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Last updated 3-26-2024
 
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PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

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Game 91 Recap: Giants 2, Cubs 3

Don't Call it a Comeback

Game Center Play by Play Box Score Photos

W-Rich Hill (6-6), Aramis Ramirez's MVP candidacy. L- Correia (1-5), Sutcliffe's Thesaurus. S- Howry (6) Things to take from this game: 1. Starting Pitching Showcase On points, I gave the contest of the starting pitchers to Lincecum - Soriano and Lee both whiffed for strike three on the high heat, very impressive. But both he and Hill pitched great games. It appeared that LouPa might have left Hill in one inning too many, as he gave up an unfortunate run in the 8th (with help from a bad Soriano boot in the outfield), but Hill wound up with the win because... 2. Aramis Ramirez Rules This World With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Theriot had a broken-bat infield single. Lee singled through a hole on the right side created by the hit-and-run call, and Aramis hit one to the bottom of the left field ivy, scoring the tying and winning runs. 3. A Shout-out to Koyie Hill The dude deserves acknowledgement for his early solo HR, given that he will now lose ABs to the newly aquired Jason Kendall. You go, Koyie. 4. No Bonds Needing to score a run in the top of the ninth, we never saw Bonds as a pinch-hitter. Instead, Winn, Durham, and Molina go down with a whimper. A really, really weak offensive lineup tonight for the Giants. The rest of the goodness can be found down below.

