Cubs’ skipper, Lou Piniella has retired from baseball after a half-century of being involved in the game. The abrupt announcement occurred Sunday at Wrigley Field, where Chicago was rocked 16-5 by the Atlanta Braves. Piniella’s Cubs are 23 games under .500 with 47 contests remaining, but the manager’s farewell has more to do with his ailing 90 year old mother. Piniella turns 67 this week and wants to spend more time with his family.
The Cubs’ enigmatic skipper was hotter than a deep dish pizza when he arrived in Chicago in 2006. Piniella led the Cubs to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2007 and 2008 for the first time in 100 years. The climax of Piniella’s tenure with Chicago was perhaps the 2008 NL division series with the Dodgers. Los Angeles swept the Cubs in three games, leaving fans to ponder what could have been for the hapless franchise.
Piniella is a former major league outfielder who spent time with the Orioles, Indians, Royals and Yankees. The Tampa, Florida native won the 1969 Rookie of the Year award. His New York days are most memorable because leadoff hitting Sweet Lou helped the Bombers win two championships while he donned the pinstripes. Piniella went on to coach the Yankees after his playing days were over in 1986 and had a brief stint at the general manager. Piniella also managed the 1990 World Series winning Cincinnati Reds before moving on to coach the Mariners, Rays and Cubs. One of the players most influenced by Sweet Lou was Paul O’Neill.
The Cubs did not make Sunday special on the field for their departing skipper. Chicago hurler, Randy Wells was charged with the loss after being tagged for seven runs. The Braves were led by rookie, Jason Heyward and Omar Infante as the division-leaders took two out of three at Wrigley. Infante and Heyward each blasted two homeruns as Atlanta piled on 11 runs over the final three innings. Derrek Lee, the former Chicago first baseman, drove in three runs to back pitcher Mike Minor. Minor allowed three runs on seven hits over five frames for the win.
Chicago third base coach, Mike Quade, was promoted to interim manager. Speculation is that Ryne Sandberg will be the next Cubs skipper, and nobody could be more thrilled about this than I am. I was an enormous fan of the former Chicago second baseman. It will be hard for any modern day manager to accumulate the accolades of Sweet Lou, however. Piniella finished his career with 1,835 managerial wins, trailing only active managers Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa. Piniella was a three-time manager of the year winner but despite his greatness, could not shake the curse of the Chicago Cubs. That challenge remains for the next skipper.
Parting Points: Song of the day- “Forever” by Mariah Carey
Good read- Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine”
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Cubs. Show all posts
Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Walking Win at Windy Wrigley
The Washington Nationals dropped an extra innings game to the Cubs on a bases-loaded walk at a cold and blustery Wrigley Field Monday. Chicago’s Aramis Ramirez drew the RBI base-on-balls off Brian Bruney in the 10th inning to give the Cubs the 4-3 decision. It was Chicago’s fourth straight win and the eighth pass of the game for Cubs clubbers.
Carlos Silva went seven strong innings as the hurler for Chicago in his second home start. Silva permitted three runs on seven hits, while fanning three. The Nationals threw John Lannon, who went six deep and allowed five hits. Lannon yielded three earned runs and issued five walks as he struggled to get outs in the early frames. The Cubs built a 3-0 lead through three innings on consecutive doubles by Marlon Byrd and Ramirez. Byrd belted a double in the second, and Ramirez followed it up with one of his own for the first Cubs’ tally. Silva walked on four straight pitches to score Ramirez to make it a 2-0 Chicago advantage. Byrd helped the Cubs get another run on the board in the bottom of the third with an infield single. He finished with three hits in the win. Jeff Baker pounded a triple off Lannon to set up Byrd’s RBI opportunity in the third.
The Nationals finally punched home a run in the fourth after Silva retired nine straight Washington batters. Josh Willingham walked in the first Washington run during a three-hit , two-run fourth. Scrappy third baseman, Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice fly off the Cubs’ ace made it a 3-2 home lead. The Nationals’ hot corner veteran helped set the tone in the top of the sixth as Washington tied the game at 3-3. Kennedy grounded out on a fielder’s choice to send Willingham to third. Willingham reached base on a single and took second on a wild pitch by Silva. Wil Nieves knocked home the Nationals’ left fielder with a two-out run-scoring single. Neither team broke through again on offense until the tenth.
Carlos Zambrano pitched scoreless innings in his second appearance out of the bullpen for the team with the league’s fourth best ERA. The former Chicago starter ended the Nationals’ thin threat in the eighth and allowed just one hit. Carlos Marmol toed the rubber for the Cubs in the tenth, and in doing so, earned his first win. Marmol pitched around a two-out double by Adam Dunn in the top half of the tenth. Dunn recorded a three hit night for the Nationals and put a brief scare into the Cubs’ reliever. The five year Chicago tosser, Marmol, nailed the win when the offense picked up the deciding run in the bottom half of the extra frame. Ryan Theriot got the inning started with a hit off reliever Bruney. Theroit was fresh off a five-hit contest against the Brewers on Sunday. The former Yankee Bruney wastefully walked Derrek Lee and gave up a bloop single to Byrd to load the bases for Ramirez. Ramirez completed the winning rally as Bruney didn’t come close to finding the strike zone when he needed to most. The Cubs opened their seven game home stand by strolling away with a win—literally.
