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Seiya Suzuki, OF

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Julian Merryweather, P

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Game 88 Thread / Astros @ Cubs (1 of 3)

Submitted by Rob G. on
Game Chat Jason Jennings vs. Carlos Zambrano Lineups:
Biggio 2B Soriano LF
Pence CF Theriot SS
Berkman 1B Lee 1B
Lee LF Ramirez 3B
Loretta SS Floyd RF
Lamb 3B DeRosa 2B
Scott RF Jones CF
Munson C Soto C
Jennings P Zambrano P

Comments

Submitted by sweeney on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:04 am

Which Carlos is going to pitch today. BTW, doesn't he like to homer in Houston?

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:07 am

This would have been a good day to bat Jones 2nd. Go righty lefty righty to start out. then go aram floyd derosa for a right left right again. then right left to finish out the order. But NO!

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:16 am

Besides recalling Geovany Soto and optioning Felix Pie to AAA Iowa, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs recall Billy Petrick from Iowa on Sunday (that's the first day he can be recalled, after spending ten days on optional assignment) and option Sean Gallagher back to AAA where he can get regular work as a rotation starter. I also suspect Koyie Hill was probably placed on Outright Waivers today at 2 PM (EDT),.and will be riding the waiver wire this weekend as he remains active on the Cubs 25-man roster. His waivers would then expire at 12 noon (Chicago time) on Monday, at which point MLB will advise if he has been claimed, and if no claims are made, he gets sent outright to the minors immediately. Because he has been outrighted previously in his career, he will have the option to be a FA immediately or defer the right until after the season. (Most players in such a position defer the right to be a FA until after the season, because if they choose to become a FA immediately, they lose their guaranteed $60K minor league split). Outrighting K. Hill would make room on the 25-man roster for Rocky Cherry, who will be eligible to be reactivated fom the DL on Monday. It would also allow the Cubs to once again carry 12 pitchers, and clear a spot on the 40-man roster in case the Cubs end up reactivating Kerry Wood from the 60-day DL at some point this season.

Submitted by JF on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:21 am

AZ PHIL - Can you provide some detailed analysis on what to expect from Soto. I'm very interested in his improving bat but would like your report on his receiving, blocking, gamecalling, arm, etc.

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:25 am

JF — July 13, 2007 @ 12:21 pm AZ PHIL - Can you provide some detailed analysis on what to expect from Soto. I’m very interested in his improving bat but would like your report on his receiving, blocking, gamecalling, arm, etc. ===================== JF: A good receiver but not real mobile... below-average arm… had a sore shoulder earlier this year so he was moved to 1B for a while... very slow runner… has developed power and improved his hitting a lot over the past year… knows the Cubs pitchers VERY well (having spent the last three seasons at Iowa and the last four Spring Trainings in the big league camp)… he is the cousin of ex-Cubs utility infielder Ramon Martinez .

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:34 am

JF — July 13, 2007 @ 12:29 pm AZ - Would you compare his stick and speed to Benji Molina? ======================= JF: Yes. Benji Molina is a good comparison. Also, Soto is a REALLY nice guy. Good teammate. Everybody likes him, Very intelligent. He attended the Puerto Rico Military Academy and I believe he has a future as a coach or manager once his playing career is over.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:18 pm

Thanks to a great AB by Theriot and another patient AB by DLEE the Cubs have worked Jennings up to 55 pitches thru 3.0..... which is notable in that we now have the unusual situation where Carlos Zambrano actually has fewer than his opponent in a well-pitched game at 50.

Submitted by Rich C&T on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:53 pm

Reading up on the MIL game, and didn't realize how badly Capuano is struggling. From here: The Brewers won Capuano's first seven starts this season but have lost the last eight. His last win came against Washington at Miller Park on May 7, but since then he is 0-6 with a 7.20 ERA, and his ERA has ballooned from 2.31 to 4.78 over that span. Here's hoping the Rockies take advantage.

Submitted by Rich C&T on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:04 pm

Ron claiming Lee was safe at home. I can't see it. Is he right? I imagine I'd be outraged rather than curious if not for the six run lead.

