Filed:September 29th, 2009
Ryan Dempster is congratulated by Lou Piniella after his complete-game victory (Cubbie Nation)
Click here for the photo gallery of last night's game.
Well, I figured as much.
For as much as I expect the Cubs to finish the season strong, it wasn't going to make up for the fact that a number of teams in front of them in the Wild Card chase are not only better composed, but are actually riding pretty good hot streaks. You watch the Rockies play, and realize that the likelihood of a September fade is, well...it just ain't gonna happen. They took another step toward the playoffs with a 7-5 win in 11 Tuesday night, and officially ended the Cubs hopes in the process. We can all start the Wait TIll Next Year process.
Fortunately, we at least got treated to some amazing baseball last night, as Ryan Dempster went the distance in beating the Pirates 6-0.
Ted Keith recently described Ryan Dempster as one of the worst free agent signings of last offseason. Hmm. Well, that's now 11 wins, a 3.50 ERA, 195 (likely to finish above 200) innings, and a 1.30 WHIP. Now, it was bad enough that Mr. Keith appears to have never actually picked up a ball, let along played a sport. But if this is his definition of free agent bust, then I really have to ask what is he doing covering sports for SI. Try Carlos Silva, Jason Schimdt, Barry Zito, Andruw Jones, or Gary Matthews, Jr. if you want examples of a bust.
But back to the game, where "The Bust" goes out and dazzles the Pirates for most of the evening, throwing 120 easy pitches in the win. A lot of first pitch strikes, very sharp with the off speed pitches, and really he never once got into a high-stress situation. Just some good catch-and-toss, in front of 35,308 chilled fans.
Quite the contrary to the Pirates and Kevin Hart, who never could quite get out of their own way. Poor Kevin is almost a shell of his former self. That sharp slider that he was throwing when is came up in 2007 is completely gone. The breaking ball is a mess. And he's overthrowing in an attempt to stay in the low 90's with the fastball.
It wasn't pretty, especially with the Cubs knocking him around from jump. They'd score three in the first, all but batting around in the inning. Jeff Baker would cap things off with a two-RBI double.
A comedy of errors and bad execution by the Pirates would lead to another trio in the fourth, when a Delwyn Young error that should have been an inning-ending double play extended the inning, and a Derrek Lee two-RBI single smacked off of Luis Cruz all but put the game out of reach. The route was on, and frankly, the Pirates didn't look like they wanted to put up much of a fight.
But hey, we've known this day of disappointment was coming for awhile, so we'll just have to deal. But if you want something to perk you up, with the win Tuesday, the Cubs are assured of their first stretch of three consecutive winning seasons since 1970 - 1972. Before this, I've never enjoyed a perennial winner on the North Side, let alone a perennial contender. This ain't the Mets. You don't have to blow them up to get them back in the mix. We'll see better days next season.
Filed:September 28th, 2009
2009 NL Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals (Cubbie Nation)
Sigh. One week.
There are two times of the year that I absolutely hate. The first is that week between Christmas and New Year. Everything is slow, no one is around, it's cold, and all you're really left to do is watch bad bowl games, and reflect on a year that probably didn't live up to your expectations.
The other is this week; that last week of the season when your playoff hopes have (often) been dashed, and you know that this time next week, the gates at the park are shut, players will be jetting off to warmer climates, and you're left with nothing but rosterbating and a calendar to mark down the season to the first day of Spring Training.
That's where were at. The Cardinals are in, and after debating on whether to acknowledge it, I'll go on record as saying that I have a new found respect for the franchise. Personally, I still think they shop at the A&P way too often for a team with that strong a fan following, but they have a strategy. More importantly, they execute it. You have to respect that.
They don't try to win championships in January. They maintain a competitive team most seasons, and when the season goes their way and they're close, the Cards make big moves at the deadline. And I mean big moves. When they're not, they'll hedge their bets, and fight another day.
This year, when things were close, they grabbed Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Julio Lugo, all of who have been productive. The Cards grabbed John Grabow and Jeff Baker, then hoped for the best.
With Holliday doing his best Larry Walker impersonation, the Cardinals look primed to go places. I wish them luck, and just know that we'll pick this up next season.
