Talking Chicago Baseball

When The Sox Break Out Of This Slump

2011-05-04T18:00:00.001-05:00

Let's try a positive post for once.

When the Sox finally do break out of this monumental slump, how do we think its going to happen?

My best guess is that it will be quick. I expect it to come on the road, and to come against a halfway decent pitcher.

The Sox for whatever reason will start to see the ball better. The hard hit balls will find grass instead of gloves. The loopers will fall into holes instead of looking like weak pop outs. Runners in scoring position will actually feel like they might score.

It will be effortless. Everything will just click. And this team made of more than $125 million worth of talent will finally start looking like it.

But when will it happen?

For that, I have no answers. I don't even feel safe enough to make a guess.

The only thing I do know... it won't be Friday.

A fellow tweeter said to me, "I've never seen a matchup that a team is more likely to be no hit than actually win the game." And the sad thing is. He's absolutely right.

So maybe it'll be Saturday that the Sox break out. Maybe Sunday. Or next Sunday, or the one after that. But whenever it is, it's going to be something to see. We just have to hope the Sox can maintain it when the shift in mentality does come.

Names of Pitchers the Sox Have Lost To

2011-05-04T15:55:00.002-05:00

Here is a list of starting pitchers that have recorded wins against the Sox. I'll also post their record and ERA.

Justin Masterson 5-0, 2.25 ERA
Jered Weaver 6-1, 1.39 ERA
Tyler Chatwood 2-1, 4.94 ERA
Dan Haren 4-2, 1.76 ERA
David Price 3-3, 3.95 ERA
James Shields 2-1, 2.14 ERA
Wade David 3-2, 2.77 ERA
Justin Verlander 2-3, 3.75 ERA
Brad Penny 2-3 5.23 ERA
Max Scherzer 4-0 3.82 ERA
Bartolo Colon 2-1, 3.00 ERA
CC Sabathia 2-1, 2.68 ERA
Jake Arrieta 3-1, 5.01 ERA
Chris Tillman 1-2, 5.25 ERA
Zach Britton 5-1, 2.63 ERA
Francisco Liriano 2-4, 6.61 ERA (No Hitter)
Nick Blackburn 2-4, 4.41 ERA

If you take out wins against the Sox, the opposing starters have a 33-30 record. Take out the good pitchers (Haren, Sabathia, Weaver, and Shields) and the starters are 23-25.

Here are the starters the White Sox have beaten.

Fausto Carmona 3-3, 4.43 ERA
Carlos Carrasco 1-1, 4.97 ERA
David Price 3-3, 3.95 ERA
Jeff Niemann 1-2, 5.60 ERA
Jeff Niemann 1-2, 5.60 ERA (2 out of 3 Sox wins over a 12 day span were against Niemann)
A.J. Burnett 4-1, 3.93 ERA
Jeremy Guthrie 1-4, 3.00 ERA.

7 wins against starters. Only 1 has an ERA that's any good. 2 more have ERA's just under 4. And the other 4 wins are against pitchers that aren't good.

The Sox have a 7-17 record against opposing starters.

These are the guys you spend hours scouting. The guys you make the adjustments to face. The guys you get to face 3 or 4 times a game. And yet the Sox cannot figure out any of them.

Only Carmona and Niemann have the Sox truly cracked.

Pathetic and embarrassing. And I'm a fan. Imagine how Greg Walker must feel. Nevermind, he probably feels fine.

"If I'm not in the can with a team playing this poorly, I'm invincible."

Sox Lose, Have You Heard That Before?

2011-05-04T15:41:00.003-05:00

Well, we thought the Twinks were struggling. We thought this could be our chance. But a no hitter and a lapse in defense costs the Sox 2 games they could have really used.

Let's do an exercise. Everyone close your eyes. Make strong fists with both of your hands. Now Raise your hands above your head, shake them rapidly, and yell your 4 letter word of choice.

Feel any better? Yeah, me neither.

This team has sunk to new lows. The worst team in baseball comes in to your stadium. and what do the Sox greet them with, "Hey, we're the worst team in baseball. Not you. Jerks. And we're about to prove it to you."

The Sox have no chance in any game right now. Why? Because they don't think they can win. Pitchers know they must throw a perfect game to win, because it's the only way to upstage the other guy's no hitter. Hitters think a one run lead is a mountain. And they forget to play the field each and every inning.

There's no life. There's no will. There's no want. There's no need. We'll just keep losing and collecting our paychecks. And no one will be held accountable because everyone is so bad.

It's basically a labor strike. "You can't fire us all, you wont have anyone left."

And nothing is looking like it will change.

So soak it in Sox fans. These are your 2011 White Sox. And until someone does something different, out of the box, they'll be the same 2011 White Sox all year long.

No Words

2011-05-03T22:57:00.001-05:00

I can't even come up with a coherent sentence right now. I'm really that mad, embarrassed, disappointed, disgusted, I can go on all night.

So I leave you with one sentence tonight, and maybe I'll be able to expound on this travesty more tomorrow.

Fire Greg Walker. NOW!!!

The Only Thing Worse

2011-05-02T22:52:00.003-05:00

The only thing worse than the Sox are the Minnesota Twinks.

As bad as we know the Sox have been, amazingly the Twinks are actually playing worse than the Sox. The Twinks are on a 6 game skid. And are somehow a half game behind the Sox.

The Twinks are hitting .230. Sox? .240.

How about pitching? Twinks ERA 5.06. Sox? 4.44.

Suddenly you don't feel so bad about how the Sox are playing huh?

Well. Something has to give in this brief two game set on the South Side.

Tonight the Sox finally looked like a Major League Team. It's been more than a week (last Sunday) since the Twinks have looked any good.

Yet somehow, I have a feeling this will come back as an important series. If 1 team wins both games, it could be a huge jump off point. Would it surprise you if in September it's Sox vs. Twinks for the division title? Me neither.

So these are big games. Yes the Sox are playing poorly. Yes the Twinks are playing poorly. But these games count. These games are important. And these games could easily go a long wayu for whoever wins them.

The pitching matchups are pretty even. Struggling Liriano vs. struggling Edwin Jackson. Then tough luck Danks vs. struggling Nick Blackburn.

Either team can win both of these games. But the Sox actually seem to have the upper hand... somehow. I'm not exactly sure how, but they really do. Now let's just hope they can couple it into a pair of wins, and begin to turn this damn thing around.

An Embarrassment

2011-04-30T21:07:00.002-05:00

Chicago is a city that boasts a semifinal football team, a basketball team with a legitimate to win the title, and a hockey team that's defending champs and almost pulled a 0-3 upset in round one this year.

It's also home to the sorriest team Major League Baseball has. The White Sox have now lost 4 in a row. They've also dropped 15 of the last 19. Over that time that have been shut out 3 times, they've scored 1 or 2 runs in another 8 of these games. That's 11 games out of 19 they scored 2 or fewer. And just 2 that they've eclipsed 5. TWO.

I honestly feel bad for each and every Sox fan. Myself included. Each an every night we keep coming back. My friend (Alex922107 from Twitter) said it best, "I get the feeling the White Sox are like that ex girlfriend you know is bad for you but you keep going back to"

I feel bad for the coaches who probably have to feel about as hopeless as the fans.

I feel horrible for Kenny Williams and Jerry Reinsdorf who have given their "All" to make this team competitive.

I feel bad for anyone who has to cover this team for a living. Actually I feel bad for anyone who has anything to do with this sorry team.

The White Sox are NOT a poorly run organization. They have a great owner. They have a star General Manager. The manager is a World Series Champ and a one-of-a-kind baseball mind. I can go on and on.

But right now, the product on the field is letting everyone down. Not one person can be proud of being a part of the White Sox organization. No one.

So what to do? Well, at this time, nothing. I've been vocal about saying we need to fire a coach. Or send a player down. Or do do something else radical. But right now, I really don't think any of it would help.

The Sox are pathetic at three out of the four phases of the game of baseball. Hitting, Fielding, and Bullpen, all would are receiving flunking grades.

So right now, the only thing to do is wait it out. Hope that the law of averages will even everything out. Because you can't change everything, so the best thing might actually just be to change nothing.

Help A Brother Out

2011-04-27T20:54:00.002-05:00

Mark Buehrle was the 4th consecutive Sox starter to go out and throw an absolute gem against one of the most explosive offenses in the AL.

Yet not 1 of the starters has gotten more than 3 runs of support.

Even though the Sox have won 2 of those 4 games, they are going to need to start scoring some runs to relieve the pressure on these guys.

Hawk always talks about "pressure pitches" or a "pressure pitch count." When game are within 1 or 2 runs, every pitch is a pressure packed one. Same goes when your team is down.

Humber was awesome. But every single pitch he threw, he was in danger of losing the ballgame for his team. Same goes for Gavin.

For Buehrle and Danks, they doth threw a bad pitch early, and all of a sudden they have to be perfect from there on in, or else they have no chance (and in both their cases, even perfect wasn't enough).

Not hitting stinks. Obviously it's bad because it's hard to win games when you consistently put zeros on the board. But it's even worse because of the toll it puts on your pitching staff.

The Sox pitching is good. I mean real good. And they are going to be unbelievable when they can get some support. But if the offense keeps taxing them all like this, they are going to run out of gas soon...

And we all know what gas costs now a days.

Super Lilli

2011-04-26T22:12:00.003-05:00

I asked for someone to step up. And it came from the absolute most unlikely of all places.

Not only from one of the most unlikely players, but also in the craziest way.

I cannot ever think of a time where the player of the game is unquestionable a pinch runner. And not for his pinch running. And not for coming up with a big hit 3 innings after running. But for his defense. IN RIGHT FIELD.

Brent Lillibridge made not 1, but 2 game saving catches in right field. Instead of the E7's and the blown saves we've grown so accustomed, turned straight on it's head.

2 magnificent plays, and 2 consecutive saves from the same guy.

But what I loved most about the way this game ended, were the reactions of the White Sox players. Lilli punched the ground in excitement, AJ jumped like a 9 year old, Konerko even gave a big fist pump.

You finally saw some life in the eyes of the Sox. On the Konerko HR it looked like Quentin was going to pull a muscle with his fist pump.

The Sox looked like a team. They looked like they cared. They looked like they could see the light at the end of this poor play tunnel.

And it came at the hands of 2 huge defensive plays, 1 massive HR, and a whale of a pitching performance from Gavin Floyd.

That's the kind of game Sox fans were hoping they would get to see all year. And hopefully it's the first of many great wins.

Oh yeah, and all of this came on the biggest stage in baseball, at Yankee Stadium.

Tonight was fun... now let's keep it going.

Build on Last Night

2011-04-26T16:26:00.002-05:00

Tonight the Sox have a nice pitching match up. Gavin Floyd vs. Ivan Nova.

Nova has a 7.63 ERA this year and a 1-2 record.

The Sox have got to pick it up offensively if they want to win. Dunn looked much better last night, Konerko is still doing well, and Carlos is the best hitter on the team.

To start scoring more runs, the Sox are going to need one more guy to really step up. Pierre would be probably the perfect scenario, but I would really like to see Rios get going.

Alex is mired by a miserable 1 for 23 streak. But this is a guy who has the talent to have some success.

If Alex can somehow turn into a .300 hitter from this point forward, the Sox will finally have the potent middle of the lineup they had hoped for.

Tack on a bit more from Juan, Beckham, and Alexei, and the Sox will be right back on board where they were at the beginning of the year.

It seems to be slowly coming back. Dunn was the first one to get back on the horse, and now the rest need to get it going.

But if the offense doesn't come around, tonight's the night. Bulls Game 5 at 7, and I heard there's a big game another sport people care about around Chicago. I wouldn't know about it. But yeah, that's on at 9.

Go Sox, Go Bulls.

Wins A Win, But

2011-04-25T20:58:00.003-05:00

Winner winner chicken dinner. The Sox are back in the right column. But look what it took to get there.

It took a near no hitter from your 5th starter.

It took a nerve-racking 8th and 9th innings as you tested your new closer.

It took a double that was nearly caught, followed by 2 ground outs that could have been line outs.

But it all added up to a win.

Finally someone stepped up for this team. And that someone was Phil Humber.

But there are still major problems.

The Sox have still only scored 15 runs over their past 8 games. 9 of the 15 came in 1 win. The Sox still only got 5 hits in their 30 AB's.

They need to start hitting. NEED.

We'll take this one. And it might go a long way in discovering the eventual closer of this team. But we can't get too excited, and cannot even come close to thinking we've turned it around.

The pitching was there tonight. The defense was there tonight. The hitting was not. 2 out of 3 will win a lot of games. But when 1 phase will ALWAYS not be there, it's incredibly difficult to sustain.

The hitters have got to come around. That's the only way this team can get going.

Nice win today, but the lack of hitting is still a real problem.

Learn From the Past

2011-04-24T18:57:00.004-05:00

The White Sox are now 8-14. The record is a game worse than they were last year when they started off 8-13. Like last year, fans, blogs, and media called for the heads of everyone from Ozzie to Kenny, to Walk to Coop. And yet, nothing happened, the Sox got hot in the middle of June, and eventually climbed all the way into first.

But last year, the Sox ended up finishing the season in 2nd place with an 88-74 record and went into the offseason wanting to make changes.

A few changes were made. And the Sox declared themselves "All In" for the 2011 campaign.

Yet they have started out in a similar fashion, and will probably end up in the same place.

Unless... they do something about it.

The team is almost identical to last year. They couldn't hit, and the bullpen was shaky at best (though better last year than this one) Starting pitching is good, but no matter what they do, they can't get the help to win.

Game in and game out it's the same script. Give up a run, lose the game. the Sox are on a 20 inning scoreless streak. They have not held the lead AT ALL during 7 of the last 8 games.

Yet nothing changes. Ozzie is doing his best in mixing up the lineup. Pretty much everyone has had a shot, and yet nothing is happening.

So someone needs to step up. From a fan prospective, it would be nice to see something happen publicly. Send someone down, trade somebody, fire a coach, something.

But what is much more likely, and what really needs to happen, is someone needs to make a change behind the scenes. Someone has to step up.

The team needs something to hang their hats on. Everyone wear tighty whities instead of boxers. Show up to the building in suits. Bring in a prop that has some sort of meaning behind it, ridiculous or not. I don't know. JUST DO SOMETHING.

The Sox are now 5.5 games out of first. And just 4 games behind the team that just swept you. All is not lost. Sure the last 10 games have been crap. And yes, every single person's stats aren't where they'd like em.

So stop sitting back and taking like a (I'll hold off on the simile). And stand up and make a change.

Someone.

Anyone.

Not So "All In"

2011-04-20T20:56:00.003-05:00

The Sox slogan for 2011 is "All In." It means the Sox organization is going to give everything they have both monetarily and physically to bring the World Series back to Chicago.

But right now the Sox are playing the worst baseball in the league. They are actually playing some of the worst ball they've ever played under Ozzie Guillen.

Last season the Sox started off slow. They struggled from series to series, but the worst streak hey put together in the first 4 months was a 4 game losing streak.

They have currently dropped 7 straight. But as part of the 7 in a row, the Sox have not led in 5 straight. 49 straight innings without a lead.

All In? Got to make a change. I'm not talking about moving Adam Dunn to 5th in the lineup. I'm talking about something big. Something huge.

Obviously I'm calling for Greg Walker's head. But I would not be opposed to a trade, or a release of someone who most consider a part of the roster, or even as far as giving Guillen the axe.

I want something to shake things up. No, I don't want them to fire Ozzie, and nor have I ever. But they MUST do something. They cannot keep wilting away night in and night out.

Jerry Reinsdorf's pocket book is on the line right now. But what that really means, is that Kenny, Ozzie, and every guy wearing a Sox uniform is playing for their job this season.

"All In" means doing anything you can to win. ANYTHING. And as the Sox keep slipping, and doing nothing, the climb is getting tougher and tougher.

So prove you are really "All In" and do something. Or else this slogan will go down as the biggest sham since "These Kids Can Play."

**Note: They couldn't.**

Weather The Storm

2011-04-19T21:17:00.002-05:00

It's been a week since the Sox last won.

But unlike yesterday where I decided to spout off every sad stat I could find, today I'm going to talk about getting through this rough patch.

The Sox have been struggling in all phases of the game. But they have been able to put some phases together in certain situations. We've seen some good pitching, the bullpen has gotten better, and they are at least getting a few runs here and there.

The key right now is to try and weather this. Understand night in and night out that it's going to be a struggle. But that just 1 win can turn this thing around. If someone can come through with a big hit, or somebody can throw a gem even better than the one Danks put up tonight.

The Sox are only 7-10. They aren't 1-10. And they definitely aren't 40-60. The Sox are 5.5 games behind the streaking Indians. And 3.5 behind the Royals. But they are just a game back of the Tigers, and actually a game ahead of the Twinks.

So all is not lost right now. Adam Dunn has not been anything close to what he will eventually will be here. Jake Peavy still hasn't come back from Arizona. And the bullpen will NEVER have a stretch like that had in the first 12 games again (at least I hope).

Just get through this. The Rays are on fire. Just as they were cold as ice when these two teams met in Chicago. We took 3 out of 4 then, and let's just hope we can get 1 out of 4 here to even it up.

As I posted earlier, the Indians and Royals are not for real. It's all a figment of our imagination... well not really, but both will fall in the near future.

So the way the Central should look, and eventually will look, the Sox are right in the middle of the race. 1 behind the Tigers. 1 ahead of the Twinks. Just keep looking at that, and all will not be lost.

Oh yeah, they really do need to start hitting the ball.

Time For The Monthly Post

2011-04-18T20:01:00.002-05:00

FIRE GREG WALKER.

4 straight games the opposing starter has gotten the victory. 7 IP, 3R Friday, 7 IP, 1R Saturday, 6.1 IP 2R Sunday, 8 IP, 0R Monday.

The Sox have scored 2 runs in the first 6 innings of the past 4 games. They have 20 hits in the 28.1 innings the starters have pitched.

It's not just 1 or 2 guys that are struggling. It's 8. Only Carlos Quentin is doing anything at the plate. The rest of them look lost up there. Adam Dunn says, "I stink." And it wouldn't hurt the rest of the offense to go in on some deodorant with Dunn.

As is par for course with professional sports, you can't fire the players, you have to look at coaches and managers. And the first person to blame is, and has always been, Greg Walker.

The man preaches power to the pull side. The exact opposite of what the manager of the same team calls for. He obviously has ZERO idea how to teach players to bunt, as EVERY guy not only can't do it, but also bunts the ball the wrong way every time.

He also wants people to go after pitcher's early in counts. In a world in which 100 pitches pretty much automatically means the pitcher comes out, 6+ pitch AB's are at a premium in this league. The Sox did this the first 9 games of the year. Now they don't.

They are back to the solo HR or bust mentality. And the person to blame is the hitting coach.

It's time for this bum to go. He is handed heaps of talent year in and year out, and they under preform EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

So if you are truly "All-In", there's no more time to waste. Shed the crap, and bring in someone who has a clue. Greg Walker does not do his job, and hasn't for 8 years. So get him out of here. And then maybe this team can start winning.

The Royals And Indians

2011-04-17T17:43:00.002-05:00

These two teams are not good.

Yes, I know they have a combined 21-9 record. And I know that the Royals are the best hitting team in baseball and the Indians are 3rd (the Sox are 2nd). Oh yeah, and the Indians are 4th in the AL in pitching, Royals 6th.