  • First couple innings, and both of these young pitchers seem to have their signature pitches working - Lincecum's fastball, and Hill's Hook. Could be very fun to watch them work
  • it's really amazing how weak the Giants lineup looks, without bonds. Just brutal
  • I'm pretty sure I heard a loud F-bomb when Jones popped up in the second.
  • Feliz with a gift hit to lead off the third, as it knicks the third base bag. Aramis did a nice cat-like, mid-air twisting turn to try to react to it, but couldn't quite get to it. Sutcliffe correctly appreciates that Theriot hustled out from his SS position to grab the deflected baseball, before any chance of a hustle-double.
  • last out of the top of the third comes on a bit of an ugly fly ball to short left-center. Jones squeezes it, barely avoiding a collision with Soriano.
  • Koyie Hill with a no-doubt, sweet-swinging leadoff HR in the bottom of the third.
  • Sutcliffe claiming we traded away the "good protection" behind Aramis in the batting order. That being Barrett. That's a big bucket full of stupid.
  • Theriot with a nice diving grab on a line drive to get the leadoff hitter in the fourth.
  • I actually like Bengie Molina, but you know your offense sucks when Sutcliffe identifies him as the right guy to have at the plate with a runner on base.
  • Lincecum just blows a fastball right past Lee in the fourth. Impressive.
  • Hey, Mark Sweeney is two pinch hits away from moving into second place for most all time pinch hits! Hell yeah.
  • Erin Andrews asks Z what he thinks of Cuban possibly owning the team. Z is very much in favor of this. Heh.
  • This Giants team is really, really bad. Just saying.
  • and within a minute of typing that, Feliz smokes a high fastball for a solo HR. Their team still sucks.
  • and Soriano swings through a Lincecum fastball, for strike three, in the sixth. Lincecum is also mixing in a change, and looks as good as advertised.
  • Very quick game, with 4 total hits and 2 runs going into the bottom of the seventh. Lincecum has probably been more dominant, but both look good.
  • Ward walks to lead off the bottom of the seventh, Pagan pinch runs. Derosa bunts him to second, and we have a RISP with one out, tie game. Jones up. ESPN reminds me that this is the first RISP for either team, all night.
  • Tim Lincecum looks like Eric, "America's Player" on Big Brother 8. I know this.
  • Jones walks, and Lincecum is out of the game with one out in the seventh. Nice pitching by the phenom.
  • Some lefty reliever named Minsch gets Koyie Hill to GIDP to end the threat. Can't be too hard on the guy responsible for our only run tonight. But still, ugh.
  • Feliz has the only two hits against Hill, and now leads off the 8th with a walk.
  • Tough way to lose the lead. Frandsen sacrifices Feliz to second, and some pinch-hitter I've never heard of, and probably will never hear of again, hits a single into left. Soriano charges it, and the ball kicks hard off the heel of his glove, letting Feliz score and the runner advancing to second.
  • Promptly followed up by a bunt hit, putting runners on 1st and 3rd.
  • LouPa calls the pitchout to foil the Giants' attempt at a suicide squeeze. Runner on third hung out to dry, for the second out. Vizquel grounds out to end the inning.
  • Two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and Theriot gets a broken bat infield single. Lee then hits a ball directly to where the second baseman had been standing, on a nicely executed hit and run. First and third, two outs,Aramis up, down a run in the eighth.
  • Messenger in to pitch to Ramirez. Ramirez lines one toward the wall in the LF corner - he gets out on his front side quite a bit, but still thought he had hit it out, was posing and walking half the way to first base. Winds up being a double, not even close to being hit out. But what am I complaining about? Theriot scores, Lee scores from first, and we have the lead
  • and in what might be the biggest display of fan dumbassitude at Wrigley yet this year, the Left Field fans people start showering the field with trash, after we take the lead. WTF? Left Field Sucks.
  • Howry in, to go through the "heart" of the Giants order in the 9th. That being Winn, Durham, and Molina. Heh. Winn taps it back to him on the first pitch in the ninth. Durham pops out to Derosa.
  • Will Bonds pinch hit? No. Molina for the last out of the game... Whiffs on a typical Howry low outside 94 MPH fastball.
Parachat Recap Inning 1: Getting settled in. Bowen's DFA'ed. How does Hill look. I'm more clutch than you can contemplate. Movies that I haven't heard of, or seen. Inning 2: Sheets' latest injury. Aramis's defensive improvements Inning 3: Optimism/Pessimism among Cubs and Brewers fans. Who assumed it was Rich Hill who hit the HR, when they heard of a Hill HR for the Cubs? Grifffey's fine year. Previous Cubs playoff years. Meaningless Milestones, andESPN's ability to exploit them. Inning 4: Options. Vizquel's modest HOF credentials. Is there anyone worth trading for off of the Giants' roster? Manram's serious poke. Abbreviated names. Mark Cuban's impressive record responding to emails. Inning 5: Everyone hates some guy named Dane Cook. Who is he? Team owners who care about winning. Best living ballplayer? Inning 6: How we hate ESPN's fake stories, even as we debate their Best Living Ballplayer story. Marketing Genius. Dead and retired people we can sign, and then trade for A-rod. Our appreciation of Erin Andrews. Reaction to the news of the Kendall trade: initial response tilting against the trade, inparachat. Inning 7: the anti-Kendall reaction starts to get ugly. Doubling his OBP and SLG rates, and you have a good player. Couldn't we have traded for Ken-doll? Other individuals who might be deserving of being traded for Kendall. (hehehheee) Inning 8: The Kendall reaction starts getting pitchforks and torches. Branson, Missouri. Mis-use of the law of averages. Disappointment with the Soriano error. Beer. Is Sutcliffe drunk or high, tonight? How many people has Sutcliffe gratuitiously....uh..flattered.... tonight? (six and counting...) Inning 9 Celebrating.

Comments

what the hell were those idiots doing in left field? I can't figure out what exactly they were pissed about. Bunch of idiots. Lou won more games with his managerial moves tonight that McToothpick did in 4 years he rotted on the bench.

baseball tonight keeps saying Sean Marshall for Kendall. I have to assume that is incorrect.

Hill has to clear waivers to be sent down. Soto is the more likely candidate to go down right now. Tell me this isnt a sign of the apocolypse? Jim Hendry just referenced a stat that wasn't Batting average or wins. "His second half career numbers are much better than his first. His on-base percentage is always high," Hendry said.

The last game I went to in the bleachers was Nomar's first game as a Cub. I decided after waiting in a block-long line to get in 2 hours before gametime that I was getting reserved seats from then on. The bleachers are just filled with bandwagon-fan, idiotic teenagers driving in from the suburbs. Walking around the neighborhood after the game I see countless of the aforementioned and I pray to god that I wasn't that obnoxious when I was in high school (I probably was).

