Cubs MLB Roster

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39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)   

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris 
Jameson Taillon 
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski 
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 9 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Jose Cuas, P 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 

10-DAY IL: 1 
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P 
* Drew Smyly, P 
* Justin Steele, P   

60-DAY IL: 2 
Caleb Kilian, P 
Julian Merryweather, P

DFA: 1 
Garrett Cooper, 1B 
 




Minor League Rosters
Rule 5 Draft 
Minor League Free-Agents

Game 7 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (1 of 3)

Submitted by Rob G. on
Game Chat
   
W. Williams T. Lilly
Lineups:
Biggio 2B Soriano CF
Burke CF Jones RF
Berkman 1B Lee 1B
Lee LF Ramirez 3B
Ensberg 3B Floyd LF
Lane RF Barrett C
Everett SS Derosa 2B
Quintero C Izturis SS
Williams P Lilly P

Comments

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:50 am

Observations (to be debated, or ridiculed) 1. The Cub offense remains feast or famine. This team MUST learn how to play “small ball” and manufacture runs for those ocassions when it is called for. 2. Alfonso Soriano has never met a pitch he didn’t like to swing at. Unfortunately, it is readily apparent that Soriano shall add to, versus solve, the feast or famine nature of this lineup. It’s tough to have a leadoff man act like this. 3. I like Mark DeRosa. A lot. He is a good hard-nosed ballplayer that impresses me with the bat and at 2nd. 4. Michael Barrett remains a nightmare behind the plate. Which is problematic to this team’s winning fortunes. 5. Daryl Ward makes Prince Fielder look like Calista Flockhart. 6. Cesar Izturis is a magical fielding shortstop and huge asset to this ballclub. 7. The way Aramis Ramirez is playing I have to assume he is quite fearful of having Lou Piniella plant his shoe up his ass. Ramirez will wind up being a finalist for NL MVP award in 2007. 8. It is so good to have a healthy Derrek Lee back. 9. Cliff Floyd clearly has something left in the tank, which is a good thing for the Cubs. 10. Sweet Lou likes Ryan Theriot. A lot. 11. Rich Hill has officially made me a believer. 12. Ted Lilly will end up a finalist for NL Cy Young in 2007. 13. The triumvirate of Carlos Zambrano, Hill and Lilly has the potential to be as good as any in the NL. 14. Scott Eyre has turned back into a pumpkin after a couple year run as a solid set-up man in this league. The onus is on Neal Cotts and Wil Ohlman to step up. 15. Sweet Lou is an oustanding manager and the absolute best choice to be leading the Cubs. I have to give Jim Hendry credit for doing something right.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:56 am

Woody Williams is ancient, and bad. The Cubs should be able to tee off of him today.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:10 am

Let's see how I feel about all of this.. this should be fun. 1. Yes 2. Yes. That's always been the case. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. 3. Yes, but he won't hit .400 all year. 4. That was a pretty tough series for him. But he's never been in there for his defense. Problem is he ain't giving us much at the plate, either. 5. I would have selected John Kruk and Lara Flynn Boyle, but your answer is acceptable. 6. Just hit, baby. Please. 7. I hope. He also won't hit .400 all year. 8. ORLY? 9. Didn't you say that signing was a joke? 10. Me too. Get a hit, though. 11. Welcome to the club. We're still looking for officers. Would you like to be the Sergeant at Arms? 12. roflcopter. lollercaust. That's ridiculous. I will call you the most intelligent, insightful, and sheer genius baseball fan on the planet if that actually happens. 13. Mets fans are saying the same thing about Glavine, El Duque, and John Maine right now. Just for some perspective. 14. You love the Jump to Conclusions Mat, don't you? 15. See 14. Although I do like what I've seen to this point.

Submitted by Vladimir on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:11 am

Silent Towel, while I disagree with assertion #1, #15 is the one that I most question. Lou seems to burn through his bench awfully quickly, and I worry it'll bite us some day. I'm not ready to forgive him for pinch hitting Ronny Cedeno for Cliff Floyd the other day, either.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:12 am

Randy Keisler gets Carpenter's start tomorrow... I almost feel bad for them...

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:17 am

...and I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:18 am

Rob G- Me too, I hope he can still put on his World Series ring with a sling on. As crunch would say- pleh

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:20 am

Re: Ted Lilly I'll stick to my prediction that he becomes finalist for the 2007 Cy Young. Lilly grew up pitching in the ultra-tough AL East. And did reasonably. He is going to love pitching in the National League. He's going to give up a crap load of home runs, but I shall predict he wins 18 games.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:23 am

Cliff Floyd playing left field. Again. Looks like Sweet Lou is defaulting to more or less a platoon in left.

Submitted by Borowski on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:27 am

That's what I've been saying about Lilly since this signing (well...not here...but still...) Just look at what he has to face today. That's a welcome change from the [i]Devil Rays[/i] for the love of God!

