The Cubs have put a whuppin' on Dusty's team in the first two games of the series. The team has scored 21 runs in the past two days with 27 hits (including 8 doubles and 4 home runs) and 10 walks. They did manage to strike out 22 times and leave 34 men on base, but the run production was still there.
Big Z had a monster game, pitching 7 innings and giving up just 2 earned runs, 1 walk and notching 5 strike outs. Not to mention that he racked up a single batting from each side of the plate (including an RBI) and added a double batting for himself in the seventh inning.
The bad news was Soriano injured his right calf on Monday night and is on the 15-day DL. Eric Patterson got the call up in his absence. Soriano insists that the problem was there prior to Monday night and his signature "hop" on fly outs was not the cause of it. I don't really care what caused it. The "hop" isn't a spectacular athletic maneuver that needs to be avoided such as back flips on the infield dirt and he didn't get hurt in a bar fight or doing 120 mph down LSD on a motorcycle.
Discussing Soriano prior to this injury and now in the wake of it, I always get the feeling that people just want him to play badly. There is a communal need to have a whipping boy. In the days of Sammy Sosa, there was always a group that would deride every misstep, forever ignoring spectacular performances. I hear similar grumbling about Soriano.
I don't know if it's due to the money, the language (though Bears LB Brian Urlacher gets a similar treatment here at times, particularly from the experts in the media), or a "grass is always greener" phenomenon. I am willing to hear arguments that the fair value isn't there versus another similarly paid athlete. That is another argument entirely than claiming the Cubs will be better off without Soriano. This is exactly what I heard from the radio yesterday. That and a smug, self-righteous "I told you so" from every detractor. I can tell you that losing one of your regular starters is not an improvement to a team (please don't regale me with tales of Wally Pipp).
In other News of the Negative, Dusty Baker got a less than friendly welcome in his return to Chicago. I'll admit, I never liked the guy and was glad to see him go. However, I don't think much else about it and am rather amused that anyone could still harbor such ill will to a baseball manager. Even one that was bad. Let it go.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Dark Skies?
The Cubs ended a nice winning streak by getting knocked around a bit in Philadelphia. They managed to take the third game on Sunday to avoid the sweep. It was another extra-inning affair for the Cubs, who have gotten a heavy load of innings this road trip.
They remain above .500 and clustered with the rest of the NL Central. The big dark cloud that I saw forming in the back of my mind was the worry that this team just isn't going to put it together when facing star pitchers and talented ball clubs. It was the end of a long trip, in front of a hostile Philly crowd, where the Cubs have not fared well lately, so I don't want to make too much of it. However, I watched Big Z have a meltdown Friday, the Cubs get manhandled by Hamels on Saturday and saw a good starting performance go by the wayside on Sunday. It was nice to see them come out of it ahead Sunday, but I give Chase Utley a lot of credit for that due to his awful throw to let Zambrano reach safely on a weak pinch-hit grounder. I'll give Big Z credit for hustling to first, at least.
I think the bats are not too bad off. I see batters taking some pitches and working counts, they just haven't been seeing the ball drop out in the field. The pitching has been adventuresome, to put it mildly.
The Cubs face Cincy and Pittsburgh at home now, which will hopefully get them looking smooth again.
They remain above .500 and clustered with the rest of the NL Central. The big dark cloud that I saw forming in the back of my mind was the worry that this team just isn't going to put it together when facing star pitchers and talented ball clubs. It was the end of a long trip, in front of a hostile Philly crowd, where the Cubs have not fared well lately, so I don't want to make too much of it. However, I watched Big Z have a meltdown Friday, the Cubs get manhandled by Hamels on Saturday and saw a good starting performance go by the wayside on Sunday. It was nice to see them come out of it ahead Sunday, but I give Chase Utley a lot of credit for that due to his awful throw to let Zambrano reach safely on a weak pinch-hit grounder. I'll give Big Z credit for hustling to first, at least.
I think the bats are not too bad off. I see batters taking some pitches and working counts, they just haven't been seeing the ball drop out in the field. The pitching has been adventuresome, to put it mildly.
The Cubs face Cincy and Pittsburgh at home now, which will hopefully get them looking smooth again.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
D'OH!
