Cubnut's Archives
Game 2 NLDS / Dodgers @ Cubs
SP | Chad Billingsley | SP | Carlos Zambrano |
|
16-10, 3.14, 201 K, 80 BB, 200.2 IP |
2008 | 14-6, 3.91, 130 K, 72 BB, 188.2 IP |
||
0-0, 0.00, 3 K, 0 BB, 2 IP |
Post | 0-1, 4.37, 20 K, 6 BB, 22.2 IP |
||
SS |
#Rafael Furcal | LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
|
C |
Russell Martin |
SS |
Ryan Theriot | |
LF |
Manny Ramirez | 1B |
Derrek Lee |
|
RF |
*Andre Ethier |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
|
1B |
*James Loney |
2B |
Mark DeRosa | |
CF |
Matt Kemp |
CF |
*Jim Edmonds |
|
2B |
*Blake DeWitt |
C |
Geovany Soto |
|
3B |
Casey Blake |
RF |
*Kosuke Fukudome |
|
P |
Chad Billingsley | P | #Carlos Zambrano |
It has taken a good 21 hours of self pity and a bracing White Sox defeat to clear my head and even let me think about previewing Game Two.
Yes, last night went down harsh, but from reading Rob's post and many of the ensuing comments earlier this afternoon, it is clear that there are still some optimistic souls in Cubdom. All I can say is, God bless you all.
Starters' Records Since 8/1/08 |
|||||||||
W |
L |
IP |
H/9 |
K/9 |
BB/9 |
ERA |
HR/9 |
No-Hitters Thrown |
|
Billingsley |
5 | 1 |
62 | 10.2 | 8.1 |
3.5 | 3.34 | .73 | 0 |
Zambrano | 2 | 2 | 47 | 8.6 | 6.5 |
5.0 | 7.28 | 1.80 | 1 |
Billingsley pitched twice against the Cubs this season. On both occasions, he matched up with Ryan Dempster. Once, Billingsley threw well (7 K, 2 ER in 6 IP); the other time, he threw not as well. The Cubs won both contests.
Among Cub hitters, only Jim Edmonds has more than 10 career plate appearances against the 23-year-old Billingsley, though Fukudome, Lee, and DeRosa have all tagged him for homers.
Zambrano, meanwhile,
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Cubs to Win World Series, and Other Hopeful Links
--At the Baseball Analysts, Ross Roley explains why the Cubs have a 22% likelihood of winning the World Series. That's the marginally bad news. The good news is, that's the highest probability for any of the competing playoff teams, according to Roley. The Brewers come in second at 16%. The Angels, with the best record in baseball, weigh in at just 13%. Predicting the result of a short series is an inexact science at best.
Cubs vs. Dodgers—Stacking Up the Stats
How the Cubs and their NLDS opponents stacked up in a variety of statistical categories. (Team's National League rankings appear in parens; "DER" refers to Defensive Efficiency Ratio and "RZR" refers to Revised Zone Rating. Throughout, * means stats are through Saturday, 9/27. )
CUBS |
L.A. |
|
Hitting | ||
855 (1st) |
RS |
700 (13th) |
184 (5th) | HR |
137 (13th) |
.355 (1st) |
OBP |
.333 (6th) |
.445 (1st) |
SLG |
.400 (13th) |
800 (1st) |
OPS |
733 (11th) |
Pitching | ||
668 (2nd) |
RA |
645 (1st) |
3.87 (2nd) |
ERA |
3.68 (1st) |
2.30 (3rd) | K/BB |
2.51 (2nd) |
711 (2nd) |
OPS vs. |
691 (1st) |
66% (4th) |
SV % |
65% (5th) |
Fielding* | ||
.706 (1st) |
DER |
.693 (9th) |
.832 (6th) |
RZR |
.825 (12th) |
Here's another interesting set of numbers—the performance of the Dodgers offense before and after the acqusition of Manny Ramirez:
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Game 161 Thread / Cubs @ Brewers (3 of 3)
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SP | Angel Guzman |
SP | *C.C. Sabathia |
|
0-0, 7.04, 6 K, 4 BB, 7.2 IP | (NL) |
10-2, 1.78, 121 K, 24 BB, 121.2 IP |
LF |
Alfonso Soirano | CF |
Mike Cameron |
SS |
Ryan Theriot |
2B |
#Ray Durham |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
LF |
Ryan Braun |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
1B |
*Prince Fielder |
CF |
Reed Johnson |
SS |
J.J. Hardy |
RF |
*Micah Hoffpauir | RF |
Corey Hart |
2B |
Ronny Cedeno |
3B |
*Craig Counsell |
C |
Henry Blanco |
C |
Jason Kendall |
P |
Angel Guzman |
P | *C.C. Sabathia |
First, Paul Sullivan writes that despite his recent travails (5.40 ERA in September), Jeff Samardzija has made the post-season roster and that Chad Gaudin will likely be a spectator.