Parting Points: Song of the day-“Everyone knows it’s Windy” by The Association
Carlos Silva went seven strong innings as the hurler for Chicago in his second home start. Silva permitted three runs on seven hits, while fanning three. The Nationals threw John Lannon, who went six deep and allowed five hits. Lannon yielded three earned runs and issued five walks as he struggled to get outs in the early frames. The Cubs built a 3-0 lead through three innings on consecutive doubles by Marlon Byrd and Ramirez. Byrd belted a double in the second, and Ramirez followed it up with one of his own for the first Cubs’ tally. Silva walked on four straight pitches to score Ramirez to make it a 2-0 Chicago advantage. Byrd helped the Cubs get another run on the board in the bottom of the third with an infield single. He finished with three hits in the win. Jeff Baker pounded a triple off Lannon to set up Byrd’s RBI opportunity in the third.
The Nationals finally punched home a run in the fourth after Silva retired nine straight Washington batters. Josh Willingham walked in the first Washington run during a three-hit , two-run fourth. Scrappy third baseman, Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice fly off the Cubs’ ace made it a 3-2 home lead. The Nationals’ hot corner veteran helped set the tone in the top of the sixth as Washington tied the game at 3-3. Kennedy grounded out on a fielder’s choice to send Willingham to third. Willingham reached base on a single and took second on a wild pitch by Silva. Wil Nieves knocked home the Nationals’ left fielder with a two-out run-scoring single. Neither team broke through again on offense until the tenth.
Carlos Zambrano pitched scoreless innings in his second appearance out of the bullpen for the team with the league’s fourth best ERA. The former Chicago starter ended the Nationals’ thin threat in the eighth and allowed just one hit. Carlos Marmol toed the rubber for the Cubs in the tenth, and in doing so, earned his first win. Marmol pitched around a two-out double by Adam Dunn in the top half of the tenth. Dunn recorded a three hit night for the Nationals and put a brief scare into the Cubs’ reliever. The five year Chicago tosser, Marmol, nailed the win when the offense picked up the deciding run in the bottom half of the extra frame. Ryan Theriot got the inning started with a hit off reliever Bruney. Theroit was fresh off a five-hit contest against the Brewers on Sunday. The former Yankee Bruney wastefully walked Derrek Lee and gave up a bloop single to Byrd to load the bases for Ramirez. Ramirez completed the winning rally as Bruney didn’t come close to finding the strike zone when he needed to most. The Cubs opened their seven game home stand by strolling away with a win—literally.
Parting Points: Song of the day-“Everyone knows it’s Windy” by The Association
Friday, September 25, 2009
Bullpen Breakdowns
They hang on by the red threads of a baseball for their post-season lives. I’m talking about the Chicago Cubs, who last night, staved off playoff elimination and extended their hopes one more day by defeating the San Francisco Giants with late inning heroics. Bay area closer, Brian Wilson, gave up the game-winning homerun in the top of the ninth to Cubs struggling second base slugger, Jeff Baker. Baker doubled to left in the top of the second off San Francisco starter, Brad Penny. He was doubled up in his next at-bat, and flied out to center field for the first out of the seventh inning. Baker came to bat for the fourth time in the ninth with the opposing team clinging to a one run lead. His long ball put the Cubs ahead 3-2 for good, and sent a stunned San Francisco team packing and trailing the NL wildcard-leading Rockies by four games.
The Giants were a strike away from gaining a came on Colorado before the two out bomb banished their opportunity. Penny pitched eight innings of one-run ball before handing the game over to Wilson. Wilson began the inning by walking veteran Chicago swinger, Derrek Lee. Lee stole second after Wilson retired the next two batters on popups. Baker smacked a fastball over the left field wall, and the Giants quickly fell behind a run. The home team put two runners aboard in their half of the ninth. Cubs’ hard-throwing reliever, Carlos Marmol, struck out two Giants to end the game. Former New York Met, Aaron Heilman, ascended to victory for his fourth of the year as Marmol picked up his 15th season save. Wilson suffered the loss, but his summoning from the bullpen was hard to argue. The closer’s miniscule ERA of 1.27 over his last nine outings justified Bruce Bochy’s move. Chicago starter, Ryan Dempster, was outpitched by his former teammate from Florida. Dempster lasted seven innings but scattered seven hits and two runs.
The outcome of the Rockies-Padres game was posted on the scoreboard when the Cubs and Giants were tied at 1-1 in the fifth. Each team scored one run in the fourth inning. Micah Hoffpauir scored when Baker grounded into a double play. Left fielder for the Giants, John Bowker, crossed the plate on shortstop Juan Uribe’s double in the bottom of the fourth to even the score. Bowker replaced Nate Schierholtz in the lineup. The southpaw slugger sat because of food poisoning. The manager’s decision payed off when backup Bowker homered off Dempster into McCovey Cove in the seventh.
The Giants are now 82-71 and four games back with nine remaining. San Francisco plays six more home games against Chicago and Arizona before finishing the season in San Diego. The Padres are poised to play spoiler. Smug San Diego set aside the Rockies 5-4 Thursday night. The Rockies lead was trimmed to 3 ½ games over the idle Atlanta Braves. The Braves probably have the easiest schedule of the remaining wildcard contenders. The NL Central is all but over as soon as the Cardinals win and the Cubs lose another game. But this wildcard race is an intriguing one that should come down to the final day of the regular season. The Rockies play the Cardinals next in a possible preview of the post-season. Matt Holliday will return to Corrs Field for the first time since he was traded to Oakland last winter. He will arrive in a Redbird uniform to face a Rockies team that has lost 7 of their last 11, including last night. Joe Beimel took the loss for Colorado and a shaky bullpen, but hope to reconvene and regroup this weekend. Jason Hammel tossed a gem through six ½ excellent innings, but his bullpen collapsed after being handed a 3-1 advantage. The Cardinals will start two CY Young candidates in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and plate All-stars, Holliday and Albert Pujols in the three game set beginning Friday. Both teams will embark on the last weekend of September with still a lot to prove.