As for the wildcard, with elimination just one game way, I'll not even hold my breath. It's likely that the Cubs will be officially eliminated by tomorrow night, when actions picks up for both them and the Rockies. So, for this last home stand of the season, I'm going to relax and take in as many games at Wrigley Field as I can. Hopefully, the memories will keep me till February.
Filed:September 19th, 2009
Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley (Cubbie Nation)
In a surprise move, the Chicago Cubs have suspended outfielder Milton Bradley for the remainder of the season over controversial comments made about the organization and its fan base to the media. With the move, Bradley's career as a Cub has in all likelihood drawn to a close. AA outfielder Tyler Colvin is expected to be called up Monday to provide outfield help.
The crux of the matter is comments made in an interview recently with Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald. In it, Bradley goes on to make a number of negative comments, including the following:
"Not really. It's just not a positive environment. I need a stable, healthy, enjoyable environment. There's too many people everywhere in your face with a microphone asking the same questions repeatedly. Everything is just bashing you. You got out there and you play harder than anybody on the field and never get credit for it. It's just negativity. "And you understand why they haven't won in 100 years here, because it's negative. It's what it is."
In defending the suspension, Jim Hendry released the following:
"There have been a lot of issues that we've lived with during the year, but the last few days became too much for me to tolerate, to be honest with you. I'm not going to let our great fans become an excuse, I'm not going to tolerate not answering questions from the media respectfully. Whether you feel like talking or not, it's part of our jobs. I'm not going to allow disrespect to other people in that locker room and uniformed personnel."
Now that we've the official stuff out the way, let me frank; this isn't about those comments. I was at the game Thursday, where Milton Bradley pulled himself from the game in the sixth inning. The players and organization would have you believe that this was a pre-planned event, an arrangement made earlier in the game with the Cubs trainers. I call bull%#$%@#!!
It's one of the joys of being at games with a great seat, a good camera, and a big lens. You get to see things that you never see on TV. There didn't appear to be one person in the dugout who wasn't caught be surprise when Bradley headed in. We walked in, talked to no one, and headed down the tunnel, where he had a conversation with someone, I believe trainer Mark O'Neal. The Cubs appeared to debate who to send in, before grabbing Bobby Scales, who didn't look like he was down the tunnel warming up to me.
I've talked to a few folks who were also at the game, and they saw much the same thing. I suspect that was really the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, with the Cubs putting on a good face to keep things manageable in the clubhouse for the duration of the season, and hopefully not further minimize Bradley's trade value.
And he will be traded. With a third year likely taken off the table due to his injury, his contract becomes a very manageable one-year deal, in the 12 million dollar neighborhood. And even if 2011 becomes guaranteed, you'd like to think that someone -- likely in the AL -- will be interested, especially if you're just giving him away.
Some reports have considered Toronto and Kansas City as likely destinations. I think that's a stretch, especially given that any talks with Toronto would center on taking the albatross that is Vernon Well's contract off of their hands. They'll be others though, as teams will try to dump their own bad contracts, and hope that Bradley has an inspired, bounce back season in 2010.
Personally, I suspect that the likeliest destination will be either 1) New York, where the Omay Minaya's desire to dump the Luis Castillo contract -- and need in LF -- will outweigh the Bradley factor, or 2) Washington, where Jim Hendry may cry uncle, hold his nose, and make a serious run at Adam Dunn to replace Milton in right field.
Whatever the case, Bradley is gone, and his tenure may mark the worst case of hubris that I've seen in a non-political setting. Expecting Milton Bradley to be healthy, productive, and reasonably well adjusted in Chicago for three seasons was something that 20-year old bloggers knew wasn't going to happen. That a knowledgeable baseball man, given time enough to do his research, would not only think otherwise, but would bid against himself for the right to take this risk is nonsense.
Jim Hendry probably needs to start worrying about whether he gets shown the door too.
Filed:September 16th, 2009
The Chicago Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano (Cubbie Nation/file)
Stop it. Everybody.