As for today's game, Mark DeRosa (calf strain) was hoping to get in a few swings so he didn't have to go into the playoffs cold. Alas, he is not in the starting lineup. Geovany Soto (sore hand) is also sitting.
The Brewers begin play tied with the Mutts for the Wild Card, with a one-game tiebreaker tomorrow at Shea in the teams' futures if things don't get settled today. (As I post this, the Marlins and Mets are waiting out a rain delay at Shea.)
"It's not going to matter because, well, it is going to matter but it's not going to matter,"
Translated into English, it means that Lou Piniella decided that Carlos Zambrano would not pitch the first inning or two of today's regular season finale at Milwaukee and Angel Guzman will.
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Cub Ticket Lawsuit Fever—Catch It!
So maybe you and a group of acquaintances divvy up some Cubs season tickets. Now that the boys are going to the playoffs and playing an as-yet-undetermined number of games at Wrigley, what do you do? What else—you sue!
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Game 158 Thread / Cubs @ Mets (4 of 4)
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Game 157 Thread / Cubs @ Mets (3 of 4)
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SP | Carlos Zambrano |
SP | *Oliver Perez |
|
14-6, 3.77, 128 K, 68 BB, 184 IP | 10-7, 4.10, 168 K, 97 BB, 184.1 IP |
|
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
SS |
#Jose Reyes |
SS |
Ryan Theriot | LF |
*Daniel Murphy |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
3B |
David Wright |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
CF |
#Carlos Beltran |
RF |
Mark DeRosa | 1B |
*Carlos Delgado |
CF |
Reed Johnson |
RF |
*Ryan Church |
2B |
Ronny Cedeno |
C |
*Brian Schneider |
C |
Henry Blanco |
2B |
#Argenis Reyes |
P |
#Carlos Zambrano |
P | *Oliver Perez |
After a lifetime spent listening to ballgames on the radio, I have come to associate certain parks with a certain tone, a certain pitch in the crowd sound. Obviously, my ear is well attuned to the way that Wrigley Field crowds come across on-air. Same with Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, and the Metrodome. (Loved hearing all those Twins fans Tuesday night!)
Shea Stadium is another one of those parks. Unlike what you hear over the radio from those other parks, however, the crowd sound that goes out over the airwaves from a raucous Shea isn't one of collective joy. It's much more coarse, much more dangerous, a wild, unruly roar—like the sound of inmates rooting on two guys aiming to shank each other in the middle of the yard.
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Game 152 Thread / Cardinals @ Cubs
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SP | Adam Wainwright |
SP | Carlos Zambrano |
|
9-3, 3.20, 84 K, 26 BB, 121 IP | 14-5, 3.41, 127 K, 65 BB, 182.1 IP |
|
CF |
*Skip Schumaker |
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
LF |
Ryan Ludwick | SS |
Ryan Theriot |
1B | Albert Pujols |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
2B | Felipe Lopez | 3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
3B |
Troy Glaus |
CF | *Jim Edmonds |
RF | *Adam Kennedy |
RF |
Mark DeRosa |
SS |
*Aaron Miles |
2B |
*Mike Fontenot |
P |
Adam Wainwright |
C |
Henry Blanco |
C |
Jason Larue |
P | #Carlos Zambrano |
In his post-game press conference Thursday, a giggly Lou Piniella implied he was planning to go out last night to tie one on in celebration of the spectacular comeback victory. (I believe the exact quote was, "This is going to be a bad night for me.") It's a relief then, looking at today's lineup, to see Lou didn't stumble into the lockerroom still drunk and blindly pencil Koyie Hill into the leadoff spot as his second baseman or give a spot start to Michael Wuertz.
Geovany Soto gets the day off owing to irritation of a joint in his left hand. He is listed as day-to-day.
Our man Zambrano makes his first start since last Sunday's no-no at Milwaukee. I took a look at the last ten National Leaguers to throw complete game no-hitters before Zambrano to see how they fared in their very next outing.