Parting Points: Yankees-Red Sox, the final round starts tonight.
Song of the day-: “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morisette
The Giants were a strike away from gaining a came on Colorado before the two out bomb banished their opportunity. Penny pitched eight innings of one-run ball before handing the game over to Wilson. Wilson began the inning by walking veteran Chicago swinger, Derrek Lee. Lee stole second after Wilson retired the next two batters on popups. Baker smacked a fastball over the left field wall, and the Giants quickly fell behind a run. The home team put two runners aboard in their half of the ninth. Cubs’ hard-throwing reliever, Carlos Marmol, struck out two Giants to end the game. Former New York Met, Aaron Heilman, ascended to victory for his fourth of the year as Marmol picked up his 15th season save. Wilson suffered the loss, but his summoning from the bullpen was hard to argue. The closer’s miniscule ERA of 1.27 over his last nine outings justified Bruce Bochy’s move. Chicago starter, Ryan Dempster, was outpitched by his former teammate from Florida. Dempster lasted seven innings but scattered seven hits and two runs.
The outcome of the Rockies-Padres game was posted on the scoreboard when the Cubs and Giants were tied at 1-1 in the fifth. Each team scored one run in the fourth inning. Micah Hoffpauir scored when Baker grounded into a double play. Left fielder for the Giants, John Bowker, crossed the plate on shortstop Juan Uribe’s double in the bottom of the fourth to even the score. Bowker replaced Nate Schierholtz in the lineup. The southpaw slugger sat because of food poisoning. The manager’s decision payed off when backup Bowker homered off Dempster into McCovey Cove in the seventh.
The Giants are now 82-71 and four games back with nine remaining. San Francisco plays six more home games against Chicago and Arizona before finishing the season in San Diego. The Padres are poised to play spoiler. Smug San Diego set aside the Rockies 5-4 Thursday night. The Rockies lead was trimmed to 3 ½ games over the idle Atlanta Braves. The Braves probably have the easiest schedule of the remaining wildcard contenders. The NL Central is all but over as soon as the Cardinals win and the Cubs lose another game. But this wildcard race is an intriguing one that should come down to the final day of the regular season. The Rockies play the Cardinals next in a possible preview of the post-season. Matt Holliday will return to Corrs Field for the first time since he was traded to Oakland last winter. He will arrive in a Redbird uniform to face a Rockies team that has lost 7 of their last 11, including last night. Joe Beimel took the loss for Colorado and a shaky bullpen, but hope to reconvene and regroup this weekend. Jason Hammel tossed a gem through six ½ excellent innings, but his bullpen collapsed after being handed a 3-1 advantage. The Cardinals will start two CY Young candidates in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and plate All-stars, Holliday and Albert Pujols in the three game set beginning Friday. Both teams will embark on the last weekend of September with still a lot to prove.
Parting Points: Yankees-Red Sox, the final round starts tonight.
Song of the day-: “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morisette
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Philadelphia's Pennant Push
I love watching Rich Harden pitch. The smooth slinging Chicago Cubs hurler retired the first 16 defending World Series champion Philadelphia batters he faced Tuesday. He remained poised and composed on the mount, working like an artist and flirting with perfection through six innings. Harden harnessed a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning before issuing a pass to the Phillies’ Carlos Ruiz. The control pitcher then allowed Jimmy Rollins to exploit the situation and break up Harden’s no-hit bid. Rollins crushed a game-tying homerun into Wrigley’s right field bleachers to put the Phillies on the scoreboard and clear the bases. The flashy Philadelphia shortstop has been unleashing his power bat since snapping a difficult career-worst 0-for-28 streak. He’s clubbing an eye-popping .325 with eight long balls and 27 RBIs in his last 151 trips to the plate. Rollins was rocking in the sixth inning when he dished off Harden to start Philadelphia’s late inning rally, propelling them to a 4-3 victory in 12 innings.
The Cubs gave their starting pitcher some support on a Jake Fox single and Alfonso Soriano bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Pryor to Tuesday’s start, Harden had dominated Philadelphia. In 20 innings against the team, his era was .90 and he allowed just two runs. Harden gave up only one other hit after Rollins’ blast Tuesday, a Ryan Howard single in the seventh. The power hitter knocked an excellent pitch into the stands to give the NL run-leading Phillies the temporary edge. Reliever, Carlos Marmol, was summoned from the Chicago bullpen in the 8th. His contributions would soon like to be forgotten by Cubs’ faithful. The burly, bulky Marmol had control issues from the moment he manned the mound. He hit a batter and walked three, including a bases loaded pass to Howard. The reliever is usually hard to hit and can fool hitters with a deceptive fastball. But he has walked 52 batters and hit 11 in 53 innings this season. Marmols’ mechanics may be to blame for his wackiness. Once he starts walking batters, he seems to lose his motion and becomes inept and ineffective.