Submitted by SomeGuy on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:32 pm

I am not worried about Lee. His double was a hard hit ball. I will take a 330ish BA from our number 3 guy. If his avg. starts to drop dramatically then there is reason to worry. It is fun to watch this team string together hits.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:33 pm

Cubs Win!!!!!! WWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:35 pm

The Cubs Staff: Z 3.83 Lilly 3.67 Marquis 3.67 Hill 3.81 Marshall 3.48 When was the last time we had five starters with ERAs below 4.00 in July? ...seriously

Submitted by The E-Man on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:45 pm

If Rich Hill doesn't "re-discover" his April self - I'd expect that to balloon.

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:54 pm

You stud Cub pitcher ALMOST signs before the season starts. The young stud is ready to be a Cub but for whatever reason the contract is pulled off the table. By the all-star break the guy has 10 wins. Sound familiar? Z is going to win a Cy Young and walk away. It's like de je vous all over again.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:57 pm

I am not worried about Lee. His double was a hard hit ball. I will take a 330ish BA from our number 3 guy. I'm getting real tired of reading this group-think crap. Prior to today's game, the average #3 hitter in the NL had produced 51 Runs, 52 RBIs and 12 HR's. DLee is BELOW AVERAGE at 46,42(now 44), and 6. It should be clear that Lee's below average performance is directly due to his lack of home run power. If he hit 6 more home runs you could add 6 to each of those stats and he'd be right at average for the league. So it's not a matter of Lee being victimized by a lack of base runners in front of him or power behind him. Lee is BELOW AVERAGE when it comes to #3 hitters because he's BELOW AVERAGE at hitting home runs.

Submitted by Your 8th-grade… on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:59 pm

de je vous, French translation: Of I you It's like of I you all over again.

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:08 pm

WOW, first of all Tony Gwynn and Paul Molitor were 3 hitters for most of their career. Not many homers for those guys but great hitters. The old school baseball line up put the 'best hitter' on the team at the 3 spot. Not the biggest power hitter. it's only recently that those things have come together. As long as we get 30+ homers from Soriano in the 1 spot, it makes up for it. Next, Rob, not being a hater. Just now that he's won 11 games and dropped his era under 4, he's gonna be a serious contender for Cy Young. And if he does some sort of Sutcliffe-style 16 -1 in the second half (he won't get that many starts but you know what I mean) and the Cubs win the central, he's gonna win it. I just can't stomach losing another great pitcher. Especially when pitching is just too hard to replace these days. Lastly, "8th-grade Teacher" I never took French. Did I misspell that phrase? If so, STICK IT IN YOUR EAR!!!! I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:19 pm

I was kidding Chad, you've been doubting all day with the Reds stuff and now that. Lee's lack of a power surge is worrying, certainly expected it to arrive by now. Quite the stretch to call him below average on anything though.

Submitted by The Real Neal on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:26 pm

Mature Chad and Hater Chad both out to play today. Didn't Lee miss some time this year? The Cubs #3 hitters have have produced 87 runs this league. The league average is 91. Soriano was really putrid replacing Lee earlier, as I recall. Is Rhianna really popular in the States too? Can she sing there - because either my TV is broken or she really sucks.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:32 pm

fun with flukey numbers Aramis Ramirez who's never rated even once higher than average in BP's defensive stats (100 being average, Aramis at 94 for his career). He's got a 124 rating this year which I believe is tops among NL third basemen. Also the first time in a long time he's not dead last in Double Plays Started among qualified third basemen, he's actually 5th. His zone ratings on THT drop him to about 4th though among 3b, still a huge improvement.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:35 pm

well Lee's 11th in Runs Created and 5th in Runs Created Per Game. I think he's doing just fine wherever he's batting. Some home runs though would be nice.

Submitted by Vince on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:45 pm

wow chad, you don't like being correct for every spelling mistake???? I'm curious why do you do it to EVERYONE else around here then? Nice to have some baseball back....and a win too

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:46 pm

Yeah, I looked at #3 hitters in the NL. Out of 16 Lee is 7th in OPS, about in the middle. Being "average" out of this group though is just fine with. Those #3 hitters in the NL I might take over Lee - Pujols, Cabrera, Utley, maybe Berkman but he is having a down year. Holliday is playing out of his mind, and Griffey is of course injury prone. I sure as hell wouldn't swap D-Lee for Ray Durham, Adam Laroche, Ryan Zimmerman, Orlando Hudson, Adrian Gonzalez or Ryan Braun. I think Beltran, Chipper, and Martin are a probably a push. Anyway, yes we'd like to see more home runs, but only Braun in limited time and Holliday are hitting for a higher average, and it's also not about each spot in the lineup but the lineup in totality. Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez are pretty tough 1-3-4, you'd be hard pressed to find too many teams with three guys of that caliber.