But let's look at how they are doing this.

I'll start with Cleveland.

Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin are a combined 6-0 with ERA's of 1.33 and 2.75. Closer Chris Perez has 5 saves in 5 opps and has allowed only 2 hits in 7.1 IP. Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis Hafner have 4 HR's a piece. And, Orlando Cabrera has 11 RBI.

Great start to the season for all of them. But if you project these numbers over 162 games, every single number I just posted is at least 30% better than any of their BEST year in the bigs.

Now to the Royals.

Wilson Betemit, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Jeff Francoeur are all hitting better than .325. Only Billy Butler has ever had a season over .305 and Gordon and Francoeur have never eclipsed .300.

The Royals have 6 pitchers with a WHIP of 1.11 or lower. 2 of these are under 1.00. But the fact that 4 of the 6 are 1st or 2nd year pitchers with no more than 60 IP under their belt, would lead the normal prognosticator to expect the league to catch up, and those numbers to balloon in the near future.

I haven't even mentioned yet that Jeff Francis and Bruce Chen have ERA's at 3.00 or lower. Chen's career ERA is 4.59 and Francis' is 4.72.

Sure, both of these teams have had solid starts to the year. And yeah, they are both playing great ball right now. But I would still be willing to bet that neither makes it to 75 wins. And I would not find it to be a long shot bet to say that 1 doesn't even make it to 70.

The Twins are 5-10 and are hitting .235 as a team.

Things will change. Believe me... things WILL change.

Sox Woes Can Be Blamed On Many

2011-04-17T17:34:00.003-05:00

The Sox have now lost 4 straight and 5 of 6 and it's been because of many varying reasons. There have been bullpen collapses, starting pitching problems, lack of hitting, fielding, and it goes on and on.

This is a tough scenario. Normally you can look at a team and say, if we just catch the ball we'll win. Or, if the starting pitching comes along a little bit, this will turn around.

But with this team, it doesn't look like that.

The Sox need to start over. Forget about the first 15 games. Forget about the bullpen problems or the multitude of E7's or the inability to get clutch hits late.

Think about the future and think about beating the Rays. We all know the Sox can beat the Rays. They've done it 3 out of 4 already. But the way the two teams were playing then is substantially different than now.

So the Sox have to regroup. Look at this series as the first one. I know it's tough to do, but it's really the only way to fix ALL the issues we've seen thus far.

The standings are in complete disarray right now. And a couple wins can take the Sox from 3rd place to first.

The Sox have seen all 4 pitchers the Rays are throwing at them this week. So go to work, and right this ship now.

With Russell Clearly Out, Who is in?

2011-04-13T13:15:00.002-05:00

Last night Mike Quade and Jim Hendry realized what the rest of us already knew, James Russell isn't a starting pitcher. Sure, it took a bullpen crippling outing, but the Cubs never were good about knowing their own personnel.

With that over, its time to figure out who is actually going to fill in the fifth starter slot while Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner heal from their injuries.

Sean Marshall

The Cubs' best setup man also happens to be a pretty decent starting pitcher. Marshall spent a good portion of his younger days (see 2007-2009) as a fill in starting pitcher, and always did a decent job. Of all the in house options, he's the best, but it isn't the no-brainer decision it appears to be.

If Marshall were to move to the rotation, the bullpen would take a big hit. Marshall is the team's best left handed setup guy, and also the second best relief pitcher on the team. John Grabow would become to go to lefty at the end of games, which is a disaster waiting to happen.

Marshall also had a tendency to get injured when he was starting, and the last thing the Cubs need is more injured pitchers.

Despite some concerns, Marshall is a somewhat proven commodity as a starter, with a 4.86 ERA in 59 career starts. Not numbers that will blow anyone away, but better than bringing in an over the hill body from AAA.

Ramon Ortiz and Doug Davis

These two will work in AAA Iowa for a couple of weeks in an attempt to see if there is anything less in the tank. Ortiz has thrown 30 innings since 2008, all of them last year with the Dodgers, and all of them bad. He has a career ERA+ of 91, and at age 37, isn't likely to leave Iowa this season.

Davis just signed two days ago, and probably won't be ready until mid-May. Better for the Cubs anyway, since Davis looked like he was done last season. Before multiple health issues last year, Davis did put together six decent seasons for the Brewers and Diamondbacks. He has a career ERA+ of 104, but his best days are clearly behind him.

Ortiz won't make it out of AAA this season, but I think Davis will eventually make a start or two for the Cubs. Just not anytime soon. For now, its best to forget these two are even around.

Jay Jackson

Perhaps the closest thing to a MLB ready prospect, Jackson would probably be in the Cubs rotation right now if he was healthy. Sadly, he is still in Mesa rehabbing a sore elbow. Once he gets healthy though, Jackson could move quickly to Chicago. He has youth and upside, which beats the heck out of watching Doug Davis eat innings.

Thomas Diamond

The guy we all know is going to join the rotation soon. Diamond made three starts last season for the Cubs, and predictably didn't fare so well. Still, he is stretched out, and has something resembling MLB experience.

In two starts this season for the I-Cubs, Diamond has allowed 11 earned runs in seven and a third innings. Good for a 13.50 ERA, which means he is still an upgrade over whatever James Russell did last night.

Cubs Travel to Houston

2011-04-11T10:42:00.003-05:00

In theory, the Cubs series against the Astros should be one of the few times this season that the Cubs are the better team. For all their faults, the Cubs aren't close to the hot mess that Houston is. The Astros boast a terrible lineup, both on paper and in real life. To make matters worse, they will play this season without their young catcher Jason Castro, who tore his ACL in spring training.

The Cubs are coming off a tough series loss in Milwaukee, while the Astros just finished losing two of three to the Florida Marlins.

In game one, the Cubs will send Ryan Dempster out to face Houston's fifth starter Nelson Figueroa. Dempster will be making his third start of the season, and is still looking for his first quality outing. He couldn't command his pitches on opening day, and in his second start he gave up a number of extra base hits to a weak Diamondbacks lineup.

Considering the Cubs' current problems in the back of the rotation, they really need Dempster to have a long, quality outing tonight. The bullpen is going to be asked to do a lot tomorrow, and Mike Quade had to use four guys on Sunday after Casey Coleman went only five innings.

Against a weak lineup full of right handed hitters, Demspter shouldn't have too much trouble.

The Cubs offense should enjoy an easy night as well. The Reds lineup (admittedly, they are in a different class) scored six runs against Figueroa in his first start of the season. He's a fly-ball pitcher facing a team that tends to be feast or famine with the home run ball.

This would be a good night for Carlos Pena to get on track, and given the way Starlin Castro, Marlon Byrd, and Aramis have been hitting lately, there should be more than one chance for Pena to drive in some runs tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Quade found a place for Tyler Colvin as well, as this is the kind of pitcher he should have success against.

The next two days could be real problematic for the Cubs, so tonight's game is especially important. The Cubs' number one pitcher against the Astros' number five. Hopefully Ryan Dempster turns in his first quality start of the season tonight, and the Cubs get back to .500 (even if its just for one day).

Why 0-6 Scares Me

2011-04-08T13:09:00.002-05:00

With the loss yesterday to the Sox, the Rays are now 0 for their first 6. Yet this team still scares me.

Why you may ask? And the answer is quite simple. They have to win sometime. And with a pitching staff as talented as the Rays have, they are going to be tough beat every night. No matter what their record is right now.

Tonight us James Shields and John Danks. On paper it's almost 100% even. But in reality I think the Sox are dogs.

In Vegas the Sox are -160. Which in baseball terms means you are solid favorite.

To win tonight the Sox are going too need to keep the bats going. Even better than yesterday. And this is a tall task against someone as solid as Shields.

Someday in the near future the Rays are going to bust out offensively. I just really hope it's later than sooner.

Unfortunately I have a feeling tonight might be that night. Let's just hope the Sox can counter with some solid offense of their own.

Bullpen Woes Must End

2011-04-07T18:51:00.002-05:00

Though today Edwin Jackson handled the Rays almost completely by himself, the Sox bullpen will be a huge factor in the team's success moving forward.

Thus far the bullpen has lost 1 game, blown another that the offense gave to them, and took a 2-1 deficit to 7-1 in the blink of an eye.

Before today's scoreless inning by Sergio, the Sox were ranked 2nd to last in bullpen ERA. 6.95 was the damage. The Santos inning brought it down to 6.64, good for 27 in the league.

Pena, Ohman, and Humber have been the worst, but Sale, Thornton, and Crain won't be let off the hook. Without the dominance of Serg, the Sox bullpen ERA would be just a touch under 9.00.

I have no doubt that Crain, Thornton, and Sale will be alright. It's Ohman, Humber, and Pena that concern me.

None of these guys have even remotely looked good. Ohman claims it's a "funk." We'll have to see. Pena was brutal last year, and I highly doubt he gets any better. And Humber is young, inexperienced, and seemingly now lacking confidence.

The Sox called up Jeff Gray today, which may help, but they have got to get this turned around soon, or this is not going to be a fun year.

Lack of Fundamental Bunting Costing Sox

2011-04-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

In 3 games, the Sox have attempted 2 sacrifice bunts. 1 went for a triple play, and the other went for a force out at third. In other words, both failed miserably.

And the sad thing is, both times the bunter (Morel and Ramirez) pushed the ball the wrong way.

There are two scenarios in which a player is called to sac bunt. The first is with a man only on first, the second is with a man on second or first and second.

Sacrifice bunting 101 goes as follows.

Man on first, trying to move him to second, you bunt the ball to first. Why? Because it makes the first baseman catch the ball, the second baseman have to cover first, leaving only the shortstop to cover second. If done properly, there is no way the first baseman can pick up the ball and throw it to the second baseman to force out the lead runner.

Man on second (or first on second), you bunt the ball to third. Why? Because it makes the third baseman field the ball and have to throw to the first baseman (or second baseman if both charge) leaving no one at third base to force out the lead runner. The "wheel play" is designed to have the shortstop cover third, but it is not commonly run, and when it is, it works maybe 1 out of 10.

You would think, with a bunt-happy manager, bunting fundamentals would be drilled into the heads of the White Sox. You would also think that players who have played baseball for 15+ years would know these fundamentals.

But the Sox seemingly don't.

And I don't get it. When I was a young buck, at age 16, as a freshman in high school, I was taught these fundamentals. They have stuck with me ever since, and after hearing the explanations (which I said earlier), it has really become a hot button item for me when major league players do not follow them.

The Sox has 2 chances to put more runs on the board in this series. Saturday it didn't matter. Today, it may have cost the Sox their third straight win. If Alexei gets the bunt down (to the third baseman), the Sox have men on second and third with 1 out. Vizquel (1 for 1 at the time, and eventually singled in the next AB), would have had a great chance to extend the Sox lead.

The game changes at 2-0 or 3-0. It probably gets Masterson out an inning earlier, and Danks is afforded a cushion of more than a run when he approached 100 pitches.

Not guaranteeing the Sox win this game if the bunt was successful, but I know they would have been in better shape. And I'm positive they will need to start bunting fundamentally if they want to win in the future.

You Asked For A Hot Start

2011-04-02T18:14:00.003-05:00

2 games into the season the Sox are 2-0. And 2 games into the season, we already have beat writers talking 5-0 or better.

With one more with the Indians (which very well might get rained out), and then a quick two gamer in Kansas City. It's not unlikely to think the South Siders can be 5-0.

Taking it one step further, the Sox have great pitching matchups in each game of the next 3.

John Danks vs. Justin Masterson
Gavin Floyd vs. Luke Hochevar
Mark Buehrle vs. Jeff Francis

All 3 are not only favorable, but VERY favorable.

Just keep hitting, and this team is easily 5-0 when returning home for the opener.

Ozzie wanted to sell tickets by winning, and winning early. They've done a great job of it thus far, but need to stay focused.

Even though it looks like the Sox should be able to keep on with the hot start, they have got to keep doing the things they have been. A problem in the past has been not being able to beat the Indians and the Royals. And that means every game, including the third one of a series.

Bear down tomorrow and let's get to 3-0. then we'll worry about 4,5,6 and hopefully many more on from there.

Stay Healthy Carlos

2011-04-02T18:07:00.002-05:00

The Sox win again in large part due to the torrid pace Carlos Quentin has started the season on.

Quentin has 7 RBI on 3 doubles, 1 homerun and 1 single. His hitting .625 and his slugging percentage is 1.375.

Carlos was killing the baseball in Spring where he hit .328 with 5 homers.

Quentin is a streaky hitter, but many of the shifts in streak have been based on his health.

If Quentin can stay healthy, there is no reason why this guy can't be a key piece of the puzzle that is the 2011 Sox. With a healthy, hitting, Quentin, along with Dunn, Konerko, and the way Beckham has started, the 8 runs the Sox scored this afternoon may become more of a norm than a surprise.

This team has surprised many with the number of runs they've scored, and their near unbeatable look on the field. But the way the Sox are playing can easily continue as long as they keep working counts, using the entire field, and have a healthy Carlos Quentin.

Sox Hitting or Indians Pitching?

2011-04-01T20:10:00.002-05:00

In the first 4 innings of baseball this afternoon the Sox dropped a 14 spot on the Indians. The question is, was this because of good Sox hitting or bad pitching from Carmona and Germano?

The answer for me is overwhelmingly good White Sox hitting.

In the past, the Sox have been a team that can put runs on the board. Crooked numbers have never been an anomaly on the South Side. But the way the Sox did it today was a little different.

Starting in the first inning. Pierre saw 5 pitches before singling on an 0-2 count. Beckham saw 7 pitches before doubling with a 1-2 count. Dunn struck out, but saw 6 pitches. Konerko singled after seeing 6 pitches and a 2 strike count. And finally Quentin singled after 6 pitches and a 2 strike count.

Four 2-strike hits. Two 2 strike RBI's. 36 pitches in the first inning. Carmona was not struggling. The Sox were just making him work.

The 3rd inning, the Sox did it again. By the end of the 3rd, Carmona had thrown 75 pitches.

That is what led to the explosive 8 run fourth. Carmona was far from bad today. And that's why he was in there for so long. The Sox just wore him out. And eventually got to him in a big way.

Eight 2-strike hits in total, and the Sox were 9 for 15 with RISP.

That's winning baseball, and a sign of an offense that might be potent.

2011 American League Predictions

2011-04-01T12:13:00.005-05:00

With Opening Day officially upon us, there couldn't be a better day than today to give my predictions for the 2011 season. I will add W-L records on the teams, but I have not done the math to make sure they all check out.

So here they are...

American League Central

Chicago White Sox 91-71
Detroit Tigers - 84-78
Minnesota Twins 81-81
Cleveland Indians 74-88
Kansas City Royals 58-104

Hard to not be a homer here, but I really think the Sox have what it takes this year. The All-In strategy is a pressure-packed one, but also a very good one. The pitching staff is very good (and great with Peavy), the bullpen is solid, and the lineup should be able to put some runs on the board with consistency. 91 wins actually is a little lower than what I think this team is capable of, but with the way I see the season playing out, the Sox shouldn't need too many in late September, so the win total will not be where it could be.

I'm not a fan of the Twins this year. Yes they have a good lineup, but the pitching staff is not good. Liriano is always good, but hurt almost as often as Peavy. From there, Pavano is the next best. If Pavano was on the White Sox (with Peavy healthy), he's not in the starting rotation, and I'm not sure he's even on the Major League roster. The Tigers are good, but are not well-rounded enough to compete for 162. And the Royals are terrible.

American League West

Los Angeles Angels 93-69
Texas Rangers 88-74
Oakland A's 84-78
Seattle Mariners 70-92

I like the Angels a lot this season, but picking them to win is more based on the subtractions the Rangers have made. The two most valuable players on the Rangers last year were Vlad Guerrero and Cliff Lee. Lee is now in Philly and Vlad is in Baltimore. Quite frankly, the pitching is not good enough for Texas to hold off LA. Also, I love the Vernon Wells addition.

The A's are getting better. The Mariners are not.

American League East

Boston Red Sox 97-65
New York Yankees 97-65
Baltimore Orioles 84-78
Tampa Bay Rays 78-84
Toronto Blue Jays 64-98

Yeah, a tie. Is it a cop out? Maybe. But at least I put one team over the other. The Red Sox are better, but the Yankees are still really really good. Both teams are going to be incredibly tough to beat, but the Red Sox additions of Gonzalez and Crawford will make the difference.

AL Wild Card

Red Sox over White Sox
Yankees over Angels

AL Championship
Red Sox over Yankees

World Series
Red Sox over Phillies

Nothing too outrageous in the playoff predictions. There is a clear divide of good teams and bad teams in baseball this year. About 8 teams are good, and the rest are not. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies are also in a class of their own above the teams I consider good.

Six Things Sure to Happen This Season: Cubs

2011-03-31T20:19:00.002-05:00

Things are looking terribly mediocre on the North Side this season. Average lineup, decent starting pitching, and a bullpen. Enough to win around 80 games, which will keep us somewhat interested until the third week of August.

Here are six predictions for the 2011 Cubs.

1. Carlos Zambrano will have better numbers than Matt Garza

Garza's rough spring probably doesn't matter, but it is hard to ignore entirely. Jim Hendry gave up quite a bit to bring in Garza, and expectations are high. That hasn't worked well for new Cubs in the past. I'm not predicting total disaster from Garza this season, but the typical "new Cub" bad start wouldn't shock me one bit.

Meanwhile Big Z has been very quiet all spring. No declaration of an imminent Cy Young (though he did claim to be cured of anger), and no World Series promises. With Opening Day duties in Ryan Dempster's hands this season, and with Garza being the new guy in town, the spotlight is focused elsewhere for now. I'm just crazy enough to think that Zambrano turns in brilliant season because of that.

2. Tyler Colvin won't be heard from much

Granted, I predicted Colvin wouldn't be on the team in May last season, so take this with a giant grain of salt. Still, Fukudome is in a contract year, and Colvin was quietly very average last season. If Carlos Pena can provide consistent left-handed power, and Fukudome takes well to the leadoff role, Colvin won't have many at-bats coming his way.

Plus, super-prospect Brett Jackson will be in need of an outfield spot at some point.

3. The Cubs are going to have one of the best bullpens in baseball

Forget for a moment that John Grabow is a total waste (he'll be on the infamous fake DL within a month) and that Jeff Samardzija is inexplicably around still. Carlos Marmol is one of the best closers in baseball, despite his stress inducing walk filled innings. Sean Marshall emerged as a beast, and Kerry Wood found himself in again in New York last year.

If James Russell can become a useful LOOGY, or if somebody from AAA comes up and proves capable (a somewhat likely bet) the Cubs will be able to protect plenty of leads this season. They just have to get them...

4. The offense is going to be bad

Sure, there will be a fair share of days when the lineup cranks out multiple home runs. There are going to be more days where the strikeouts pile up, and runs just don't come. Just too much feast or famine in the lineup.

But boy, that one week when Aramis and Soriano are both white-hot at the same time, it's going to be real fun.

5. Marlon Byrd is on another team in July

Byrd is a solid player with a very friendly contract. There are always plenty of teams in need of outfield help at the trade deadline, and Byrd can play all three positions. Plus, he's a good hitter. Hendry will move him, preferably with a large contract, which will open up the outfield for Brett Jackson.

