Archive - Apr 11, 2008

...Friday's game thread is below...

- As you've probably heard by now, the Cubs received 25-year old outfielder/first basemen Doug Deeds from the Twins today as the PTBNL in the Craig Monroe deal. A ninth-round selection of the Twins in 2002, the lefty was an honorable mention on John Sickels top 20 Twins prospects before 2007, but didn't make the cut in 2008 after a rough year in AAA. His scouting report on Scout.com before the 2007 season sure had some encourging notes:

Deeds is one of the more polished hitters in the Twins’ organization, and each year he seems to grow at the plate. He has the ability to hit to all fields, and has shown the ability to hit at every level he has played at during his Minor League career.

Deeds is a great defensive outfielder, and should have a future as an everyday corner outfielder in some organization, hopefully the Twins. He makes all the plays in right field, and has a tremendous arm that enables him to scare potential base runners from advancing a base. He uses good closing speed to get to balls that most outfielders do not get to, and has had his fair share of outfield assists throughout his Minor League career.

His career line is still a solid 291/374/463 and hopefully a change of scenery will benefit him. I imagine he'll be headed Mike Wellman's way and on to Iowa.

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Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview

SP	Carlos Zambrano	SP	Brett Myers
	1-0, 1.32, 12 K, 1 BB		0-1, 6.30, 6 K, 5 BB
LF	Alfonso Soriano	CF	#Shane Victorino
CF	*Kosuke Fukudome	3B	*Greg Dobbs
1B	Derrek Lee	2B	*Chase Utley
3B	Aramis Ramirez	1B	*Ryan Howard
RF	*Daryle Ward	LF	Pat Burrell
C	Geovany Soto	RF	*Geoff Jenkins
2B	Mark DeRosa	C	Carlos Ruiz
SS	Ryan Theriot	SS	Eric Bruntlett
P	#Carlos Zambrano	P	Brett Myers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll go out on a limb here and say that if Zambrano can keep up a twelve to one K:BB ratio, he'll win the Cy Young. You heard it here first. Z's start did get pushed up a day, although Mother Nature is threatening to push him right back with 50-60% chance of showers for tonight in Philly. Brett Myers vowed to be more aggressive tonight...on the mound; Mrs. Myers need not worry. The reigning, undeserved MVP, Jimmy Rollins sits another night with a sprained ankle but is available to pinch-hit. If they do get the game in, the Cubs will try to extend their winning streak to six.

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According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Dusty Baker may juggle the Red Legs' pitching rotation heading into next week's visit to Wrigley Field.

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...350 miles west of Chicago on I-80, Mike Wellman keeps tabs on the Iowa Cubs in the PCL...

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Living here in Des Moines I've always gotten a kick out of the local team playing in the Pacific Coast League. I guess that makes the portion of the 'road to Wrigley' that runs through here the Pacific Coast Highway. Here's my dispatch after the season's first homestand.

Of the eight games scheduled four were lost to opponents, three were lost to Mother Nature [one of which was reclaimed as the front end of a day/night doubleheader] and two went into the win column.

The team now heads to Nashville for a four-game set with the [micro] Brewers as the I-Cubs and Sounds resume their subsidiary version of the growing rivalry between Chicago and Milwaukee.

It's hard to glean much from the limited six-game sample, very little of which was played in conditions conducive to baseball, but here are some early trends that will bear watching as the season unfolds:

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