I'm on the LouPa bandwagon now. The man really helped with this victory with the call for the pitchout. Surely even Crunch has to admit (between classes and bong hits) that our manager had a hand in tonight's victory. Say it! Say it Crunch! Yeah, probably not. That'd be like Chad referencing Win Shares without the words "made up stat" following closely in tow. At least we can all agree that we're winning. This team is playing pretty damn well these days--coming from behind, sound fundamentals, never-say-die attitude. Kinda reminds me of the 2003 Marlins. One last Branson, Missouri related joke: In Soviet Russia, Cubs beat you!

Two Words - The Riot, if he doesn't break for 2nd base after his infield single ARAM never drives in two in the eighth.

Lou's doing a very good job of Managing right now and the Cubs are finding new ways to win. Let's hope Hendry's new trade for an experienced catcher will pay off.

That is some kind of slump Jonsie is in... painful as it will be the only way he'll snap it is to play every day. As long as the Cub's are winning it will be much less painful. Pay attention Pie, unless you fix that ridiculous flare in your swing, you can look forward to an up-and-down streaks like Jones' experiences.

Damn internet connection went down at work and I just got home. Was able to keep up with the game on my cell phone but didn't know aobut Kendall until right now. Looks great to me. If he hits, awesome, if not, we are in the same boat as we were yesterday. And what a CLUTCH hit by Aramis!!!! The most clutch guy on the team!!!! More later.

Theriot is back to hitting above .280, which is very nice. With him, Lee, DeRosa and Fontenot hitting, we can hopefully keep up the good offense. Not sure about getting an over the hill catcher (sorry, veteran, proven catcher), but we have some nice parts elsewhere.

Oh and Bonds is a total pu....WIMP. he ducked a lefty. And he won't play on Wednesday either, day game after a night game. GO TO HELL YOU CHEATING BASTARD!!!!

"Surely even Crunch has to admit (between classes and bong hits) that our manager had a hand in tonight’s victory. Say it! Say it Crunch!" what did he do exactly? this was a pretty lou hands-off game. his pinch hitters were 0-2 and he has d.ward in RF. hill threw 95 pitches in 8ip...how about getting on the r.hill bandwagon?

"CRUNCH will never admit to that. You kidding?" well, it would help to build your case around a game where lou actually directly influenced the outcome. the best i can come up with, and its a stretch, is lou playing theriot helped theriot make that nice baserunning play...but that was theriot's instincts more than some manager. what about this game is jumping out as a good lou-game?

I think they were talking about the pitch out to prevent the squeeze play. Either way, I've been on the Rich Hill bandwagon since the beginning. I really love seeing him do well and seeing batters completely bamboozled by his curve. With him , Lee and Theriot doing well, I just need Murton back up and hitting to have all my favorite Cubs doing awesome.

i wasn't trying to start an uprising of a rich hill bandwagon...seems he's letting his pitching do the talking for him like marmol is... i was just saying, hey...rich hill had a great input in this game. i dunno what makes this a game where lou showcased his skills. ignoring my personal opinions shared by many others about how wise it is to have d.ward in RF with his range/arm...today's pinch hitters were 0-2, didnt factor into any of the scoring, and r.hill's 95 pitch performance didn't step the pen up til the 9th for the closer role.

how ST of you crunch to avoid the issue... acknowledge the damn pitchout on the squeeze will you!!!! I 'oughta...... j/k

missed that. was in/out of parachat. okay, he did something. he's not inept...hell, he knows how to handle a #2 spot in a lineup. and ST-like...wow...that's cold. hehe. if i wasnt so much better and the most smartest i would be upset.

my laundry list of lou +/- and how he's handled the club has me pretty bored with him. major pos: respects ob% in front of the lineup, willing to experiment when things aren't going well, seems to be engaged in the game on the field even when its not worth watching major neg: everyone but Z gets pulled at 80-100 pitches which taxes then pen which has led to 3+ months of bitching about needing more pen, his initial clubhouse presence has lead to more than usual team meetings (hopefully just growing pains with a new team), lou seems to be really iffy about just how he wants to use his pen arms and their roles there's other small +/- stuff, but mostly im happy. dont think he's worth his loot, but whatever...not like even these "superstar managers" get more than a steady middle infielder anyway. and yes, i like him better than dusty cuz lou's a bit friendlier to some of my philosophies. but that dont matter...dusty's gone...

and lou's replacement of pagan over d.ward in the top 8th before ward's ab in the bottom was good, too. we're not breaking new ground here. i was just asking why this would be a game that really showcased lou's skills. unfortunately for me, i missed a key aspect of it (the pitchout/squeeze that worked), still it was a piece of rich hill mastery before any managerial effort comes in and i've seen better/worse "lou" games recently. i can understand it, i'm just not sold on lou being any better than a lot of his lesser paid contemporaries, though...or that he's something special...i do like him as cubs manager.