I know playoff hopes are slim. That writers, bloggers, and editors are hard-pressed to deliver meaningful musings as the season winds down, and teams are eliminated from contention. And frankly, it understandable that fans are dreaming of big free-agents signings and resurgent teams in 2010.
But when you start -- and I’m pointing a big finger at large media outlets – completely disregarding teams that are still at least technically in the playoff mix, and even worse, running players out of town, you’ve gone too far.
This trend initially caught my eye a few weeks ago, with this piece from Gordon Wittenmyer, a lightweight hack job on shooing Milton Bradley out of town that reads like a print version of a drive-by. I read this, and I don't think provocative, thoughtful journalism, so much as payback from a writer who hasn't been given what he feels is the proper amount of respect from a player. It's amateur night.
I'm no Milton Bradley fan, but it's hard not to at least sympathize when reading nonsense like this. At best, Gordon should have kept this in his pocket until after season's end, and at worst, should have done some more research, as his thesis is frankly, flawed.
Now comes yet another flawed piece from Wittenmyer, suggesting that the Cubs are interested in trading their ace, with not even so much as an unnamed source referenced. This at a time when the team is finally getting hot, and showing at least some small chance of a post-season appearance.
Interesting thing is, you read this story, and while there a great deal of personal opinion, and some reasons why this might be a good idea, it hardly matches the title "Z to the Shopping Block?" There's not even so much a real rumor mentioned.
At least a similar post from the Tribune attempted to hide behind a fig leaf. That one from Paul Sullivan including the following:
Despite the fact that Zambrano has a full no-trade clause, the Cubs plan on shopping him this off-season, sources said, believing he'll waive the clause to go to the right team, as Jake Peavy eventually did when the Padres consummated a deal this summer with the White Sox.
As if anyone in the Cubs organization would actually talk to Sullivan, or that you could be assured that they'd even still be with the club once the Ricketts family takes over, even if they did.
When you see strained relationships between players and the media, it's often these sorts of hack jobs that are at the root of the problem. Media outlet demanding multiple daily submissions force writers to come up with utter nonsense, challenging readers to separate fact from fiction.
I'm not picking on Wittenmyer, merely using him as an example of the drivel I've seen recently, as sports pages come up with ever crazier, mostly baseless thoughts in order to retain eyeballs and page views.
That said, I'm going to make a suggestion. If you want to check out on this season, I don't blame you. Want to talk free agents? I'm in. If your team is eliminated, I say all bets are off. But until your favorite team -- or the one you cover -- has been mathematically eliminated, allow these players the dignity to finish the season, without needless distractions, personal attacks, and "Player X must go!!!" missives.
Everything that we're hearing may be true, but asking a signed player whether he's amenable to trade scenarios during the season, without so much as a peep from the front office suggesting that this player is being shopped, is just plain wrong. Stop it.
Filed:September 15th, 2009
Aramis Ramirez reacts after being plunked by a pitch Tuesday (Cubbie Nation)
Click here for the photo gallery of Tuesday's game
Huh.
Evidently, someone forgot to tell the Cubs that they were dead, or dying.
Seven games above .500. Winners of 8 of the last 10. Oh, and have managed to shave three games off of their Wild Card standing in the last week.
With their 13-7 win over the Brewers Tuesday night, things have all of a sudden gotten very interesting again, and that matchup with the Cardinals later this month is quickly shaping up as a potential Three Nights in August moment.
Win the division? No, seriously now. But sitting four games back in the loss column for the Wild Card today, Cubs fans could at least be treated to some meaningful games down the stretch,and just possibly, an October surprise.
Back to last night's game though, that I could only describe at Hitsville. The Cubs hit. The Brewers hit. Everybody got hit. Guys were getting knocked down. It didn't take much to figure out that this was Brewers - Cubs.
The pitchers stunk. I mean awful. Yovani Gallardo got himself in all kinds of trouble, unable to drop that breaking ball in, and he just wouldn't get away from trying to spot it. The Cubs stayed patient, working him over in the first couple of innings for a ton of hits and walks. They'd only score once, a run in the second on a Ryan Theriot single, but those were high stress, high pitch-count innings that really set the stage for all kinds of trouble later.