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:29 am

btw, our archives are slowly being imported, we're up to Sept. '06 at the moment. I don't believe the posts are attributed correctly though, at least not yet.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:34 am

is this Floyd's 3rd start? 7 games, 3 starts, I know I said they'd play about 50/50 before the year and I'm sticking with it. Well, I guess I meant 50/50 until Floyd gets hurt. :)

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:44 am

Floyd is 14 for 30 (2 2B, 2 HR) against Woodrow lifetime. Perhaps why he's on the lineup card today.

Submitted by Green Lantern on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:13 am

no brad ausmus? i want my money back. also, while i heart matt murton, i heart good platoons even more. like the floyd signing more than i thought i would. cool parachuters flying in. let's go lilly.

Submitted by Mine's the Sun!!! on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:46 am

I love the idea of Jacque Jones in the #2 spot when Floyd is standing in LF. He'll get a large dose of fastballs, and having Floyd bat fifth is perfect for double-switching Murton or Theriot and the starter after Floyd's 3rd AB.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:05 pm

Because the strike zone is big enough to drive a truck through. Except, of course, when Lilly is out there.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:42 pm

Well now it's 5-3 Astros after Howry didn't get a call he should have to strike out whoever it was. Then he went yard two pitches later.

Submitted by BillyBucks on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:44 pm

Adan Everett?????? Are you freakin' kidding me?? What a waste of a nice comeback. Howry and Eyre are suddenly looking very shaky. Bummer.

Submitted by Dillon1998 on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:04 pm

It's not exaggerating to say that this may be the worst home plate umpire that any of us have ever seen. Howry struck Everett out - the only possible explanation is that the umpire (Hoye) simply blinked or something.

Submitted by vorare on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:04 pm

Whoever puts the ball/strike dots up for Gameday certainly disagreed with the ump. There were severals "balls" that were well within the strike zone.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:10 pm

ump had a bias towards left side of the plate for those viewing at home... anything inside to a right-handed hitter was being called a ball, stuff that looked a foot outside to a righty were being called strikes. He was mostly consistent though with his wackiness... 2-run homer to Adam Everett pretty much sums it up though...

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:11 pm

Today's game was yet another exhibit of why Michael emBarrettsment needs to go. There is no worse catcher in major league baseball.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:11 pm

What pretty much sums it up is getting mowed down by Woody Friggin Williams and Rick Friggin White of all people. Feast or famine offense shines again !!

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:19 pm

Today’s game was yet another exhibit of why Michael emBarrettsment needs to go. There is no worse catcher in major league baseball. How so? What did Barrett do wrong today? One wild pitch?

Submitted by The Real Neal on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:21 pm

Two wild pitches, neither of which factored in the scoring. He blocked a ball in the dirt with the bases loaded, and went 2/3 with a BB at the plate, including driving in Ramirez from first with a double. We should trade him and see if Matheny will come out of retirement.

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:22 pm

oh... i forgot - the "dropped" third strike. Barrett made a nice block on a pitch in the dirt, then couldn't find the ball. if you have ever caught in a baseball game, you would know that there are times where you simply have trouble finding the ball. this happens to every catcher, whether it is a molina or a barrett. you cannot blame barrett's defense today.

Submitted by BillyBucks on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:24 pm

Howry and Eyre have combined for 6 outings -- four of which have not been good. This needs to get turned around quickly -- I don't care how bad the umpire is, having Adam Freaking Everett take you yard late in the game on a miserable day to hit is simply ridiculous. Seeing Woody mow down the Cubs was a sick reminder of last year, when we made a whole lot of truly terrible pitchers look very good for a day. Ugh.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:24 pm

There's a reason wild pitches are assessed to the pitcher and passed balls are assessed to the catcher. Two wild pitches, zero passed balls. On another note, I'm not one of the folks around here who make everything best/worst and ever and players the awesomest/horriblest ever. That said, that was one of the most lackluster efforts I've seen from a home plate umpire in some time. If I recall correctly, two of Lilly's runs came a pitch or two after what I'll call a "close pitch". Obviously, that was the scenario in Howry's inning of work as well.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:30 pm

The Cubs remain incapable of manufacturing runs or playing what Ozzie Guillen labels "small ball." You can't sit back and wait for the big inning. The Astros have an inferior lineup, yet scored their first three runs against a tough pitcher (Lilly) by doing the little things and executing. Why can't the Cubs do this? This has become a years long problem. And I must say I am depressed about Alfonso Soriano. The man literally has no patience at the plate. If he insists on being the lead-off hitter, then he needs to act like a lead-off hitter. We can't afford a lead-off hitter who has extreme peaks and valleys. It's an absolute killer to have Soriano do little for a week or two stretch. When he's not "dialed in," then he had better be focused on laying the bunt down, working the count, etc..

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:34 pm

from ye olde world of roto... (I think I stole that from someone here, take credit if you wish) Chris Carpenter will be placed on the disabled list because of moderate arthritis and a mild impingement in his pitching elbow. Cards seem "happy" about the diagnosis, could be back by the end of the month.

