Quick Cubs Hits
- Sean Marshall will start Tuesday and Rich Harden will start Thursday. Letting Marshall start Tuesday means he'll likely get the start for the likely season finale on Sunday as well. Lou also said he won't be lightening any workloads for Harden or Zambrano this series. Pushing Harden to Thursday also means Lilly will get moved to a Saturday start.
Phil Rogers suggests this all means an NLDS rotation of Dempster, Harden, Zambrano and Lilly - a plan that I fully endorse. Rogers also provides some useful information that all four possible playoff opponents are less productive (judged by OPS) against right-handed pitchers than left-handed pitchers. Bruce Miles has some other thoughts on the rotation and Lou himself said he's not making any announcements until this weekend.
- Rogers also reports that Jason Marquis will likely head to the pen and a long relief role for the playoffs although there are no specific quotations attributed to anyone. For some reason, I thought he was left off of last year's playoff roster, but he was just bumped from the rotation.
- Congrats to Micah Hoffpauir and Mitch Atkins, the Cubs Minor League Hitter and Pitcher of the Year.
- The Cubs claimed outfielder Brad Snyder off waivers and designated Adam Harben for assignment. Snyder was the 18th overall pick in the 2003 draft.
- The Cubs made some changes to their AFL roster. Pitcher Justin Berg will go to the Venezuelan Winter Leagues instead and be replaced by righty Jessie Estrada. Also, catcher/infielder Steve Clevenger and infielder Esmailin Caridad have been added to the Mesa Solar Sox bringing the total Cubs players up to 8 (Tyler Colvin, Darwin Barney, Nate Spears, Donald Veal and Rocky Roquet being the other 5).
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#1 FYI
Cubs playoff tickets for the NLDS go on sale today for those who won the lottery, which I did not.
#2 Re: FYI
Nor did I. Or my wife. :(
#5 Re: FYI
Me neither. Bah.
#3 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Nor did i or the fiance... :(
but i did come across this...
http://www.thecubsbrickyard.com/2008/04/23/felix-p...
#4 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Nor did i or the fiance... :(
but i did come across this...
http://www.thecubsbrickyard.com/2008/04/23/felix-p...
#6 Wittenmeyers suggests
Dempster, Lilly, Z and Harden
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/11791...
Lilly has a 4.50 ERA at home, 3.89 on the road, so I don't see that.
also says the Cubs think the Astros should be blaming their owner.
#9 Re: Wittenmeyers suggests
Everything else that I've read says that Lou's decision to push back Harden is so that he can pitch game 2, and that probably Dempster would go game 1 at home, with Z pitching game 3. Lilly would start 4 and Dempster could come back for 5.
#7 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
"Right-hander Jason Marquis probably won't be in the rotation, but he's a virtual lock to make the playoff roster."
Slightly misleading. As a reliever presumably.
#8 Rick Sutcliffe on Lou
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn
IMO as much as I like Lou, Rick seems to give him a little too much credit.
#10 Re: Rick Sutcliffe on Lou
Agreed. Hard to believe all of those decisions eminated from Lou alone. Am sure Hendry et al had an influence.
Also, seems like Sheff has finally lost all clue.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20...
#11 Re: Rick Sutcliffe on Lou
Hendry got smart all of a sudden when Dusty left and Lou arrived.
#12 Re: Rick Sutcliffe on Lou
"football coach syndrome" runs rampant through a lot of sports it shouldnt.
#13 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
The idea that we wouldn't pitch Z in game 1 is sickening. Winning the first game is very important and we need our best pitcher out there. Z is big game pitcher who pitched very well in game 1 last year.
#15 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
it would help if Z was our best pitcher this year or the last 2 months though. We'll see what he does Wednesday.
I might add that there's a good chance that Z will actually be matched up against the opposing teams "ace" if he pitches Game 3, which I kind of like as well.
Dempster has to get a home start, whether it's Game 1 or 2. That leaves Z or Harden for the other game and I actually think Harden is by far our best pitcher, plus pitching him in Game 2 makes a lot of sense since there's a good chance you'll go to the bullpen early.
#18 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Chad's only saying this because Sammy Sosa isn't on our playoff roster. If he did, he'd be the clear bet for Chad's game 1 starter.
#23 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Myth:
Dempster is a better pitcher at Wrigley.
Truth: lower road whip and if you take away the one bad start against the W.Sox, his splits are even.
Truth: Started at Wrigley 20 times. Might account for all those home wins
Truth: Bad road run support
Z had a bad August. It's no surprise as he usually does. Then he turned it around in September in which he threw a game where the other team did not record one hit.
Z is a big game pitcher.