Well instilling a manager with some reasonable knowledge of handling a ball club sure is a start to giving this team more confidence. Which was sorely lacking under Dusty's leadership. Yes Lou understands the #2 spot, Yes Lou understands using a better defensive player in place of a weaker one is actually an upgrade as compared to Dusty's weird downgrades late in games. That alone doesn't make us a better team or any idiot could manage. But maybe finally the team has a manager they want to play hard for and not a manager who you just want to play for cuz he is your best bud. If you get my drift....

When Pinella leaves the Cubs you will think he was the best manager you ever saw manage the team. Over the next few years you'll get used to "look of eagles" calls like Lou made tonight. When it comes to calling a game like they did before the DH it's Bobby Cox vs. Lou Pinella and that's it. Then compare the control of the clubhouse that Pinella has vs. Trusty.

answer: 3 weeks. question: How long does it take from to go from a bum manger with a cranky clubhouse to being a great leader? i like the guy, but he's far from perfect and not exactly unique amongst his peers handling a game.

"Yes Lou understands using a better defensive player in place of a weaker one is actually an upgrade as compared to Dusty’s weird downgrades late in games." no offense, but...the player pagan replaced has very little business being in RF to begin with. dunno what kinda spin that puts on it, though.

"my laundry list of lou +/- and how he’s handled the club has me pretty bored with him." Well you would be in the small minority of baseball writers, general managers, and broadcasters. GO INTERNET!

Meaning - that the above mentioned groups would strongly disagree about you "Lou +/- ratings".

btw...im working on the assumptions that form my personal opinions on this...not everyone's gonna have the same +/-...annoyances/loves... like the media stuff...does little/nothing for me...some people love it and consider it part of a well rounded manager's job. i "get" that even if i dont buy into it. im digging on lou, but he's not immune from some "what the hell was that?"

"Well you would be in the small minority of baseball writers, general managers, and broadcasters." what...im not allowed to not go fanboy on someone? im not allowed to say a guy who bitches about a pen for 3 months while holding starters to low as hell counts and burns pens might not "get" what he's asking for? im not allowed to question having a "long man" like gallagher around and when situations come up for the long men we see 3-4 relievers? and these players have more positions on the field than a rural prostitute. guy's "feeling out" his rosters in an interesting way. no...its not black/white...open/shut...yeah, he's not perfect.

if the cubs hadnt won 16 of their last 20 chances are this conversation shouldnt exist. we cant be far off from sportswriters doing a story on the blowup vs. the cubs winning. might as well make it barrett leaving vs. cubs winning..."the pie factor" was popular on TCR early. 16 wins outta 20 games...lou's had his hand in a lotta them. he's also done some things in my eyes to harm them, but it dont matter...the players performed.

I'm not entirely sure what this conversation is about. I mean is +/- a new stat? If it is sabermetrics has turned into a sword fight. Ask Bruce Boche how good Pinella is. I like Yogi Berra's quote said, "It ain't like football. You can't make up no trick plays."

funny you should bring up football...that's the thing...this is baseball, where the manager's impact is far less but held in the same regard as a football coach. if you cant figure out the context of +/- in the context i used it you're not gonna be able to communicate with me well, btw... it doesnt involve bruce boche at all if that's any help.

it sucks we can't just enjoy another win. btw, big fan of the kendall deal. basically barrett for kendall, i'd take that anyday. plus kendall looks like a lumberjack, that's pretty cool.