6. This will be Jim Hendry's final season in Chicago

I think it all comes down to Matt Garza. If he has a rough season, Hendry is done. Even if Garza is just average, Hendry is done.

With the roster at a major crossroad this next off season, Jim Hendry needs a big season to keep his job for another year.

Spring Training Opener: Quick Thoughts

2011-02-28T19:53:00.002-06:00

Of course this was just the first game of Spring, and it is still February, but baseball is officially back. And this guy couldn't be happier.

The Sox did fall in the Spring opener, but there was actually quite a bit of positive that came out of this two hour and 24 minute affair.

Here are some quick thoughts from the game.

Gavin Floyd was right on the money. 6 outs in 6 pitches. Pretty good.
Will Ohman, same. 3 pitches, 3 outs.
Have to like the way Jordan Danks kicked off Spring. For a guy who is unlikely to make it onto the team, it's nice to see him not wasting time to make an impression. (He doubled in his first AB)
Tony Pena got battered around. TCB is the leading site in the "Anyone but Pena" campaign for the long reliever spot on the 25-man roster. Today was a good start.
Only 1 error from the starters. It was Beckham on a throw. Camp Cora has hopefully done it's job. Usually teams tons of errors at the beginning of Spring. (LA had 4)
The Sox are running. Lillibridge stole a base, and Pierre tried to steal third. Love to see them on the move right from the get-go.

Though it was a loss, it was nice to see the South Siders back on the field, and they actually played pretty well, despite falling 6-5.

Buehrle, Santos, Thornton, Crain, and Sale will all pitch tomorrow. Don't you wish every game was on MLB Network. I know I do.

But just these 9 innings today has the smell of Spring in the air, and I cannot wait for 32 days from now.

Sox The Team To Beat? Rios Thinks So

2011-02-22T19:35:00.002-06:00

Alex Rios made a pretty strong declaration that he believed he Sox were the best in the division. And quite frankly, I think they are the team to beat as well.

The Sox offseason was highlighted by the addition of Adam Dunn, but was also incredibly well rounded as they return Pierzynski and Konerko as well as add Will Ohman and Jesse Crain.

Meanwhile the Twinks pretty much stood pat and the Tigers added Victor Martinez, but didn't do much else. Minnesota expects the return of Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau to take them to the next level. The Tigers did make their move, but adding a player like Martinez is not enough to lift a team like Detroit from where they were last year to a real contender this season.

The Sox have the best lineup they have had in many years, and the pitching staff (both starters and bullpen) is among the best in the American League.

The Twinks are going to continue being the team to beat in the Central because they always seem to find a way. But that's nit to say the Sox can't beat them. And if there is a team hat can do it, it's likely this one.

There's still a long way to go even before the season starts, but on paper, I really don't see how this team is not the best in the division.

Viciedo Should Play 3rd And Only 3rd

2011-02-21T22:23:00.002-06:00

In an article by ESPN Ozzie claims he will try Dayan Viciedo in the outfield in order to try and get him more ABs.

Personally, I am not a fan of this idea. Much like they have done with Beckham and Alexei, the Sox are planning on jut moving this kid around randomly to wherever he can get he most at bats playing. But Dayan is not the same as Bacon or Ramirez. The latter pair are freak athletes who can play any position you stick them at on a baseball field. Viciedo is more of a hitting star. You can't simply stick this guy anywhere and expect him to succeed.

The thought process on him needs to be third base or bust. If Dayan cannot beat out Brent Morel, then theres no reason to worry about getting him extra at bats.

Spring Training should be quite simple. Its a three man race. Viciedo, Morel, and Teahan. The winner plays third, and Teahan is a utility defender/off ay replacement. This is of course assuming that Teahan will not win he battle, because we all know that he really is not very good.

Whoever is better plays third.

Players often make the personnel decisions themselves. One will come out victorious. They always do. And if it is truly a tie, then is a heck of a problem to have.

Just don't move guys around to make them fit. Even through it worked quite nicely with both Beckham and Ramirez, you can't kee pressing that luck.

Let them battle it out. And the best man will win.

Sox Say No Pujols

2011-02-21T19:32:00.002-06:00

Albert Pujols will surely be the most prized commodity on the free agent market if he does indeed decide to hold off on negotiations wi the Cardinals. But the Sox and Kenny Williams say they will not be in on the bidding if Pujols is indeed available during the next offseason.

Kenny says he doesn't expect to have the money to pull Albert off anyway, but says if Jerry were indeed to give him the 30 million it may take, he would use it on a multitude of players rather than pursuing just one.

I can't say I disagree with Kenny on this. But, I just don't believe Kenny really means this. Now I don't think the Sox will be serious players in the Pujols sweepstakes, but I do think that if the right opportunity arose that Kenny would not shy away from spending a huge hunk of money on a single player.

When Williams, Reinsdorf, and Guillen get their minds set on something, it usually happens... no matter the cost.

If someone who was worth that much could take the Sox from a contender to a favorite, you better believe the Sox would make that move. But when it comes to Pujols he just doesn't fit. Konerko is the 1B Dunn is he DH, and neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon. Nor are either cheap.

So while I do think the Sox would be willing t dish out the cash on a single player if the shoe fits, I truely believe Kenny when he says the Sox will be no where near the possible frenzy that is sure to ensue this coming winter.

But dont think that means this blog is immune to "The Decision" part two. Cause the North Siders are definitely going to be a huge player if Pujols is indeed available.

No Need To Rush Peavy

2011-02-19T15:11:00.002-06:00

Jake Peavy's health will obviously be a critical part of he success of the White Sox this season. Most of the articles that I read on Peavy talk about his progress and his hope to return to the rotation in April. But what a lot of people think about the time able on Peavy's return is not right.

The Sox start the season on Friday April 1st in Cleveland. They play 3 there before traveling to Kansas City. But there is an off day between the first and second series of the year. What does this do? Well, it gives Peavy an extra 4 days before he is first needed. Here, let me spell it out.

April 1 - Buehrle
April 2 - Floyd
April 3 - Danks
April 4 - Off Day
April 5 - Jackson
April 6 - Buehrle
April 7 - Floyd
April 8 - Danks
April 9 - Peavy

Even if Peavy is ready to start for the 5th game of he season, I wouldn't do it. The Sox have to be very careful with him this whole year. Maybe skip a start here and there. But the easiest thing to do is work around off days. This season is slightly different than many as the Sox only have 2 off days in April. But there are two at the beginning of May. If you model the rotation correctly, there no harm in skipping Peavy when you see off days.

I'd love to see Jake back in the rotation as early as possible, but they have got to be smart about it. Chris Sale will benefit this team a lot more in the bullpen than he will rotation as the staff sits now. So Peavy's health has to be of utmost importance to Ozzie and Kenny.

Breaking Down the Alexei Deal

2011-02-01T14:48:00.003-06:00

The Sox and Alexei Ramirez agreed to a 4 year deal worth $32.5 million with a team option of $10 million for the fifth year. Never are these deals broken down evenly over the 4 years, but for those of you who struggle with mathematics, it's around $8.1 million a year.

Now this is not cheap for a guy who is expected to hit 9th in the Sox lineup, but it also can look like a steal when you look at Alexei as the reigning Silver Slugger and a true candidate for a Gold Glove next year and beyond.

Let's take the time to compare him to some other players at his position.

Tigers Jhonny Perralta makes just short of $5 million per year.
Red Sox Marco Scutaro just over $5 million.
Phillies Jimmy Rollins makes $8.5 million.
Yankees Derek Jeter, $22.6 million.

Alexei is certainly more talented than the first two, and definitely more talented than most of the guys I left off this list that also make less than him.

Comparing him to Jimmy Rollins is tough. Rollins has won an MVP, 3 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and has been to All Star Games. Meanwhile Alexei has just his Silver Slugger and a second place showing in the 2008 ROY running. But their career numbers are astoundingly similar. Rollins .272 AVG, 17HR, 72RBI, .328 OBP per year to Alexei's .283 AVG, 20HR, 79RBI, and .321 OBP.

Is Alexei going to turn into Jimmy Rollins? I don't know, but there's no doubt he's on pace to at least be close.

But the question remains, is your ninth place hitter worth $8+ million a year?

Alexei now ranks in as the 6th highest paid player on the White Sox, which seems a little high to be hitting that low in the order.

But the fact is, Alexei is the perfect fit for the projected White Sox style of baseball. He hits for power, average, has speed, unbelievable defensive ability, and he's a spark plug. He's everything Ozzie and Kenny can ask for in a ball player.

$8 million dollars worth? I think yes. And I can't wait to see him continue to prove how good he's going to be as he gains more and more big league experience.

Pressure, Pressure, Pressure

2011-01-29T16:11:00.003-06:00

The term "All-In" is one the White Sox have used all offseason to describe how important this season will be. Sox management, from the Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, to GM Kenny Williams, to manager Ozzie Guillen, has made it clear that this is the year. They have emptied the wallets and they believe the time to win is now.

And while they have all the right to use the slogan, the organization has to be careful of the amount of pressure this will surely put on the players.

The term "All-In" originated from a game I hold very dear to my heart (despite not being so good at it), No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Certainly it was used before the World Series of Poker, but never did it become as popular a saying as it is now until ESPN decided to start broadcasting the event. In poker, when you are "All-In" you have all of your chips at stake. You win that hand, or you go home.

The White Sox have a few of the necessary principles. They certainly have all their money "in." It may very well be their last chance with a number of these players. But is it really fair to say this is it. That if the Sox don't "win" (are we talking the Central, AL, World Series?) that they will blow the team up and start over?

I just really doubt that. Too many people are locked up for too long to take one stab at it and then quit.

I will say though, this is a critical year for the Sox. They do have a lot invested in this season. But that's where this pressure that I'm so concerned about keeps coming in.

The Sox are begging fans to buy tickets. Pleading to the players to start hot so the tickets sell themselves. Even changing the way the back end of Spring Training will work, most likely to bring more excitement to the ballparks in Arizona.

I believe this team is good. I think they have the chance to be great. But the magnitude of saying you are "All-In" simply frightens me. Young players don't always take well to the win or go home home scenario. Players tend to seize up and play tense instead of the loose fun brand of ball Ozzie loves.

So my message to the Sox organization is this. Relax. You have a good ballclub. A good pitching staff, a solid bullpen, a team that can hit, field, and run. So just calm down. Let the guys go do what they should.

Maybe it's a ploy to sell tickets. Tell the fans that the organization truly needs them (which they actually do). And it may work. But the toll it could take on the players if the slogan "All-In" keeps up could simply be too much.

Hopefully it's just an offseason pump-up term. But, my fear is that it's as stuck as "The Kids Can Play." And we all know how that went.

Welcome to the New TCB

2011-01-29T15:49:00.005-06:00

Over the past year and a half or so the founders of TalkingChicagoBaseball have learned a lot. In this time we joined a blog network, left the blog network, copied our posts onto another blog, had a live podcast, wrote about the Bulls, Fire, Olympics, NCAA football and basketball, and for a few months completely shut down TCB to write for another site.

Though we had some minor successes with each of our escapades, we have decided to go back to our bread and butter. Our site, our rules, on our time. TCB will be run solely by the three founders of the original TalkingChicagoBaseball.com. We design the site, and we control the content on the site.

Back to basics. Simple, easy to read, timely, heavily-biased coverage of the Cubs and Sox. You won't get any fluff about other Chicago teams, or constant links trying to get you to read other blogs on our "network."

Just us. Justin, Ken, and Greg. That's all.

The same guys who run the Twitter (@TalkChiBaseball) that has continued to flourish through all of this. The same guys who hopefully make you laugh; make you think; make you call yourself, your friends, or any of us idiots. The same guys who have all graduated with varying levels of Journalism degrees, who just want to keep writing... on their own time... for their own entertainment (and hopefully yours too).

So welcome to the new TCB. The design has changed, but the content, the writers, and the domain have not.

Welcome back! Sorry we were "gone" for so long.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-21T07:39:00.000-05:00

Hope you are all enjoying the new site, I know some links on the sidebar don't work right now. I'll have them fixed tomorrow afternoon. Go ahead and join up the forums too, where I'll put any extra stuff I have.

Cubs win tonight in a pretty dramatic game while the Sox fall to the Royals.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Milton suspended for season. Reaction from players. More.

Premature Cardinal celebrations. In brief. On deck.

Peavy feeling fine after start. Hudson to start vs. Twins.

Royals squeak by. Sox in brief. Struggle with math. On deck.

Cubs Win Despite Dirty Play by Cardinals

2009-09-21T00:41:00.000-05:00

Going into the bottom of the ninth I fully expected the Cardinals to win on their third walkoff in as many days, but the baseball gods had other thoughts after Matt Holliday's dirty slide almost ended the game in the ninth. Ryan Ludwick hit a double play ball to Andres Blanco, Blanco tossed to Theriot who made a bad throw to Derrek Lee signaling the end of the game. However the second base umpire ruled that Holliday was out of the basepath and that the runner at first was out.

This meant the game would continue and the Cubs were able to win in the 11th on a two-run homer by Jake Fox, no doubt a shot at St. Louis from the baseball gods. The Cubs added another run on a wild pitch by Brad Thompson to make it 6-3. Carlos Marmol came in and worked a perfect ninth to end the game and keep the Cardinals magic number at 4.

Carlos Zambrano came out and had a dynamite start on the same day fellow whipping boy Milton Bradley ended his Cubs career. Z went out and threw six innings of five hit two run ball. He did walk three, but struck out six, an effort that deserved a win. Still the Cubs bullpen didn't feel like giving Z a win as Kevin Gregg came in a blew the game for the seventh time of the season.

Sean Marshall allowed a hit to the only batter he faced and needed Aaron Heilman to bail him out before giving way to Esmilian Caridid. Caridad is close to clinching a spot in the bullpen next season, and hopefully gets a start before the season ends so we can see his entire repertoire.

One final note about the Cardinals. No doubt they are a good team, but manager Tony LaRussa's act is really bothering me at this point. Tony flipped out after Z grazed Brendan Ryan with a pitch early in the game dropping a few F-bombs and stalking around the dugout. I know LaRussa and the Cardinals consider Z to be only a notch above the devil, but he really needs to cool it. Z didn't even come close to purposely hitting Ryan and LaRussa didn't need to overreact like that.

Good, fun win tonight. Next up is another series against the Brewers, this time in Milwaukee. I'll have a preview up in the morning.

Milton Bradley Suspended for Season

2009-09-20T16:35:00.003-05:00

With this Milton Bradley's season, and most likely his Cubs career have come to an end. Jim Hendry sent Milton home and seems fed up with some comments Milton made to the media yesterday regarding the team being negative and him not enjoying his time here.

Honestly this doesn't shock me, and I can't really defend Milton's latest comments if the organization doesn't like them. I think a lot of what he said is true, especially since he's been baited by the media, but I can understand the Cubs being pissed off. Sadly this means Milton will be playing elsewhere next season, and most likely the Cubs will get nothing more than a David Patton-like prospect.

To those that hate Bradley, congratulations you've succeed in running him out of town. Enjoy Micah Hoffpauir in right field next season. I fully admit Milton has been a disappointment this season, but he could have flourished next season. He isn't the reason this team struggled and he shouldn't be the scapegoat the media is making him. Oh well, it's too bad Hendry will overreact this offseason, but I do admit Milton brings a lot of this onto itself.

Recap up after the loss and sweep tonight.

The Cubs Seem To Know Samardzija isn't Good

2009-09-20T11:00:00.002-05:00

The season is winding down and any playoff hopes being long gone, it seems like 2010 preparations should be made. That means giving some guys who might help in the future more playing time, giving some pitching prospects a start or two, and shutting down some banged up veterans. Why is it that the Cubs are doing none of that?

The main case here is former top prospect Jeff Samardzija. The Shark has been discussed by me quite a bit not only for how disappointing he's been this season in AAA and the majors, but also for the way the Cubs seem to jerk him around. They make him a relief pitcher in the big leagues, then have him start in the minors. His development suggests that he's better off in the bullpen, but his salary and expectations demand he start. What I don't understand is why the Cubs aren't having him start a couple times before the season is over. I've already written at length about this, but the choice still boggles my mind. Why call him up if he's just going to mop up in blowouts?

Now don't confuse my desire to see Samardzija start with my thinking he's going to be successful, I just think he needs to be given the chance to start a few times so the Cubs know why his future his. Recently though I've started to think the Cubs already know what they are going to do with him, and he isn't in the future plans much. Tom Gorzelanny is taking over the slot that Rich Harden occupied, and Lou mentioned that Esmilian Caridad was his second choice to get a start.

This Sun-Times article barely even references Samardzija other than to say "They Cubs also want to find a spot start for Jeff Samardzija". For a guy who is supposed to be the future of the rotation, it sure seems like the Cubs don't care for him very much. I think all involved realize that Samardzija will probably never develop enough pitches to become a real major league starter, and that his control issues prevent him from ever being a dominant reliable reliever.

With a number of strong pitching prospects moving up the organization, Samardzija will soon be just another failed Cubs prospect, albeit one who was given quite a bit of money. The organization will look bad for giving so much money to a guy simply because of his local roots and big name. All will look worse, and the real shame of it is Samardzija would have been a perfect guy to trade this past offseason had he lacked a no-trade clause. Perhaps he can be convinced to waive it this winter and be moved in some sort of deal while he still has a hint of value.

Mid-Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-20T10:27:00.002-05:00

Cubs lose on another walkoff for St. Louis, the Sox win in Jake Peavy's debut.

Cubs lose. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Big Z! No excuses. Smokies lose in playoffs.

Milton Bradley doesn't like Chicago. Personally I don't blame him.

Normally I don't link Phil Rogers, but this Ryno piece is interesting.

Carrasco waiting to get in rotation. Ears aren't working. Sox in Brief.

A good start for next season. Offense erupts for Peavy.

DeRo open to returning. Almost finished. Cubs in Brief.

Matt Holliday's Walk Off Homer Beats Cubs

2009-09-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

There really isn't any other way to say it. Tonight the Cubs received the typical great start from Ted Lilly who worked 7 2/3 innings of 2-run ball before being pulled. The offense came out and scored two runs in the first inning, things looked really good.

A funny thing happened though, Lou Piniella tempted the fates one too many times. First by bringing in Kevin Gregg to face Albert Pujols, and then by bringing in Aaron Heilman to face Matt Holliday. Gregg was able to get Pujols to hit a grounder to shortstop, but Heilman wasn't as successful. He last one batter, Matt Holliday, who lifted a walk off homer to right field. Game over, Lou pays for using his two worst relief pitchers to the two best hitters the Cardinals have.

I'll give Ted Lilly tons of credit, he was awesome tonight and has always been great against St. Louis. His ability to dominate that lineup should give Phillies fans lots of hope should they meet the Cards in the playoffs. Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are both better left handed pitchers than Ted, and both are looming. That should give St. Louis fans nightmares.

The offense did a good job in the first inning, or more realistically Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez were good. They combined with Kosuke Fukudome to hit three doubles in a row, scoring the only two Cubs runs of the day. It looked good then, but John Smoltz overcame some major fastball issues to pitch a really good game. The Cards bullpen was solid today too aided a bit by our favorite shortstop.

Ryan Theriot went 2-5 today. That was the good. He struck out three times and was picked off first in the ninth to end the inning. That was the bad. Theriot also misplayed a grounder late in the game, something that didn't matter in the outcome but was still frustrating. Not only is Theriot a bad fielder, but his baserunning has become down right horrific and cost his team the game tonight.

