the game anyway, putting the tying run on deck before retiring Lance Berkman to end the game.
Slowly, this team is starting to figure it out. Now, if the Cubs can make this rumored Ryan Freel for Joey Gathright trade happen, we could actually be returning to having a competitive ball club on the field with regularity. Stay tuned.
Filed:May 6th, 2009
Cubs reliever Jeff Samardzija (Cubbie Nation/file)
See ya, kid.
Apparently, manager Lou Piniella saw all he needed to see Tuesday in the bullpen meltdown against the Giants . The Cubs have optioned reliever Jeff Samardzija to AAA, and recalled Chad "Nine Lives, No Arm" Fox to fill the roster spot.
I know, that's mean. But I've shared my feelings about Fox here before. I think he should be sitting in a golf cart down in Daytona, instructing 19-year olds on the fine points of a slider, not trying to get big-league hitters out with his own pitches at the tender age of 38.
And please, no one start about his good work in AAA so far this season. He'll get a few big-league hitters out, to be sure. Heck, Chad will probably even be an upgrade, at least for a while. Personally though? I put the over/under on how many appearances he'll have before I see his surgically-attached arm fly in the stands like a hitter's bat at 15.
And Jeff? Well, this is what happens when you rush prospects to the majors; not once, but twice. The fix was in with this guy. Last year, that 95 MPH fastball was enough to wear hitters out, especially some of the second-tier talents that you tend to see toward the end of a season.
This year, everybody seems to have the book on him, and unlike the Cubs more often than not, other clubs are apparently reading the advance scouting.
Good fastball. Sub-par secondary pitches. Force him into the strike zone. And tee off.
Hopefully, we'll see Samardzija in Chicago again soon. In the meantime, he'd do well to not only work on better repeating the delivery on his fastball, but actually picking up a changeup. If he can do that, I'd look for him to be back at Wrigley by July.
Filed:May 5th, 2009
Koyie Hill advances to third under the tag of Juan Uribe (Cubbie Nation/file)
Click here for the photo gallery of Tuesday's game
Now, let me ask you. If I told you that not only were you going to see Bobby Scales, Koyie Hill, Joey Gathright, Aaron Miles, and Micah Hoffpauir not only in the same lineup, but against reigning NL Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, what would you normally think?
Personally, I wondered if someone had either moved the island, and took us all back to Spring Training, or Lou Piniella started his Cinco De Mayo festivities early. Whatever the reason, the results were exactly what you'd expect, as the Giants handily beat the Cubs 6-2 Tuesday.
I know. Lose the battle, win the war. With the Cubs cast of walking wounded, it made some sense to rest a few guys, with this 1:20 start after a night game. But everybody? The funniest part was the fan base at the park, which I suspect was more the businessman type. Everyone in the section was asking, "Is Soriano injured"? You can insert eye roll and snicker <here>.
What wasn't funny was Lincecum, who dazzled in his seven innings of work. Honestly, he could have finished this game with no problem at all. He was popping nasty sliders, and 95 MPH fastballs like a machine into the seventh; at which point that fastball began to taper off to a ho-hum 92.
Didn't matter though. A three-run Bengie Molina home run in the first put the Giants up early, and against a cast of AAA and AAAA players, that was plenty. The Cubs would make it a bit interesting when a Sean Marshall RBI single in the fifth brought the Cubs within one, but that was about the best that they could do.
And why? Once again, that bullpen was a mess. This time the goat was Jeff Samardzija, who not only has been a huge disappointment since his big-league return, but also now has the Cubs hinting that he may yet again spend some nights in his Iowa apartment.
His rough stint in the eighth would allow three to score for the Giants, leaving Lou with this to say after the game:
"Samardzija needs to work on his second and third pitches. It's hard to pitch up here with a fastball only."
May I live to see the day that the Cubs starting teaching their touted pitching prospects a curveball.
Oh, and talk about living the dream. Congrats to Bobby Scales, career minor-leaguer of 11 seasons. Not only did he play in his first big-league game, but also started, and got his first hit -- off of the current Cy Young winner. This is probably as good as it gets for Scales, but he made The Show. You got to love it.
Filed:May 3rd, 2009
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee (Cubbie Nation/file)
Wow. I leave for a few days, and the Cubs bullpen can get people out, Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot are channeling the Bash Brothers, and the Cubs are riding high on a three-game win streak after beating the Marlins Sunday 6-4.