Philadelphia’s one-run cushion would not stand. It wasn’t enough to secure the win in nine
frames. Phillies closer, Brad Lidge, coughed up the lead, blowing his 7th save in 28 tries. A leadoff walk by Kosuke Fukudome instigated the Cubs’ offense in the ninth. Fukudome advanced to second on Ryan Theriot’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Milton Bradley’s line drove smothering to right. In extra innings, Ben Francisco made a winner out of Philadelphia’s Scott Eyre, who worked 1 1/3 perfect innings. Chad Durbin tossed a hitless 12th to pick up his second save of the season. Francisco smacked a dramatic leadoff dinger to cap off the visiting team’s comeback. He delivered the game-winning drive off Chicago’s closer, Kevin Gregg, to give the Phillies their fourth win in 12 games. It was Francisco’s second homerun of the year. This was came off a 1-1 fastball and was planted into the basket that hangs over Wrigley’s left field fence. Philadelphia leads the NL East by 3 ½, while the Cubs trail St. Louis in the NL Central by 3 games. Francisco was a throw-in player in the Cliff Lee deal with Cleveland just before the trade deadline. Since joining the team that plays in City Of Brotherly Love, the slugger has started five games in the outfield. He is hitting .345 in his last 16 games with Philadelphia and Cleveland.
It’s too bad another Harden effort ended on a sour note for the Cubs. The strictly heart-breaking loss was a wasted opportunity for the Cubs for their playoff aspirations. Harden is one of those pitchers you really enjoy watching. He brings no-hit caliber stuff to each and every start. It would be nice to see him in full health all year to realize his incredible pitching potential. The hurler has an unlimited ceiling and is blessed with a stylish, accurate array of right-handed offerings. Chicago’s defeat resulted in a no-decision but the hard-throwing Harden holds a 1.95 ERA in his last 37 innings. It is distinctly no picnic facing Harden.
Parting points: Happy Birthday Pete Sampras!
The Phillies throw Pedro Martinez tonight. It’s Petey’s season debut and first start with Philadelphia.
The Cubs gave their starting pitcher some support on a Jake Fox single and Alfonso Soriano bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Pryor to Tuesday’s start, Harden had dominated Philadelphia. In 20 innings against the team, his era was .90 and he allowed just two runs. Harden gave up only one other hit after Rollins’ blast Tuesday, a Ryan Howard single in the seventh. The power hitter knocked an excellent pitch into the stands to give the NL run-leading Phillies the temporary edge. Reliever, Carlos Marmol, was summoned from the Chicago bullpen in the 8th. His contributions would soon like to be forgotten by Cubs’ faithful. The burly, bulky Marmol had control issues from the moment he manned the mound. He hit a batter and walked three, including a bases loaded pass to Howard. The reliever is usually hard to hit and can fool hitters with a deceptive fastball. But he has walked 52 batters and hit 11 in 53 innings this season. Marmols’ mechanics may be to blame for his wackiness. Once he starts walking batters, he seems to lose his motion and becomes inept and ineffective.
Philadelphia’s one-run cushion would not stand. It wasn’t enough to secure the win in nine
frames. Phillies closer, Brad Lidge, coughed up the lead, blowing his 7th save in 28 tries. A leadoff walk by Kosuke Fukudome instigated the Cubs’ offense in the ninth. Fukudome advanced to second on Ryan Theriot’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Milton Bradley’s line drove smothering to right. In extra innings, Ben Francisco made a winner out of Philadelphia’s Scott Eyre, who worked 1 1/3 perfect innings. Chad Durbin tossed a hitless 12th to pick up his second save of the season. Francisco smacked a dramatic leadoff dinger to cap off the visiting team’s comeback. He delivered the game-winning drive off Chicago’s closer, Kevin Gregg, to give the Phillies their fourth win in 12 games. It was Francisco’s second homerun of the year. This was came off a 1-1 fastball and was planted into the basket that hangs over Wrigley’s left field fence. Philadelphia leads the NL East by 3 ½, while the Cubs trail St. Louis in the NL Central by 3 games. Francisco was a throw-in player in the Cliff Lee deal with Cleveland just before the trade deadline. Since joining the team that plays in City Of Brotherly Love, the slugger has started five games in the outfield. He is hitting .345 in his last 16 games with Philadelphia and Cleveland.
It’s too bad another Harden effort ended on a sour note for the Cubs. The strictly heart-breaking loss was a wasted opportunity for the Cubs for their playoff aspirations. Harden is one of those pitchers you really enjoy watching. He brings no-hit caliber stuff to each and every start. It would be nice to see him in full health all year to realize his incredible pitching potential. The hurler has an unlimited ceiling and is blessed with a stylish, accurate array of right-handed offerings. Chicago’s defeat resulted in a no-decision but the hard-throwing Harden holds a 1.95 ERA in his last 37 innings. It is distinctly no picnic facing Harden.
Parting points: Happy Birthday Pete Sampras!
The Phillies throw Pedro Martinez tonight. It’s Petey’s season debut and first start with Philadelphia.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Cubs Crashing
It’s conclusive the Chicago Cubs are out of control. What’s less certain is whether the team is convincingly collapsing or hitting a few hurdles. The press is passionate about pouty pitchers. Chicago pitcher, Carlos Zambrano, was suspended for six games and fined my MLB for his tirade in Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Zambrano’s latest meltdown is only added to the Cubs’ misery. The pitcher who wears his emotions on his sleeves got into a heated argument with umpire, Mark Carlson. Big Z bumped the home plate man in zebra stripes and was told to leave the game. The ejections came during the seventh inning of the game. Zambrano proceeded to fire a ball into left field, toss his glove and take a bat to the water cooler. On Monday, things were just as testy in the Windy City as a frustrated Ryan Dempster smashed the cooler in a 10-8 loss. Ted Lilly was ejected, and later fined, for arguing with Bob Davidson behind the plate in the win over the Pirates. The catastrophic crisis in Chicago is causing conflict by the day.