No links in the morning, early tailgate and all. They will be back Sunday morning. Enjoy the game tomorrow, though I would advise some college football watching instead.

Cubs-Cards Preview: Try and Not Get Swept

2009-09-18T09:58:00.002-05:00

This morning's links post was the 500th post in TCB history. Kind of blew off that meaningless milestone, I'll have to invent something better for 1,000.

The Cubs move down I-55 to take on bitter rival St. Louis in a series that at one point was supposed to mean something but now is just an excuse for Cardinal fans to mock me. I would really prefer the Cubs not get swept, but with the way the Cardinals moved their rotation around for us it doesn't look good.

Friday- Ted Lilly (12-8 3.05) vs. John Smoltz (3-6 6.53)

This represents the Cubs best chance to win as noted badass and Cardinal beater Ted Lilly faces off against an old retread who has a bum shoulder. Ted is continuing his effort to lower his season ERA below 3, though he hasn't been quite as good on the road. Still Ted has been pretty good about shutting down the Cardinals lineup since coming to the Cubs. This also serves as an important game for St. Louis because Ted is a preview of the Cliff Lee-Cole Hamels monster looming in the playoffs.

Smoltz came to St. Louis and made two solid starts before struggling his last few outings and having shoulder issues. For some reason this game represents a lot for Cardinal fans and that pressure falls on Smoltz's shoulder. That bum shoulder. If his control isn't there the Cubs can go nuts, if it is we might have some issues.

Saturday- Ryan Dempster (10-8 3.84) vs. Chris Carpenter (16-4 2.45)

Dempster had his best outing of the season against the Brewers this week and led to me praising him. Hopefully he has just as good of stuff this time out against a lineup where he can be victimized with his bad control. He has started three times against the Cardinals this season and hasn't earned a win yet. Interesting stat the Cubs made up- Dempster and Smoltz are the only two pitchers to have 3 straight 20-save seasons followed by two 10 win starting seasons.

Chris Carpenter is still defying his arm issues and pitching this late into the season, though his arm did look tired when he got lit up last start. Rather than give him some extra rest with the division in hand, the Cards are calling on him to try and beat their rivals. Hopefully we can beat him up some more and see if he is really able to last until mid-October.

Sunday- Carlos Zambrano (8-6 3.94) vs. Adam Wainwright (18-8 2.59)

Big Z has had great success against the Cardinals before but the last few years the wheels have fallen off. He still gets lots of them out, and has been good against Pujols when not giving up homers to him. Big Z is really having a tough season with the media and his own head, I would recommend Andres Blanco starting at short this game to prevent Theriot from pissing off Z.

Adam Wainwright is a Cy Young possibility who is coming off a real tough loss. Wainwright is being given the start on the big stage, a stage he already dominated the Cubs on once this year. Really I see no way the Cubs win this game, but hopefully they can take a hit to his ERA. He won't win the Cy Young anyway while Tim Lincecum is still in the NL.

Hitters to watch

Albert Pujols- .333/.450/.689/1.139 47 HR 127 RBI 197 OPS+

There really isn't much to say about Pujols. He's a great hitter who is having his best season ever, however allow me instead to give some perspective. Last night we were thinking about how you would pitch to Albert in the playoffs and the point was made that he makes more outs than get does get on base. A very true point, but in a four year stretch from 2001 to 2004 Barry Bonds didn't do that, in fact 18 times in baseball history that hasn't happened. 18 times, wow.

Matt Holliday- .311/.389/.522/.910 23 HR 102 RBI 143 OPS+

Holliday is the piece that the Cardinal fans really wanted and he is producing. He has been hitting the crap out of the ball and protecting Pujols in the lineup. He is also a free agent after this season and will most likely be taking big money from the Red Sox or Yankees.

This series is going to be an ass kicking for the ages. The Cardinals are a better team than the Cubs and have their two best pitchers going. The Cubs will be lucky to win one game, and will likely get swept away. At least they can't clinch.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-18T07:49:00.000-05:00

Cubs and Sox both lose making the already dead playoff hopes even more dead. Fun times.

Cubs lose. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Harden done for 09? He says no. Cubs need to improve defense.

Ceremony for medal recipients. Bradley leaves early with bad knee.

Cubs embark to face Cards. Lou wants staff back. Dunston blocks sale.

Peavy trade not defined by this year. AJ gets better. Rare Sox feats.

Sox AA team having nice season. Ozzie pissed. Sox time running out.

Floyd missing next start. Shut down? Buehrle might get shut down.

Lou's bad day. Strange postgame locker room.

More on Ozzie's anger. Recap. On deck. Ozzie promises lineup changes.

Prospects get a start? Recap. Next up Cards. More on Milton. Will we ever win.

Just Pathetic Sox, Pathetic

2009-09-17T22:56:00.003-05:00

There is a perfect example of why this is not the year for the Sox. A game is there to win, Sox choke it away. A series is there to win, Sox choke it away. 2 games are there to be gained, Sox choke it away.

In the last 6 games the Sox have had an opportunity to pick up 4 games on the Tigers. In those days, the Sox end up picking up 0. 4 of 6 was not unfathomable on this trip. 4.5 games back (and even less if they really wanted to) is not insurmountable. But 6.5 with this few games left leaves the Sox all but a 6 game sweep from moving on this year.

Peavy back Saturday. No Grienke. Twinks vs. Tigers. This is a must sweep. I should be giving up hope, but I'm not.

Cubs Lose in a Strange, Strange Game

2009-09-17T17:54:00.002-05:00

It seems like any time the Cubs are about to head out on the road something bizarre happens at Wrigley Field. Today we reached yet another boiling point for the season in the Cubs 7-4 loss to the Brewers. Randy Wells took the start today and was back to his dumb pitching ways, he took an at-bat off against Dave Bush and it resulted in a Jody Gerut grand slam.

Not that it really was Well's fault to begin with since his season should be over like Rich Harden's is. Wells is nearly 50 innings over his career high innings total and his pitching has fallen off because his arm has never been used this much. The rookie of the year is gone thanks to his recent string of crap starts anyway, so the Cubs have no excuse to keep him active. If they really want him to pitch some more then he can move to the bullpen and get a couple more appearances.

The offense was actually not terrible today, Micah Hoffpauir had a two run double to make the game 5-4, but when the pitching sucks the offense doesn't always matter. I'd get up in arms about not scoring any runs and not beating up on Dave Bush, who is a bad pitcher, but Mike Fontenot and Jeff Baker both started today. Koyie Hill was the catcher. These aren't names of great offense performance. It was getaway day so I don't blame Lou for resting some big guys.

The cause of the postgame hysteria in the media was Milton Bradley leaving the game after getting a hit in the sixth inning. Milton felt something in his knee and didn't want to hurt himself further. Naturally the media (see Paul Sullivan) made this the focus of the game and attacked Milton in the locker room with questions. Once again the media makes Milton the story when other things are going on.

Next up is St. Louis, who has a magic number of 8 right now. They can't clinch this weekend but they can sure come close. They shuffled their rotation so that Smoltz, Wainwright, and Carpenter face us. Nice to know they care that much. I'll have a preview up in the morning for what is sure to be a disaster.

Rich Harden The Mystery Continues

2009-09-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

After yet another problematic start for Rich Harden last night his impending free agent contract took another hit. This time his three inning 78 pitch effort probably cost him a three year deal, and possibly even a two year one. I maintain that the Cubs should shut Harden down for the rest of the season, the guy isn’t capable of pitching effectively large amount of innings. That is the evil you accept when you take Harden on your team, and an evil that looks more and more like the Cubs problem everyday.

At this point it would be irresponsible for Harden to turn down arbitration from the Cubs. It would give Harden another one-year contract at about $10 million. Harden and his agent may want to go out and get more money, but considering the way Harden has pitched this season staying with the Cubs might be the best move. The question is do the Cubs also want to continue with Harden?

I consider pitchers like Harden to be poison to a team. When he is throwing strikes there isn’t a better pitcher in the game, his changeup is unhittable and his fastball blows hitters away. He racks up strikeouts and pitches, but his stuff is so effective that nobody really cares. The problem is when Harden doesn’t have control. The fastball looks more hittable, the changeup sneaks up in the zone, and that solo homer he gives up in the third inning turns into a three run homer because of walks. Starts like last night kill a bullpen, and put unnecessary pressure on the other starting pitchers to go longer into games.

Is there a magic formula to prevent Harden from having too many of those three inning outings? I have an idea or two, starting with the fact that Harden needs to be on the DL a lot. Notice how his issues come after he goes through the rotation five or six times in a row. His arm gets tired and his control goes away. Perhaps putting Rich on the DL after he makes more than 10 consecutive starts gives his arm the rest it needs. Maybe those DL stints need to happen more often and for more than just 15 days.

Of course that previous paragraph is the reason why a lot of teams want to stay away from guys like Harden. Pitching is the most important thing in baseball, starting pitching is impossibly hard to come by and asking a team to assemble a five man rotation is hard enough let alone having to have a backup starter because one of your rotation guys isn’t capable of handling the grind of pitching every fifth day.

I really do think Rich Harden has value to any team in baseball, he is capable of wonderful things on the mound, and his love of cold weather (no joke) is especially beneficial if you think you are going to play late into October. I just don't know how many other teams in baseball are prepared to pony up big cash for a player who they can't rely on. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe there is a team out there stupid enough to give Harden a big time contract even after watching his arm crumble in September. In the end, I think Rich will be back here again next season playing on another one year contract, and giving me nightmares half the season while making me want to see him more the other half.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-17T07:45:00.001-05:00

Cubs fall to the Brewers on Rich Harden's worst start as a Cub. The Sox fall to the Mariners in Seattle. I'll have Cubs recaps back up again tomorrow.

Cubs lose. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Z thing blowing over. So Taguchi called up. Soriano reflects on surgery.

Bartolo Colon is out. Floyd leaves early. AJ and Garcia nearing milestones.

Mesa feeling pressure to keep Cubs. Sandberg's ejection last night.

Fuld update. RBI History. Official rule for Soto. Big Z lessons. Injury updates.

Fields done guessing future. Ozzie looking ahead. Beckham making strides.

Sniff and a whiff. Cubs recap. In brief.

In brief. Fundamental shift. Today at Mariners.

Possible Trade Opportunities For the Cubs This Offseason

2009-09-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

The papers have been overflowing with trade rumors about the Cubs this coming winter, mostly revolving around two players- Carlos Zambrano and Milton Bradley. It has gotten to the point where I believe Milton Bradley is all but gone, something I don't agree with but have come to accept as a reality. I'm not discussing the trading of Zambrano again until I have to, just remember I don't like the idea of it.

Instead I want to look at some players the Cubs could consider trading for this offseason in an effort to improve the team without closing the current championship window. I will concede right now that most of these trades won't happen, but all of them come as a result of real rumors.

Idea 1: Trade for Jose Reyes

The Mets owner is broke, the Mets need to get some good young talent into their system, and the Mets don't have the money to give Reyes a big contract. Reyes is a free agent after next season, and the Mets might want to max out his value this offseason. The Cubs make a good match for the Mets I think, we need a real shortstop that can steal bases and play the position, they need young players.

I would build a package around Josh Vitters and Jay Jackson. Vitters can learn to play first for the Mets and fill their first base need within 2 years, Jackson is about a half season away from being a major league ready starter. I would throw in Ryan Theriot to fill the Mets SS hole and perhaps Sean Marshall as well. This provides each team with what they want- Vitters and Jackson are young talents and top prospects, Theriot can already play in the big leagues along with Marshall who can either start or go into the bullpen.

Idea 2: Trade for BJ Upton

The Rays have a ton of young talent in the majors and minors. Tops among that talent (or near the top) is outfielder Desmond Jennings who can run really fast, hit really well, take walks, and play defense. Jennings is about ready to break into the major leagues meaning that the Rays have to make some room. BJ Upton has had some issues with Rays management this season, and his performance at the plate has been less than stellar, still he has immense talent and plays a dynamite centerfield.

The problem here is that the Cubs and Rays don't match up that well as trade partners. The Rays have tons of young talent and no money, meaning they probably won't be able to make a deal, but I'll try anyway. Again I start with Vitters- he would move to first and take Carlos Pena's spot after the 2010 season when Pena is a free agent. The Rays could use some pitchers for their bullpen- Sean Marshall and/or Angel Guzman might do it, and then I would include some lower prospects too. Would the Rays take that deal? Who knows but Upton brings a nice speed/power element to the Cubs.

Idea 3- Trade for Curtis Granderson

The Tigers are in a bit of a hard place with Magglio Ordonez's 2010 option vesting the other night. They are on the hook for a lot of money next season and need some middle infield help. Granderson is having a tough season and in the midst of a slump meaning his value isn't the highest, but he is probably the most tradable player as far as value.

An Angel Guzman, Ryan Theriot, and Jeff Baker package is probably too much fringe major league and not enough talent. Perhaps Marshall and Vitters instead would give the Tigers talent, but wouldn't provide the major league middle infielders that the Tigers want. Either way Granderson would be the fifth hitter that Lou wants, hitting for power and having some speed too.

Any other trade ideas? As you can see I'm focused mostly on getting rid of Theriot, Marshall, and Vitters. Theriot has worn out his welcome in my baseball world even if the Cubs somehow think he is good. Marshall clearly isn't valued highly by the Cubs, but other organizations probably like his stuff and the fact that he could be a solid starter. Vitters has struggled with his promotion to High-A and has shown no ability to take a walk (sound familiar Corey Patterson fans?). He still has lots of value and the Cubs should take advantage of that before other teams see this fatal flaw.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-16T07:40:00.002-05:00

Cubs and Sox both win. Low playoff chances remain on both sides of town.- I'll add Sox links when I wake up.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Soriano has successful surgery, out for season. Reed wants to come back.

Schedule mania on both sides of town. Cubs. Sox. 5 key Cubs series. Sox.

Peavy to pitch Saturday. Tough decisions looming for Sox.

Trade Z? Looking ahead. Survey of parks. Fuld injured. No-Trade Clause.

Floyd pleased with progress. No hitting means no hope.

Cubs want more innings from Harden. In Brief. Z could be moved.

When You're Wrong, You're Wrong: Ryan Dumpster Edition

2009-09-15T23:50:00.001-05:00

I thought about waiting another start or two from my favorite Dumpster before writing this so it didn't seem like a reaction to one start. However I realized that pretty much I've judged Dempster on a start to start basis all season so it's only fitting that I write this now and then take it back in five days when he gets shelled by St. Louis, heck the reason I don't like Dempster is based on one start last October (and his time as Ryan Dumpster: Chicago Cubs closer).

This past offseason the Cubs signed Ryan Dempster to a four year deal worth $52 million. I hated the deal at first, but understood it as a necessary evil. Dempster was coming off a career year which just happened to be his contract season, and there was a lot of luck involved in his season (.288 BABIP, .61 HR/9). Still the Cubs couldn't just let a starter like Dempster walk away and a portion of this contract was a reward for his loyalty to the Cubs.

It looks like, despite some questionable starts, Dempster has shown that he didn't have a fluke season last year. His ERA is 3.84, his ERA+ is 114, and his 2009 performance would be worth $13 million on the open market. Considering that his salary is only eight million this year, big win for the Cubs. I can safely say that for this season, and given his remaining commitment to his fitness (something he has slacked on in the past), the rest of his contract Dempster will be a solid pitcher for the Cubs. I was wrong.

This doesn't mean I won't be here after his next start whining about his long counts, walks, and amazing ability to suck. Dempster has proved to be a reliable starter who effectively eats up innings and does it without being truly awful (Livan Hernandez style). I still have an issue with how his DL stint was handled, and why he was there to begin with, but that has more to do with the media than Dempster himself. Be happy Cubs fans we were able to turn a marginal reliever into a reliable starting pitcher. Not too bad for a scrap heap pickup coming off Tommy John Surgery.

Peavy to Start Saturday

2009-09-15T19:36:00.002-05:00

Funny thing is that a post with this name already exists on this site, but this time I think it's actually real. Peavy will pitch this Saturday against the Royals.

I expect him to be on a real tight leash. Somewhere around 75-80 pitch limit wouldn't surprise me. but if I'm the Sox, I unleash him. Let him try and go as far as he can without a set pitch limit.

I'd love to see him go out and be great to give us some peace of mind for next year. There are still a lot of people out there that think he isn't going to be able to pitch in the Cell, or even in the AL as a whole. I don't think we have any shot of getting back in this thing this year, but it would be awfully nice to go into next season knowing we have two aces instead of just the one.

Cubs 2010 Schedule Released

2009-09-15T17:31:00.002-05:00

Insert "wait till next year" joke here. Now that we have that out of the way, let's look at the 2010 Cubs schedule also known as the road to redemption. It starts on the road in Atlanta and then on to Cincinnati for week one, I like starting the season on the road because that means one less week of bad weather at Wrigley. Of course I'd prefer the first month of baseball be played in domes and below-St. Louis cities. Cold weather baseball games at the start of the season just cause injuries.

The home opener is against the Brewers, a homestand that also includes a series against the Astros. All told major league baseball was kind enough to give the Cubs 16 games against the Reds and 15 against the Pirates. How kind of them.

Living in Cardinal territory those are always must circle series, especially the random early season one that sets bragging rights for a while. This year it doesn't start until the last weekend of May, meaning this weekend will be the last Cubs-Cardinals series I get to share with the lovely "best fans in baseball". There are two series in the last month with the Cardinals- one in each park- that very well could determine the division.

Finally the Cubs-Sox series are both on the weekend again. At Wrigley June 11-13, and at the Cell June 25-27. Allow we to propose a new way of doing this, because quite frankly this is boring to me. Put all six games right in a row, starting Tuesday and going to Sunday. Alternate home parks each night, and but the DH at Wrigley while having the pitchers bat at US Cellular. This way Cubs-Sox has some new life, goes for one intense week, and then is done. Alternating home parks each night isn't hard to do, since they are right down the street from each other.

A Quick Look at the Sox 2010 Schedule

2009-09-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

The Sox will start the 2010 campaign at home playing the Indians and Twinks for 3 each. They then travel north to the Rogers Center for the Blue Jays home opener followed by 3 more with Toronto.

From the looks of it June has a chance for the Sox to make a real run. 9 straight at home against the Rangers, Indians, and Tigers to start the month, then 3 at Wrigley, and 6 in Washington and Florida. Sox then return home for 6 against the Braves and Cubs before finishing the month with 3 in Kansas City. That's going to be a critical month for the Sox to get hot and take control of the division.

Similar to this year the Sox have a brutal stretch to start the month of September. At Cleveland, Boston, and Detroit for 10 road games in 11 days. Right after that trip will be a homestand against the entire division except Cleveland before the Sox head west as they are doing right now this year.

All in all, the schedule looks similar to the one we saw this year. It's going to be critical for the Sox to get off to a good start and make a run and have a nice lead by the break. The month of September is going to be rough, as it always seems to, so the Sox need to have a nice little lead going in. The Interleague schedule looks good with road games in Pittsburgh and Washington and home games against the Marlins and Braves. We are still a long way from that, but I expect good things out of the Sox early. Can't wait.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-15T07:50:00.001-05:00

Cubs start a 4 game series against the Brewers with a win while the Sox enjoy a day off. Bad news though because the Tigers had a comeback win to extend their division lead. The Cardinals won to put their magic number at 10. As long as the Cubs keep winning we can stave off elimination this weekend.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Soriano preparing for going under the knife. Eyeing 2010.