- Does anyone else find Sutcliffe nearly unlistenable? Not only is he substantively the master of every cliche ever invented, he has that rising, sing-song inflection at the end of every phrase, like McCarver used to do, that makes me want to scream. No one speaks that way in real life unless it's in a condescending tone to a child or pet. I liked him better the time he was drunk. - Dave O'Brien is a very good play-by-play man. Maybe the best national announcer around. - The in-between-innings, roaming-the-stands chick needs to go someplace and sit down. - Best living player? I could make a case for Aaron, Mays or Musial from the non-active guys. And no one ever mentions Yogi, who had the best career of any catcher and positively impacted more pennant races than anyone in history. The only career American Leaguer one might consider, either. - Someday, Aramis will cost the Cubs a game with his stylin' and profilin'. Yeah, he got away with it last night, but the day will come... - I'm thankful ESPN spared us the 7th inning stretch celebrity show-off song. Which NASCAR driver, movie actor or stand-up comedian was it tonight?

"- The in-between-innings, roaming-the-stands chick needs to go someplace and sit down." Yeah...on my lap

#42: “It ain’t like football. You can’t make up no trick plays.” Tell that to A.J. Pierzynski.

from this morning's Tribune (on Kendall): Manager Lou Piniella called Kendall a "tough kid who likes to play" and said he'd probably bat him seventh. "He gives you a good, professional at-bat, and he'll take a walk," Piniella said. "Basically, he's been a .300 hitter his whole career." http://tinyurl.com/3c4tnj

Pie and Scott Moore both have four homers in the last three games with a strange synch: one Saturday, two Sunday, one Monday. Poor Buck Coats. Pie's demotion made the outfield too crowded for him and so he rides the pine with his 318/370/481, with 10 hr, 45 rbi in 318 ab. C'mon, Hendry, get rid of Jones and Floyd already. Times almost up. Why can't these two guys play right field? Murton 110 ab, 34 h, 12 2b, 1 3b, 4 hr, 12 bb, 12 k, 309/384/545 Kroeger 87 ab, 27 h, 3 2b, 0 3b, 6 hr, 11 bb, 14 k, 310/388/552

From previous thread: dave: Just curious - why is no one talking about A-Ram’s bush league standing at the plate to watch a double? I thought Bochy was going to have the SF pitcher hit Pagan with the next pitch. Yeah, that was annoying. He must get a pass for having the go-ahead RBI hit. It's a double either way. How long did Soriano stand and admire it, I didn't actually see it. Was it similar to what Ramirez did last night or did Soriano admire it longer?

bikemonkey: plus kendall looks like a lumberjack, that’s pretty cool. Too bad for Kendall, Todd Helton wins the lumberjack look-a-like contest. :(

For what it's worth, to add to post #51, Kroeger for awhile looked like he couldn't handle AAA pitching, then all of a sudden turned it on the last couple of weeks--I think his BA shot up like 100 points (anyone have the data on this?). He's at least proven he can figure out AAA pitching and, like several other guys hitting over .300 at Iowa this year, might deserve a look.

Va. Phil, I agree ... they gotta do something about Jones. He looks overmatched at the plate, and I'm not just talking about last night. There weren't many good swings by any of the Cubs against that Giants pitcher -he's tough. I wonder if maybe he has a physical problem such as his vision. Or maybe he just hit the wall and "got old" this year. It happens to different players at different ages.

Well you would be in the small minority of baseball writers, general managers, and broadcasters. Of course, by the same criteria, Dusty is thought of as a good manager except by a small minority of baseball writers, general managers, and broadcasters.

I watch jones, and as a golfer it looks like he is constantly "bailing out" or "not committing" to the swing. Like his head comes up way to early and his eyes leave the ball. Does it look this way to anyone else?

for chad.... "It goes to show you, that if you watch your pitch counts and if you shorten them up from time to time, they respond much better," Piniella said.

Crunch, I agree with most of your points on Lou (+/-), and there might be managers as good at less $$$. I'm really tired though of evaluations based in part on how much a player/manager is paid. After watching Cubs teams stumble around the field for over 40 years, the only thing I appreciate is players who know how to really play the game and manager's who have a clue about leading a team and managing a game. Here's my list of current Cubs who fit that description - K. Hill, D. Lee, DeRosa, Theriot, Fontenot, Soriano, and I like the way Ramirez hits. Pitchers who can pitch and not just throw - Lilly, Z, R. Hill (still learning), Howry, and Marmol. The main thing I like about Lou is he manages a good game, plays people who know how to play the game, has his best defensive guys on the field in the 8-9th inning, and doesn't suffer pitchers who can't get people out or find home plate with a search party. I like also that his favorite players are those who are playing good baseball, and that Hendry is beginning to understand that he works for Lou, not the other way around.