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:03 pm

Vince, get it right. I don't correct 'spelling mistakes'. I correct people who don't know how to spell baseball players names correctly. And not ones that are hard to spell. But one that they are ignorant of. The ones that I correct are Maddux, Clemens and Wood. Anyone, whose opinions are worth a damn, should know how to spell those players names. That I stand by. Other than that, I don't correct anyone's spelling.

Submitted by Andy on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:19 pm

Kip Wells having a brutal first inning for STL in Philly. 2 runs in, 2nd and 3rd, no one out.

Submitted by cubswinthepennant on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:23 pm

Yeah, I looked at #3 hitters in the NL. Out of 16 Lee is 7th in OPS, about in the middle. Being “average” out of this group though is just fine....blah blah, blah, more nonsense, and more blah blah blah It may come as a surprise to some that Derrek Lee hasn't batted exclusively 3rd. He has a dozen AB's elsewhere in the lineup. But when you look at what he's done in his 298 AB's as our #3 hitter, the results are truly sobering... 44 runs scored, 36 RBI's, 5 HR's

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:47 pm

we should trade him, no doubt... if anyone cares, Lee has gotten up with 213 runners on base, 45th in the league among players with at least 150 PA's (154 players in the NL have had 150 PA's or more) Lee had driven in 16.9% of them, 30th in the NL using the same qualifications. Other notable Cubs: DeRosa 18.7% with 225 runners on base (13th in the league) Floyd 18.1% with 144 runners on base (23rd in the league) Pie 17.6% with 91 runners on base (26th in the league) Ramirez 17.1% with 210 runners on base (29th in the league) a few I'm skipping and now the not so good ones... Cesar 7.2% with 110 runners on base (153 of 154) Soriano 10.1% with 164 runners on base (132 of 154) JJ with 11% and 163 runners on base (131 of 154) Barrett 11.7% with 172 runners on base (123 of 154)

Submitted by aaronb on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:13 pm

cubswinthepennant — July 13, 2007 @ 3:35 pm The Cubs Staff: Z 3.83 Lilly 3.67 Marquis 3.67 Hill 3.81 Marshall 3.48 When was the last time we had five starters with ERAs below 4.00 in July? …seriously .................................................................... The dead-ball era?

Submitted by cubster on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:54 pm

Helton 2 run double into the RF corner, Mench bounced off the wall... Rocks 2 Brewers 0, top 3

Submitted by djchi on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:22 pm

Don't call it a comeback... Jeff Francis boosts that .103 average with a two-run double. Tie game in Milwaukee

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:25 pm

Capuano is reason #1 why the Brewers will still not finish over .500!!!!! The death spiral looms!!!!!

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:34 pm

"the results are truly sobering..blah blah...more handpicked meaningless stats out of context." Provide first a) where you are getting the info on stats at places in the order; and b) comparison. And if you think the rest of my post was nonsense then I can only assume that you would pick Ray Durham et al. as your #3 hitter?

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:37 pm

the stats come from ESPN.com, Team Batting, sort by #3 hitter and it'll give you the averages on the bottom for the league. For individual players go to the player stats and sort by #3 hitter.

Submitted by chifan3887 on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:56 pm

I think both us and the Brewers have a good chance at making the playoffs. The Braves and Phillies pitching will fail them, and that would leave the Wildcard open for the loser of of the MIL/CHC race or the ARI/LAD/SD race. We play the Brewers 3 more times this season and 10 vs. the West teams (6ARI, and 4 LAD) and the Brew Crew play them 11 times (7 ARI and 4 SD) but the D'backs play the SoCal teams 21 times along with the 13 times they play central teams. The Dodgers play the fathers and the snakes 15 times along with the 4-game at Wrigley. The Padres play there division rivals also fifteen times with a 4 gamer to finish out the year in Milwaukee. The tough competion, woeful offense and pitching injuries will probably lead to the D'backs downfall in the race. Honestly us, MIL,LAD, and SD are going to play musical chairs to see who gets the 3 playoff spots.