Quick hits. Big Z No-No. In Brief.

Minor league players of the year. Cubs MVP. Talking with Fuld.

Tribune mailbags. Cubs and Sox.

Rios "can get you fired". Hudson's rapid rise. Getz thrives in shadow.

Ryan Dempster Dominates, Cubs Beat Brewers

2009-09-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

For all the crap I give Ryan Dempster (could be another "I was wrong" coming) he was really good tonight. He had his best start of the season allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out four over eight solid innings. It earned Ryan his 10th win of the season in a 2-0 Cubs win.

The offense was just about as bad as could be expected, but a Derrek Lee homer in the fourth and a Kosuke Fukudome sac fly in the eighth provided Dempster with all the support he needed tonight. Still there is some things we learn for next year from games like this. For example Ryan Theriot should be a backup, he did take a walk tonight but was 0-2 and is now hitting .179 this month. He doesn't have the stamina to play a full major league season. Also be sure to pay attention the the situations with Fukudome and Jeff Baker, who both are experiencing some tough times themselves.

A guy who didn't have a tough day was closer Carlos Marmol. Lou named him the 2010 closer and he was able to notch his 13th save despite not having control of his fastball. Bottom line is Marmol continues to get the job done and isn't serving up homers like Kevin Gregg was. That alone makes him the 2010 favorite, though I won't be upset if we go out and try to sign a free agent closer to set-up Marmol.

Even with the team safely out of playoff contention it's really fun to watch the Cubs win games, especially against the Brewers. Notching our third winning season in a row would be a tremendous accomplishment for the Cubs, even if expectations were higher.

A Year Ago Today: The Carlos Zambrano No-Hitter

2009-09-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

With the way the Cubs season has gone it's time to forget 2009 for a few minutes and remember Big Z's no hitter. 365 days ago Z came off the DL to start a game against the Houston Astros in Milwaukee. The game was in Miller Park because Houston was playing host to a hurricane.

Z answered any and all questions about his health for one night. He finished the game with a line of 9IP 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 10K. He dazzled the Astros hitters and had his sinker working like it never has been before. Complete MLB coverage is here, and the video of every out here.

Take five minutes and enjoy the greatest moment in the career of one of the best Cubs pitchers ever, and easily the best Cubs pitcher most of us will ever see. With any luck we will get to see Big Z toss another no-hitter or two before he retires.

Cubs-Brewers Preview: Keep the Magic Number Above 6

2009-09-14T10:17:00.002-05:00

The headline tells you the mission for the week, the Cardinals magic number is 11 right now. Next weekend we meet in St. Louis for a three game series which is expected to clinch the NL Central for the Redbirds. That is why the Cubs need to keep the magic number at 7 going into Friday. The Cards play three against the Marlins while the Cubs have four against the Brewers. Winning 3 of 4 assures us of not having to watch the Redbirds celebrate on our watch.

Monday- Ryan Dempster (9-8 4.03) vs. Jeff Suppan (6-9 5.05)

Dempster looks to get his 10th win of the season against a lineup that he is very familiar with. Dempster had some issues in May with the Brewers hitters (Ryan Braun) who really just overreacted to Dempster being bad at controlling his pitches. The key for Dempster remains to throw strikes with his fastball to setup his slider and split-finger. Ryan didn't have good stuff last time out against the Pirates, but was able to get the win because of a seven run first inning.

Jeff Suppan was the opening day starter for the pitching starved Brewers and has been bad all season. He really isn't that good and has the control problems that the Cubs hitters love to face. Patience and getting the big hit or two should lead to Suppan getting beat pretty good.

Tuesday- Carlos Zambrano (8-6 3.77) vs. Yovani Gallardo (12-11 3.59)

Big Z has been back to getting lots of outs and not giving up runs again. He appears fully recovered from his back injury and shouldn't be limited in his innings. Z has been taken out after six innings his last two starts and didn't like it, Lou promised he can throw 200 pitches in this start. Let's just hope he doesn't need that if he goes all nine innings.

Gallardo is a great pitcher that will be around for a long time, but he is currently on innings watch. Usually Gallardo struggles with his pitch count and that is something (like I keep saying) the Cubs can exploit. The problem is Gallardo has such good stuff that he gets out of it more often than not. Expect this to be the lowest scoring game of the series and more than likely become a battle of crappy bullpens.

Wednesday- Rich Harden (9-8 4.04) vs. Braden Looper (12-6 4.77)

Harden is back in a stretch of bad pitching, and this tends to happen after he makes too many starts in a row. The Cubs should think about skipping him a start or four rather than have him injure his arm going into free agency. I expect Harden to get hit pretty hard by the Brewers in this start, and probably not make it to the fifth inning again. His control is leaving him again, meaning bad news for the bullpen.

Looper is gone away from the magic Dave Duncan cure for crappy relief pitchers that makes them respectable starting pitchers. He isn't a good pitcher, he can't throw strikes and the Cubs owe him about 20 runs scored after he pulled some shutdown games against us last season. Expect lots of runs in this game from both teams because neither pitcher is very good.

Thursday- Randy Wells (10-8 2.96) vs. Dave Bush (4-7 5.85)

Randy fell victim to a number of bad defensive plays last time out, most of them involving a certain shortstop who may or may not be my least favorite player. Randy was still getting lots of grounders that should have been outs, but whatever it happens. I still want him shut down for the season soon, but the Cubs seem not to care. Sort of refreshing in the midst of some downright strange Joba Rules, but I would rather we not tempt the fates here.

Dave Bush is clearly not a very good pitcher at all. The Cubs should crush him.

Hitters to watch

Prince Fielder- .301/.411/.595/1.006 39 HR 126 RBI 162 OPS+

Prince has become the second best hitter in the National League this season. He hits for sick power still, but now takes more walks and gets more hits too. He is enjoying his best season ever and certainly is a cornerstone to build around. The Brewers pitching is the only reason he isn't among the MVP favorites this season.

Ryan Braun- .308/.377/.547/.924 29 HR 99 RBI 140 OPS+

Braun is the quickest player to 100 career homers ever. He is a great hitter and an imposing force at the plate. He isn't quite as good as Prince, but don't let that fool you. With Braun and Prince the Brewers have a fearsome 3-4 that may be the best in the NL. Braun is also a bad fielder and a douche, his bug-eyes bother me and his little homer stunt in May against Ryan Dempster was one of the more douchy things I've ever seen.

Cubs need to take three of four, I think they can do it. Pitching always favors us, and hopefully the offense gets just enough runs to win the games. Keep that magic number at or above 7.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-14T07:44:00.002-05:00

The Cubs win and take a series from the Reds while the Sox lose their series against the Angels. The Tigers ended their losing streak at the wrong time for the Sox, putting them six back.

Good news first. The Cubs AA Smokies won their best of 5 series 3-1 today.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Soriano to have surgery this week. No more leadoff. Open competition.

Starters give Cubs chance. Johnson frustrated. Brewers preview.

Peavy has best bullpen session. Ozzie doesn't want to be counted out.

Ozzie looking for big bats. Lou wants more from 5 spot.

Lilly keeps the faith. Soriano taken care of Tuesday.

Peavy starting against Royals. Rios says not pressing. Not looking good.

Was That Angels Series Good?

2009-09-13T22:04:00.002-05:00

My initial inclination would be to say no because the Sox are in the exact same place we were in before the series started, and we are running out of time. But in the same right, the Sox played the Angels on the road while the Tigers and Twins each played bad teams at home.

So now the E# is 14 with 18 games remaining on the schedule. There are 6 opportunities where the Sox have control of their destiny, but they still have a huge hill to climb.

I'm sticking with we are in huge trouble, but I'm refusing to give up until at least the end of the first Tigers series. I would like to see the number of games behind at 3 or 4 by that time, but I'm really afraid it will be something like 5 or 6, so it looks bleak. But with 6 head-to-head games left, I'm not calling it quits yet.

Oh yeah, and someone tell the Twins to just go away.

Ted Lilly and Derrek Lee are at it Again

2009-09-13T17:28:00.002-05:00

For the third time in a row Ted Lilly has had a start assisted by a Derrek Lee homer. It was Ted's 12th win of the season and another brilliant Wrigley Field effort for the best pitcher in the history of the world. Ted's ERA is now down to 3.05 on the season which is right behind Randy Wells 2.94 for the team lead. For Derrek it was his 32nd homer and his 97th RBI. He is having a very good season and remains the lone bright spot on an offense that quite frankly sucks. Had Derrek had this season in 2007 or 2008 he would have won the NL MVP award, oh well perhaps he can steal a vote or two anyway.

Most of the rest of the offense is in 2010 audition mode. The audition is really being aced by light-hitting Andres Blanco whose defense alone should earn him a spot on the team, but his bat showed up today making me hope it becomes more of a trend. Blanco had three hits and two RBI today while playing more solid defense at shortstop. I think that it's safe to say Blanco will be backup infielder next season, his bat isn't close to good enough to start at second or short which is too bad because the upgrade over Theriot on defense would be awesome.

Koyie Hill is also cinching his spot on the team next season, Geovany Soto has been improving lately and is the starter, but Hill is a very capable backup. I think he should go back to Sunday duty instead of splitting time this season, but I doubt Lou does that simply as a way to reward Koyie for his strong play.

One bullpen guy who is looking more and more like a 2010 guy is Esmilian Caridad. So much so that I have to learn how to spell his first name. Caridad had another solid inning of relief today allowing only one hit in his inning. Cardid is a control pitcher, which would be a welcome sight for the Cubs walk-heavy pen. Kevin Gregg had a perfect inning with two strikeouts, but hopefully he will not be part of the 2010 bullpen.

The Cubs and Reds are done playing this season now, the Cubs won the season series 10-5. The Reds have a number of good young players and pitchers, but as long as rusty Dusty is in charge it isn't going to work out. Next up is a home series against the Brewers, look for the preview tomorrow morning.

Sox Give Golden Opportunity the Golden Shower

2009-09-11T23:29:00.003-05:00

What a chance this was. To take the leap into second place and find yourself just 5 games back with 11 games before the first Tiger series. But not on this day say the the White Sox.

Instead they were out classed in every facet of the game and further proved why they do not belong on the same field as good teams.

I continue to get my hopes up about this team because I know the talent they have, I know ho good they could be, and most importantly, I know how much the Tigers and Twins do not want to win this division. But every time they have an opportunity to take a huge positive stride, they play a terrible game. Every chance it looks like they can pressure the teams ahead of them, they instantly relieve that pressure and prove to the rest of the division why they are not over .500.

I don't like to keep looking back, but had the Sox won just 1 or 2 more games during that brutal road trip, or won tonight, or the one against the A's, they would be right in the middle of this thing. If the Sox were .500, they would be 5 games out of first place, 1 game over, you're 4 games out, but no. The Sox continue to stumble over their own feet, and look like a team who doesn't belong each and every time they head to the road.

If at any point they put together a 5 game win streak from here on out, they will be within 2 or 3 games of the Tigers (closer if 3 of the 5 are against them), but we all know, every time the situation arises, they won't get it done. Pitching match ups, history, streaks can all be in the Sox favor, but when they absolutely need a win, they just can't seem to figure out a way to get one. I'm not going to give up yet because the Tigers refuse to let me do that, but this team wants to die, the AL Central is just not letting them do it.

Peavy Situation Starting to Get Ridiculous

2009-09-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

He's ready to go, I just can't tell you when he will go says Don Cooper. I don't get it. He pitched fine in the bullpen session today, fine in the last one, he says he's ready to go, Coop say he's ready to go, let him go.

But they are afraid to do it, and I have a sneaking suspicion they are waiting to get him a home start to get the attendance figure up for that day. Well guess what, if we win a few games in a row here, there is going to be a lot better reason to go to games, we will actually be in the race.

So he's my thought. Torres is technically scheduled to pitch on Tuesday (opener in Seattle), the idea that is being thrown around is to throw Freddy in that spot and go with a 4 man rotation until the 5th guy is needed. In that case, Peavy doesn't pitch until the middle of the KC series (7 games from now). Why?

Throw him Tuesday, leave the rotation in order, actually try to win this thing. Half healthy Peavy is a lot better than fully healthy Torres, and probably even Garcia. So put him in there, test him out, if it fails, make the decision from there. If it's successful, the Tigers are going to be doing a lot of looking behind their backs from here on out.

Aramis Ramirez Loves Wrigley, Leads Cubs to Win

2009-09-11T16:25:00.003-05:00

For a game that started as interestingly as today's 6-4 Cubs win did, it sure seemed rather blah to me. Still the Cubs were able to overcome Rich Harden's shocking wildness and scored just enough runs to extend their winning streak to 4 games. Start the parade down Michigan Avenue now!

Rich Harden's arm is clearly exhausted, and after a brilliant stretch coming off the all-start break Rich is reminding all of us why the Cubs should do their best to stay away from a long-term deal. Harden threw 40 pitches in the first inning, and was out after 103 in four innings, meaning the Cubs bullpen had to pitch five innings. To his credit Harden only have up one run in his start with six strikeouts, but he walked five guys with a whole lot stressful pitches. I think it's time the Cubs give Harden a start off and work Samardzija in. Harden's arm is about to fall off anyway and Shark needs major league innings for better or worse.

The hitting star today was Aramis Ramirez, not really that surprising considering that Rami is roughly Babe Ruth at home while hitting more like Ryan Theriot on the road. He drove in three runs today on two go-ahead RBI singles and played more solid defense at third. Geovany Soto showed some signs of life today as well with a sac-fly in the second and a solo homer in the fourth. Geo has had three good games in his last three starts now, and I think we can put him back in the everyday lineup now. He needs to build back confidence for next season, we learned this year how important his bat is to the lineup. Bobby Scales finished the scoring with an RBI double in the eighth to drive in Aramis and give the Cubs a much appreciated two-run cushion.

Jeff Stevens three-run homer to Johnny Gomes aside the bullpen did a good job today. Aaron Heilman was the unsung hero of the day with two shutout innings (OMG) and little known Esmailin Caridad worked a perfect eighth. I can't say enough about how important those two were to the win today, the Cubs are really scrambling for a set-up man on days when Angel Guzman needs to rest. The Carlos Marmol show went for save number 12 on the season and got it despite some control issues and bad fielding from a certain shortstop. Carlos got Brandon Phillips to fly out to Milton Bradley for the final out of the game.

Just another good win for the Cubs, they have really beat up the NL Central this season to the tune of a 40-24 record. That is better than even the mighty Cardinals. While nothing is guaranteed in baseball, it certainly seems like 2009 will end with a winning record. Not at all what we were hoping for, but not the worst thing.

For those keeping track Aaron Miles 4-3 groundout today lowered his batting average to .179, funny stuff. Tomorrow Randy Wells starts against Johnny Cueto in an effort to tie Ted Lilly with the team lead in wins. Hopefully this is one of Randy's last starts of the season because his inning total is getting pretty high.

The Worst Player in Baseball

2009-09-11T10:57:00.003-05:00

I've been saying it as a joke for most of the season, but now it's true. Aaron Miles is the worst player in baseball. Not the second worst, not kind of the worst, THE worst.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

Neither team played, but there were some articles so I'll toss up this short post.

Sox-Angels Preview. Reds-Cubs.

Three takes on the Cubs. Sox.

Bud to blame for Cubs? (this is BS btw). Will Carlos Quentin ever have fun?

Theriot focused on strong finish (I might go FJM on this tomorrow). Sox still like Alexei.

Draft pick updates for Sox.

Cubs-Reds Series Preview

2009-09-10T18:06:00.000-05:00

If you were looking for the definition of meaningless September baseball, here it is. The Cubs and Reds face off in a three game series at Wrigley, which will look more like three AAA games based on the expected lineups of the Reds. Of course we know this series is just a MLB mandated Cubs record inflator. The pitching matchups look bad for the Cubs, but perhaps some home cooking will continue the Cubs Pirates-induced hot streak.

Friday- Rich Harden (9-8 4.10) vs. Justin Lehr (4-1 4.43)

Harden will look to get this tenth win of the season against a lineup that he has dominated most of the season. In his career Harden is 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA against the Reds, but he lost his last time out 4-0 a game that included a homer by Scott Rolen and control issues for Harden. If Harden gets his command early it will be a long night for the Reds, if not Rich better hope for some BABIP luck.

Lehr had the definitive "Cubs have never seen this strike thrower before" start earlier this season in the previously mentioned 4-0 Reds win. Lehr dominated the Cubs by throwing crap over the plate and getting the aggressive Cubs hitters to swing. It will be Milton Bradley's job to make sure he takes some pitches and show the rest of the Cubs exactly how to deal with a bad pitcher like Lehr.

Saturday- Randy Wells (10-8 2.84) vs. Johnny Cueto (9-10 4.39)

Wells looks to make another strong case for rookie of the year by shutting down another NL Central team. The Reds did benefit from Wells worst pitch of the season which resulted in Aaron Harang hitting a three-run homer. No other Red has an extra base hit off Wells. His 2-0 2.70 ERA against the Reds this season makes the Cubs the favorites in this game.

Cueto was having a brilliant first half of the season and then went through a "Dusty arm" period where he got lit up every time out. It seems like he has most of his issues under control now, his last two starts off the DL (Dusty list) have been pretty solid. Cueto's problem is controlling his pitches and not walking too many people, which usually is a good sign for the Cubs offense. Still Cueto is a solid pitcher and this will most likely be a really good pitching matchup.

Sunday- Ted Lilly (11-8 3.17) vs. Homer Bailey (5-4 5.60)

What can we say about Ted? Ted will try to get his 12th win of the season and continue his march towards a sub-3 ERA. The Reds have beaten up on Ted in the past, but his last effort against them was solid. The key for Ted is to keep his stellar control going so that when his standard homer to Joey Votto occurs it won't result in more than one run. Ted at Wrigley Field=Money in the bank, the question is the offense.

Homer Bailey is a failed prospect that has been going his best the past month to earn a 2010 rotation spot and perhaps live up to his potential in the end. After having just a horrific start to the season Bailey has gone 3-0 with a 1.67 in his past four starts. His last start he had a Dusty-dream like 117 pitches in just 5 2/3 innings (really Dusty I think he had 100 more in him) which means even if he is pitching well the Cubs can get him out early. Bailey's main issue is control, which means that if the Cubs are smart they can take lots of walks and hit drive some guys in.

Hitters to watch

Joey Votto- .296/.391/.522/.914 21 HR 68 RBI 135 OPS+

Every Cubs fan knows about Votto, heck the Cubs are responsible for 28% of his career homers. Much like Adam Dunn and Carlos Lee before him Votto will get at least one homer in this series. Odds are he ends up with two or three. He has had lots of problems with anxiety this season, which has caused him to miss some games and his chance at a major breakout season.

Brandon Phillips- .271/.326/.452/.778 19 HR 85 RBI 23 SB 100 OPS+

Phillips is probably the Reds best player, and certainly one of Dusty's favorites. Brandon seems to hate walks and has been known to take plays off (Dusty is in love). He is a threat every time he bats thought because he has great power and speed. Given a proper manager and batting coach Phillips would be a 30-30 guy every season.