Two Words - The Riot, if he doesn’t break for 2nd base after his infield single ARAM never drives in two in the eighth. What? Riot was stealing, or at least running, on the pitch. It was a hit and run. It has very little to do with "The Riot's instincts" and much more to do with a coaching call of the hit-and-run. And crunch - what did LouPa do? The pitch out was huge. And the hit and run on Lee's basehit. And few have mentioned this, but Lee was also running on A-Ram's double. Would he have scored on the double? probably, but it at least made it easier to score on the play.

Aram will win alot more games than lose because of "stylin' and profilin'"

Dave's right, that play was designed in Lou's head, not Theriot's... open a hole in the infield, have DLee do something he does really well, hit a ball to the right side of the infield... I believe the pitch was even inside, but brought his hands in tight and got it done. It was really quite impressive.

Aram will win alot more games than lose because of “stylin’ and profilin’” Another one of the things Sammy was run out of town for. My question is: Why does he have to lose any games for it? Why can't he celebrate after the play/inning is over? You, know, be professional first. Imagine Terrel Owens making a spetacular catch, and instead of running the ball into the endzone, stopping to take a bow in the middle of the field. That's pretty much what these guys (and I am not saying Aram is the only one, Ortiz and Bonds are probably the worst offenders I know of) are doing.

re "Lou's good game": I also appreciated him letting R. Hill finish the eighth, so the win, if it happened, didn't go to a guy who threw half a dozen pitches. Hill gave him seven good innings and really needed a win. Dusty would have done the same thing, but still, I like it.

And few have mentioned this, but Lee was also running on A-Ram’s double. huh? Sutcliffe made a big deal about it on the broadcast. If Lee's not running on that play he probably doesn't score.

Since we're getting $18M x 7yrs, lefty Zito tonight, here is what I expect for Lou's lefty experiment part deux (I'm just sayin'): Theriot 6 Fpnty 4 DLee 3 ARam 5 Soriano 7 DeRosa9 Kendall 2 Pagan 8 and Marshall 1

"Aram will win alot more games than lose because of “stylin’ and profilin’” " So, just how does failing to leave the batter's box on the run EVER help the team win?

"It has very little to do with “The Riot’s instincts” and much more to do with a coaching call of the hit-and-run." Dave - I am assuming that you are being sarcastic! As much as I am more of a LouPa Fan over Dusty this play works because Theriot has the speed and the atheltic ability to shield that ball from the infielder and Dlee can execute by hitting to the right side.

Danville Joe, The 'stylin and profiling' in that sentence only refers to him losing games: He will win many games. He will lose fewer with his antics. It's still a silly point.

Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000 discussed the idea that Kendall gives Lou a couple options, one of which being he can bat him 2nd when our other 2 hitters are slumping. I hadn't thought of that, but he would probably do o.k. there with his generally high OBP and hit/run skills. He also stated he would handle the staff exceedingly well. Of course, he didn't say that he cannot throw anyone out. Finally, he sees a "perfect" trade for the Cubs starting with a player on the South Side - Jermaine Dye. Discussed he "had no idea" if Hendry will be given any budget to spend b/f the deadline.

#69 No, Kendall did not play for Oakland last night. One of the quotes from Hendry about the trade was that he talked to Kendall before or during the Cubs game and Kendall was all excited; this would seem to mean that Kendall knew about the deal before the A's game on the west coast, which means they kept him out of the game and either flew him into Chicago last night or early this morning.

Danville- I wrote that awkwardly, I didn't mean that the "stylin" would win games but he will win expotentially more games with his glove and bat over losing game sbecause he didn't run out a hr turned into double.

If only ARam had hustled out of the box he could have had a stand-up double instead of a...stand-up double. What's the big f'n deal here? Why do people get bent out of shape about this?