Lou Piniella has an unsettled and uptight posse who have been pummeled nine times in their last eleven games. It is time for him to perpetuate the plight and be held accountable for his athlete’s actions. Instead of using the defenseless dugout as a target, I think the Cubs should direct their attention to the diamond. The team is batting a MLB 24th ranked, .249 as a unit. They are 10th in the league in runs scored and 7th in runs allowed. Since beginning the year as division favorites and dominators, the crashing Cubs have dismally dropped off. Their punching bag should be in the form of bashing the baseball.
Randy Wells took a tough loss Thursday night. Wells fells to 0-2 despite allowing two runs and pitching into the eighth inning. It was Wells’ fourth career start. In 25 innings this year, he has fanned 23 batters and posted an ERA of 1.80. The Cubs lost a tight 2-1 game to Randy Wolf and the hot Los Angeles Dodgers. Reliable reliever, Ramon Troncoso, fazed Chicago and wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to seal the victory for Joe Torre and the Dodgers.
The Dodgers humiliated the Cubs in the first round of the 2008 playoffs and were the better team this regular season series as well. The Cubs wasted many opportunities and a solid effort from Wells. Last night, Chicago put just one runner on base in the first seven frames. Derrek Lee’s double to lead off the second inning went for naught when Reed Johnson, Geovany Soto, and Mike Fontenot failed to advance Lee from second base.
Another chance to bust out was in the eighth. Pinch hitter, Bobby Scales, hit a leadoff home run to left field on a full count. Jake Fox, who was called up to play third base but Piniella is not ready to start, clubbed a pinch hit single to center. Kosuke Fukudome, the team batting average leader with .311, walked. The Cubs leader in homeruns and RBIs, Alfonso Soriano, struck out, Ryan Theriot hit into a double play, and Chicago went down without crossing the plate.
In the bottom of the ninth, Joe Torre called Troncoso in for the save. Jonathan Broxton is the usual Dodger closer, but Torre rested him after the hurler walked three Wednesday at Colorado. Slumping slugger, Milton Bradley, fabricated a bunt single to leadoff the ninth and spark a comeback rally for the Cubs. Troncoso intentionally walked Fukudome with two outs and runners on first and second. With crowded bags, Troncoso struck out Scales and Fox. The defeated Cubs slipped back to the .500 mark as the nosedive continues. It’s hard to remember this same team won 97 games a year ago.
Last October, L.A. swept Chicago with strong outings from their starters. Starting pitcher, Randy Wolf, kept the Cubs in check with a colossal effort. The left-hander’s breaking pitches were good enough to contain the confounding Cubs and make the Dodgers a scintillating and stellar 19 games over .500. They boast baseball’s best record at 34-15. Wolf outdueled the Chicago rookie to earn third win of the year. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out seven. The determined Dodgers did their scoring in the first and third innings. Juan Pierre led off the game with a single. Pierre stole second and Rafael Furcal bunted towards Fontenot at third base. The ball was out of Fontenot’s reach and rolled into the outfield, as Pierre paced in from second base. Furcal, back in the L.A. lineup after missing four games, reached home safely on Casey Blake’s groundout in the third inning.
The Cubs are clumsy crumbling with the club and continue to show they miss the services of All-star third baseman, Aramis Ramirez. Since his absence, Chicago is only sporting a 7-11 record. Ramirez brings a dependable clutch bat and a little life to the team. Two minor leaguers factored into the scoring against Wolf on Thursday, and that was all the offensive production complicated Chicago managed. Scales, an infielder/outfielder was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The under-the-weather Scales was unavailable Wednesday because of the flu, but replaced an injured Ryan Freel on the roster Thursday. The 31 year old’s homer was his second pinch hit of the season. Fox, a converted catcher, added a pinch hit but could be a liability defensively. If Fox has to play the field, the Dodgers will test him with their slick bunt hitters.
The Cubs are batting some injuries, most notably to starter, Rich Harden. The imposing bat of Lee is clearly missing and Soriano’s early surge has suddenly stopped. Lee did have a team high two hits in last night’s loss. Alfonso has cooled off and has not hit in the clutch. Dempster and Zambrano are hot-headed pitchers but the rotation is a talented one. A return to Wrigley after a terrible 0-6 road trip was supposed to help the Cubs. The Pirates camped out at Wrigley starting Memorial Day, and even with his outburst, Chicago won Zambrano’s game. They scored a combined five runs during the six game stretch and only one more Thursday night. They lost on Monday despite the heated bats posting eight runs. The starting pitchers could not put away the Pirates. Dempster lasted just four innings Monday and was not his usual self. His seven scattered hits gave him a no decision, while lefty Neal Cotts, got charged with the loss. The bullpen can provide length and the Cubs have enough talented depth from their bench and in their system to be division winners again. But the steadfast stars of last season are not showing their faces this Spring. Cotts and Aaron Heilman did not pitch well from the bullpen this week. When the relievers allow runs late in games, it makes it increasingly harder for the offense to come back. The offense put up seven runs in four innings, exploding on Monday. Bradley connected for a two run bomb and four RBIs. Theriot, Soto and Freel all contributed by driving in runs, but the pitching and hitting weren’t clicking on the same night.