Scott Rolen- .278/.360/.380/.739 2 HR 10 RBI 93 OPS+

Don't let Rolen's numbers fool you he is a solid hitter who loves to hit against the Cubs. He homered against Rich Harden earlier this season and should be expected to do the game Friday night. The good news is the Cubs usually bring out the worst in Rolen's glove which will hopefully make up for any damage his bat does.

The Cubs are at home which means Aramis turns back into Babe Ruth. The Cubs are playing the Reds which means major league baseball has mandated wins (got to keep the Cubs winning right). Two of the Reds pitchers can get wild on the mound, and the other is due for a good butt kicking from Milton Bradley's bat. I'll say Cubs take two of three despite losing on Friday afternoon on another Justin Lehr gem.

This Minor League Season is Ovah!: Daytona Cubs

2009-09-10T09:17:00.002-05:00

In the interest of hoping they do well in the playoffs I'll skip over the AA Smokies right now. Today we wrap up the season of the High-A Daytona Cubs home of plenty of exciting prospects. This version of the Cubs finished in fifth place in their division with a 30-38 second half record. For the season they went 64-71 which was still good enough for fifth place.

Daytona was the home to many of the Cubs top prospects for large portions of the minor league season. Starlin Castro was their to start the season before moving up, Josh Vitters was promoted to Daytona mid-season, Jay Jackson was demoted for unknown reasons, and Andrew Cashner spent some time here before moving up.

Three of those four prospects were so good in Daytona that they moved up to face better competition, Josh Vitters however found a lot of difficulty in the Florida State League. Vitters .238/.260/.344 line leaves some questions to be asked as we go forward, but I'll get to that when I do individual player pages.

Next season looks to be another very interesting on in Daytona. 2009 first round pick Brett Jackson is probably headed there after he tore up Low-A, fellow pick DJ Lemahieu might join him. Josh Vitters will have to start the season there, but hopefully he starts producing so he can get back on track to the majors. Son of Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenley, Michael Brenley, will most likely play in Daytona next season as well.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-10T07:37:00.001-05:00

The Cubs finish off the sweep against the Pirates while the Sox walk off with the win against the A's.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Fox looking to get chance. Santo has memories of hit parade.

Lou and Z. Hoffpauir's big day. Starters still doing their job.

Peavy ready to go. Kenny looking for answers. Beckham hurts finger.

Sox minor league playoffs. Talking with AJ and Dye.

Williams not happy with season. Recap. Peavy promises top form.

Hoff thinking 2010. Recap. Z and Lou spat.

Cubs starters could make history

2009-09-09T23:44:00.001-05:00

A pretty big statistical irregularity could be on the horizon for the Cubs. Though wins are a relatively useless stat to gauge a pitcher's true performance (see Randy Wells), the Cubs are in striking distance of having 5 pitchers with 10 or more wins. Wells (10) and Lilly (11) are already there, and Dempster (9), Harden (9), and Z (8) will most likely reach double digit wins before the season is over.

How valuable really is a 10-12 win pitcher? Not terribly, but consider this: from what I have found (and I may have overlooked a year) no Cubs team has had 5 pitchers with 10 wins or more since 1993, but more on that team later. Before that, no team but the 1969 one, when Fergie Jenkins, Bill Hands (162 ERA+ holy crap!), Ken Holtzman, Dick Selma and reliever Dick Regan, accomplished the feat. Now everyone knows what happened to that team, but they won 93 games and were probably the best Cub team ever.

The playoff team of 1984 had 4 pitchers with 10+, and had Scott Sanderson won two more (his ERA was 3.14 so not his fault it appears) and Lee Smith won one more, they would have had 6 pitchers on the list. 1989's playoff team had 4 guys total, and 3 above 16 wins (Sutcliffe, Maddux, Bielecki).

A host of more recent Cub teams has just missed the feat by registering 4 pitchers with 10+ wins. These teams include the ones in 2001, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Obviously all those teams made the playoffs except the 2001 team (which was pretty decent winning 88 games). Interesting side note: Jason Bere and Julian Tavarez won over 10 games each for the 2001 Cubs, geez.

What do all of these teams have in common? They were all good, playoff-worthy teams. The ones in '69, '84, '89, and '03 seemed perfectly capable of actually achieving the impossible and winning the World Series. However, it seems to me a stastical anamoly that mediocre teams like this current one (potentially) and the 84 win 1993 team have had more double digit winners than some much better Cub teams.

Just for fun here are the names from the 1993 team: Mike Morgan, Jose Guzman, Mike Harkey, Greg Hibbard and Jose Bautista. What separates this current Cub staff from the 1993 one is that, just like getting the wins to begin with, they have a very good chance to all have sub-4.00 ERA's. Ted (3.17) and Wells (2.84) are well under the mark, Z (3.80) seems to be improving, and Harden (4.10) I would imagine will get under by the end of the year. Dempster (4.03) is the one that concerns me, but with the all the weak competition, he could very well get there too.

What does this all mean? Probably nothing, but if anything I think it just highlights even more so the failings of the offense (sans D-Lee) and Kevin Gregg this season.

Positive Reviews on Peavy Bullpen Session

2009-09-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

All signs are starting to point in the favor of Peavy being in the rotation in the next week or so. After today's successful bullpen session it would appear that Jake will make his Sox debut on either Tuesday or Wednesday against the Mariners.

My guess would be on Tuesday as a replacement for Torres. I like Carlos, and I think he's eventually going to be a solid pitcher, but you need to get Peavy in there ASAP. I wouldn't move Buehrle, Danks, or Floyd around, and I would guess the Sox agree. Therefore I'd have to estimate it being on the 15th. That gives him 5 days rest off the bullpen session which should be plenty of time.

Let's go sweep the Angels and make his debut actually mean something.

A Note About "Getting Fat on the Pirates"

2009-09-09T18:13:00.002-05:00

This seems as good a time as any to dispel one of the most annoying myths in baseball right now. The notion that the Cubs are the only team benefitting from playing poor teams in their division like the Pirates and Reds.

I took the bottom two teams from each division and added their losses together, here are the ranks.

NL East- 167

AL Central-164

NL Central- 159

AL East- 158

NL West- 157

AL West- 143

So that means that the Marlins, Braves, Phillies, White Sox, Tigers, and Twins all get to play "easier" teams based on record than the Cubs do with the Pirates and Reds. Plus they get the two weak teams in their division more often because the NL Central has six teams.

It also means the Cardinals, Brewers, and Astros all get to play the Pirates. The Cardinals are taking advantage of that this season, but why didn't they last year? I mean shouldn't they take care of the lowly Pirates every year?

Don't ignore the Reds Sox, Yankees, and Rays getting fat on the Orioles and Blue Jays or the Dodgers, Giants, and Rockies beating the Padres and D-Backs.

The fact is every single division in baseball has its weak teams, and to earn a playoff spot teams have to beat up on the bad teams. That is how baseball works, not just how Cubs baseball works.

Big Z Gets the Win, More Criticism in Cubs Sweep

2009-09-09T15:09:00.002-05:00

Cubs and Pirates games typically turn boring after about one pitch for me, and thankfully they usually end in a Cubs win. Today was no different as the Cubs beat up on former teammate Kevin Hart early and added on late to complete the sweep and give Carlos Zambrano his eighth win of the season.

Z had a high pitch count early in the game, but was able to manage his pitches later in the game and work through six innings while only allowing two runs. He did walk three, all early in the game, but settled down and ended up getting eight strikeouts. It wasn't a Z start without controversy though as he was removed after warming up for the seventh inning. Z didn't like that very much and informed Lou of that fact. It was the second start in a row where Z felt he got taken out too early, his last start that is no doubt a fact, this time it's up for debate. Z was right around 100 pitches, and given the fact that the games don't matter anymore I think Lou made the right choice.

The offense was still willing to feast on the Pirates poor pitching. Despite Lou tossing out a bad lineup, the Cubs scored eight runs. One in each of the first three innings, the first coming on a Jeff Baker sac fly, the second a Ryan Theriot single, and the third from a Bobby Scales groundout. That 3-0 lead looked like it would have been enough, but Micah Hoffpauir added a solo homer and sac fly, Koyie Hill a two-run single, and even Mike Fontenot got in on the fun with a RBI single of his own.

It's real nice to see the Cubs offense still able to beat up on the real bad pitching of the NL. Even with the AAA lineup today the Cubs were able to take walks and get the big hits when they needed too. Any time the Cubs face a pitcher who has control issues they usually go nuts. Its the strike throwing guys who attack the zone that kill the Cubs. For some reason they are either really patient for really aggressive.

Let this be the last time the Cubs throw Kevin Gregg to the mound. He served up a 3-run homer to Ronny Cedeno to make a 8-2 lead into an 8-5 close game requiring Carlos Marmol's ninth inning presence. With Jeff Samardzija, David Patton, and Justin Berg on the roster now there is no need for Gregg to pitch. Put him next to Aaron Miles on the bench and let them rot, they have no future here, and this month is about the future.

Gregg's awfulness was replaced by Carlos Marmol's continued ninth inning brilliance. Marmol dominated the Pirates and had great command of the strikezone to earn his 11th save of the season. While the Cubs should still kick the tires on some free agent closers, I think Marmol has earned himself the right to be the closer in 2010.

Next up is the Reds, but stay tuned tonight because the Peoria Chiefs start their playoff series. It's a best of three series so game 1 is very important.

Minor League Playoffs

2009-09-09T10:04:00.002-05:00

Just because the big league team isn't any good doesn't mean the Cubs can't have somebody in their organization enjoy the playoffs. Two minor league teams in the Cubs system made their league's playoffs. The Low-A Peoria Chiefs and the AA Tennessee Smokies.

The Chiefs start their playoff series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Chiefs play game one at home tonight at 6:30. I will tweet some results as the game goes on. Game 2 is in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, and if necessary Game 3 will be in Cedar Rapids Friday.

The Smokies (managed by Ryne Sandberg) start their series against the Hunstville Stars on Thursday in Hunstville. The five game series finishes at Tennessee for the final three games (the last two being if necessary of course).

I will tweet all results from these two series, and perhaps even do a write up or two. TCB hasn't had the greastest minor league coverage, but I'm going to make sure that changes this offseason.

Audio links are here for the Chiefs and here for the Smokies if you want to listen.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-09T07:46:00.001-05:00

It was a tale of two first innings. The Cubs have a record setting one against the Pirates while the Sox allow 5 in the first against the A's. Another split night of results.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Soriano mulling surgery. Shark back with Cubs. Bradley pulled. Cubs record inning.

Cubs free agents. Reed Johnson update. History. Cubs need overhaul?

Beckham and Peavy updates. Torres taken out in first.

A very odd article about Soriano. Beckham and Banks eat lunch together.

Baker better than DeRosa. Officials clear Ricketts purchase.

Sox want Freddy to be fifth starter. Sox mailbag. Big Z tries to finish sweep.

DeRosa II. Shark says he's not thinking NFL. Team meeting.

Sox have high hopes for Hudson. Sox in brief. Same old song.

When You're Wrong, You're Wrong: Mark DeRosa Edition

2009-09-08T23:45:00.000-05:00

People are wrong all the time, I'm wrong more than most especially when it comes to baseball. There will be multiple editions of this in the coming month from me, but this one is perhaps the biggest error I made all season. A few months ago I wrote what was more or less a stupid overreaction to a hot hitting streak. I used stupid stats, stupid reasoning, and did exactly what I say you shouldn't do, overreact one way of the other to a hot/cold streak.

Bruce Miles and Another Cubs Blog both were kind enough to point out that in fact since going to St. Louis DeRosa hasn't been as good as Jeff Baker has since coming to the Cubs. The numbers speak for themselves. Baker has been better in every aspect of the game, and brings much the same versatility that DeRosa does.

That doesn't mean the Cubs should have gotten rid of DeRosa, just that I'm okay with it now. The problem when Aramis went down was the organizations stupid decision to not let Jake Fox try third in the minors right away. That cost the team two months of Mike Fontenot and Bobby Scales, all this happening while DeRosa was going through his biggest hot streak of the season.

I have no problem admitting that I was wrong about this. Baker will be able to fill the DeRosa roll next season, the Cubs got three nice prospects, and DeRosa's play in St. Louis hasn't really been what helped the team.

Next up on the I'm wrong list: Kosuke Fukudome

Peavy to Throw Side Session Tomorrow, Start Soon

2009-09-08T23:09:00.003-05:00

If all goes well in tomorrow's bullpen session, which one would imagine it would seeing that no one will be trying to hit his pitches, Jake Peavy will most likely be slated to pitch for the Sox next week in Seattle.

The guess would be that September 15th (Torres next start) would then go to Peavy. I'll keep my eyes on what happens tomorrow and keep the updates rolling in.

Cubs Offense Sets Record in Cubs Win

2009-09-08T21:09:00.003-05:00

Of all the things the Cubs could set a record for getting eight straight hits to start the game probably wouldn't be the first one I would guess. Still the first eight Cubs got a base hit before Ryan Dempster's sacrifice bunt ended the streak. It was the first time a team did that since the Yankees pulled it off in 1990 against Baltimore. It was the third times the Cubs had been part of the feat, doing it against Pirates in 1973, and being the victims in 1975 against Philly.

The first inning included four straight singles from Theriot, Bradley, Lee, and Aramis making it 2-0. Jeff Baker then singled to load the bases again for Geovany Soto. Soto sent a double off the right field wall to make it 4-0. Fukudome added his own opposite field double to make it 6-0, Ryan Theriot's ground out to shortstop made the game 7-0.

That meant starter Ryan Dempster already had a 7-0 lead when he took the mound. Dempster was pretty good tonight, he was up to his usual tricks with the long counts, but only walked two in his 6 1/3 innings. Lou probably should have pulled him after six because two of his four earned runs allowed came in the seventh inning when he was clearly out of gas. Dempster added a RBI single in the top of the seventh to make his day successful on all ends.

The best development on the night was out of Soto though. He went 1-3 with two walks. Drove in two with that RBI double, and has put together two solid starts in a row. Lou needs to put him out there everyday again so that he can continue to get his swing back. Soto returning to form is key to the 2010 Cubs lineup being the top to bottom threat that it was in 2008. Koyie Hill might "win games" or whatever, but Soto being good actually does win games rather than Hill's made up winning games.

The bullpen did a pretty good job though Lou didn't give any of them much action. Tom Gorzelanny came in to get one out in the seventh before being replaced by Angel Guzman who was allowed to get two outs. John Grabow finished out the eighth inning, and recently called up Esmailin Caridad pitched the ninth inning to close out the game. Caridad gave up the only hit by the bullpen and that hit was retired by a game ending double play. That allowed the Cubs to finish with a comfortable 9-4 win.

There are some various injuries to update starting with Milton Bradley who strained his hamstring running home in the first. Milton left the game as a precaution, he was supposed to get Wednesday off anyway, and should be good to go either tomorrow afternoon or Friday. Sam Fuld's wrist is injured so he can only play the field for a few days, Andres Blanco's hamstring is hurt so he probably can't play until tomorrow. Finally Alfonso Soriano's knee really should have him shut down for the season but he wants to play so Lou might let him later on.

The final September call-up was made today as Jeff Samardzija joins the team after his start in Iowa yesterday. Shark hardly deserves the call-up based on his numbers, but the Cubs believe in him. Lou wants to get him some starts and I think that is a great idea. The more major league innings he logs the better.

As mediocre as the Cubs have been this season at least they are still miles ahead of the Pirates and can still beat them up no matter where they play. Tomorrow the Cubs look to get the sweep with Big Z starting against former Cub Kevin Hart. Hart hasn't been very good for the Pirates so the sweep should be easy enough.

This Minor League Season is Ovah!: Iowa Cubs

2009-09-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

Yes I am using Hawk's end of game catch phrase in this title, deal with it. The minor league seasons are coming to an end now, with a couple Cubs teams going to their league's playoffs (more on them later this week) so it's time to review what happened down on the farm this year. Today I'll talk about the highest level Cubs minor league team, the AAA Iowa Cubs.

The I-Cubs finished the season with a 72-72 record (how very nice of them to live up to the team name) and had a collapse in the final week of the season costing them a playoff spot. Yes it is the I-Cubs that did this, not the real Cubs. Though many of the Iowa Cubs did spend large portions of the season on the major league team which partially led to their mediocre record.

The best Iowa Cubs players this season were Jake Fox, Andres Blanco, and Sam Fuld. All of them spent most of the season in the big leagues. The Cubs don't really use their AAA team to play major prospects, especially for position players. It was a strategy that worked out well this season because the Fox's and Randy Wells of the world were needed in the big leagues.

Despite playing in the Pacific Coast League which includes many hitter friendly parks, the I-Cubs finished the season with a PCL low 86 homers. This article from the Des Moines Register goes into more detail about that power outage and includes some speculation about the I-Cubs future.

The I-Cubs did have some major pitching prospects on their team this season, the biggest name being Jeff Samardzija. I'll go into more detail about specific players next week, but suffice to say the Shark had a disappointing season. He went 6-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 89.1 IP. The other two prospects that played for the I-Cubs were DeRosa-trade guys John Gaub and Jeff Stevens. Gaub had a lights out season in Iowa allowing just six earned runs in 31 IP. His problem is control, which wasn't an issue since he only had 16 walks compared to 40 strikeouts. Stevens had a 2.03 ERA in 57.2 IP, and spent some time with the big club.

Next season should be an interesting one for Iowa. Many people think Ryne Sandberg will continue his move up the organizational ladder and manage AAA next season. That move would all but guarantee he manages the big club in 2011. He will also have some more exciting prospects with him. Jay Jackson made his final start of this season at AAA, and odds are he starts next season there. Fellow pitching prospect Andrew Cashner might be there too.

Since the big club took most of their good players throughout the season, and most of the exciting prospect are in the lower levels the Iowa Cubs didn't have the most exciting season. They are poised to be the team to watch next season though, especially if Sandberg gets the bump.

Is It Possible for Sox?

2009-09-08T13:12:00.002-05:00

My initial inclination is to say no, it's really not possible for the Sox to find their way back into this race. However after looking at the number of weeks left, and the schedules each team plays (I'm disregarding the Twins because if the Sox play as well as needed in the projection, they will pass the Twins), I think there actually is a chance.

I'm going to do this backwards. Let's start with the final series of the season in Detroit. 3 games on the road in a place where the Tigers are very very good. This is not going to be easy, meaning I'm ruling out a sweep, but I think 2 of 3 is possible. Not probable, but possible. So there's 1 game made up in the standings.

Go back 2 series and look at the Tigers series at the Cell, this must be a sweep. The only way that it can't be a sweep is if the Sox somehow are within 2 or 3 at that point (maybe even less) which is highly unlikely. So let's put it down as a sweep. So there are 3 more games bringing the total up to 4.

So with those 5 of 6 wins against the Tigers, the Sox need to make up 3.5 games between now and September 25th. That's 15 games for the Sox, 16 for the Tigers. 3.5 games amounts to 7 games over even that go in the Sox favor. 7 seems like a lot, but I think it could be do-able.

Take 2 games a week, each week starting today and ending at the beginning of the first Tigers/Sox series. 2 games, that's all. The schedules don't look good for this to happen (Tigers play 3 @KC, 4 vs. TOR, 3 vs. KC, 3@MIN, 3@CLE), but then again, they have been white hot and are bound to cool off a little. Not to mention some times it is toughest playing some of the "bad" teams because you see a lot of players you have never seen and a lot of different pitchers you aren't used to.