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Game 151 Thread / Brewers @ Cubs (3 of 3)
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The Chicago Cubs—Your 2008 NL Central Executioners
Out of the corner of my eye last night, the one corner that wasn't marveling at how grotesquely obese Prince Fielder has become, I noticed what was happening to a couple of our National League Central friends:
The Cardinals, who were officially eliminated from the division race last night, were continuing to get their brains beaten in (six straight losses, five straight road losses, and 10 road losses in their last 11 tries), and the Astros were continuing to not hit (a 5-1 loss at Florida, which means Houston has scored two runs in three games).
Most everyone agrees that the Cards overachieved all season long and that they haven't been viable contenders for quite a while. However, if LaRussa & Co. had any flickering hopes, the Cubs went a very long way toward snuffing them out with their series win in St. Louis last week.
As for the Astros...
Brewers Fire Yost...the Chicago Way
Dan Fox offers a historical perspective on the Brewers' firing of Ned Yost while in the thick of the race for the post-season.
Turns out the 1932 Cubs were the first team to change managers mid-season (Rogers Hornsby out; Charlie Grimm in) and then go on to win the pennant. The 1938 Cubs repeated the maneuver (Grimm out; Gabby Hartnett in) and again, the result was a National League championship.
Cub-related names are all over this phenomenon:
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Game 147 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (kinda), (1 of 2)
[Updated 10:40 by ruz]: Whoooooooo!!!!!!!
Game 145 Thread / Cubs @ Cardinals (2 of 3)
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SP | *Ted Lilly |
SP | Braden Looper |
13-9, 4.43, 161 K, 60 BB, 176.2 IP | 12-11, 4.09, 87 K, 41 BB, 174 IP |
||
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
SS |
Cesar Izturis |
SS |
Ryan Theriot |
3B | #Felipe Lopez |
1B | Derrek Lee |
1B |
Albert Pujols |
3B | Aramis Ramirez |
RF |
Ryan Ludwick |
C |
Geovany Soto |
C |
Yadier Molina |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
LF |
Josh Phelps |
2B |
Mark DeRosa |
2B |
*Adam Kennedy |
CF |
*Felix Pie |
P | Braden Looper |
P | *Ted Lilly |
CF |
*Skip Schumaker |
With the NL Central race now firmly under his team's control, Cubs manager Lou Piniella sounds like a guy who is prepared to enjoy a low-stress wind-down to his team's regular season before he has to deal with the high drama of the National League playoffs.
"After that little rough patch on the last homestand, it's good to see us clicking again," Piniella said following Tuesday night's one-sided win against the Cardinals. "We're playing like we expect to win and doing the things that got us here. It's fun to watch this club play right now."
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Game 144 Thread / Cubs @ Cardinals (1 of 3)
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SP | Ryan Dempster |
SP | Kyle Lohse |
15-6, 2.99, 167 K, 72 BB, 183.2 IP |
13-6, 3.76, 106 K, 44 BB, 182 IP |
||
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
CF |
*Skip Schumaker |
2B | *Mike Fontenot |
3B | Troy Glaus |
1B | Derrek Lee |
1B |
Albert Pujols |
3B | Aramis Ramirez |
RF |
Ryan Ludwick |
RF | Mark DeRosa |
LF |
*Rick Ankiel |
CF | *Jim Edmonds |
C |
Yadier Molina |
C |
Geovany Soto |
2B |
#Felipe Lopez |
SS |
Ronny Cedeno |
P | Kyle Lohse |
P | Ryan Dempster |
SS |
Cesar Izturis |
The Cubs and the Cardinals meet in the first of three at Busch and the first of six matchups between now and the end of the season. The Cubs lead the season series, 5-4, and have won 10 of their last 15 in St. Louis.
Dempster won his only start this year against the Cardinals, allowing 2 ER over 6 2/3 in a 6-2 Cub victory in early August. Lohse is 0-1, 6.92 in a pair of starts this season vs. the Cubs, but is otherwise having a fine year, producing more ground balls, yielding fewer long balls, and allowing fewer walks than at virtually any other point in his MLB career.
Thread for Games 142, 143 / Cubs @ Reds
Update: We decided to try the losing thing all over again. A brutal, brutal, brutal 9th inning made possible by Kerry Wood's lack of control, Ronny Cedeno's inability to field a ground ball, and the offense's inability to take advantage of the myriad opportunities it had to crush a horrible team.