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:36 pm

"Ozzie Guillen labels “small ball.” Like I said Ozzie is going to look a lot dumber this year when that starting pitching implodes this summer. Here was the two main elements of "small ball" Sox in 2005- 1. Lead the league in ERA 2. Lead the league in Homeruns.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:57 pm

I'm not an Ozzie Guillen or a White Sox fan. But I do admire teams, like the Sox, who understand the need to execute and play small ball when the situation dictates. Phil Garner did it today. The Astros did plenty of dumb things in this ballclub. And Ted Lilly did a good job preventing the big inning at the hands of Berkman and Lee. But the Astros won because they executed nicely on three separate ocassions to amass a 3 run lead. The Cubs on the other hand still are incapable of executing the offense. If this is going to be yet another season of waiting for the thunder, then it is going to be yet another deeply disappointing season.

Submitted by BillyBucks on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:00 pm

If not Fonzie, who in the current lineup bats leadoff? Lee Ramirez JJ Izzy Murton/Floyd Barrett DeRosa Any takers?

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:02 pm

But the Astros won because they executed nicely on three separate ocassions to amass a 3 run lead. Yea... lets just forget about that 2 run homer that actually won the game for the Astros.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:03 pm

Sobering statistic. The Cubs have received 5 quality starts in their first 7 games and have 3 victories to show for it.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:04 pm

Yeah Dave, the Astro game plan is to let the thunderous bat of Adam Everett be the difference maker. Get a clue. The Astros executed and that execution overcame the quietness of the big bats and even a few errors. The Cubs didn't execute, period.

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:05 pm

The Cubs didn’t execute, period. No... it wasn't about lack of execution of small ball. it was lack of people getting on base.

Submitted by Virginia Phil on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:10 pm

I like Howry, but he doesn't have the juice any more to be a guy who only throws fastballs, so he's trying to work in a breaking ball. He's still trying to control it. Sat against Milw, in a strong inning, he threw four breaking balls, one for a called strike. The other three were way low, but one of those was a swinging strike three. Today, he tried two breaking balls against Everett. One was the wild pitch, the other was low outside to run the count to 3-2. Not trusting the curve, he threw another fastball (one too many) to Everett. It seems to me Everett has done this to us before. Anyway, good job by Lilly and another late-inning comeback. Howry'll be okay.

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:16 pm

ST... looking back at the game, the Astros first run was back to back doubles. How is that small ball? Their second run was a from a double then a single. How is that small ball? Their third run was manufactured from a double, a sac bunt, then a sac fly. So one small ball run for you. Their fourth and fifth runs were scored on a two run homerun. I don't see the great small ball efforts from the Astros today.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:27 pm

My POINT is that the Cubs offense still is feast or famine. And even moreso given the presence of Alfonso Soriano. When the big bats are clicking or up against a tough hombre on the mound, then good teams do the little things that the Cubs are still incapable of doing. Like working the count. Like hitting the opposite way. Like laying down a bunt. Like shortening up the swing. Like hitting and running when someone does get on first. 5 quality pitching starts in 7 games, but 3 wins to show for it. That folks is an ominous sign. It's not all the fault of the offense. But...

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:29 pm

My POINT is that the Cubs offense still is feast or famine. Then next time try to support your point with something that actually makes sense instead of your Astros argument.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:42 pm

Of our 5 quality starts, the opposing pitcher also had a quality start in three of them. You make it out to be that we have great pitching and our hitters suck. Well what if the teams we're facing have great pitching and our hitters suck? (Insert pondering face here) An interesting paradox, indeed....

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:43 pm

Let me try that again... What if the teams we're facing have great pitching and they have the hitters who suck?

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:57 pm

i smell swiss cheese. hell, i see swiss cheese. some people still wanna call it cheddar, though. go cubs. go internet.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:57 pm

just saw Pierre try to throw out a runner at home....good times. Needless to say the Rockie cruised in easily...

Submitted by Chad on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:59 pm

"5 quality pitching starts in 7 games, but 3 wins to show for it. That folks is an ominous sign. It’s not all the fault of the offense. But…" The only ominous sign is when the offense comes around, and it will, we will win a ton of games.

Submitted by tarzan wallis on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:23 pm

Are people really still insisting that Ozzie's White Sox play small ball? Hilarious. Ozzie can claim to play small ball all he wants but the Sox are utterly dependent on the home run. They hit 200 of them in '05 and scored 120 less runs than the season before. They won 100% on the strength of their pitching. Three starters and two relievers had career years.

Submitted by Rich on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:41 pm

It's funny too how some people are expecting Soriano to completely change the way he hits. He's gonna strike out a TON this year. He is a very streaky hitter from what I've seen who will carry this club offensively at times. I think if I were Lou and had to pick a leadoff man right now it would be Lee.

Submitted by Mike Wellman on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:46 pm

you want 'small ball' ST? cubs tied the game on soriano's legs when he reached on an FC, swiped second and scored all the way from there on a high hopper to 2B...the sequence he scored on was the most exciting play of the game and was of course promptly negated by everett's blast in the next half-inning...