The Cubs can still win the series with L.A. and it would help mitigate the damage done this past month. It would also place Chicago in a position to show a semblance of swagger. The broken-down Cubs left 23 runners on base Thursday and failed to score even a run with the bases loaded. That does not equate to winning baseball. If the Cubs can’t control their emotions, at least they can maintain composure on the godly grasses of Wrigley. Lilly stands lofty on the hill to face an L.A. ball club and their ace, Chad Billingsley, today. The Cubs just cannot score even though they have the wherewithal to hit. They are struggling and stranding sluggers as I scribe this. The team with the third highest payroll in baseball has to start earning their money and challenging Chad creates a clear chance at curtailing Cubs corruption.
Parting points: The Cavs staved off elimination last night but I still feel Orlando wins the series.
What happened to the Tampa Bay Rays?
Song to end the weel: “All Over You” by Live
Lou Piniella has an unsettled and uptight posse who have been pummeled nine times in their last eleven games. It is time for him to perpetuate the plight and be held accountable for his athlete’s actions. Instead of using the defenseless dugout as a target, I think the Cubs should direct their attention to the diamond. The team is batting a MLB 24th ranked, .249 as a unit. They are 10th in the league in runs scored and 7th in runs allowed. Since beginning the year as division favorites and dominators, the crashing Cubs have dismally dropped off. Their punching bag should be in the form of bashing the baseball.
Randy Wells took a tough loss Thursday night. Wells fells to 0-2 despite allowing two runs and pitching into the eighth inning. It was Wells’ fourth career start. In 25 innings this year, he has fanned 23 batters and posted an ERA of 1.80. The Cubs lost a tight 2-1 game to Randy Wolf and the hot Los Angeles Dodgers. Reliable reliever, Ramon Troncoso, fazed Chicago and wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth to seal the victory for Joe Torre and the Dodgers.
The Dodgers humiliated the Cubs in the first round of the 2008 playoffs and were the better team this regular season series as well. The Cubs wasted many opportunities and a solid effort from Wells. Last night, Chicago put just one runner on base in the first seven frames. Derrek Lee’s double to lead off the second inning went for naught when Reed Johnson, Geovany Soto, and Mike Fontenot failed to advance Lee from second base.
Another chance to bust out was in the eighth. Pinch hitter, Bobby Scales, hit a leadoff home run to left field on a full count. Jake Fox, who was called up to play third base but Piniella is not ready to start, clubbed a pinch hit single to center. Kosuke Fukudome, the team batting average leader with .311, walked. The Cubs leader in homeruns and RBIs, Alfonso Soriano, struck out, Ryan Theriot hit into a double play, and Chicago went down without crossing the plate.
In the bottom of the ninth, Joe Torre called Troncoso in for the save. Jonathan Broxton is the usual Dodger closer, but Torre rested him after the hurler walked three Wednesday at Colorado. Slumping slugger, Milton Bradley, fabricated a bunt single to leadoff the ninth and spark a comeback rally for the Cubs. Troncoso intentionally walked Fukudome with two outs and runners on first and second. With crowded bags, Troncoso struck out Scales and Fox. The defeated Cubs slipped back to the .500 mark as the nosedive continues. It’s hard to remember this same team won 97 games a year ago.
Last October, L.A. swept Chicago with strong outings from their starters. Starting pitcher, Randy Wolf, kept the Cubs in check with a colossal effort. The left-hander’s breaking pitches were good enough to contain the confounding Cubs and make the Dodgers a scintillating and stellar 19 games over .500. They boast baseball’s best record at 34-15. Wolf outdueled the Chicago rookie to earn third win of the year. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out seven. The determined Dodgers did their scoring in the first and third innings. Juan Pierre led off the game with a single. Pierre stole second and Rafael Furcal bunted towards Fontenot at third base. The ball was out of Fontenot’s reach and rolled into the outfield, as Pierre paced in from second base. Furcal, back in the L.A. lineup after missing four games, reached home safely on Casey Blake’s groundout in the third inning.
The Cubs are clumsy crumbling with the club and continue to show they miss the services of All-star third baseman, Aramis Ramirez. Since his absence, Chicago is only sporting a 7-11 record. Ramirez brings a dependable clutch bat and a little life to the team. Two minor leaguers factored into the scoring against Wolf on Thursday, and that was all the offensive production complicated Chicago managed. Scales, an infielder/outfielder was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The under-the-weather Scales was unavailable Wednesday because of the flu, but replaced an injured Ryan Freel on the roster Thursday. The 31 year old’s homer was his second pinch hit of the season. Fox, a converted catcher, added a pinch hit but could be a liability defensively. If Fox has to play the field, the Dodgers will test him with their slick bunt hitters.
The Cubs are batting some injuries, most notably to starter, Rich Harden. The imposing bat of Lee is clearly missing and Soriano’s early surge has suddenly stopped. Lee did have a team high two hits in last night’s loss. Alfonso has cooled off and has not hit in the clutch. Dempster and Zambrano are hot-headed pitchers but the rotation is a talented one. A return to Wrigley after a terrible 0-6 road trip was supposed to help the Cubs. The Pirates camped out at Wrigley starting Memorial Day, and even with his outburst, Chicago won Zambrano’s game. They scored a combined five runs during the six game stretch and only one more Thursday night. They lost on Monday despite the heated bats posting eight runs. The starting pitchers could not put away the Pirates. Dempster lasted just four innings Monday and was not his usual self. His seven scattered hits gave him a no decision, while lefty Neal Cotts, got charged with the loss. The bullpen can provide length and the Cubs have enough talented depth from their bench and in their system to be division winners again. But the steadfast stars of last season are not showing their faces this Spring. Cotts and Aaron Heilman did not pitch well from the bullpen this week. When the relievers allow runs late in games, it makes it increasingly harder for the offense to come back. The offense put up seven runs in four innings, exploding on Monday. Bradley connected for a two run bomb and four RBIs. Theriot, Soto and Freel all contributed by driving in runs, but the pitching and hitting weren’t clicking on the same night.