Submitted by no on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:29 pm

*# chifan3887 says: July 13th, 2007 at 8:15 pm Holliday goes yard 10-6 Rocks.* I can't believe people are scoreboard watching in freaking July. This is why Cubs fans' hearts break harder than anyone else's.

Submitted by billybucks on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:41 pm

Didn't see the game, only the Yahoo feed -- was DLee's 8th-inning double close to going out, or was it a line drive in the gap? All Marmol, all the time.

Submitted by cubster on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:03 pm

line drive in the gap...not close to HR land, but it did put the game beyond grand slam territory.

Submitted by cubster on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:14 pm

Rocks final 10-6. Cubs 3 1/2 games out, 3 in the loss column...doesn't look like any gains in the wild card tonight though.

Submitted by cubster on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:15 pm

This is why Cubs fans’ hearts break harder than anyone else’s. ---- I can refer us to an excellent cardiologist.

Submitted by Chad on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:39 pm

Dear Dr. NO, Why shouldn't we scoreboard watch? If the Brewers don't lose, we can't catch them. That's how baseball works.

Submitted by crunch on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:45 pm

hell, just 3-4 weeks ago people were already talking about 2008 and if Z should be traded and what he could fetch... i'll take the current scoreboard watching over that, myself. 3.5 out with nearly 1/2 season left to play is at least worth mentioning even if it is premature. if the cubs werent nearly dead in the water (to some) less than a month ago it wouldnt be worth mentioning, probably.

Submitted by djchi on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:14 pm

The Cubs now control their own destiny. Three left with Milwaukee, plus the game in hand = 3.5 out. It didn't take long for that writer from Milwaukee who was talking smack to be rendered obsolete.

Submitted by Rob G. on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:29 pm

Carpenter with some swelling and stiffness in his elbow after a throwing session..to be re-evaluated.

Submitted by JoePepitone on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:01 pm

#56 - chifan3887 "The Dodgers play the fathers and the snakes" ________________ I love that! It's almost poetic. This kind of stuff -- just another reason I love reading TCR.

Submitted by JoePepitone on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:08 pm

AZ Phil -- btw, on your PROJECTED CUBS 2008 ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH CHART (as of 7/12/07), you left Piggy off (i.e., Carmen Pignatiello). I presume you see him returning to the Iowa bullpen? I'm kind of interested in him, as he is the cousin of a HS student I had in Cal City this school year -- Anthony Pignatiello. Carmen is also a Chicago area native.

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:11 pm

Cincinnati Enquirer "Ken Griffey Jr. didn't exactly say he was misquoted. Peter Gammons of ESPN ran an item quoting Griffey as saying he thought he'd be traded before the Aug. 31 deadline." August 31?

Submitted by Eric the Great on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:11 pm

The story blurb I read on Junior was that the Cubs were one of just two teams he'd approve a trade to. Sounds good to me. Junior must be on good terms with LouPa??

Submitted by Carlos Rubi on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 07:43 pm

"August 31?" Waiver trade deadline. Players acquired after August 31st can't be placed on a postseason roster.

Submitted by Chad on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:20 am

re 80 and 82 I said it before and I'll say it again, Jr will be a Cub in a waiver move like Larry Walker. WE ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!

Submitted by Wes on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:38 am

I suppose some of you have to try to find something to gripe about even when we're winning and that's fine. But, I'll say this. The last handful of years, we've been subjected teams that were built on hitting three run home runs and trying to keep the other team in the ballpark. Much more often than not, that was not such a great planley, stanley. Don't hit home runs, don't win. Suddenly, the Cubs not hitting three run home runs. Or any home runs, really. Yet, they're still playing winning baseball. And, in this last month, they're playing their best baseball in four years. I'll take the power outage if we still win. And I think that this team can continue to win baseball games without having to wait around for the 2 or 3 run homer. I know we're not the A's, but it's still quite plausible when you're 3/4/5/6 hitters all hit .290 or better.