I don't really like the chances, but it breaks down to 2 games this week (we play OAK and LAA, they play KC and TOR), 2 next week (we have SEA, KC, MIN they have KC, MIN, CLE), and then 5 of 6 from them at the end of the year (and in the 3 games in between Sox@CLE, MIN@DET). Steep steep hill yes, unfathomable, no.

Baseballs Most Interesting Potential Free Agent

2009-09-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Given the popularity of the subject lately in Chicago I felt like I might as well add my two cents in too. After this season there will be two free agents that come in a package and are considered by many to be among the best at what they do. These two men are St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa and his pitching coach Dave Duncan.

LaRussa's contract is up after this season and many people suspect that he will start to look elsewhere for employment. That is aided by the fact that his long time pitching coach and friend Dave Duncan isn't happy at all with the Cardinals organization after they traded his son Chris to the Red Sox. An article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch recently detailed Duncan's frustration with how the media was out to get Chris and how the Cardinals organization isn't talking to him as much when it comes to the minor leagues and such.

Now as somebody who works with his father I can understand why Dave liked being in the same dugout as Chris. The problem was Chris was horrible at baseball and didn't have a spot on the team with Matt Holliday coming in. If Dave can't understand that and would rather play the role of bitter father, then he shouldn't have been with his son to begin with.

Lets say both leave the Cardinals this offseason, would I even want them on the Cubs? The knee-jerk response if to send them a private plane and get them here. I would knee-jerk the other way though. I don't want LaRussa and Duncan on the Cubs because I can't think of a worse environment for them.

In St. Louis LaRussa is pretty much a god. Most of the fans love him and his attitude towards playing the guys who give the most effort. The media loves him too, and that love more or less gives him a free pass for any mistake he makes. Nobody in the St. Louis media has ever grilled LaRussa on his involvement in steroids, nobody calls him out on the way he intimidates the media when given a tough question. He blasted the media and fans for their treatment of Chris Duncan, he attacked a columnist after another writer in his paper wrote an article that wasn't too his liking. All these are things that wouldn't work with the Chicago media.

This is a media that is after Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano at all times. Columnists criticize the organization, manager, and players seven days a week. The media in St. Louis might be there to push the Cardinal line and talk positive about the team, but the Chicago media is the exact opposite. LaRussa would be under pressure every game for the Cubs like he never has been before. Fans would turn on him quickly if the team got off to a slow start, the media would be on him non-stop, and I didn't even mention how the Cubs roster is full of anti-LaRussa players.

My problems with adding Duncan are mostly separate from those with LaRussa. My first question would be, does Duncan demand his son get a roster spot if he coaches the team. That would be a deal breaker right there. Duncan's two-seam fastball style concerns me as well given the Cubs current pitching staff. Odds are him and Carlos Zambrano would be an excellent match, I have no doubt about that. Big Z is already a great sinkerball pitcher and giving him full time instruction from Duncan would make it that much better.

The rest of the staff might not be so welcoming to Duncan though. Duncan has never really worked well with left-handed starters (see Mark Mulder) and the Cubs have a staff full of them. Ted Lilly is a fly ball pitcher who uses lots of different breaking balls to set up his straight fastball. It works for Ted, and I don't want Duncan screwing with that. Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Marshall are similar to Ted as far as their use of breaking balls. Both will be spot starters at worst for the Cubs, and one may have to start full time next season. Rich Harden isn't a lefty, but he is a flyball pitcher and if the Cubs resign him I don't see him becoming a sinkerball pitch to contact guy. Duncan just doesn't fit that well with the Cubs current staff, and given his thin skin when it comes to his son being criticized, imagine what happens under the Wrigley microscope.

Both Duncan and LaRussa are great coaches, and both have worked more miracles with baseball teams and players than I could even being to list. The thing is their miracles have happened in small markets where the pressure if off and the media is on their side. Just ask Lou Piniella and Dusty Baker if that is the case in Chicago. The Cubs job is pressure packed, and it isn't for everybody. I'll take my chances with the Cubs current combo of Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild (who has done a great job by the way) one more season rather than roll the dice with two sensitive guys who have never dealt with a big city media machine on a day to day basis.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-08T07:41:00.001-05:00

Great Labor Day for Chicago baseball. Both the Cubs and Sox got wins in the afternoon, making the night that much better.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Ozzie says blame me. Defends style. Sox other goals.

Ozzie wants Kotsay back. Torres ready to start. Beckham to play Wednesday.

Lilly and Lee stand out. Lee's big homers. More Ted and Derrek. One of those years.

Minor leagues coming to a close. Gorzo back at PNC.

Lee thinks same group good for 2010. Power show. Recap. Futility.

A's-Sox. Rios needs to be better. Buehrle gets win. Closed chase.

Cubs-Sox Blind Comparison Reveal

2009-09-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

There was a bit of a delay in this reveal, thank college football for that. I gave you one player on the Cubs and one player on the Sox and said pick which guy you would rather have, here are their names with stats.

Paul Konerko Player A- 13 seasons .277/.352/.491/.842 321 HR 1033 RBI 1666 H 115 OPS+

Derrek Lee Player B- 13 seasons- .283/.367/.501/.868 284 HR 916 RBI 1669 H 123 OPS+

So who would you rather have on your team?

Lou's Passes on his Offseason Objective: Speed

2009-09-07T19:11:00.001-05:00

It was the sort of Lou post game rambling that sends all us blogging and message board types into our mom's basement and onto the keyboard. Lou was spitballing to the media the other day and started talking about how he wanted more team speed next season. After 2007 it was having a more athletic outfield, so in came Fukudome, Reed Johnson, and eventually Jim Edmonds (the anti-athlete really). After last season he wanted to be more left-handed. So we got Milton Bradley, Koyie Hill, and Aaron Miles.

Lou has a point here. The Cubs are last in baseball in stolen bases, and don't have a single legit stolen base threat on the roster besides Sam Fuld. Part of this comes from Alfonso Soriano having an injured knee all season, in April he was running well and stealing some bases before hurting himself. Another part comes from the Cubs inability to develop intelligent baserunners in their minor league system. Ryan Theriot might be able to steal some bases, but he is so fundamentally bad at running the bases that he doesn't have a chance.

The last time the Cubs tried to get speed they traded for Juan Pierre before the 2006 season. Juan gave the team speed, he led the NL in hits and stole 58 bases. The problem is he also led baseball in outs created because he didn't take walks and led baseball in caught stealing. To me that is the ultimate catch with speed guys, they get caught a lot (the all-time CS leader? Rickey Henderson) and most of the time don't have enough power to cover the decline of speed that comes with advanced age. That makes it difficult to justify signing an older player because of his speed.

What Lou wants, Lou usually gets so we can assume that there will be some speed guys picked up. The name immediately reported in Chicago media was LA Angels utility player Chone Figgins, a constant target of South Side GM Ken Williams. Figgins fits the bill perfectly on the Cubs end though. He can play second base, third base, and all three outfield positions. He is a solid base stealer and fits the leadoff profile. Also in typical Jim Hendry/Cubs target fashion he is having a career year going into free agency, is 32 years old, and will probably require a long term deal.

I would be happy with Figgins because he is a valuable player who could fill the Mark DeRosa role, only do a better job at it. He isn't the power hitter that DeRosa is, but he can hit leadoff, steal bases, and take walks. I would be very happy to add him to the Cubs, but I think there are some other names the Cubs should look at.

The first person I would try to get is Jose Reyes from the Mets. Reyes will be coming off hamstring surgery, and I would suspect he might be on the trading block. As I wrote last week the Mets are broke and their owner might need to shed some payroll. Reyes is a free agent after 2010 and will be due a giant contract. The Mets cannot afford it right now and might want to get what they can for Reyes. He's young (26), fast (19 triples and 56 steals in 2008), and plays shortstop without a pop gun arm. It might cost some prospects, but Reyes is the kind of guy you give up some talent for.

Another free agent is Orlando Hudson who currently plays second base for the Dodgers. He will require a multi-year contract, but Hudson is another guy who can fit the bill. He isn't a base stealer like Figgins and Reyes, but he is a speedy guy who can hit at the top of the order. Hudson really can only play second, so I would rank him down on my wish list, but he is certainly on it.

The Cubs main need this offseason will be some sort of middle infielder that either allows the team to move Ryan Theriot over to second base (my ideal situation), or find a full time second baseman that isn't named Mike Fontenot. Second base has been the Cubs issue this year with the exception of Jeff Baker (who could potentially platoon with somebody if needed) and it happens to be rather easy to address through free agency.

Of course any offseason talk depends on the ownership situation being resolved and then the budget that Tom Ricketts gives Jim Hendry. Personally I think Hendry gets enough money to go after one semi-major free agent (Figgins range) and that may or may not be on top of money allowed to resign Rich Harden.

The offseason objective is more speed, so brace yourselves for lots of talk about it, especially considering we won't have a NL Central crown to fall back on.

Cubs win in historic fashion

2009-09-07T16:31:00.003-05:00

By beating the Pirates 4-2, and handing the Bucs their 82nd loss of the season, the Cubs played a minor role in history. With today's loss, the Pirates have secured their 17th straight losing season, which ranks as longest streak of futility in any of the four major professional sports in America. Not since Barry Bonds left the team in 1992 have they won more than they have lost. 1992...geez. As a Cub fan you certainly feel you have it rough at times, but something like this really puts it in perspective.

The game itself featured the two major Cub contributors that have actually lived up to expectations this continuing not to disappoint. Lilly turned in another quality start, going 6 innings while giving up 2 runs and striking out 7. Derrek Lee drove in 3 runs while hitting two home runs, upping his season total to 31.

Coming into the season I never thought Derrek would be able to hit 30+ home runs again. He has proven me wrong, and the wrist is clearly healed as he is hitting the ball out to every field. At 34 and having shown he has bounced nearly completed from the broken wrist, I wouldn't doubt that he can continue to provide power until his contract runs out after next year.

The trio of Guzman, Grabow, and Marmol combined for a perfect final 3 innings. Guzman and Grabow have shown that they can relied on as relievers. From a pure numbers standpoint, Grabow has been one of the better mid-season pickups Hendry has ever made. He has not given up a run in 18 out of 19 appearances. I really hope Hendry has made resigning him a priority.

At this point there isn't much that can make you happy as a Cub fan. However, Carlos Marmol should be making Cub fans happy. Since becoming the closer following Kevin Gregg's meltdown in Petco on August 17, Marmol has been a perfect 6/6 in save opportunities. More importantly, his K/BB ratio has been 13/6. Half of those walks came in a rusty outing against the Nationals. It would appear his command is returning, and I believe it is a confidence thing.

Right before the All-Star break last year it seemed like the wheels began to fall off for Marmol. From June 19 until the break, he gave up 15 runs raising his ERA to to 3.61 after registering a 2.09 ERA before that. After the break he got back on track, lowering his ERA to 2.68 by the end of the year. So what happened? The confidence from his surprise All-Star selection to replace Kerry Wood appeared to have an effect on him. The following is from an article Paul Sullivan wrote for the Tribune following Marmol's selection:

The news obviously was a big boost to Marmol's confidence, which has been lagging of late due to his recent slide since the start of June. Marmol said the confidence "is going to be there. I'm excited about it. When you're there, you think you're an All-Star."

Even though Marmol continued to assure Lou he was fine and not lose trust in him during his struggles this season, all the walks and hit batsmen had have token a toll on his confidence. I think gaining the closer position (which Marmol has made clear was his desire all along), had a similiar effect. We still haven't seen how he will react to his first rough stretch as closer, but Cub fans have to feel pretty good about who will be on the mound in the 9th inning in the coming seasons.

Photo courtesy theghostofmoonlightgraham.com.

Cubs-Pirates Series Preview

2009-09-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

Starting this morning the Cubs have their most winnable road series of the season. They invade PNC Park to play the last place Pirates, the one team the Cubs have actually looked dominant against. As usual things look good pitching-wise for the Cubs, but we know that isn't the problem.

Monday- Ted Lilly (10-8 3.17) vs. Mike McCutchen (0-0 4.50)

We know what Ted is. Ted is awesome, and really good at pitching. He isn't as good on the road as he is at home, but he is still Ted. You know that you will always get a solid effort. Ted will be looking to get his team leading 11th win, having already secured his seventh straight 10 or more win season.

McCutchen is the typical Cubs killing never seen before player that will throw a shutout. He is expected to be in the Pirates rotation the rest of the season, and is coming off a six inning three run effort against the Reds. MLB says that McCutchen has a low 90s fastball with above-average command. All I can say about that is we are screwed.

Tuesday- Ryan Dempster (8-8 3.97) vs. Zach Duke (10-13 3.71)

Ryan Dempster why do you insist on driving me nuts every start? Honestly Dempster is going to have a solid season overall, but I don't really know how. The 3-2 counts on every batter and four earned runs every start drive me nuts, but he eats up innings and has just enough errors from his teammates to keep the ERA down. I suppose we could do worse than Dempster.

Duke is a known quantity, which is rare for a Pirates starter in September. Duke usually beats the Cubs pretty good, but the Cubs have gotten him a few times. Duke has lost three of his last four starts, hopefully the Cubs can continue that trend.

Wednesday- Carlos Zambrano (7-6 3.80) vs. Kevin Hart (4-5 4.67)

Big Z looks to build on his awesome effort last time out against a Pirates lineup he should be able to handle. Z was getting lots of ground ball outs and lots of strikeouts. Z hasn't gotten a win since July 22, but that really isn't his fault. The Cubs offense has gotten him a few times too.

Hart was pitching for the Cubs earlier this season, and actually did his job pretty well before being sent to the Pirates in the John Grabow trade. Hart has struggled since going to the Pirates, it seems like all those runners he left on base in Chicago score now that he's in Pittsburgh.

Hitters to watch

Andrew McCutchen .282/.358/.479/.837 11 HR 45 RBI 16 SB

McCutchen has the chance to be a star in the league for many, many years. With more games played he would probably be the heavy favorite for the rookie of the year. Still a slip up from JA Happ and Randy Wells might give McCutchen a few votes. He is a power and base stealing threat, and will probably do some major damage against the Cubs.

Garrett Jones .308/.377/.617/.994 18 HR 36 RBI 9 SB

Jones has become a legit power threat and another future fixture in the Pirates lineup. That or he will be traded to the Cubs in two seasons. Jones struggles in the minors were mostly with his batting average and walks, he has obviously fixed that so far. He can play right field and first base meaning his bat will remain in the lineup even if he isn't the best defender.

The Cubs should win two of three in this series. I see no reason they can't continue to beat up the Pirates. I say all of that knowing this will be another series loss, most likely needing Z to bail us out to avoid a sweep. Just the sad state of the Cubs right now.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-07T08:26:00.001-05:00

Thankfully football is back in my life because baseball is becoming the worst. Both the Cubs and Sox lost today, while the Tigers won in the AL. Not too good.

Cubs lose. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Cubs head to PNC Park to try and win. Marmol good as closer.

More Peavy mania. Personally I'd rather he just pitch already.

Santo doesn't hate Citi. Figgins on Cubs radar? Take good Cubs with bad.

Sox settling into offensive groove (pre-game written). Heart and Hustle for Buehrle.

Future looks bright for Sox. Tyler Flowers gains valuable experience.

AJ loves the Sox, Florida. Beckham to miss some games.

On deck. Looking ahead. More Figgins talk. In Brief.

Ticking clock. Sox in brief. Tough road. Sutton's brother Jake.

The Cubs Spend a Weekend Losing in New York

2009-09-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Well I thought the Cubs would go into Citi Field and get stomped, and well for once this season they lived up to expectations. Since I wasn't around all weekend this will serve as a series recap rather than just one of today's game.

Friday night Carlos Zambrano was on his game and mowed down the Mets lineup for six innings, allowing only a solo homer to Cory Sullivan. The offense let him down though and he was pulled for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and nobody out. Naturally no runs scored despite taking Z out of the game, and then Kevin Gregg came in to blow the game open. Typical Cubs game in 2009. Great starting pitching, pathetic offense, and then Kevin Gregg wins the other team the game.

Saturday the Cubs rode new father Derrek Lee to a 5-3 win over Nelson Figueroa who looked like Cy Young a week ago. Rich Harden gave up his standard homer in his typical five inning start that featured 10 strikeouts and way too many pitches. Lee hit two homers and Aramis Ramirez added a two-run homer of his own. The big thing to take out of this game is the continued success of Carlos Marmol as closer. He came in to get a four out save, walked the first batter (standard) and then got out of the eighth. He added a shutdown ninth that included two strikeouts. Hopefully Marmol continues his success in the closers role.

Today we were back to the same old stuff. Randy Wells was brilliant again giving the Cubs six innings of one earned run ball. It was another lost effort for Wells though who should be celebrating his 14th or 15th win rather than his eighth loss. It all went for nothing because today it was Mike Pelfrey's turn to pitch like Cy Young.

With the exception of Geovany Soto's two RBI doubles driving in Jeff Baker both times, the Cubs offense did nothing. Sam Fuld and Bobby Scales looked overmatched, Lee and Aramis can't do it all every game, and it was the bottom of the order who actually did their jobs. No matter what one part of the lineup does, the rest of the parts seem to fail.

I will take another moment to credit Andres Blanco for turning in another great effort. He was able to get a double at the plate which is always nice, but as usual it was his defense that took center stage. He took a ground ball hit up the middle, dove for the ball, caught it, lost it, picked it up and threw it from his back to Derrek Lee and got the runner at first. The video is here. Potentially the best play a Cubs shortstop has made in a long time.

There really isn't much more to say about this weekend. The Cubs were who we thought they were, a mediocre team that can't win series on the road. It gets even worse in a big ballpark like Citi Field, which is exactly the kind of place our offense gets even worse. Next up we continue on the road to meet the Pirates. A winnable series that probably won't be won. I'll have a preview up in the morning.

Now I'm Starting to Feel Bad For the Sox

2009-09-06T17:16:00.002-05:00

The Sox were unsuccessful for the first time in 5 days today, and yet in those 5 days they have fallen back a game in the standings.

The Tigers won their sixth consecutive game today yet again in comeback fashion. The Rays bullpen gave up 9 runs while walking 8 in just 6 innings of work. While the Twins have struggled against the Indians the Sox 4 game W streak still was not enough to regain second place.

I'm beginning to feel like no matter what the Sox do it won't be enough. This shouldn't come as a shock because they did fall to 7 games behind, but it's really frustrating when you win 4 in a row then lose one and fall back a game over that span. With the news of Peavy (probably 10 more days) and Beckham's back issues, it seems as if it's time to give up.

But I just hate to give up when they have decided to start playing well. Unfortunately it seems that no matter what the Sox do the Tigers will do one better. Sad, but true.

Are the Sox Turning the Corner?

2009-09-04T22:39:00.002-05:00

The White Sox have now won each of their last 3 games, and in each more dominating performance than the one before. Since the 9th inning of the Twins game, the Sox have looked like a legitimate power in this league.

They smoked the Cubs, lit up the Red Sox, and scored 4 in 1 inning off Nathan. They are beginning to hit the ball with a lot more regularity (20 hits today, 13 yesterday, and 4 in the 9th vs. Minnesota). The pitching has been great with Torres, Garcia, and Buehrle. Bullpen has been solid and the baserunning/defense have both been much better.