Imagine Terrel Owens making a spetacular catch, and instead of running the ball into the endzone, stopping to take a bow in the middle of the field. It's more like Leon Lett celebrating as he is running into the end zone. He thinks he scored but it is actually still in question.

Scott de B: Of course, by the same criteria, Dusty is thought of as a good manager except by a small minority of baseball writers, general managers, and broadcasters. +++++++ It's perhaps telling that the small minority is almost entirely located in San Francisco and Chicago.

If Lou hadn't put the hit-and-run on, Lee woulda turned on that belt-high fastball and given the Cubs the lead one batter earlier instead of trying to force it the other way and barely squeaking a dribbler into right.

ARam should also receive a carry over pass for the HR he hit against the Brewers. His job is to drive in runs like a monster and play near gold glove third base. His job is NOT to hurt himself trying to leg out 3 extra infield hits a year and stretch singles into doubles. I will take the accidental HR trot once in a while in ehxchage for a contender for the best third baseman in the majors(You heard me A Rod, defense counts too.)

"Dave O’Brien is a very good play-by-play man. Maybe the best national announcer around." Agreed - as usual, ESPN's second - tier baseball team is much better than their premier one. But as much as I like Sutcliffe the player, he's quite boneheaded at times with his commentary. It was also great to see Hill do well - but the Giants weren't exactly fielding a strong lineup out there yesterday.

Thanks, Sheffield. I automatically thougth Kendall would bat second. Patient hitter behind Soriano so he can steal a base. I was watching a local sports tv round table and the boxer Bobby Hitz(?) was on it. And he owns a restaurant where alot of Cubs player and management dine and he mentioned that Dye would be going to the Cubs.

Indiana JJ, If you ever managed a team at a competitive level, you would understand the answer to your question, 'what's the big f'n deal'. If not, you never will. All that said, I like Aramis overall and believe he helps the team win a lot of games.

#81 You know...with the White Sox' recent hole in center field and their ridiculously horrible bullpen, and our surplus of too many Jacque Joneses (1) and all the relievers we keep shuffling back and forth down I-88, it really isn't inconceivable that we could match up well as a trade partner for the White Sox....

Oh my, JonH, ARam better then ARod? I like ARam quite a bit, but no, it's not even close. And let's not spread that belief around or ARam will demand ARod type money.

I always wondered how players handled the logistics of moving when traded during the season, particulaly if traded while playing on the road. One day you live in Oakland, the next you are in Chicago, with little chance to get back to Oakland. Must be very tough if you have kids.

In every other way, Aramis conducts himself in a professional manner. You never hear him talking shit, badmouthing players/management, displaying circus-like behavior. He has been stellar in the field, and "the MAN" at the plate. That said, if he wants to admire what he thinks is a HR, he has earned it as far as I am concerned as a paying customer. I'll give him this slack there. It is not like this is outrageous behavior when coupled with the above, imo.

George Altman Nice condescending non-answer. Care to enlighten me with a real answer? I know you think I won't understand because I never managed at a "competitive level" whatever that means, but give me chance. I see athletes in all major league sports do thing like this all the time. Presumably their managers are at a "competitive level", but they don't seem to care too much about it. If they did, it seems they would try to curtail the behavior. I'm just saying that there doesn't seem to be any concrete evidence that the showboating has hurt the team at all. It seems to me to be more like old school respect the game type dogma.

Well, I do remember a game recently where Ramirez legged out a single and that helped us win. Not sure when that was or anything, but hustle can always be a good thing. That said, he's pretty gimpy right and has enough problems, maybe it's not a bad thing he's not hustling. Of course, I'd rather he just runs slower and skip the show boating entirely, but I hate it when anyone does it and we went over that whole discussion in another thread.

“The Riot’s instincts” i was more referring to theriot's instinct on not letting the ball hit him on the way to 2nd...he kept up with the play developing and a ball ticketed to hit him (and cause an out) he managed to avoid. could have made that clearer, muh bad.

Just curious - why is no one talking about A-Ram’s bush league standing at the plate to watch a double? I thought Bochy was going to have the SF pitcher hit Pagan with the next pitch. I think that probably would've happened if the ball had left the park. When it stays in the park, the joke's on the batter.