Good news—the Brewers lost and nearly got themselves perfect-gamed by Chris Young of the Padres, thus ending a 2-5 homestand which included a four-game split with San Diego. What's more galling: splitting four with the Padres at home or losing two of three to the Reds in Cincinnati? (There appeared to be so many Cub fans at the Great American Ballpark this weekend, I think these games should go against our home record.)
Update: The losing streak is over; the winning streak has begun.
Jason Marquis gave up just two ER over 7 1/3 Saturday night, and Cub hitters beat the Cub bullpen, 14-7.
Micah Hoffpauir started in right field, and Dave van Dyck writes that former Rookie of the Year candidate Kosuke Fukudome may want to get used to the view from the dugout.
If adversity really does build character, the Cubs are on their way to having a locker room full of Albert Schweitzers and Abraham Lincolns. Since August turned into September, the Cubbies, losers of six in a row for the first time since last June, are hitting .228 and the pitchers have a cumulative 6.32 ERA.
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Recent comments
First.Pitch.120 (view)
Honorable mention to Jim Bullinger via BleedCubbieBlue:
Bullinger, a converted shortstop, had pitched in three games before he came to the plate. He had entered the game to relieve starter Shawn Boskie after four innings, and came to the plate to lead off the fifth, and hit Rheal Cormier's first pitch over the left-field wall to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead; they eventually won the game 5-2 in 14 innings. Of the 129players to homer in their first MLB at-bat, Bullinger is one of just 32 to hit that blast on the first big-league pitch he saw (including Contreras) and one of just six pitchers to do so.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Most of this activity will lead nowhere, of course, but it is fantastic that they’re looking for talent in every nook and cranny. You never know where that can lead, and virtually nothing is lost if if leads nowhere, as long as no one of superior talent and potential is losing an opportunity.
First.Pitch.120 (view)
Fun 1st Hit / HR Fact…
Recent Cubs players to have HR as 1st MLB hit:
PCA
Morel
Happ
Contreras
Baez
Soler
Castro
Arizona Phil (view)
Childersb3: Miguel Cruz walked six in 1.2 IP in his last start, so I guess he is improving. Wilme Mora also walked six in one of his appearances a week or two ago, and one or two others have walked five. I don't know what would be the most I have ever seen a pitcher throw in a game out here, because the manager / pitching coach usually gets the pitcher out of the game if it gets too ridiculous.
As for the attendance, probably about 20 of the 25 were early arrivals for the Savannah Bananas game who came over to Field # 1 to see what was going on, and once they saw all the bases on balls (12 walks by Cubs pitchers and four by Angels pitchers) they ran away screaming. I'm used to it so it didn't bother me that much.
Childersb3 (view)
Jed has added Teheran, Tyranski, Kissaki, and now Straily and Nico Zeglin today.
Zeglin is 24 yrs old. Pitched well at Long Beach St in '23 and well in some Indy Ball.
They also added Reilly and Viets in late ST.
Have to search for MiLB arm depth anywhere you can and at all times!!!
Childersb3 (view)
25 in Attendance!!!
Phil, is that a backfield record?
Also, 6 BBs for Cruz in 2 IP. What's the most walks you've seen in one EXT ST outing that you can recall?
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
He has a pulse. Apparently that’s the only requirement at this point.
crunch (view)
cubs sign dan straily...for some reason. minor league deal.
welcome back.
zac rosscup is down in mexico trying to make it happen...maybe they could throw him a contract, too. junior lake is his teammate. shore up a bunch of holes with some washups.
fullykräusened (view)
The great thing about going to live sports events is you don't know if you're going to see something historic. Today I went to the Cub game, after putting the liner back in my coat and fishing my Cubs knit hat out of the closet. I needed all that- my seats are in the upper deck, left, so the east wind was in my face. Both teams failed to capitalize on good situations, but both starters did a good job to accomplish this. So, we go to the bottom of the sixth inning. The Cubs tie it up, and then Pete Crow-Armstrong comes up. We all know he would still be in AAA if not for injuries, and future Hall-of-Famer Justin Verlander absolutely carved up the young fellow up in his first two plate appearances. So this time he hits a fly ball. The wind was blowing in and had suppressed several strong fly balls- including a rocket off Altuve's bat that Canario hauled in (does he remind anybody else of Jorge Soler?) , but the ball kept carrying and carrying. 107mph, legit angle and carry. The crowd went nuts, the dugout went nuts. Maybe, just maybe, I saw the first homer from a long-term Cub.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Which was my original premise. They won the trades but lost their souls. They no longer employ the Cardinal way which had been so successful for so long.