Submitted by Dave_in_Pittsburgh on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:39 am

In re power outage: I think winning without power is resulting from multiple factors, most of which already posted in this thread. Good starts, good ERAs; above avg defense (ARam, Sori etc); good hitting for avg middle of the order; a few stellar contributors in RBI efficiency (DeR), etc. So more often than not, most cylinders are firing, with a few misses. Would it be possible to consider a good winning record without power to be a positive contributor to "team chemistry," the confidence boost to the players that there are many ways to win? LouPa agrees: "We put six runs on the board today, we got really good pitching, we played a good defensive game," Piniella said. "We didn't need the home run ball today. Hopefully, when we do need it, it will come." and DLee, who knows more than anybody that he's in HR drought, agrees: "The biggest key is scoring runs, that's the name of the game," Derrek Lee said. "So if you do it with a single, double or home run, it doesn't really matter. A home run does make it easier to score some runs quicker, but we're getting the job done without the home run right now." The vibe of winning "any which way you can" is a hallmark in my mind of the previous playoff years. Here's hoping a good month of it has cemented the attitude into place.

Submitted by cubster on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:31 am

Why don't they ask specifically what the limitations are on signing Z immediately? I hate this BS speak from management, now Hendry calls it a "circumstance". If they don't sign Z will they call it a circumcision? from the Trib and Dave Van Dyke http://tinyurl.com/3d5bh9 "We're going to do everything we can to bring Carlos back. [General manager Jim Hendry's] discussions are continuing with [agent] Barry Praver. I don't want to get into the specifics of those. He's a player we covet, somebody we want to have as a Cub for a long time and hopefully he'll be a Cub." Hendry also seems optimistic about the possibility. When asked if he would have to wait until after the season to re-sign his ace pitcher, Hendry replied: "Not necessarily. … Obviously there has been sort of a [circumstance] that hasn't allowed us to pursue [contract talks recently]. I'm certainly not in a position where I can tell you that may not change." So Hendry is allowed to negotiate with Zambrano? "Barry and I talk all time," he said. "I've always remained optimistic … because I've known the player since 1996 and the player has never expressed anything to me that he did not want to be here.

Submitted by WISCGRAD on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:00 am

Thanks Rob for the info on the batting order stats. This helps my argument considerably. CWTP is comparing Lee's stats to the average of all players who have batted #3 for each team. Comparing all Cubs ABs in the #3 spot vs. the rest of the national league shows that we are 7th in runs, 3rd in hits, 3rd in doubles, 8th in total bases, 2nd in Avg, 2nd in OBP, and 7th in OPS. We are of course below average in HR, RBI, and Slugging. I wouldn't call this production sobering by any stretch of the imagination. And again, it's about the whole lineup together. Do the same thing for the #1 spot and you will find that the Cubs are in the top 3 in virtually every category.

Submitted by Johann on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:03 am

Rob, the main problem with sorting the ESPN stats for the 3rd hitter is Lee wasn't playing there all year (especially when he was hurt). Lee has 301 ABs in the 3 spot, while the Cubs in general have 352. Lee has a .332 AVG, .412 OBP, .472 SLG and .884 OPS in that spot while the Cubs in general have a .318 AVG, .397 OBP, .452 SLG and .849 OPS. Lee has all 5 HRs in the 3 spot. He has 25 of 28 doubles. All together, it tells me that Lee has been doing very well in the 3 spot and whoever else we had did pretty poorly. Also, it tells me if Lee had those extra 50 ABs (1/6th of his total ABs), he'd be leading the league in RBIs from the 3 spot.

Submitted by Johann on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:11 am

*team

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:18 am

JoePepitone — July 13, 2007 @ 11:08 pm AZ Phil — btw, on your PROJECTED CUBS 2008 ORGANIZATIONAL DEPTH CHART (as of 7/12/07), you left Piggy off (i.e., Carmen Pignatiello). I presume you see him returning to the Iowa bullpen? I’m kind of interested in him, as he is the cousin of a HS student I had in Cal City this school year — Anthony Pignatiello. Carmen is also a Chicago area native. ========================= JOE PEP: Carmen Pignatiello will (once again) be a minor league FA after this season, and until I can be sure the Cubs will add him to the 40-man roster prior to 10-15-07, I left him off the projected 2008 organizational depth chart. However, I did list him as one of the four players I believe are most-likely to be added to the 40-man roster after the 2007 season. Blevins, Fox, and Hoffpauir are the others. The problem is, in order to add Pignatiello to the 40 post-07, the Cubs will have to clear sufficient space on the roster prior to October 15th. (Adding Blevins, Fox, and Hoffpauir only require space to be available by November 20th). And potential FA like Zambrano, Izturis, Floyd, Ward, Miller, and Wood can't file for free-agency any earlier than two weeks after the conclusion of the World Series, so making room for Piggy in October will require that the Cubs outright somebody to the minors at that time (possibly Dopirak), While Dopirak might well get outrighted post-07, the Cubs might wait to do it until November 20th, when they can better determine exactly how many open roster slots are needed.