As soon as I proclaim the closing situation a positive, Wood goes and blows one and Hart lets the game escape, if briefly, in the 14th inning. Those playing along at home probably saw that coming a mile away. Such is the life.
In the last two games, the Cubbies have managed to play a total of 27 innings of baseball. That's a lot of grinding for just two wins. It's better than coming up short, though. The Pirates are surely in a slow simmer right now.
On the plus side, Dempster pitched another great game with one hit and zero runs over seven innings (retiring 20 of the first 21 batters he faced) and Sean Marshall, called up earlier yesterday, managed to pick up his first career save. Meanwhile, at the plate, Pie managed a clutch game winning hit and Reed Johnson continues to look solid.
Given the events of the past two games, Rich Hill should be prepared to suck up some innings today.
In the last two games, the Cubbies have managed to play a total of 27 innings of baseball. That's a lot of grinding for just two wins. It's better than coming up short, though. The Pirates are surely in a slow simmer right now.
On the plus side, Dempster pitched another great game with one hit and zero runs over seven innings (retiring 20 of the first 21 batters he faced) and Sean Marshall, called up earlier yesterday, managed to pick up his first career save. Meanwhile, at the plate, Pie managed a clutch game winning hit and Reed Johnson continues to look solid.
Given the events of the past two games, Rich Hill should be prepared to suck up some innings today.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Edgy
The last few games have been exciting. Not the kind of exciting I really want. With the Cubs continuing to let unforced errors play havoc on how these games play out, the games have been tense at times. The tendency for fans to see shadows of past failures is all to clear.
What might have been a better defensive ballclub has looked positively ham-handed of late. The pitching has been spotty. The offense has had hiccups on the bases and at the plate.
I have boiled down a few takeaways, though. Notes that seem like bright spots in the early going.
Wood looks good. He admits he isn't necessarily comfortable in the role yet, but he has performed well as he gets used to being the closer. Additionally, Marmol looked stellar yesterday. I don't think closer will be a glaring hole for this club.
Fukudome is everything that he was advertised as...and maybe more. We knew he would be a player, but thought it might take him a bit to get acclimated. However, he is jumping in head first with outstanding play offensively and defensively. His bunt on Saturday was tremendous. He has shown patience and a head for the game. Watching him annoy the pitcher with a good lead off of first late in yesterday's game was enough to make me grin. He has sprayed the ball around and hit with authority. He should help Ramirez a ton batting from the 5 spot.
Other positives can be seen from Reed Johnson, Soto and Theriot. Lee and Ramirez are looking good, but that was to be expected. I also like Hart and Lieber out of the pen so far.
Hopefully, they can get some solid starting pitching and cut down on the errors and the apparent mental spaceouts. I don't think Houston and Pittsburgh are great teams, so the Cubs should be winning these games. However, in years past, these are exactly the games they failed to convert.
It's early, but they aren't out of it yet, which is always a plus for Cub fans.
What might have been a better defensive ballclub has looked positively ham-handed of late. The pitching has been spotty. The offense has had hiccups on the bases and at the plate.
I have boiled down a few takeaways, though. Notes that seem like bright spots in the early going.
Wood looks good. He admits he isn't necessarily comfortable in the role yet, but he has performed well as he gets used to being the closer. Additionally, Marmol looked stellar yesterday. I don't think closer will be a glaring hole for this club.
Fukudome is everything that he was advertised as...and maybe more. We knew he would be a player, but thought it might take him a bit to get acclimated. However, he is jumping in head first with outstanding play offensively and defensively. His bunt on Saturday was tremendous. He has shown patience and a head for the game. Watching him annoy the pitcher with a good lead off of first late in yesterday's game was enough to make me grin. He has sprayed the ball around and hit with authority. He should help Ramirez a ton batting from the 5 spot.
Other positives can be seen from Reed Johnson, Soto and Theriot. Lee and Ramirez are looking good, but that was to be expected. I also like Hart and Lieber out of the pen so far.
Hopefully, they can get some solid starting pitching and cut down on the errors and the apparent mental spaceouts. I don't think Houston and Pittsburgh are great teams, so the Cubs should be winning these games. However, in years past, these are exactly the games they failed to convert.
It's early, but they aren't out of it yet, which is always a plus for Cub fans.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Bad Start Continues
The Cubs managed to salvage the final game of the first series. It was a good game for the team, with Dempster settling down after the first inning and giving a solid performance overall, ending with Kerry Wood's first career save.
