Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
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| SP | Ryan Dempster |
SP |
Brandon Backe |
| 10-4, 3.25, 104 K, 350 BB, 124.2 IP |
6-9, 4.76, 83 K, 50 BB, 111.2 IP | ||
| SS | Ryan Theriot |
2B | #Kaz Matsui |
| RF | *Kosuke Fukudome | CF | *Darin Erstad |
| 1B |
Derrek Lee | 1B |
#Lance Berkman |
| 3B |
Aramis Ramirez | LF |
Carlos Lee |
| CF |
*Jim Edmonds |
SS | Miguel Tejada |
| LF | Mark DeRosa | 3B | #Geoff Blum |
| C |
Geovany Soto |
RF | Hunter Pence |
| 2B |
*Mike Fontenot |
C | J.R. Towles |
| P |
Ryan Dempster |
P | Brandon Backe |
The Cubs' NL Central lead is down to +2 over the Cardinals and +3 over the Brewers as the Lou Crew tries to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros.
Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome are a combined 3-for-32 (.094) in the series, and as a team, the Cubs have fanned 14 times and walked once.
Or, as Lou Piniella explained so elegantly after Saturday night's 4-1 fall, "We're not getting much hitting anywhere in the lineup."
Backe, 2-1, 4.63 in 6 starts lifetime against the Cubs (0-1 this year), is coming off perhaps his best start of the season, last Sunday, when he threw 7 shutout innings at the Nationals. Dempster, who remains winless on the road this season, was a loser at Wrigley for the first time in '08, also last Sunday, when he fell to Tim Lincecum and the Giants. Dempster also dropped his only start this season against the Astros, back in May, yielding 6 hits and 4 runs over 6 IP in a 4-2 Cubs loss.
#1 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
From the previous thread: Looks like the Brewers are acquiring Ray Durham
__________________________The Todd Zeile of Internet handles.
#2 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Can someone please take a walk today?
#3 Why not play Ward in LF?
You think given our offensive struggles that the smart thing to do would be to sacrifice some defense (really how much better is Derosa than Ward) for an upgrade at the plate.
#4 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Ugh... we need Soriano back just so we don't see DeRosa playing LF anymore.
I don't get how LouPa is okay throwing DeRosa out there but wasn't okay throwing Murton out there.
We are losing defense both in LF and at 2b when DeRosa is playing LF.
__________________________Ranting my "assinine" "socialist drivel" on TCR since 2003.
#5 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Riot has been hitting.
/just sayin'
__________________________Equal Opportunity Offender
#6 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
2 doubles in 2 games...he might get to 25-30 doubles this year if he keeps it up. go him. he had 3 xbase hits in may and june...2 in july so far.
#7 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Even without extra bases, that OBP is really nice out of the Riot. Very pleasant surprise.
#10 Re: that OBP is really nice out of the Riot
Sure is! Don't tell anyone but it's the tenth best OBP in the major leagues.
He's the top ranked SS in MLB in Batting Average and OBP
and 5th best among major league shortstops in OPS as well!
You'd have to be a few cans short of six-pack not to be impressed.
#16 Re: that OBP is really nice out of the Riot
dont tell anyone?
you act like people are demonizing him. hell, no one here has anything negative to say about him.
some make take saying what the guy is as negative...but that's like getting angry at the sky cuz its mostly blue instead of purple.
he hits singles...he has good bat control.
psst...tell everyone.
this isnt a secret.
#18 Re: that OBP is really nice out of the Riot
Psst. He doesn't throw well from his back.
__________________________Let's hug it out, bitch.
#8 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
%#%@&*! Troy Glaus
#9 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
What Andy said. *sigh*
__________________________Equal Opportunity Offender
#11 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Woo! Yay for Cards' bullpen!
#13 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
That, my friends, was Cubbery. Just not by the Cubs.
9-5 STL final
#15 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
The Padres have to be the worst team in MLB. How in the hell do you blow a 5-0 lead one day and the next day lose a game because your C tries to pickoff a guy when your 1b is playing behind the runner.