Submitted by dc60124 on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:52 pm

would somebody please push the panic button for me? i can't reach it, being out here on the ledge and all...

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:06 pm

Soriano is a bust. Bullpen is terrible Offense is reliant only on hitting. Catcher can't call a good game, can't catch ball. First week of the season. Unbelievable.

Submitted by dave on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:28 pm

yea... especially with the shaggy hair. wait - did he cut that? maybe he doesn't look as good anymore.

Submitted by Cubster on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:14 pm

Chris Carpenter will be placed on the disabled list because of moderate arthritis and a mild impingement in his pitching elbow. ----- Anti-inflammatory medication relieved the swelling, but after a bullpen session on Saturday 4/7, the condition/pain returned. The above diagnosis was based on a MRI ordered after the symptoms recurred Saturday. Will Carroll (Baseball Perspectus, Under the Knife columnist) has said that Carpenter has bone chips (which usually come from damaged articular cartilage, hence the arthritis diagnosis). If this recurs after 2 weeks rest, when he starts to throw again, he has a good chance of needing his elbow scoped to clean out the chips. That usually means 6-8 weeks from surgery to a rehab start. The Cubs play StL in 3 game series on 4/20 (at Wrigley) and 4/27 (in StL). Although his 2 week DL stint is retroactive to 4/2, I doubt he will be ready for the first series and maybe will miss both.

Submitted by 433 on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:22 pm

I was there today, sitting in the bleachers. Great day, great atmosphere, and a ton of anticipation. I've been to something like 6 Opening Days in a row, and this was the one with the most pre-game buzz in the crowd. Because I was in the bleachers I can't really comment intelligently on the strike zone, but it seemed really bad. There were at least four occasions where the crowd went nuts -- really angry -- at a key missed call by the home plate ump, which was followed about 10 seconds later by a more muted yet more rabid outburst from the portions of the crowd that had access to TV replays. That is audible even to those of us in the bleachers, and has to be telling (and disconcerting) to the umpires. Three things stick out in my mind. First, the Army guys who parachuted out of the sky were brilliant and awesome. There were about 10 of them, and they dropped out of the plane about a mile or so northwest of the stadium. For a while it seemed touch-and-go as to whether they would make it into the stadium, much less land on their target of shallow center field, but apparently they knew what they were doing and all landed flawlessly. Awesome. Second, the cold and the snow really sucked. It became brutal aroudn the fifth inning. But hey, it was Opening Day and I wasn't at work, so it was still better than most days. And finally, Soriano. I was sitting in left center, and the crowd was very welcoming, supportive and vocal to him, and he seemed to eat it up. His body language when warming up before the first inning with Jones was that of a 9 year old about to play in a Little League game in front of his dad, brothers and uncles -- he seemed really excited and proud. I don't know if this came off on TV or not, but the play where he scored from second was breathtaking. We all saw it coming from our seats in left center -- all eyes were on him as soon as it was clear that there wouldn't be an out at first. As he rounded third he ATTACKED the turn like an animal -- it was a stunning display. The adrenaline rush that shot through the crowd as he scored was thrilling. It was one of those fist-pumping, jumping, "We are better than you!!!" moments that have been absent from Wrigley for several years. Lots of smiling, high-fiving and nodding in the bleachers afterwards. He is going to be fun to watch.

Submitted by Andrew on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:24 pm

That A-Rod is pretty good. Another HR tonight. Anyone think he could still play short *cough* next year for the Cubs *cough* *cough*?

Submitted by Andrew on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:26 pm

433: I saw the Army guys too this past year at the Notre Dame vs. Army game. It looked a little hairy then, too, but they came through. Very impressive indeed.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:26 pm

statement is made. statement is questioned. question is not answered. poster returns later to make same or similar statements again...for a bonus it may include statements of how stupid people the rest of us are or other such statements that have to do with everything but the questions or reasonings asked of the poster. gee...seen this before...odd, huh?

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:31 pm

Steve Stone was on WSCR today and floated a theory of the Cubs trading Soriano after the season for A-Rod if he doesn't opt out. Attn Cable owners- FREE MLB EXTRA INNINGS GOING ON! Watching Drays vs Rangers. Giants at San Diego, watching for the good weather.

Submitted by 433 on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:53 pm

A couple other random musings from the game today: The sound system has been noticeably upgraded -- music sounded great. A nice improvement. The Under Armour ads on the outfield walls could be worse, but they are pretty obnoxious. They just seem really out of place. I could only see one of them from my angle but I imagine it looks worse from the grandstand. It seems that the big scoreboard got a nice fresh coat of green paint. Looks good. Andrew -- yeah the Army guys are good. It was windy and cold, but I imagine parachuting into a big fat stadium is kids' stuff compared to what they have been trained to do.

Submitted by Chad on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:57 pm

Great, we sign Soriano and then trade him after one year. I'm sure that will attract big ticket free agents in the future. Not happening.