He was almost able to get out of problems in the fourth, but he couldn't get that breaking ball past Derrek Lee, who deposited it in the gap for a 2-RBI double, giving the Cubs a 4-0 lead.
But Carlos Zambrano had his own woes, and honestly, I've no idea why. I'm going to attribute it to "mental fatigue". He's strike out eight Brewers in the first three innings, get two quick outs in the fifth, and then the wheels just came completely off. A sharp single by the pitcher Gallardo appeared to play with his head, and when Corey Hart followed that up with a two-run double to score Gallardo and Felipe Lopez, you could tell that he just wasn't there anymore. He's get the quick hook after five innings, watch Aaron Heilman -- no, really -- pick up the win.
Fortunately though, much like the Cubs eternal quest for a lead-off hitter & a left-handed slugger, problems in the Brewers bullpen is the perennial in Milwaukee. The Cubs broke things open in the sixth, with Todd Coffey and Carlos Villaneuva knocked around good, and the Cubs getting the five they spotted the Brewers back.
38,000 and change showed up to watch this win. I'll be talking more about that and a couple of other topics in a follow-up post shortly, but for now I'll say that I appreciate the Cubs giving us something for our money.
Filed:September 12th, 2009
Carlos Marmol fires (balls) away in the ninth inning of the Cubs 7-5 loss (Cubbie Nation)
Click here for the photo gallery of Saturday's game
The Chicago Cubs gave a textbook example of why pitching and defense win ballgames by showing what not to do in a 7-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Saturday.
Honestly, I'm not sure I would have believed this game if I wasn't sitting there seeing it for myself. Maybe it was the early start (12:05). Or perhaps...oh hell, who are we kidding? It's just an underprepared team that isn't good enough to make some luck and good fortune for itself. Shame to, as while they bobbled away an opportunity to beat a perfectly beatable Reds team, they also lost a chance to gain ground on both the Rockies and Giants in the wild card standings -- if you believe there's still a race there.
It really all came down to the third inning, where a trio of errors allowed the Reds to score a pair, and hasten an early exit for Randy Wells. First, Derrek Lee bobbles a Johnny Cueto sacrifice allowing him to reach. Then, in one of the most unusual plays that you'll see this season, Aramis Ramirez beans Corky Miller in the head on what should have been a 5-4-3 double play. Miller would be given home on the error.
Then, immediately after Ryan Theriot makes a great throw home to throw out Cueto, he bobbles the force play at second, which would lead to the second run of the inning.
The Cubs would go on to spot the Reds a 5-0 lead before coming back strong on a Geovany Soto-led (2-3, 3RBI) rally, tying the game entering the ninth inning.
But Carlos Marmol walks too many $%#@$!! batters! After putting a pair on with two out via the walk, pinch-hitter Drew Sutton serves up a two-run double that proved to be the game-winner.
Drew Sutton hits the game-winning double against the Cubs (Cubbie Nation)
I'm pretty confident that the Cubs will give Marmol a long look at this role in 2010, but I've seen little that inspires confidence here, so far. It's still the same old story with him; you just can't seem to get strong back-to-back performances out of him. How someone looks and thinks that he can go out for two or three game in a row, and be an overpowering closer is beyond me, but maybe the Cubs will figure this problem out in the off-season.
In the meantime, let's hope that they can win today, and take this series. No need to double down on the shame of losing a series to the Nationals at home in the stretch run by doing the same against the Reds.
Filed:September 9th, 2009
Source:Cubbie Nation
I consider the Pittsburgh Pirates a balm. A cure-all, really. Whatever is wrong with your team, sprinkle in a series with the Pirates, and apply liberally.
Need a little offense? Try that pitching staff, with their 4.63 ERA, good for 14th in the NL.
Want to give your bullpen a rest? Your starters are practically sure to go long against an offense ranked 13th.
Hoping for a few lucky breaks to go your way? Hey man, with the worst fielding percentage in the league, you will get good bounces against that team.
As it turns out, the Cubs needed all of the above, and found it in Pittsburgh, beating the Pirates 8-5 Wednesday afternoon to finish off the three-game sweep.
