Wuertz, Cubs Come To 1-Year Deal
The Cubs and reliever Michael Wuertz agreed to a one-year deal worth $860,000 today, continuing Hendry's policy of avoiding arbitration. Wuertz, who made $415,000 last year, had submitted a $975,000 figure, with the Cubs offering $750,000.
Regardless of how arbitration might have gone, the Cubs get a premium middle reliever for under a million bucks. Wuertz's ERA+ numbers for the last two years are 174 and 134. As the relevant mlb.com article points out, last year he ranked second in the league in percentage of inherited runners stranded. Finally, Dan Szymborski's "ZiPS" projection system puts Wuertz's 2008 ERA at 3.33, second on the team behind Howry. The awesomeness of Wuertz's contract only escalates when compared against Hendry's pattern of signing veteran middle-relievers to three-year, multi-million dollar contracts.
The last Cubs player to go to arbitration remains Mark Grace in 1993.
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almost 9% of MLB players have ADHD/mental-health exemptions for amphetamine use (well more than the population average at large)...and the amount who use stimulants not on the banned list bumps that up quite considerably...from the ones who pound redbull to the ones taking the newest GMC stimulant(s) that hasn't appeared on the ban list (yet).
stimulants and baseball is the way it's done...from those who like to get pumped up before a game to those that are trying to deal with 200+ days of travel.
Hmmm...
"But whatever players put into their bodies today to fight fatigue, it no longer includes amphetamines — or at least it doesn't unless those players want to risk getting slapped with a stiff suspension."
hahahahahhaha...oh my...my sides...phew, good one.
Hitters swing at more bad pitches as the season goes on, and a group of scientists at Vanderbilt University believe it's because they're not sleeping long enough or well enough. http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/...
the DP would have most likely been turned...castro had a decent amount of time and was in good position to throw.
robinson's take-out slide was a bit silly...he was way off the bag.
Would they have gotten the DP anyway?
Also, while I tend to be a pretty big supporter of pitch counts, I can definitely see why they kept ninja in so long with our bullpen and Gregg pitching so much.
lololol...interference by robinson on a crappy slide going for castro (well off the bag getting ready to toss to 1st after stepping on 2nd) rather than bag forces a double play.
k.gregg gave up a 1 run single...got the "weird" double play...cubs win. STL fans are pissing themselves in rage.
it was a fair call, fwiw...robinson was no where near the bag on the slide.
...and 2 singles later (men on 1st/2nd) he's done after 115 pitches. almost...
ninja going into the 9th, 104 pitches.
3 96mph fastballs in a row to start the 9th...followed by an 84mph off speed pitch for the ground out.
and Javier Baez has a Grand Slam tonight in the 7th inning.
Z (AAA, PHI) tonight..
7ip 5h 1bb 6k, 0r
...according to a news/blog blurb about his last start he's not even hitting 90mph (at least that night), but he might be up in the bigs soon...especially with pettibone sucking hard in the rotation for PHI
Wavin' Wendall Sandberg....
Delmon Young becomes the 10th Phillie thrown out at home this year. Only Diamondbacks (11) have had more outs at home.
thanks obama.
...typical whitesox fan.
Juan Carlos Paniagua has pitched in one game this season for the Cubs Dominican Summer League team. Who knows when his visa issues will be resolved. If ever.
awesome play @3rd by valbuena, bottom 3rd
cubs up by 4 (all scored with 2 outs), top 1st...wainwrong.
ransom and r.sweeney homers.