Submitted by nohit on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:00 pm

Guys, just a quick aside -- blowing up the pitcher mugshots to the point they're pixelated is a bit much. I keep staring at them thinking I'm drunk. I am, but that's besides the point...

Submitted by jacos on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:29 pm

That's why Stone is on the radio. I saw the "ball" on Everett on Baseball Tonite, and that was a terrible call. Did I mention that Karl Ravich is an idiot?

Submitted by carmenfanzone on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:38 pm

Is it too early to blame Dusty for the troubles of Eyre and Howry? The both made soooo many appearances last year. Yes, I'm serious... The other day I posted a proposed trade of Murton + Pitcher for Dontrelle Willis, allowing us to bring up Pie for right and moving Jones/Floyd into left. Someone said they won't spend any more money. I seem to think if we're above .500 in June, something like that could happen. Any thoughts?

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:53 pm

i still dont buy this whole arod walking away from 20-30m just to get out of NY...crazier stuff has happened, but whatever...that one's gonna have to literally get done before i even get into daydreaming what the next step after leaving that kinda loot behind is. i mean, its not like the yanks are ever gonna be not competitive for the years he'd be there anyway...i dont buy him being so thin skinned no matter how many newspapers they need to sell in NY.

Submitted by Andrew on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:54 pm

Ravich may be an idiot, Jacos, but he looks like a genius compared to guys like Kruk and Steve Phillips.

Submitted by Andrew on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:56 pm

I was just wondering if people think he's even physically capable of playing short anymore. The consensus, from my impression, seems to be no, but I wonder why. He seems to be still very athletic.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:18 pm

carmen, you're pushing the panic button about Eyre and Howry, buddy. Also, I don't like having Floyd, Jones, and Pie to play the corners. First of all, it's three lefties, and second, how do you decide who gets to play? You want to play Felix everyday, I assume, and platoon Floyd and Jones in left. I think that's a big mistake.

Submitted by carmenfanzone on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:33 pm

"carmen, you’re pushing the panic button about Eyre and Howry, buddy" I very well might be but I do wonder aloud if Dusty's pitcher abuse hasn't taken its toll. If you look at teams like the 04 Red Sox or the 05 White Sox, for instance, you see where the extra innings (post season) took its toll for an entire year. Is it "panic button" to wonder if those guys didn't pitch just too damn much? If this theory is right, the Tigers will not make the playoffs...The good news: I think our bullpen is fairly deep. If Howry and/or Eyre are not getting it done, I think someone else can step up.

Submitted by Anonymous Cub Fan on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:49 pm

W - Williams SV - Wheeler L - Hoye On a serious note, Soriano still wasn't coming up with the big hit, but he didn't look completely lost today. I was encouraged. Williams had his command working big time. Just goes to show you (I'm talking to you Wade), that you don't need good stuff, just pitch away away away... and in in in to Cliff Floyd.

Submitted by Rynox on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:50 pm

Weird, I posted to another blog on mvn under Anonoymous Cub Fan and it saved it for TCR. Strange.

Submitted by Rynox on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:01 pm

carmenfanzone:
Is it too early to blame Dusty for the troubles of Eyre and Howry?
Yes. They're workhorses, if they couldn't do the work, they shouldn't be out there anyways. When it stops snowing, I'll start taking this crap seriously, until then I just hope they play some .500 ball and stay healthy.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:07 pm

The Cubs have received 5 quality starts in their first 7 games and have 3 victories to show for it. So what, Towel, Houston had 5 quality starts in their first 6 games and managed only one win. Now that's what I call "small ball."

Submitted by Rynox on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:09 pm

The Cubs have received 5 quality starts in their first 7 games and have 3 victories to show for it.
My god, at this rate the Cubs will end up with a 69-93 record. So much for my prediction contest.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:41 pm

Guys, just a quick aside — blowing up the pitcher mugshots to the point they’re pixelated is a bit much. I keep staring at them thinking I’m drunk. I am, but that’s besides the point… Huh? The pics look fine on my browser. Anyone else having this problem?

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:42 pm

Weird, I posted to another blog on mvn under Anonoymous Cub Fan and it saved it for TCR. Strange. Seems to be a problem when you use the same email address, it messes with the posting occasionally, someone fed Gizmo after midnight.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:54 pm

I'm running Vista Huh? The pics look fine on my browser. Anyone else having this problem? Pix are fine in Firefox 2 Pix are bad in IE Explorer 7 enlarged, blurry

Submitted by Marshall on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:56 pm

Yeah, only person's hinted at this, but Towel I feel that the whole "Feast and Famine" deal is due more to a lack of guys who can get on base consistently than "small ball." That nagging problem with the Cubs offense has never really been addressed, certainly not in this past offseason.

Submitted by Henry on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:57 pm

433. thanks for the comments on soriano's childlike beginning and his sprint home. THAT COMPLETELY MADE MY DAY!!!!!

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:59 pm

IE 7 is indeed the culprit. I've had the same problem. Pictures are probably 4 or 5 times their normal size.