Submitted by Joey Jo Jo Jr … on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:47 am

I reckon that the HR drought ends today...wind is HOWLING out over by Wrigley right now. Hopefully Lilly can keep the ball in the park.

Submitted by rokfish on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:08 am

could be one of those 13 to 9 scores cubs on top of course .hopefully oswalt gets roughed up early and doesnt make it to the 5th inning. i also feel a little better that lilly is pitching and not marquis he would definately scare with a strong wind blowing out

Submitted by Chad on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:13 am

I glad that Z likes Cuban but A. I don't think Cuban will be approved and B. he may need to sign a deal before that all gets finalized. They don't HAVE to sell the team before April 1 2008 right? I know they want to but these things take time, right?

Submitted by dave on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:19 am

i also feel a little better that lilly is pitching and not marquis he would definately scare with a strong wind blowing out Ted Lilly has given up 13 HR this year in 112 innings (1 every 8.6 innings). Jason Marquis has given up 12 HR in 105 innings (1 every 8.75 innings). So basically they are just as likely to give up the home run.

Submitted by Chad on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:23 am

"At least one other bidder, John Canning Jr. of the private-equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, is from Chicago and already is a minority stockholder in the Milwaukee Brewers. He also is friends with Selig." From that Sun Times article. This is just unreal. I get the cronyism and I can live with it, but I can't tolerate an owner from a team in OUR OWN FUCKING DIVISION!!!! Even if he sells the team, it is still 100% conflict of intrest. I am telling you that we are on the verge of taking 5 year stranglehold on the NL central and they will let it get away so their friends in Milwaukee can win too. HORRIBLE!!!!

Submitted by Chad on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:25 am

Good point dave, but you have to realize that a when a sinkerballer like Marquis doesn't sink a pitch on a windy day, BOOM! GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!

Submitted by dave on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:28 am

Good point dave, I like when Chad says, "Good point Dave." We can just pretend he didn't go on to say how it wasn't a good point! :) but you have to realize that a when a sinkerballer like Marquis doesn’t sink a pitch on a windy day, BOOM! GOES THE DYNAMITE!!! Sure... but when a sinkerballer does have sink on a windy day, it is ground ball after ground ball after ground ball. Which is exactly what you want.

Submitted by Chad on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:33 am

But you made a good point. That they have the same home run stats. You can't argue with that. I'm just saying that on a very windy day, you would automatically assume that a sinker baller is the way to go. But in fact it may not be. As any mistake made probably ends up in the bleachers. whereas anohter pitcher's mistake may end up in the dirt. The whole idea of how a sinkerballer throws is that a pitch looks like it's down the middle and drops as you swing at it. while other pitchers try to stay away from the middle of the plate entirely.

Submitted by 433 on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:43 am

I read today that the Cubs have the best record in the NL since June 3. That's damn near half the season, folks. The aren't just in the top half of the league during that stretch, or the top third, or the top 3. They have the BEST record. Slowly, somehow, some way, this has become a very good baseball team. When you follow a team as closely as we do, ironically, you sometimes overlook the big picture when it changes so gradually. Baseball is fun.

Submitted by dave on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:43 am

But you made a good point. I know I did! :) Really - I am just giving you a hard time. Because it is oh, so fun.

Submitted by The E-Man on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:02 am

WIND: WSW currently in Chi. Gusts to 33mph. Could be some HR's out to Waveland today folks. Best bet is for many Lilly K's!

Submitted by Navin on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:05 am

Kerry Wood made his first rehab start for Mesa. He had a 1-2-3 inning...and all 3 batters he faced struck out looking!!

Submitted by sweeney on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:12 am

Those of you who want Griffey-be careful what you wish for. Don't we have an aging, frequently injured OFer all ready? Griffey may eventually end up with the Braves. He wants to stay near his Orlando pad. I don't care what anyone says, I'm glad Lee is hitting but something isn't quite right with the guy. I suspect we'll get an owner whose great buds with Bud and once again, we'll have to wait to get an owner who has the ball$ to be competitive and build a solid, winning team on a consistent basis. We'll see.

