Game 132 Thread / Pirates @ Cubs (2 of 3)

Finally, a new thread. Now about Obama's citizenship...

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† The Joe - 2007 TCR Keeper Champion; 2008 Runner-Up

Time for big Z to throw a perfect game. Remember, I called it first.

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Equal Opportunity Offender

(via rotoworld) doubtful the Cubs would win the waiver claim even if they put one in though.

Worst case scenario I'd think he goes to the Mets. Definitely won't get to the Brewers or Cubs.

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This episode of the Chicago Cubs is brought to you by Micah Hoffpauir and Reed Johnson. That's numbers 6 and 9 on your scorecards, folks.

Anyone else have a feeling that a replay homer will effect the Cubs good or bad before the season is over?

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I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me- hst

This lineup sss...uhhh...I can't even say it!

7 lefties for the Pirates? Interesting.

Is it just me, or does it look like Derek Lee and Aramis are about to play "I crush your head" with Ryan Doumit?

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/bas...

Or maybe this link, I am bad with this...

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/media/alte...

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Lost Wood on 13 December 2008... haven't felt the same since.

Interesting 1st inning for Mr. Z

wild pitch on strike 3 (batter makes first safely)
walk
error on pitcher
3 hits
3 runs

Focus, man

Z. still isn't right. Let's hope Ian doesn't repeat his performance against the Cards last week.

Zambrano has demonstrated that he can be great. I hope Zambrano returns to some kind of form. Any kind of form other than what he's displayed since...well, since he has been sucking. However long this has been going on. I can't stomach looking it up right now.

I wish his dumb ass would would gain some sense of control. He throws a wild pitch, commits an error and generally pitches like shit. He then proceeds to go into the dug out and act like a little bitch. I watch all of that and find myself thinking "grow up you fucking dumb ass". Actually I could care less about his acting like a little bitch...it's doing it after he pitches like a chump ass that really grates on me. The "look-at-me-knock-shit-over-and-throw-things" just is an extra irritant.

That's the end of my little sissy whine session.

Soto declogs bases. 4-3 Cubs.

Random Stat:

Cubs have 111 GIDP this year. Cardinals have 115. Brewers have only 75.

What say we all pitch in for the holidays and buy Z a 2009 calendar that has 2 Julys and no August.

Can we get Stevie Eyre back? Looks like Cotts hit his expiration date when he served up the granny to the Nats.

Has anyone else noticed that Z went to off-speed stuff the last two innings?
What happened to his fastball? Never saw the gun read over 92 MPH. Cause for concern?

Was Soriano's error as bad as the one he made against Pittsburgh back in May?

Zambrano is Mr. Clutchiness! We have Mr. Clutchiness and Mr. Scrappiness on the same team. All we need now is Mr. Heartiness and Mr. BigGameiness and we would have a Joe Morgan special.

"Geovany Soto's had a good week, tonight."

--Bob Brenly (8th inning)

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Green Thumb -- Skill in keeping sod (soriano or dempster)on the field.

Got to be tough to be a Pirates fan. Or manager.

Yee-ouch: Brewers tack on 7 in the 9th, now lead 12-0.

St Louis with a singularly uninspired effort tonight, down 12-0 bottom 9th. If they lose tonight, as seems likely, they will be 10 down in the loss column to the Cubs, 5 down to the Brewers. Another loss tomorrow by them would likely put their playoff chances on life support.

Gooz at Iowa tonight:

2IP, 1BB, 5K.

Is it allowable to have FOUR Nasty Boys?

Only 13 runs behind the Rangers, with one fewer game played, for the MLB lead in Runs Scored after tonight's 'bru ha'. Unfortunately the pitching's team rank is moving in the wrong direction.

Is that four or five bad starts in a row now from Zambrano?

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"We've got business to attend to in Chicago town."

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi...

strange but apparently true

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"I've never lost a ball in the sun." --Milton Bradley 7-3-09

Guess who had another meltdown in the dugout?

It was another adventuresome night for Carlos Zambrano, who Tuesday night became the unofficial league-leader in water cooler tossing, extended his RBI streak to eight games and failed to last five innings for the second time in August.

Zambrano allowed three runs before attacking the Gatorade container and kicking items around in the dugout. It was vintage Zambrano, who previously this year had tossed a gum tray in Washington and a couple of water coolers in Los Angeles, broke a bat over his knee and punched a hole in a wall near his locker at Wrigley Field.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/bas...

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That's Manila with an "L"

If my calculations are correct, at 32 games over .500 the Cubs have now matched the season high of 1984 set on September 15th. They were also 32 games over .500 in 1969 at one point (9/2). The last time they were 33 games over was sometime in 1945 when they were 42 games over at the end of September.

The Iowa Cubs have clinched the Pacific Coast League's 2008 American North Division pennant and will begin post-season play next week. The club has announced that playoff tickets will be priced the same as regular season games [ah, the minor leagues...]. First round opponent: Oklahoma Redhawks. Carlos Zambrano may be called down to pitch a fit, er, the opener for Iowa...

Zambrano has had three bad starts out of his last four (and some thought his one-run-over-seven start last time was also not good). Four bad starts out of his last 10 (5-2 over that span).

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Voting for non-Americans since 2008.

From last night:

Pitcher 1
4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K

Pitcher 2
4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

1 is Z, 2 is Webb.

Now, Webb is a better pitcher and hasn't struggled of late like Z has. But the larger point is, it happens to the best (and the Padres aren't exactly an offensive powerhouse).

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Voting for non-Americans since 2008.

Nice to have a win in last night's softball contest at Gage Park - but it sure was painful to watch Z go nuts again on the mound. Can anyone here with knowledge of pitching mechanics chime in with their thoughts? Is he just missing his spots, or is his velocity down noticeably?

Submitted by Rob G. on Tue, 08/26/2008 - 4:19pm.

Fuentes put on waivers (via rotoworld) doubtful the Cubs would win the waiver claim even if they put one in though

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ROB G: Presuming Brian Fuentes was put on waivers because the Rockies thought they were out of contention and not just as a matter of routine, I wonder if they might be re-thinking the idea of trading him, now that they are on a roll and only six games out of 1st in the N. L. West, and with both the D-backs and the Dodgers playing poorly. Especially given the way the team played in September last year.

If anything, I would think Colorado might be buyers right now. The Rockies have the worst record of the N. L. clubs still in contention, so they would be able to take their pick and make successful waiver claims on any N. L. player of value who might be put on Trade Assignment Waivers this week, as well as getting first crack at any American League player placed on Trade Waivers this week who isn't claimed by an A. L. contender.

not sure if this has already been posted but: Minor Leaguers Justin Berg, Rocky Roquet, Donald Veal, Darwin Barney, Nate Spears and Tyler Colvin have been selected to represent the Cubs organization in the 2008 Arizona Fall League.