Submitted by crunch on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:59 pm

buried in the notes sections of a few reports from yesterday...mark prior (extended spring in arz) is going to tentatively pitch either on wed/thur in a game.

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:17 pm

anyone have any ideas? (and my apologies for not noticing) I set height and width tags on the pictures, I assume it has something to do with my table.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:22 pm

I think we all know that this lineup was constructed to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Anybody who expected Soriano to run out a post a .360 OBP needs to have the gooey stuff between their ears checked. (.351 career high in '06.. .325 avg) Soriano strikes out a lot and the Cubs have gotten NOTHING from whoever Uncle Lou drops in the 2 hole. The reason we're losing is because if you're name isn't Mark DeRosa, Ronny Cedeno, or Aramis Ramirez, you haven't hit a home run for the Chicago Cubs. When you've got a team that some thought might combine for close to 200 dingers and you've got 4 through 7 games, that would go a long way to explain it, now wouldn't it?

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:25 pm

hmm, something to do with the images, seems to blow them up no matter what. Stupid IE7, must be something in the template that was built-in... I'll take it up with the admin.

Submitted by Wes on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:16 pm

your name..isn't Mark DeRosa.... so on.. Thanks Liberal Arts degree!

Submitted by Chad on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:16 pm

"i still dont buy this whole arod walking away from 20-30m just to get out of NY" It's speculated that if he cancels the remaining 3 years of his contract (75 mil), he could sign a longer more valuable contract then if he waited until he becomes a free agent. If Soriano can get 17 mil a year, and is only a of year younger, ARod could probably get a similar deal. If he waits 3 years, he won't get that good of a deal.

Submitted by Chad on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 04:18 pm

Oh, relax guys. Let's be glad that we are getting good starting pitching. The hitting will come around and if we can get 6 - 7 solid innings everyday, we will win a lot of games. You guys are starting to sound like Red Sox fans. Patience, it's a virtue.

Submitted by Rynox on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:18 am

Very odd, it seems to be iexplorer not obeying the height/width. Iexplorer always takes CSS stylesheet suggestions over element attributes, so my guess is one of the stylesheets in the {head} is goofing with the image sizes. I'd try applying a style to each image like so (I'll omit the pointy brackets, but you'll get the idea): img src="//www.thecubreporter.com/...%5Cblah.jpg" width="80" height="60" style="width: 80 px; height: 60 px;"

Submitted by Silent Towel on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:57 am

Alfonso Soriano is a notoriously streaky hitter. This I am finding out in rapid fashion, and have verified via examination of his career patterns in New York and Texas. That said, it is going to be enormously tough to develop consistency on offense when Soriano isn't otherwise thumping the ball. Soriano MUST learn to work the count, shorten up his swing, etc. when he isn't in one of his power grooves. Otherwise Sweet Lou needs to have a heart to heart and move him out of the leadoff spot. Assuming Soriano would ever agree to this strategy (which I doubt), "MAYBE" a possible lineup card would be as follows... 1. C. Izturis (I make no apologies for liking him a great deal) 2. M. Murton (or flip flop Izturis and Murton) 3. D. Lee 4. A. Soriano 5. A. Ramirez 6. J. Jones 7. M. DeRosa 8. M. Barrett

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:07 am

Prior "is going to tentatively pitch either on wed/thur in a game" Prior has been tentatively pitching since 2005. ;-) Izturis batting lead off? .259/.295 career vs Soriano .279/.325

Submitted by dave on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:14 am

Izturis leading off? You have to be kidding me. What are your qualifications of a leadoff hitter?

Submitted by Someguy on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:29 am

We now know who silent towel really is, he is Dusty Baker. Dusty is the only person who would think that Izturis would make a good lead off hitter. LOL

Submitted by Brick on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:48 am

Heh - Current headlines on cubs.com, under "Cubs Update": - Cubs drop Wrigley opener to Astros - Cubs fans send messages with bricks

Submitted by Rynox on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:59 am

Silent Towel:
Alfonso Soriano is a notoriously streaky hitter. This I am finding out in rapid fashion, and have verified via examination of his career patterns in New York and Texas. That said, it is going to be enormously tough to develop consistency on offense when Soriano isn’t otherwise thumping the ball.
Yes he is, and in the early goings he was swinging at some attrociously bad sliders in the dirt. I noticed during yesterday's game in particular that he laid off that pitch. He still chased a high fastball, but in general his zone appears to be getting a little smaller. I expect he'll start thumping the ball shortly. Anyone have a report on Sampson? I don't know anything about the guy. I'm expecting a good outing by Marquis, though, since the Stros lineup appear to be hackers and Marquis appears to be a nibbler early on.

Submitted by Johann on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:18 am

If ARod walks away from NY because of the fans, he isn't going to then come to Chicago where the fans are just as hard on players. Also, if we're expecting to win with HRs, we will be sorely disappointed, because the only players who will hit them on a consistent basis are Soriano, Lee and Ramirez.