Submitted by dave on Sat, 07/14/2007 - 07:15 am

Kerry Wood made his first rehab start for Mesa. He had a 1-2-3 inning…and all 3 batters he faced struck out looking!! Why do you have to tell us that? It just gets our hopes up, even though we know our hopes will inevitably be shattered. But go Wood! Get healthy.

Recent comments

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Things I've been wrong about:

    -Tauchman is fine as a 4th OF. I knew that. I just want a better LH DH option and he was really the DH for us until Seiya got hurt. I'm glad Mervis is getting a chance at it. Caissie is coming for that job for sure. But Tauchman continues to be highly useful as a 4th OF with Seiya being hurt

    -I wanted Yency to go to get guys at Iowa a chance. Guys like Palencia and Sanders or RileyT. Maybe even Hodge! But Yency has been better the last two plus weeks. He did hit 96 the other day. He was 93 in Texas to open the season.

    -Leiter has his split working enough. It just needs to stay there

    -I was surprised Jed picked Wisdom over Cooper. I wonder if this happens if Seiya wasn't hurt. Wisdom has more power. Cooper is the better hitter. Jed picked Wisdom and Wisdom had an option left as well.

    -Palencia just doesn't miss enough bats. Similar to ManRod, just two yrs younger. ManRod is killing AAA for TB right now!

    Things I got right so far:

    -Hendricks. Sorry Kyle. You got paid though!

    Jed, you missed there.

    -Smyly. If Jed could've traded him before or during ST, then he should have and saved some cash.

    -Mastro.  Not a LH DH. Pinch runner. Defensive utility. Maybe he's better than Madrigal but didn't get a legit chance to prove it.

    -Luke Little is good. He's had one bad outing. That's it. Needs to get better entering with guys on base. But he needs to stay in MLB.

    -Oh yeah....Morel is doing fine at 3B! He'll get better as well!!

  • crunch (view)

    bellinger "right rib contusion"

  • Childersb3 (view)

    South Bend just lost the lead in the bottom of the 9th on the weirdest scenario, ever.

    It's absolutely pouring rain....men on 1st and 2nd, 1out....JPatterson asks for a new ball, but no time out was called....he throws the old ball toward the dugout (not sure if it rolled out of play).....the ump declares the runners get two bases each so one run scores. Then a single up the middle ties the game.

    The rain was coming down in buckets at this point.

    Just weird

  • crunch (view)

    ...and bellinger is gone in the 7th because of that 2nd blown chance and the wall he bounced off of...

    hopefully his rib cage/shoulder feels better tomorrow, we just got happ back.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Phil,

    Any thoughts on Y. Rojas' stuff and Y. Melendez's game (I believe I've asked about him before, sorry)?

  • crunch (view)

    wow, things are moving fast.  hopefully it continues.

  • crunch (view)

    morel with 4 clean plays in 4 innings...showed off his 100000000mph arm a couple times.

    cody bellinger not having a good 4th, though...5 run leads are handy when your CF is making your pitcher have a 5-out inning.  2nd blown chance was ruled a hit even though it went in/out of his glove...1st was lost in the lights, also ruled a hit.

  • crunch (view)

    welcome back happ!  double off the wall 1st PA back.

  • crunch (view)

    oh yeah, totally, i was just chiming about why i fan like i fan.

    i would like nothing more than hendricks to keep on hendricks'ing.  guys with his stuff can throw for a long, long time as long as it works.

    he velocity is actually up a minor amount this year.  it's really "damn" when a guy like him not only has gas in the tank, but it's looking like it was years ago.  he added a curve a few years ago and it helped a little bit, but he's throwing it less and less while the fb/change combo are less effective.

  • Alexander Dimm (view)

    CRUNCH—There is no one person in this community I’m talking about.  My remarks were not directed at you or anyone, but at a tone I’ve noticed lately. 

    You have a great, dry sense of humor and there is thought behind your comments.   You and I don’t always agree but I always understand your position.  

    Lastly, and I’ll be quiet, I agree with you on Hendricks.  We can dislike the recent performance but still love the guy.  Lots of questions about his future.
     

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