The Cubs can still win the series with L.A. and it would help mitigate the damage done this past month. It would also place Chicago in a position to show a semblance of swagger. The broken-down Cubs left 23 runners on base Thursday and failed to score even a run with the bases loaded. That does not equate to winning baseball. If the Cubs can’t control their emotions, at least they can maintain composure on the godly grasses of Wrigley. Lilly stands lofty on the hill to face an L.A. ball club and their ace, Chad Billingsley, today. The Cubs just cannot score even though they have the wherewithal to hit. They are struggling and stranding sluggers as I scribe this. The team with the third highest payroll in baseball has to start earning their money and challenging Chad creates a clear chance at curtailing Cubs corruption.
Parting points: The Cavs staved off elimination last night but I still feel Orlando wins the series.
What happened to the Tampa Bay Rays?
Song to end the weel: “All Over You” by Live
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Cursed Comeback Chicago Cubs
Regurgitated annually is the notion the Cubs will end their World Series drought and bring a championship ring home to the baseball-famished city. Cub backers dream of declaring their darling team the best in baseball. They imagine a world where Wrigley hosts the World Series and fantasize about sweeping the AL representative. Will this be the year for the Cubs? Experts perceive Chicago running away with the NL Central division and striding steadily into post-season glory. Chicago has a team of players who can guide this club into the playoffs and beyond.
Last year, the stars were aligned for Chicago to capture the crown. 2008 was exactly 100 years since the 1908 team appeared in the Fall Classic. Fans believed in their lovable losers a year ago, but hours after losing their final game to the Dodgers, I am sure were not so let down. After all, this is the Cubs we’re talking about. The team hasn’t been tothe World Series in over 100 years.
Wrigley Field is one of baseball’s valued venues. Lou Piniella again is the manager for the NL club who won 97 games in 2008. Piniella has a strong starting rotation at his fingertips. The same starting five pitchers return, but the bullpen will be without Kerry Wood at the back end.
Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley form a fearsome four at the plate. The need for a left-handed bat was addressed in the off-season with the acquisition of Bradley. Milton can switch hit for Piniella and whack for power. He can also be a major headache for a manager some consider hard to please. Bradley brings baggage to the Cubs. The team already has one hothead in pitcher, Carlos Zambrano. More distressing than Milton though are the sporadic and spontaneous injuries that seem to occur to Soriano and starter, Rich Harden every season. Harden can’t stay on the field long enough to put up CY Young numbers he is well capable of throwing. Harden has that fresh from high school face and is an appealing hurler when he’s tossing his pretty pitches. Soriano is as scary as any slugger when he steps into the batter’s box. Both players are going to have be in prime shape. The Cubs will ride their talent throughout the summer. Lucrative Lee is a scary force and a defensively-sound fielder. Lee’s all-star bat brings a brashness to the Chicago lineup any opposing team would dread. He is also a team leader and spokesperson but could be curbed by an aching aged body.
The rest of the lineup consists of Kosuku Fukudome, Micah Hoffpauir, Mike Fontenot, Geovany Soto, and Ryan Theriot. Soriano hits leadoff because his aggressive swing and ability to steal bases score the most runs. The Cubs were efficient in scoring early last season. They also had some large leads in the early innings of several games to accompany their winning season record. Defense is going to be important, and was part of the problem during last year’s playoff fumble. Soriano certainly does not have any Gold Gloves in his trophy case. Hoffpauir is also an error-prone first baseman, but a young one. Micah had a fine spring, one of the best for all major leaguers, at the plate. Fontenot plays second base next to a fine third baseman in Ramirez. Theriot is Piniella’s right-handed shortstop and hits near the bottom of the order. Fukudome is a smooth second hole hitter and is a capable glove in center. He is a Punch-and-Judy hitter but will show the occasional power to the fences. His name alone subjects him to public mockery however.
Zambrano is the ace of the staff and a grinder who knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball. The stubborn pitcher mixes off speed stuff with a devastating fastball for a deadly combination. Harden, Ted Lilly, Sean Marshall and Ryan Demptser round out the startling rotation. Not a bad five to lead a team, I would gander.
Kevin Gregg and Aaron Heilman were added as right-handed pitchers to an already stacked bullpen. Heilman is a former Met, who always considered himself above the relief role. Something to keep a keen eye on this year will be Heilman’s production for the Cubs. If Piniella eventually decides Aaron has starter material, I wonder how Heilman will perform. He might not get the chance unless a major injury occurs to one of the starters. Gregg is no slouch, and also an ambitious reliever with high personal goals. He recently won the closer job over Carlos Marmol. Marmol gets hitters to chase his pitches and pop up with relative frequency. However, Gregg is slated to appear when the Cubs start the season in Houston on Monday.
Catcher, Koyie Hill, beat out Paul Bako the for backup job, but there are still two spots left to be determined for the final pitchers. Chad Gaudin, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija and Angel Guzman are the four options. Joey Gathright is a quality pinch hitter riding the pine this Spring for the Cubs. Gathright is a quick and slick outfield option too. Veteran, Mark DeRosa, was traded during the winter and replaced by utility man, Aaron Miles. Miles gives the Cubs much needed depth and might be a sleeper player. Luiz Vizacaino joins Heilman and Kevin Hart in the bullpen for Chicago. The pen is considered a strength for this team.