Submitted by djchi on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:28 am

Johann, that's kind of a lot of players who hit them on a consistent basis. Without looking, I doubt more than 10 teams have three bonafide thumpers like those guys. And Jacque and Floyd and Murton and Barrett and even DeRosa will hit some too. I bet we get at least 60 combined out of those five guys. We'll hit plenty of homers I think a better argument would be: "If we think we're going to win with homers, we're going to be sorely disappointed because we're going to hit a lot of solo shots."

Submitted by Wes on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:29 am

I wouldn't move Ramirez to the five hole. What good does it do to have Soriano not getting on base in front of Ramirez instead of not getting on in front of Lee? I'd personally leave the lineup the way it is. As far as yours goes, You like Izturis so much, perhaps some research would help. His career OBP is 30 points WORSE than Soriano. (Career .295, High in 2004 .330). You can't throw a guy under the bus for not getting on base and then put somebody worse there. Your model for scoring runs is apparently good OBP guys at the top of the order, sluggers in the middle, and suck at the end. If that's what you want, you need this: Murton DeRosa Lee Ramirez Soriano Jones Barrett Izturis

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:46 am

I can understand liking Izturis based on his outstanding D, but you're pretty deluded if you think he'd make a good leadoff hitter.

Submitted by Bernie Birnbaum on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:59 am

There is no question in my mind (which Chris DeLuca seems to believe too) that Dusty has destroyed Howry. I don't believe he hurt Eyre so much, because Eyre "lied" about his injury and kept that a secret. Who knows what kind of damage that caused. Howry, admittedly, was one tiny inch or two away from a strike out, but still, he isn't quite right. He made a cryptic comment in today's Sun_times about taking a month to get into a groove--I don't have a copy here with me...check DeLuca at Suntimes.com. My dislike of Dusty bored on irrational, but I truly believe this. Maybe Hendry needed to get another arm--or is it Rocky Cherry time? Bernsie

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:00 am

Good Grief Cub fans have become idiots. Ryan Theriot was booed yesterday when he struck out. What's that all about?

Submitted by Bernie Birnbaum on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:01 am

P.S. On Cuban-- Sure he is interested, but much more likely to grab the Pirates one day. The entire Cuban story comes from a single email that Jay Mariotti sent him about 6 months ago in a "dream" column about Mark Cuban buying the team. It cracks me up that so many people think it is going to be real.

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:01 am

Rob G- Cuban offered a beautiful non-denial denial that he was interested. If the Mavs win, which I expect, he will be in the thick of things for the Cubs.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:02 am

is it Rocky Cherry time? That time is passed. He's already joined the general suckitude that passes for baseball in Des Moines Iowa.

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:05 am

Johann- Last time I checked the fans love Aram who is a step or two below Arod. The only time the fans battle players are when they suck and then lash out at the fans to the media- (see Jones, Hawkins, Hundley the lesser) If Arod puts up his numbers and goes about his business he could take a crap on the Harry Caray statue after every game and he would be cheered. We are just as hard as NY fans?? Please!!

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:23 am

The only time the fans battle players are when they suck and then lash out at the fans to the media- Oh, really? What did Ryan Theriot do?

Submitted by no on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:30 am

*The other day I posted a proposed trade of Murton + Pitcher for Dontrelle Willis, allowing us to bring up Pie for right and moving Jones/Floyd into left. * Ha! Try offering up Pie AND Murton for Willis, then the Marlins *might* listen to you. Then again, they've got a leftfielder who's just as good as Murton, so maybe not. Anytime I need a laugh I just look for one of these "General Manager of the Playstation 2" Cubs trade ideas.

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:33 am

Oh, really? What did Ryan Theriot do? There's a difference between booing a player (Patterson, Hawkins, Jones last year) and boing a bad at bat (Theriot striking out with someone on base after failing to lay down a bunt, on a freezing day, with the Cubs trailing by a run). I'm not excusing it, because I don't much care for the booing in any situation, but it didn't happen in a vacuum.

Submitted by George Altman on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:37 am

Wow, listening to ST, I'm looking for my panic button to push too. I mean tell me the 13 position players right now aren't a HUGE upgrade from Neifi, Walker, Hairston, Nevin, Pierre, et al. The Astros current pitching staff and team is the personification of 'suckitude'. The Cardinals just lost their best pitcher for 2-3 more weeks and their pitching staff is the poster child for 'suckitude'. I think this Cubs team just took 2 of 3 from the fantastic 'up and coming' sexy NL Central pick - the Brewers. Reds/Pirates..........PLEASE! 155 ganes to go, and plenty of arms in AAA/AA to trade for help before July 30th. I don't know, I still like the Cubs chances to win the Division.

Submitted by mannytrillo on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:43 am

Bernie: "There is no question in my mind (which Chris DeLuca seems to believe too) that Dusty has destroyed Howry." So let's just add Howry to that list of arms Dusty killed....:)

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:44 am

What's really funny is the notion that the Cubs are just chomping at the bit trying to figure out a way to bring FELIX PIE up. Nope, FELIX MUST PAY for Hendry's sin of bringing up Corey Patterson too early. Felix mus rot in the minor leagues lest the fans boo him like they did Jacque Jones. Felix must steal bases like alfonso soriano, learn how to lay off pitches, flatten his swing, hit singles, hit for power,drive in more runs, be a leadoff man, bat third, work the strike zone and hit .330. And I'm not making any of that up.