Now, as far as the game itself, you'd be hard pressed to find fault with the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano was effective, limiting the Pirates to a pair over six innings. You'll hear some controversy over an animated discussion he had with Lou Piniella after getting yanked in the seventh, but it seems awfully overblown.
The bench was productive, with Micah Hoffpauir, Bobby Scales, and Mike Fontenot going a combined 5-10 (3 walks), including a Hoffpauir homer in the fifth off of ex-Cub Kevin Hart.
Really, the only downside was another shi bad outing from Kevin Gregg, who would surrender a three-run homer to Ronny Cedeno to make the end needlessly interesting. Carlos Marmol would be forced to come on in the ninth to pick up the save. Thanks Kevin.
But honestly, given the Cubs 22-6 record against the Pirates over the last two seasons, not even the sweep is enough to make up for what's been a disappointing end to a disappointing season. Beating them is becoming a bit like kissing your hand, and it still doesn't fix the debacle in New York.
And so, after a 4-2 road trip, the Cubs will take the day off Thursday, then play the next-to-last home series of the year, a seven-game stretch against the Reds and Brewers. Oh, and be a half-game worse in the Wild Card standing then when they left. And all can say, is let's get this over with.
I mean, when you're giving extended at-bats to Micah Hoffpauir and Bobby Scales in September, and your manager is dropping lines like "This season is slip-sliding away from us", you've given up; and most likely many of the players have too. If that's the case, there's not much left to do but hope the players finish out the season with as must dignity as they can muster, and let your post-season dreams die in whatever way you think best. Oh, and get ready for a Bears playoff run.
I'll see you at Wrigley. Maybe we'll yet see that good, long winning streak that we've all been hoping for. And if not, at least the NFL kicks off this weekend.
Filed:September 3rd, 2009
Milton Bradley strikes out in the sixth inning to the background of cheering Sox fans (Cubbie Nation)
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" - John Maynard Keynes
Shut him down.
And I think we all know who I'm referring to. You can look all over the place to find blame and fault over the Cubs 5-0 loss to the White Sox. Really. Lou Piniella. Milton Bradley. Jake Fox. Sean Marshall. Aaron Miles, who once more came up empty, this time in an eighth-inning pinch-hit appearance. Really even the entire Cubs offense, for yet again making a previously unseen young pitcher look like the second coming of Cy Young, because a group of supposed professional hitters won't read the advanced scouting reports, and adjust.
Personally, I've got my eyes dead red on Alfonso Soriano, the 136 million dollar man that I can't find a Cubs fan willing to give $136 dollars for this morning. His at-bats over the last few days were amongst the worst I've seen this year. His inability to take pitches even with the Cubs in the most desperate need of base runners in the ninth inning was a lesson to young players on what not to do. He'd strike out on some of the worst breaking balls that one could imagine.
But his miss of the A.J. Pierzynski fly ball down the left field line, allowing Gordon Beckham to score, and the Sox to turn what should have been an easy inning into game breaker, has convinced me that's it's time to shut the kid down for the year.
I know, I know. He's injured. And I suppose there's something to be said for a player wanting earn his pay. The problem is that we've not only reached the point where his poor play is costing the team victories, but he's embarrassing himself and the franchise. And once a player no longer has that confidence, that swagger, that comfort in his physical abilities, he's worthless.
Maybe I'd feel differently if there wasn't a better substitute. However Jake Fox is hitting a healthy .286/.332/.526, which is not only good, those are Soriano numbers when healthy. Fox still leaves me breathless tracking fly balls, but at this point, you'll have a tough time convincing me he's worse than Soriano.
So, here's some advice to the Cubs. Put the proverbial dirt on this loss, and walk it off. Shut Mr. Soriano down for the next week altogether, and then use him as needed to finish the season. And try making some in game adjustments so that you don't make guys like Carlos Torres -- who'd pick up the win yesterday -- look so damn good.
Filed:September 2nd, 2009
A pumped up Carlos Marmol after saving the Cubs 2-0 win(Cubbie Nation)
Click here for the photo gallery to Wednesday's game.