However, the series still left fans like me feeling very uneasy. This team can't afford another slow April. Starting off by getting tooled by a division rival at home was not a good sign. The team looked listless at the plate for most of the series and showed the kind of mental lapses on the bases and in the field that fans have bemoaned for years.
Getting to bounce back against a Houston team that has looked dead at the plate seemed the perfect cure. Not so. The Cubs managed to look equally clueless, falling into the pattern of first-pitch swinging that plagued them last year. Patience is your friend, boys. Starting pitcher, Chris Sampson had only 71 pitches over 6 and 2/3 innings.
Rich Hill looked shaky at points, but struggled through and posted a quality start. Unfortunately, he got no run support and the team dropped the ball after managing to tie it up in the 7th.
It should be a nice day today, so hopefully the bats show some life.
However, the series still left fans like me feeling very uneasy. This team can't afford another slow April. Starting off by getting tooled by a division rival at home was not a good sign. The team looked listless at the plate for most of the series and showed the kind of mental lapses on the bases and in the field that fans have bemoaned for years.
Getting to bounce back against a Houston team that has looked dead at the plate seemed the perfect cure. Not so. The Cubs managed to look equally clueless, falling into the pattern of first-pitch swinging that plagued them last year. Patience is your friend, boys. Starting pitcher, Chris Sampson had only 71 pitches over 6 and 2/3 innings.
Rich Hill looked shaky at points, but struggled through and posted a quality start. Unfortunately, he got no run support and the team dropped the ball after managing to tie it up in the 7th.
It should be a nice day today, so hopefully the bats show some life.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Crushing Reality
2 games, 2 losses. Losses to the probable other contender to the NL Central title. At home, no less.
Not a good way to start the season.
Today's game was rather unsettling from all angles. Is this really what we are to expect for the rest of the season. I still have hope that the team will get its act together. However, I would like to see something more than mere glimpses of their potential...an at bat here, a few innings of pitching, a nice fielding play. Thus far, there have been more glaring, ugly moments than shining performances.
Having to hear Santo on the radio as this game slid slowly out of hand was enough to make me ill. Whatever the man's deficiencies as an announcer, he exudes genuine emotion. There is no greater expression of my own sickening feelings about a pitiful performance than Santo moaning in the booth.
On the plus side, Alou finally let Bartman off the hook. So, you have that going for ya, fans.
Not a good way to start the season.
Today's game was rather unsettling from all angles. Is this really what we are to expect for the rest of the season. I still have hope that the team will get its act together. However, I would like to see something more than mere glimpses of their potential...an at bat here, a few innings of pitching, a nice fielding play. Thus far, there have been more glaring, ugly moments than shining performances.
Having to hear Santo on the radio as this game slid slowly out of hand was enough to make me ill. Whatever the man's deficiencies as an announcer, he exudes genuine emotion. There is no greater expression of my own sickening feelings about a pitiful performance than Santo moaning in the booth.
On the plus side, Alou finally let Bartman off the hook. So, you have that going for ya, fans.
Opening Day
It was a wild day in Wrigleyville. The weather was crap, but the fans were enthusiastic and rowdy.
Overall, the performance of the Cubs was OK. Nothing jumped right out as an immediate concern to me. There wasn't enough hitting from the big boys and there were a bunch of strikeouts. However, they were facing a very tough Ben Sheets and Fukudome was as advertised and came through with the big 3-run blast that made it interesting at the end. Gagne looked as rattle-prone as last year.
On the other side, Zambrano looked excellent until having forearm cramping late. I hope he figures something out soon. Wood had a disappointing start to his closing career, but the weather works against a big pitcher like Woody and given how great he looked in the spring, I'm just not that worried...yet. At least there weren't many walks from any of the Cub pitchers.
There were some rusty looking plays, but it wasn't all bad (other than the final score).
Interesting notes:
The new Banks statue is missing the apostrophe on "Let's play two".
Sheets batted in the 8 spot.
The rain really tested the new drainage system, which appeared to function well. It was had to tell from the wet seat I was sitting in.
A few shots as people head for the game.
The new Banks statue
One of the Leprecans
Ernie getting sped into the game
Woo Woo
Streaming out
Post game wrapup
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