#12 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
#19 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Awesome to hear! Hope he doesn't get traded at the deadline for some middle tier starter to replace Marquis
__________________________President of the "Jeff Samardzija for President" Club
#25 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
That seems totally implausible.
We have a plethora of late season options for a #5 starter: Marshall, Gaudin, Rich Hill.
Not to mention that if Marquis keeps pitching at this level he's a completely serviceable #5.
__________________________Let's hug it out, bitch.
#29 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
#24 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Any eye-witness accounts? Did he throw his secondary stuff? Was it any good? Slider? Changeup? Splitter? Or was it just sinker after sinker?
Thanks, Mr. Wellman.
#14 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Overheard on last night's Superfans (at least in MY head)
Bob: Say the Cubs play the Astros with just Dempster and Fontenot. Who wins?
Pat: Are Fontenot and Dempster full size or mini?
Bob: Full-size Dempster, mini-Fontenot.
Pat: Cubs, in a rout.
Carl: Cubs, exta innings.
Todd: Astros. But it's close. If Fontenot is full size, it's no question.
__________________________I’ve told you a million times, don’t exaggerate.
#17 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
If they had any self-respect, the NL West would gives its playoff spot to the NL Central.
Brewers score 5 off of Lincicum. Ugh.
Time to wake up the bats, boys.
#20 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Nice to see Marmol mix some fastballs in his one inning of work -- 8 pitches, 4 fastballs (3 for strikes no less!) and 4 sliders. Nice little work out.
Good to see Kosuke get off the schnide with 2 doubles -- looking forward to seeing Aram lining shots around the outfield or into the bleachers soon.
#27 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Well... being that Marmol has pretty much thrown a 50-50 split of fastballs/sliders all year, today's outing shouldn't be a surprise.
__________________________Ranting my "assinine" "socialist drivel" on TCR since 2003.
#21 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
marmol did have a good mix. ARAM continues this new streaky behavior.
Brewers are hot (like us early) and we are not (like them early).
They beat Cain/Linc (something we didn't do in 2 tries)
#23 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
We beat Cain in the first game of the Wrigley series.
#22 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
but know st louie and brewers play 4 games
vs. each other so the question
is what do we root for
a sweep by 1 team
2and 2
or a 3 to one series
and which team.
also do you think fukudome will start
__________________________vs. randy johnson monday
rokfish in rockford
#26 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
I am hoping for a 3 out of 4 for the Cardinals in that upcoming series. I think its likely that were going to win 3 of the next 4 and I think at some point the fairy dust has to come off STL and they come back to earth which for them is right around .500 ( I still stick to my theory they wont win more than 85 games), so I'd rather keep ground with them and gain it on Milwaukee. As for whether or not Fukudome starts, the numbers would dictate that the lefty that starts aganist RJ tomorrow should be Edmonds. In his career Jimmy Baseball is a .240/367/560/927 hitter vs the Unit in 25 AB's. He also 2 of the 24 HR that LHB have hit off him being one of 3 LHB (Bonds and Green are the others) to take him deep multiple times. Infact, Edmonds has better numbers verus the Unit than Dero, Lee, and Ram. Also tomorrow wouldnt be a bad time to spot start Blanco as he has a .833 OPS aganist him in 14 AB, while Soto has not faced him. Lou did mis a good time in the last series to get Blanco a spot start as he has a .999 OPS in 15 games at the Juice Box. All stats were found using Yahoo!:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/4288/batvspit;...
#28 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Yeah, I really think you gotta root against the Brewers as our primary opponent in the race to October. They're simply a much stronger team for the 162 game season.
That said, I'll probably root most for the injury bug. I'm hoping that both the Cards and the Brewers end up with about a dozen new players on the DL after that series.
__________________________Let's hug it out, bitch.
#30 Re: Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
Agree -- and, with the last 3 games of the year at Milwaukee, I'd like to be at least 4 up on the Brewers going into that series.
DLEE -- please start using the HR bat. Thanks.