Piniella is no conservative coach so I assume we will see some changes throughout the Cubs season. His heads-up style is great but many of his choices are questionable. Still, the Cubs play in a weak division. They could be rivaled by Dusty Baker and the up-start Cincinnati Reds. Cincy’s rotation is going to claim credibility, and if all goes well, could give the Cubs a run for the division title. In the end, I do think the Cubs are too deep to be surpassed by any of the other NL Central clubs. The curse of the Billy goat has to end sometime. Right?
Parting points: In case you haven’t caught on by now, yesterday was April Fools Day. Thus, my blog was not true. I am not going to become a Mets fan.
Last year, the stars were aligned for Chicago to capture the crown. 2008 was exactly 100 years since the 1908 team appeared in the Fall Classic. Fans believed in their lovable losers a year ago, but hours after losing their final game to the Dodgers, I am sure were not so let down. After all, this is the Cubs we’re talking about. The team hasn’t been tothe World Series in over 100 years.
Wrigley Field is one of baseball’s valued venues. Lou Piniella again is the manager for the NL club who won 97 games in 2008. Piniella has a strong starting rotation at his fingertips. The same starting five pitchers return, but the bullpen will be without Kerry Wood at the back end.
Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Milton Bradley form a fearsome four at the plate. The need for a left-handed bat was addressed in the off-season with the acquisition of Bradley. Milton can switch hit for Piniella and whack for power. He can also be a major headache for a manager some consider hard to please. Bradley brings baggage to the Cubs. The team already has one hothead in pitcher, Carlos Zambrano. More distressing than Milton though are the sporadic and spontaneous injuries that seem to occur to Soriano and starter, Rich Harden every season. Harden can’t stay on the field long enough to put up CY Young numbers he is well capable of throwing. Harden has that fresh from high school face and is an appealing hurler when he’s tossing his pretty pitches. Soriano is as scary as any slugger when he steps into the batter’s box. Both players are going to have be in prime shape. The Cubs will ride their talent throughout the summer. Lucrative Lee is a scary force and a defensively-sound fielder. Lee’s all-star bat brings a brashness to the Chicago lineup any opposing team would dread. He is also a team leader and spokesperson but could be curbed by an aching aged body.
The rest of the lineup consists of Kosuku Fukudome, Micah Hoffpauir, Mike Fontenot, Geovany Soto, and Ryan Theriot. Soriano hits leadoff because his aggressive swing and ability to steal bases score the most runs. The Cubs were efficient in scoring early last season. They also had some large leads in the early innings of several games to accompany their winning season record. Defense is going to be important, and was part of the problem during last year’s playoff fumble. Soriano certainly does not have any Gold Gloves in his trophy case. Hoffpauir is also an error-prone first baseman, but a young one. Micah had a fine spring, one of the best for all major leaguers, at the plate. Fontenot plays second base next to a fine third baseman in Ramirez. Theriot is Piniella’s right-handed shortstop and hits near the bottom of the order. Fukudome is a smooth second hole hitter and is a capable glove in center. He is a Punch-and-Judy hitter but will show the occasional power to the fences. His name alone subjects him to public mockery however.
Zambrano is the ace of the staff and a grinder who knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball. The stubborn pitcher mixes off speed stuff with a devastating fastball for a deadly combination. Harden, Ted Lilly, Sean Marshall and Ryan Demptser round out the startling rotation. Not a bad five to lead a team, I would gander.
Kevin Gregg and Aaron Heilman were added as right-handed pitchers to an already stacked bullpen. Heilman is a former Met, who always considered himself above the relief role. Something to keep a keen eye on this year will be Heilman’s production for the Cubs. If Piniella eventually decides Aaron has starter material, I wonder how Heilman will perform. He might not get the chance unless a major injury occurs to one of the starters. Gregg is no slouch, and also an ambitious reliever with high personal goals. He recently won the closer job over Carlos Marmol. Marmol gets hitters to chase his pitches and pop up with relative frequency. However, Gregg is slated to appear when the Cubs start the season in Houston on Monday.
Catcher, Koyie Hill, beat out Paul Bako the for backup job, but there are still two spots left to be determined for the final pitchers. Chad Gaudin, David Patton, Jeff Samardzija and Angel Guzman are the four options. Joey Gathright is a quality pinch hitter riding the pine this Spring for the Cubs. Gathright is a quick and slick outfield option too. Veteran, Mark DeRosa, was traded during the winter and replaced by utility man, Aaron Miles. Miles gives the Cubs much needed depth and might be a sleeper player. Luiz Vizacaino joins Heilman and Kevin Hart in the bullpen for Chicago. The pen is considered a strength for this team.
Piniella is no conservative coach so I assume we will see some changes throughout the Cubs season. His heads-up style is great but many of his choices are questionable. Still, the Cubs play in a weak division. They could be rivaled by Dusty Baker and the up-start Cincinnati Reds. Cincy’s rotation is going to claim credibility, and if all goes well, could give the Cubs a run for the division title. In the end, I do think the Cubs are too deep to be surpassed by any of the other NL Central clubs. The curse of the Billy goat has to end sometime. Right?
Parting points: In case you haven’t caught on by now, yesterday was April Fools Day. Thus, my blog was not true. I am not going to become a Mets fan.
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