"Just curious - why is no one talking about A-Ram’s bush league standing at the plate to watch a double?" as tired as i am of seeing it, too...well, what's new? at least he's hitting balls hard enough for this to come up weekly, i guess. not that i want him to haul ass, but it'd be nice to at least drop the bat and jog. saving the legs is one thing, but losing a double turning it into a single or having to bust ass from 1st/2nd isnt a good outcome either way.

so, if they brought petrick up, and replaced bowen with kendall, don't they now have 26 on the 25 man roster?

Yes, unless they trade Jones + a pitcher that is currently on the roster (Petrick/Weurtz) to WSox for Jermaine Dye.

Won't they just send Soto back to AAA, as Kendall will be our third catcher again?

Indiana JJ, Here's your answer as concise as I can be -- from Little League you are taught to run out every hit, sprint on/off the field, hustle, hustle, hustle. When other players see someone who doesn't/isn't/won't, they start to question 'why aren't they?'. This gets real contagious, real fast......especially on teams that are losing, not in contention. Very quickly, it can become debilitating to morale, performance, and discipline on the field, in the dugout, on practice fields, and in the clubhouse. As a manager, you don't ever want to see that - in a game, in practice, anywhere. Did you see Lou's face when the camera cut to him as Aramis stood there? What I like the most about Lou is he most definitely said something to Aramis about that. Good managers don't like it, don't take it, and make sure the player gets specific, immediate feedback about it. Yes, I know it happens at the major league level - a lot. It happens more than it should, because too many managers/coaches don't say anything about it, and because of the money involved. It still doesn't make it right, and thank God the Cubs now have a manager who respects the game and demands his players do the same.

Again with this Aram BS! Who cares? I'll bet you that his teammates don't care. And that's all that matters. So enough with it. When you produce like he does, he can take liberties. Every time someone show's some flair on this team, you act like it's 1955. Get with the program, it's 2007 and this is how we do it today. "Old time hockey. You know, like Eddie Shore" - Slapshot

AZ Phil, I see Iowa promoted Chris Robinson last night along with Cortes. If a trade/waiver deal isn't made today, does Soto go back to Iowa? Does Robinson stay?

another night game at home...theyre using them really weirdly this year.

Monday and Tuesday back to back night games are the norm these days. And since they can't have them on Friday, Saturday or Sunday (unless its espn), they don't have many choices. Wednesday and Thursday day games are necessary as they help out traveling.

George Altman — July 17, 2007 @ 11:20 am AZ Phil, I see Iowa promoted Chris Robinson last night along with Cortes. If a trade/waiver deal isn’t made today, does Soto go back to Iowa? Does Robinson stay? ====================== GEORGE: I suspect Geovany Soto will go back to Iowa and play 1B until Micah Hoffpauir (knee) returns from the I-Cubs DL. Chris Robinson will probably be returned to AA Tennessee when Hoffpauir is reactivated, I would think the Cubs will keep Koyie Hill around as Jason Kendall's back-up until when and if Henry Blanco is ready to play.

Koyie Hill seems to hit much better than Kendal (and the Cubs almost always win when Hill is the catcher).

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    18-year old SS Jefferson Rojas almost made the AA Tennessee Opening Day roster, and he is a legit shortstop, so I would expect him to be an MLB Top 100 prospect by mid-season. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Among the relievers in the system, I expect RHRP Hunter Bigge at AAA Iowa and RHRP Ty Johnson at South Bend to have breakout seasons on 2024, and among the starters I see LHP Drew Gray and RHP Will Sanders at South Bend and RHP Naz Mule at ACL Cubs as the guys who will make the biggest splash. Also, Jaxon Wiggins is throwing bullpen sides, so once he is ready for game action he could be making an impact at Myrtle Beach by June.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    I expect OF Christian Franklin to have a breakout season at AA Tennessee in 2024. In another organization that doesn't have PCA, Caissie, K. Alcantara, and Canario in their system, C. Franklin would be a Top 10 prospect. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    The Reds trading Joe Boyle for Sam Moll at last year's MLB Trade Deadline was like the Phillies trading Ben Brown to the Cubs for David Robertson at the MLB TD in 2022. 

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.