Quick. Well played. Successful. If the Cubs are going to make up any playoff ground in September, Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Astros is going have to be the template for that success.
How quick? Unofficially, about 2:17, which is less time than it took to write this post, and edit photos from the game.
Cubs fans got treated to quite a pitching duel, as Ted Lilly face up against a surprising effective Felipe Paulino for the Astros. I like this kid. Big guy, with some major heat, a big over-the-top curveball, and you can kind of see the light turning on for him a bit on the mound. I've got a good feeling that he'll find a way to stick with the Astros in 2010, especially if he keeps pitching games like this, with two runs over six innings, striking out seven. His only mistake was to Derrek Lee, who took one out to the left field bleacher in the fourth, for what proved to be the game winner.
But this was really a Ted Lilly story, who delivered yet another Wrigley Field gem. Ted went eight innings of scoreless ball, and honestly looked like he could have finished this game, even with 105 pitches. For those not counting, he's now 7-1 in 2009 at Wrigley, with a 1.72 ERA. Pretty much just unbeatable.
Ted allowed only a pair to reach second base, but the Astros never seriously threatened, as Lilly rather easily worked himself out of problems in the fourth and eighth innings.
Carlos Marmol would provide some excitement, walking Hunter Pence, and allowing a Carlos Lee hit to put a pair on, with one out. But he'd come back to get a flyout on Miguel Tejada, and a popup on pinch-hitter Geoff Blum to close out the game, and collect his eighth save of the season.
With both Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano sitting, this was exactly the sort of pitching performance that the Cubs had to have. And with August in the rear view mirror, the Cubs are undefeated so far in September, heading into Thursday's makeup game with the flailing White Sox.
Pitching, defense, and the long ball. Maybe Earl Weaver knew what he was talking about.
Filed:August 31st, 2009
Rich Harden warms up in the 'pen Monday before the Cubs - Astros matchup (Cubbie Nation)
Click here for the photo gallery of Monday's game.
Well, let me give you some good news first. August is over. The Cubs can hopefully forget about their woeful 11-17 record for the month, and begin September with a clean slate, a sound head, and some respectable play on the field. And I'm going to try and forget that the Cubs front office basically chose to stand pat, silent while the team basically imploded in front of their eyes.
The bad news? August is over. Those coming to the park last night were treated to unseasonably cool weather -- that means jackets -- and the first real signs that Cubs fans are checking out for the year, given the 36,990 in attendance. It's football time, you know.
Oh, and a terrible outing from Rich Harden, that probably made a few of those fans scratch their heads and wonder if the Cubs shouldn't have sent him off to Minnesota. He'd walk six, and allow all five Astros runs in a 5-3 Cubs loss.
What can I say? He was wild. Not missing in the zone wild, but Mitch Williams buck wild. And Harden would get into all kinds of trouble in the third, walking a pair to load the bases for Carlos Lee. You can guess the outcome. With nowhere to put him, and forced to throw get-me-over pitches, Lee whacked Rich for a two-run single.
Lee would later take it up a notch, when in the fifth he'd jack a two-run homer to extend the Astros lead, and mercifully send Harden to the showers. Sometimes it's just not your night, and as the young lady sitting next to me so eloquently but it after watching him struggle early in that third inning, "It's a good thing I'm not staying till the end tonight".
Was it the weather? The distractions. The trade talk? I wondered, but it wasn't to hear Rich tell it:
"You can't just ignore [the rumors], but the whole thing was ridiculous and had nothing to do with my performance today. I won't make excuses. I still knew I was starting on Monday and I had to prepare myself, and I got prepared and I just didn't get it done."
And the rest of the Cubs? Well, they'd pick up a pair in the fifth themselves, on a pair of RBI singles by Koyie Hill and Ryan Theriot. But Astros starter Roy Oswalt was sharp, dropping 67MPH curveballs in for strikes like he was pitching pennies. He'd go seven innings strong, before turning things over to Latroy Hawkins -- who gave up his obligatory run, this time a Derrek Lee solo shot in the eighth -- and Jose Valverde.
Well, at least they can still take two of three.