Submitted by Rynox on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:50 am

But... Felix Pie simply isn't good enough for the big leagues yet. He shouldn't get a free pass just because he's the Cub's *best* prospect. He should actually be good enough and valuable to the club. Of course this is just my opinion, but I don't think the Cub's want to bring him up yet because they have better options. Found this on Z's contract negotiations:
Cubs GM Jim Hendry said he hopes to resume contract talks with Carlos Zambrano's agent within a few days. Negotiations were put on hold last week after the announcement that the Cubs would be sold after the season.
From the Tribune... Click here for the full story.

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:02 am

Heh, Rob - the Williams/Lilly pictures are now stretching to fill the window. Probably not the fix you were after.

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:03 am

Just a heads up for anyone in the Chicagoland or Milwaukee area -- the Indians/Angels series got moved to Miller Park and they're selling great tickets (field level) for just $10 a pop. Great deal for anyone who just wants to go see some good baseball, even if it isn't our beloved Cubbies.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:04 am

Maybe if Felix Pie were hitting .091 at Iowa like Angel Pagan is, he might be ahead of him on the depth chart. Unfortunately, Pie is only hitting .500 and needs to work on his plate discipline.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:05 am

Cuban will have a hard time owning the team no matter how much money he throws in unless he partners with somebody who has Chicago ties because there are plenty of those lining up and MLB does seem to prefer that when picking new owners.

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:07 am

CWTP: Your first five or six posts on Pie were pretty clear. We get it. We know where you stand.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:11 am

Vlad, Pronk, Grady just to name a few for that price, that's awesome. Sabathia vs. Santana tonight as well. speaking of fun pitching matchups, King Felix vs. Dice-K on Wednesday.

Submitted by jacos on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:11 am

CWPT- The fans are going to boo bonehead plays but to compare the vindicative Yankee fan with a Cub fan is unbelievable.

Submitted by Silent Towel on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:17 am

Dusty did a lot of dumb things, but one of them wasn't ruining pitchers. To include Bob Howry. My goodness. Where do some of you get this stuff? The Cub pitching staff was a clusterfuck in 2006. Dusty had to pitch the hand that was dealt him. Howry was worked comparatively more because Dumpster, other relief pitchers and the starting rotation in general were God awful. But Howry was not worked to destruction level. Relief pitchers are always a crap shoot. Scott Eyre and Howry both enjoyed a nice couple year run. But now both apparently are returning to their historical roots of general major league suckage. Can't fault the manager or coaching staff for that.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:18 am

Heh, Rob - the Williams/Lilly pictures are now stretching to fill the window. Probably not the fix you were after. yeah, it's something to do with style sheets. Earlier I had a problem with large images being shrunk automatically rather than fill the column and the admin created a style to fix that so I could have larger images. The problem stems from that, but apparently it resizes all pictures that aren't 200 width pixel length. We'll get it fixed. Sorry it took so long to notice. As always, I highly recommend just going with Firefox. :)

Submitted by Silent Towel on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:21 am

Mark Cuban is a non-starter as owner of a major league franchise. Bud Selig and the baseball owners will NEVER permit a guy like him into their fraternity. So stop with the ridiculous Cuban talk. The new owner of the Cubs isn't going to be the rock star some of you want. Rather it will most likely be somebody like Donald Levin or Pat Ryan who serve as managing partner for a group of a dozen or so limited partners. And you can forget about Jerry Colangelo too. He nearly bankrupted his limited partners in Phoenix. Highly doubtful he could come up with the financial deal to lead a purchase of the Cubs. And also highly doubtful that Selig and company would permit him a second crack at major league ownership, especially when the Cubs will have multiple suitors with deep pockets.

Submitted by vorare on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:21 am

Yup, I much prefer Firefox. The only reason I use IE for TCR is that it handles refreshing the comment window better.

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:27 am

no, go use firefox. :) we're working on it for IE users....

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:07 am

CWTP: Your first five or six posts on Pie were pretty clear. We get it. We know where you stand. Excuse me for mistaking this for a CUBS BLOG. I had no idea talking about the Cubs #1 prospect was off limits.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:11 am

# jacos — April 10, 2007 @ 11:11 am CWPT- The fans are going to boo bonehead plays but to compare the vindicative Yankee fan with a Cub fan is unbelievable. Booing any player for striking out is incredibly BUSH LEAGUE... and I remember when it just wasn't done at Wrigley Field. As for the Yankees? I never mentioned them--- What are you talking about?

Submitted by crunch on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 04:12 am

"My goodness. Where do some of you get this stuff? " oh, now THAT is funny. i dunno how you even know what those words mean ST...you get asked it enough and rarely respond to it.

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