Thanks for the memories
Before fans were treated to one of the better games of the season, the crowd of 40,457 enjoyed the retirement ceremonies of the number 31 jersey, worn previously by Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. Both were on-hand, with their jerseys being hoisted down the left and right field foul pole, respectively.
I never saw Jenkins pitch in person, but Maddux was a special sort for me. He was worth every single accolade, not only for what he did on the field, but the manner of professional that he was. I can't think of anything more Maddux than this comment made today:
"I always felt like it was a privilege to wear the uniform. Almost every day, when I was sitting there putting it on, I would realize it was a privilege and an honor to put on the uniform. Because I felt that way, I tried to do it right. I just tried to do it right every day and didn't worry about what the score was in the ninth inning. As long as I did everything right before the game was over, I felt pretty good about myself."
And that's why we love these guys.
Give one, take one
I'd feel much better about this win were it not for the early exit by Carlos Zambrano due to a leg injury. The official word is hamstring strain, with Carlos likely to miss his scheduled start against the Brewers Friday. Earlier in the day, it was announced that Aramis Ramirez could be rejoining the lineup as early as tomorrow against the Giants. So, it appears that while the offense looks to get a boost soon, the pitching situation is going to continue to be shaky for at least awhile longer.
Fortunately, Zambrano's exit was in the bottom of the fifth, while legging out an infield single to start the inning. He'd leave, but the Cubs would continue working over a tiring Ricky Nolasco, ultimately loading the bases for Derrek Lee. Lee would the promptly deposit a Nolasco slider into the center field batter's eye for his ninth career grand slam, and his first as a Cub.
The Cubs would need it too, as Marlin relievers would make that the last real scoring opportunity of the game, forcing the Cubs to hang on for the victory. And when a Dan Uggla sac fly in the sixth, and John Baker homer in the eighth made the score 6-4, it would make this game a little too close for comfort.
Carlos Marmol however would settle down enough in the eighth to limit the damage, and Kevin Gregg would pitch a scoreless ninth to put the game away for good.
This team still has a ways to go, but winning three out of four is at least a good start toward getting there.
Filed:April 30th, 2009
Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles turn two against the Marlins Thursday (Cubbie Nation/file)
Click here for the photo gallery of last night's game.
What did we expect?
When a team plays a game with a catcher at third, a pitcher pinch hitting, a DH in right field, a reliever starting, and no pen WHATSOEVER, you're going to get the sort of collective thud that the Cubs dropped Thursday in losing to the Marlins 8-2.
Talk about a tale of contrasts. While the crowd of 37,956 was electric all night long with updates on the Bull triple-overtime win, and Hawks playoff game, the Cubs were showing exactly how far away they are from being legitimately playoff worthy.
And this wasn't the sort of game where some facet of your club wasn't working. No, this was a team effort, which is the only good thing that could be said about this clunker. And I mean you too, Lou.
Yes, you got seven innings of one-run ball from starter Sean Marshall. And yes, those back-to-back homers by Milton Bradley and Mike Fontenot in the fifth inning looked nice. But let's talk about what the Cubs didn't -- or couldn't -- do.
They couldn't play defense; at all. And I'm not just talking about the two Ryan Theriot errors. I'm talking about the Alfredo Amezaga double that Bradley should have reached. The Cameron Maybin infield hit that he threaded past everybody. The busted pick-off throw to first. Etc., etc, etc.
And while the homers were nice, going 0-5 with runners in scoring position, and cobbling together five hits against the likes of Chris Volstad, Kiki Calero, Dan Meyer, and Renyel Pinto won't cut it anywhere. Or anytime.
The pitching? Awful. You have to give a little bit of credit to Kevin Gregg, but Carlos Marmol's own inexplicable throwing error lead to the game tying run in the eighth. And the Marlins went absolutely Jackson Pollock on Aaron Heilman in the 10th to put this thing away for good. Six runs -- five earned -- in no official innings of work. Ouch.
Lou Piniella got what he deserved too. Even if you could explain to me why you would let a 250lb. Carlos Zambrano run the bases after his pinch-hit single -- why exactly is Joey Gathright here again?? -- a rational actor surely would have sent him in for Milton Bradley in the ninth. Instead, Reed Johnson would ground into a force-out that Gathright would have beat out with little question.
Shame on you all. You owe Chicago better.