#26 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Dempster has been a better pitcher than Zambrano all year. Harden has been a better pitcher than Zamrano all year.
And one good game in September does not equate with "turning it around."
#29 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Zambrano in April/May: 7-1, 2.55
Dempster in April/May: 7-2, 2.76
Zambrano in June: 1-2, 5.68
Dempster in June: 2-1, 4.55
Zambrano in July: 4-1, 1.78
Dempster in July: 3-1, 1.99
Where Dempster has the clear edge is August/September, obviously. To say he's been "better all year long" isn't really accurate. We're kind of splitting hairs here.
#35 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
So they were basically the same in April/May and July, and Dempster was significantly better (based on ERA) in June, August, and September.
So based on the numbers you gave, Dempster has clearly been better this year, with Zambrano being as good in a couple of months.
Overall:
Dempster- 2.99 ERA, 151 ERA+, 3.49 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 16.8 pitching win shares, 55.2 VORP
Zambrano- 4.17 ERA, 120 ERA+, 4.50 FIP, 1.29 WHIP, 13.5 pitching win shares, 37.7 VORP
It really hasn't even been close as to who has been the better pitcher this year.
#50 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Dave, you said Dempster has been better all year long. It's just not true. You want to say Dempster has been better since August, go ahead. I won't argue that.
You can't say Dempster has been better "all year long" and then say they were the same in April/May and June.
#53 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Fair enough... I guess I should have said something like "Dempster has clearly been the Cubs best pitcher this year."
You may still argue that one, but it takes away the opportunity to use arbitrary markers to look at different segments of the season.
#58 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
I like how they're arbitrary when they contradict what you said and believe.
It's clear that Dempster had a marginally better June and a much better August and September (and, no small note, has been healthy all year). In no way was I arguing that he wasn't the best starter overall or not a good choice to start the first playoff game. However, the stats show, whether you like it or not, that Z was just as good at certain times this year.
It's also clear that you often can't have a disagreement without being condescending. At least there was no, "Um..." involved.
#60 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
I like how they're arbitrary when they contradict what you said and believe.
No - they are arbitrary because deciding to look at fragmented sections of a season, with very limited sample sizes in each fragment, is quite arbitrary. It has nothing to do with whether they contradict or confirm what I am saying.
It's clear that Dempster had a marginally better June
Marginally? His ERA was over a run better. That is significant.
However, the stats show, whether you like it or not, that Z was just as good at certain times this year.
Huh? Why would I not like that? I already said that they were equally good for two of the months.
#28 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
see Chad, I was all proud of you that bothered to look up some stuff to support your point and then you go and blow it by saying Z usually has a bad August and turns it around in September.
Yes, he's had bad Augusts the last two years and did have a good Sept last year. Not so much this year - 6.32 ERA.
And before 2007, his Augusts were quite good.
2002: 5.86, 2003: 1.18, 2004: 3.62, 2005: 1.74, 2006: 3.63
#32 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
in 2004 August was his worst month era wise
and 2003 is was terrible in august. 5.86 is quite good?
#39 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
His 2003 August ERA was 1.18.
His 2002 August ERA was 5.86, but that is pretty irrelevant, being that it was his rookie year, and it was his second month as a starter in the bigs.
#40 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
no 5.68 ERA is not, but 4 good Augusts versus 3 bad ones, does not constitute that he USUALLY has a bad August.
#14 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
Anyone see this horseshit? http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/09/wrigley...
Ald. Tom Tunney is trying to get Wrigleyville bars to stop alcohol sales after the 7th inning.
How ridiculously absurd. Yeah, these bars that are only profitable because of the Cubs should stop selling basically their only product at ~9PM. Great idea, you jerkoff.
The fact that the ballpark has to stop selling in the 7th is bad enough. Because some douche gets in a fight or drives away drunk means the other 99.9% of us can't have fun. Politicians need to force people to take responsibility for their own actions and stop trying to pass ridiculous laws that take away our personal liberties "for our own good."
Give me Old Style or give me death!
#16 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
it's only on a day that the Cubs or Wsox could possibly clinch, fwiw.
still kind of lame...
#17 Re: Quick Cubs Hits
it'll never fly.
we're talking about a neighborhood with so much pull they have (numerous times) battled a corporate giant in the Trib. Co. and made out pretty damn well.
all these people that don't belong in the neighborhood moving in and trying to change the rules mid-game.
ranks up there with people moving out to rural areas and complaining about farmer's equipment and animals...or moving near an airport and trying to get flight patterns changed...
besides...that area is a walking area...no one's gonna converge 10,000 cars deep in that area to get out and party.
how about keeping the trains open a little longer...encourage public transport and keep the area around the stadium walking area...meh...
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