Of course during all of this the Tigers have not lost a game, so the Sox are still 7 games back. However with 6 of the last 9 against the Tigers, there really is not a single digit number that cannot be over come. But I think if we want to truly dream, this run needs to continue and get up around 6/7/8 games in a row for the Sox.

That being said, I think it's do-able. Each of the next 3 matchups are solid for the White Sox, and then Oakland comes into the Cell. As much as I want to sit here and complain about how the Rays handed that game to the Tigers today (gave up 3 in the 9th, then left Carlos Pena on 1st to run and he did not score on Longoria's double), but we need to just concentrate on ourselves. Continue playing like we have, and keep winning games. They will cool off a little, we just must stay white-hot for at least the next week and then stay hot for the rest of the year.

This season isn't over. The E# is 21 right now. Just keep that number up and we can keep dreaming. You never know, you just never know.

Cubs-Mets Preview- Weren't We Just Here?

2009-09-04T11:17:00.000-05:00

Rather than go through the boring process of writing up the pitching matchups, scouting reports, and such for a series that literally just happened last week I'm going to use this for some perspective about where the Cubs are as a franchise.

The Mets are walking proof that things could be much worse than what is going on in Chicago. Their situation was quite enviable before the 2008 season started, they had just traded for the best pitcher in baseball and had a young core locked up for a number of deep playoff run. Instead they suffered another epic collapse in September due mainly to a terrible bullpen. They thought the addressed that problem in the offseason with the signing of K-Rod and the trade for JJ Putz.

What happened this season is nothing short of a baseball tragedy. So far this season they have lost the following all-stars: Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Putz, David Wright, and Johan Santana and Oliver Perez (no all-star). That translates to $84.75 million of payroll this season. They have resorted to starting guys like Angel Pagan everyday (their best player now).

By my own personal calculations the Mets need a catcher, first baseman, left fielder, right fielder, and two or three starting pitchers in order to be a contending team next season. None of that will come from their farm system, which they emptied out to get Johan. The free agent class this upcoming winter is pretty weak to begin with, but the Mets might not have money to spend anyway.

This is perhaps the worst part of this story. The Mets owner Fred Wilpon was one of the victims to Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme. Reports say he lost about $700 million to Madoff, and that is the complicating matter for the Mets. Their owner is essentially broke, their farm system is useless, and they have tons of holes in their roster. Not good at all.

So the next time we think about Alfonso Soriano's contract in 2014, remember that there are teams much worse off than the Cubs. No matter your opinion of the Cubs roster situation, they are still legit contenders in 2010, will more than likely be able to deal with free agents, and have a farm system that is close to producing some real nice talent.

Onto the pitching matchups

Friday- Carlos Zambrano (7-6 3.91) vs. Bobby Parnell (3-7 5.81)

Saturday- Rich Harden (8-8 4.19) vs. Nelson Figueroa (Cy Young)

Sunday- Randy Wells (10-7 2.90) vs. Mike Pelfrey (9-10 5.03)

Really the Cubs should probably win this series, but they won't. I'll say the Mets take two of three, and it takes a stellar Randy Wells start to save us from being swept.

Ryan Theriot Really Struggles at Baseball

2009-09-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

For all the hatred Cubs fans spew at Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano, and Alfonso Soriano it makes sense that most have missed a disturbing trend on happening at shortstop. See Ryan Theriot's power surge in May has turned him into a bad baseball player.

Theriot's main strength on the baseball field is his ability to hit the ball the other way and get on-base. Some have confused that with skills fit for a leadoff hitter, really they are skills of an eighth hitter, but that isn't the point here. Sometime in May Lou Pinella told Theriot that sometimes with runners on base he should look into pulling the ball and hitting into a gap or perhaps out of the park. Theriot then hit six homers in a short period of time and many thought he had made a nice change in his hitting. Theriot slugging a bit more couldn't hurt as long as he maintained his other skills.

The problem is Theriot stopped hitting the ball the other way and stopped taking as many walks. He became more aggressive at the plate and with that had a number of strikeouts. In 2008 Theriot walked 73 times and struck out only 58. This season he's only walked 35 times, yet his strikeouts are up to 79. His on-base percentage has dropped 46 points despite only having a 16 point drop in batting average. His 40 point rise in slugging is hardly beneficial when you consider that most of that came from a two-week binge at Wrigley Field.

To make this problem worse Lou insists on making Theriot his leadoff hitter everyday, resulting in the same one or two pitch at-bats that Soriano was providing. Considering the fact that Theriot is barely a stolen base threat (16 steals all season) and isn't getting on-base very much something needs to give here. His second half OPS of .642 sure isn't helping the team, and when you consider that his defense is likely to kill Derrek Lee one day I don't see what Theriot does that's good.

As long as Lou is the Cubs manager Theriot is going to be the starting shortstop, I just wish he would start at the bottom of the order. Taking Fukudome out of the leadoff spot isn't doing the team any good when he is replaced by Theriot. Might as well let Soriano go back to leading off.

The other part of Theriot's decline is a perceived tiredness (not a word I don't think) or Theriot. We all know in 2007 he fell off the map in September putting up a .520 OPS over the final month. It was because Theriot wasn't prepared for the extra month the major league season has over the minor league one. That didn't seem to be an issue in 2008, but I can't help but think that it's happening again. Lazy at-bats that result in weak popups make me think Ryan is worn out. Part of that is probably because there wasn't a real backup shortstop until yesterday (Andres Blanco started right away), but it is certainly something I will pay attention to in the final month.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-04T08:53:00.001-05:00

Cubs and Sox played each other so that made this a lot easier. Sox win on a day where neither team wanted to be there.

I'm going back to the old setup again for a few days before I make a final decision.

Cubs-Sox game stories. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Cubs relief pitchers doing well. Cubs need Big Z. All-Disappointment Team.

Peavy plans to pitch soon. Happy to be on the Sox. Update. Wise's throw. more Wise.

Ozzie surprised by slump. Hope for the White Sox? Wise looking for more playing time.

Sox rotation depends on how they do vs. Boston. Sox promote more minor leaguers.

Brenely on Milton. Tough day for Soriano. Disappointment. Aramis wants to play through pain.

Lou, Ozzie, Big Z. Lee's baby. Quick hits. Cubs fans throw in towel.

Sun-Times Dump-Sox style. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.

Cubs style. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.

Cubs-Sox Blind Comparison

2009-09-03T10:30:00.001-05:00

This morning I present to you the ultimate blind comparison. One of these guys is a Cub, the other plays for the White Sox. I won't give you either player's position, but I will tell you they have both played for their team for some time.

Player A- 13 seasons .277/.352/.491/.842 321 HR 1033 RBI 1666 H 115 OPS+

Player B- 13 seasons- .283/.367/.501/.868 284 HR 916 RBI 1669 H 123 OPS+

So who would you rather have on your team?

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-03T07:50:00.001-05:00

It was a good afternoon to be a Chicago fan. The Sox close out the dome with a comeback win and the Cubs ride Ted Lilly to a series win over the Astros.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox win. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Big Stories of the Day

David Patton back from the "DL" more here.

More Peavy updates. Ozzie and Cooper disagree. more here. and here.

Tribune

Goodbye Metrodome. Smiles and jokes as it closes. Cubs relievers pitching well.

MLB Sites

Ozzie doesn't want to play callups. Unfinished business. Konerko gets Clemente nomination.

New look Cubs. Not giving up. Soto charity event. Hill too. Fassero coaching pitchers. Grabow successful.

Sun-Times

Recap. Cubs bad offense. Lee's healed wrist. Extra effort.

Weak division on Sox. Recap. Finally beat the dome.

ESPN Chicago

Soriano might need surgery. The big yawn, more. Preview. Battle for who is worse.

We Own the Dome

2009-09-02T23:18:00.002-05:00

I think Paul Konerko has spoke for everyone when he said, "I'm just happy we never have to play a game here again." But of course if there was a way to go out, this was the way to do it.

What gets to me is that this game didn't mean more. It's sad that the final game the Sox ever play in the house of horrors will go down as a fantastic comeback and one that is as improbable as this goes down as a great win, but not one that will mean anything (hopefully I'm wrong). But with all of the struggles we've seen in this building I think we deserved this game. I think that building owed us something like this as it's final parting gift.

But wouldn't it have been nice if this game put us in first place. Or even cooler if this was a play-in game into the post season. But it wasn't. It was a just a great comeback of a shut-down closer that held serve and kept us a measly 7 games out of first.

Granted it could be a turn for this team, but I highly doubt it. What will ultimately come of this game in regards to the 09 season is most likely nothing. But at least we get a lasting memory of the dome that isn't of us being swept, but instead its of a comeback that no one could have seen coming.

RIP TwinkeeDome, we won't miss you.

Soto needs to start

2009-09-02T18:24:00.001-05:00

Though I am still holding an inkling of hope, the Cubs making the playoffs is, as everybody knows, incredibly remote. Ken Rosenthal wrote on foxsports.com yesterday that Baseball Prospectus has their odds at 2.7% of advancing to the postseason. Even if they do get in, it is pretty clear this team is not good enough to beat the teams they would be need to get anywhere.

That being said, the Cubs should take all measures they can to do what will best prepare the 2010 Cubs to be a winner, especially since it appears Lou will be around for the remainder of his contract. Now I am not for making moves that completely compromise the 2009 Cubs such as giving starts to minor leaguers like Jay Jackson or Chris Carpenter. Miracle runs do happen (2007 Rockies), so throwing in the towel for this season would be wrong. However, I think there is a move similar to getting Shark some starts, which Justin suggested, that can make them better for 2010 without completely compromising this season.

Geovany Soto has been a total disappointment this season and there is no better way to say it. The .690 OPS plain sucks. The home runs have come at times, but my real power issue with him is that he has only hit 13 doubles in 264 AB's, after putting up a respectable 35 last year. Even a teeny-tiny bright spot such as striking out a little less (down 1.2%), is offset by not walking as much (up 2.2%).

After having witnessed Soto's terrible season like everyone else, I can understand the natural response from a lot of people to want Koyie Hill to start. But to me starting Koyie Hill is far from the right decision. Sure the whole saw-fingers incident and the iron man streak of starts make for nice stories, there is no offensive value to starting him. I will acknowledge that there are defensive upgrages: Hill's 3.69 ERA while catching is lower than Geo's 4.16, and his 40% CS is a lot better than Geo's 30% in relatively similar amount of playing time.

Despite the defensive improvement (which, if both played a full season, I would assume would be roughly equal), Geo still needs to start, and get as many AB's as possible before the season ends. Talent alone doesn't make the player at the big leagues, as demonstarted by Elijah Dukes and countless others. But the fact remains that Geo has a lot more talent than Koyie Hill. Hill may end up being a reliable backup catcher, but he can't provide the kind of lineup depth that Geo has the potential to. Maybe Geo won't even come close to what he did in 2008, but he has proven that he can be that type of player.

Maybe Shark won't ever be a good starting pitcher in the majors, and maybe Geo will never live up to everything we all thought he would be after last year. But the chance that they can be above average players should be enough to allow them playing time now in effort to get better for the future.

Photo courtesy ecoupons.com.

Ted Lilly is the Man, Derrek Lee too

2009-09-02T16:08:00.002-05:00

Ted Lilly has been the recipient of some Randy Wells like luck recently, but today he was so good that even an abysmal offense couldn't stop him. Ted went eight innings gave up no runs and allowed only four hits while striking out five and walking none. He lowered his season ERA to 3.17 and tied Wells for the team lead in wins with 10.

The sole offense of the day was provided by Derrek Lee who hit a two run homer in the fourth inning. The rest of the offense was really bad today, no other way to say it. It has been the thing that has plagued this team all season and even Wrigley Field can't solve it everyday.

Carlos Marmol came in to close out the game in the ninth and was able to work around a hit and a walk to end the game. The control wasn't the greatest today and he was going to his slider too much again especially in the last at bat to Geoff Blum. I felt that Blum actually missed a great pitch to hit twice in that at bat so the Cubs should consider themselves lucky to have won this game.

You would like to see way more runs scored against a pitcher like Felipe Paulino, but with Soriano, Ramirez, and the struggling Ryan Theriot getting the day off that might have been asking too much. Andres Blanco returned from the "DL" today and was able to hit a double while playing some really good shortstop. It amazes me to see a real defensive shortstop play for the Cubs every once in while. Too bad Blanco can't hit major league pitching otherwise we might have something there.

The homestand that was supposed to save our season and put us back in the race turned out to be the worst case scenario I presented earlier. A 5-4 record against the Nationals, Mets, and Astros is really unacceptable for a team that thinks they are going to make the playoffs. Tomorrow's game against the White Sox provides a chance to make the trip to Wrigley look a bit more respectable, but really it's just too little too late.

Pretty soon Lou is going to have to make some interesting decisions about playing time. He has already given Koyie Hill the majority of the catching time the rest of the season, but I will be interested to see what happens with some other guys. Clearly Soriano could be shut down for the rest of the season, but I doubt he would agree to that. It would allow Jake Fox to play full time so we can see how good he really is.

Aramis Ramirez could also be shut down to rest his shoulder more if the Cubs wanted too. That would allow Fox to get more reps at third, as well as put a final tag on Mike Fontenot. Pitching wise I still want Randy Wells shut down and Samardzija put in the rotation. Rich Harden might need to get shut down soon as well because his arm is seriously tempting the injury gods at this point.

It should be interesting to see who gets to play as the season rolls on. This upcoming road trip to New York and Pittsburgh will hopefully put the final nail in the season so Lou can prepare for next season.

Morning Cubs and Sox Links

2009-09-02T07:45:00.000-05:00

Cubs beat the Astros on a special night for Randy Wells. The Sox lose yet another game to the Twins in Minnesota.

Cubs win. Tribune. MLB. AP. Sox lose. Tribune. MLB. AP.

Big Stories of the Night

Cubs minor league callups. More here. and here. and here. Sox too.

Sox trade reaction. more here. and here. and here.

Tribune

Torres to start vs. Cubs. Target field should help Sox.

Lou defends team.

MLB Sites

Ted needs some run support. Bradley enjoying surge. Standings may decide Peavy plan.

Sun-Times

Cubs win in front of Ricketts. Fall apart early again. Shark still to be starter. Cubs in brief.

White Flag II? Sox in brief. More dome shame.

ESPN Chicago

Ted nominated for award. Ozzie says Sox haven't quit.

Why in the World Would You Put in Pena?

2009-09-01T23:45:00.002-05:00

In the last 12 games in which Tony Pena has made an appearance, the White Sox have ended up losing all 12. 12 for 12. Soak that in for a minute. 12 for effing 12. I know they have been losing a lot of games lately, and I know he's sort of a mop up type guy, but to Ozzie he seems to be the go to guy when the game is tied late.

Tonight's game is the exact same situation as the one in Seattle. You don't want to wast Jenks because there could be a save chance later. But Ozzie tonight, and in the Seattle game, decides to go with Tony Pena. Why?

I cannot figure out what rationale could have been possibly used to make that move. I'm fine with Thornton coming out (he got the loss tonight) when he did, faced 4 batters got 3 out, sionara. But to go with Pena over Carrasco just blows my mind.

DJ was ready in the pen. He's the perfect extra inning pitcher. He is used to going 2/3/4 innings and sucking up some big innings when needed. He also has been pretty darn good this year. But no Ozzie time and time again goes to Pena, and time and time again we lose the game.

Tonight's game had nothing to do with the TwinkeeDome problems of the past. Tonight needs to be chalked up to terrible use of the bullpen. If there's one thing that must be addressed in Ozzie's management style it's bullpen management. He seems to have no clue what to do when the game is tied or we trail. If we are winning he makes every move just like he should, but when we are down, he throws all intuition to the wind and throws in whoever he feels has the best chance to screw it up further than it's already screwed up.

Moral of the story, when the last 11 times you have put a pitcher in a game you go on to lose the game, do not put that pitcher in to pitch in a tie game in the 9th inning on the road.

Randy Wells Dominates Houston Pt. 3

2009-09-01T22:43:00.002-05:00

Randy Wells continued to dominate the Houston Astros this season and earned his tenth win of the season tonight at Wrigley Field. It was Wells' third outing against the Astros this season and he didn't allow a single earned run in 20 2/3 innings.

For the first time since Kerry Wood's 1998 season the Cubs had a rookie pitcher win 10 games. Wood won 13 that season and also took the rookie of the year award, the same award that Wells hopes to take home at the end of this season. He likely won't win the award given the season JA Happ is having in Philly, but Wells is certainly making his case.

Offensively the Cubs struggled at first against Brian Moehler, but figured him out the second time through the order. Milton Bradley hit his twelve homer of the season in the fourth inning to start the scoring, and added a single in the sixth. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez also had great games at the plate, Lee had a double in the eighth and got on base earlier on a dropped flyball by Hunter Pence.

Aramis drove in a run in the sixth inning, and Kosuke Fukudome added some insurance in the eighth with a RBI double. Koyie Hill added a fifth inning RBI single to complete the Cubs scoring for the night. It was quite the impressive effort for an offense that usually struggles on nights where they are too aggressive. Milton Bradley deserves credit for starting this with that homer that came after he worked a count.

Alfonso Soriano's return to the lineup was encouraging to me too. Soriano hit two balls very hard. One was a solid single up the middle and the other was run down in right field. He looked a bit better in the field and he was able to run the bases a bit better. Good things for Alfonso, hopefully he builds on it.

The bullpen was very good again for the Cubs too. John Grabow came on in the seventh and was able to retire Michael Bourne to end that inning. He got one out in the eighth before walking a batter. Kevin Gregg came in to face Carlos Lee (yikes) and was able to get him to fly out to center field.

Carlos Marmol impressed again in the ninth inning allowing a leadoff single to Hunter Pence before retiring the last three batters on a popout and two strikeouts. It looks to me like Marmol is settling in nicely to the closers role and might just be able to settle that position for 2010. His control is better and he is actually using his great fastball to get outs rather than always going to the slider.

Tomorrow afternoon the Cubs try to win the series with Roberto Clemente winner and all around awesome guy Ted Lilly taking the mound. The Cubs need to win that game because I can't stand to lose such a lopsided pitching matchup.

Should Samardzija Join the Rotation Now?

2009-09-01T18:29:00.000-05:00

September 2009 isn't a time for Cubs fans to enjoy a pennant race, instead it's a time to watch a failed team fail more. With that fact in mind I think that it's time for Jeff Samardzija to join the major league rotation.

Yes it will be an epic disaster, especially when you remember what happened when he started against the Phillies. The point is Samardzija is getting paid a lot of money to play professional baseball, and it's time we start seeing results in the major leagues. The Cubs need to see what happens with Samardzija when he is part of the major league rotation for an extended period of time.

I have no issue expecting that Samardzija will ultimately be a bust. He's shown no ability to pitch to major leagues to this point. He had success when he first came up, but as soon as major league hitters realized he only had one good pitch he got lit up. He was sent back down to work on his breaking pitches, now is the time to see the results.

Let him go out every fifth day for a month a let's see what we have here. Have Larry Rothschild work with him on his breaking balls and his control. The Shark is getting $10 million and a major league contract to play baseball. Time to put him to the test for a month. The actual results aren't what's important here as much as him learning how to face major league hitters. Learning how to work against major league hitters and how to use his breaking pitches with his fastball.

Samardzija's development as a pitcher is important for the future of the Cubs organization, with Randy Wells at an all-time innings high. That creates the opening the rotation and Samardzija should move in a fill it.