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Game 136 Thread / Phillies @ Cubs (3 of 4)
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Game 135 Thread / Phillies @ Cubs (2 of 4)
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SP | Joe Blanton | SP | Rich Harden |
(NL) | 1-0, 4.03, 27 K, 15 BB, 38 IP | (NL) | 4-1, 1.47, 70 K, 14 BB, 49 IP |
SS | #Jimmy Rollins | LF | Alfonso Soriano |
CF | #Shane Victorino | SS | Ryan Theriot |
2B | *Chase Utley | 1B | Derrek Lee |
1B | *Ryan Howard | 3B | Aramis Ramirez |
LF | Pat Burrell | CF | *Jim Edmonds |
RF | Jayson Werth | 2B | Mark DeRosa |
3B | *Greg Dobbs | RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
C | Carlos Ruiz | C | Henry Blanco |
P | Joe Blanton | P | *Rich Harden |
A few aftershocks from last night's game...the come from behind win was the 38th for the Cubs this season, second to the Yankees 39. It was their 19th win when trailing in the seventh inning or later, best in baseball ahead of their current foe - the Phightin Phils.
Today, ex-teammates do battle as Rich Harden and Joe Blanton take the mound. I'm sure a steak dinner at Morton's is on the table for the winner.
Some more game notes fun after the jump...
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Game 134 Thread / Phillies @ Cubs (1 of 4)
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SP | *Cole Hamels | SP | Ryan Dempster |
11-8, 3.20, 162 K, 43 BB, 188.2 IP | 15-5, 2.85, 153 K, 65 BB, 170.2 IP | ||
SS | #Jimmy Rollins | LF | Alfonso Soriano |
2B | *Chase Utley | SS | Ryan Theriot |
LF | Pat Burrell | 1B | Derrek Lee |
1B | *Ryan Howard | 3B | Aramis Ramirez |
CF | #Shane Victorino | C | Geovany Soto |
RF | Jayson Werth | CF | Reed Johnson |
3B | Pedro Feliz | RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
C | Carlos Ruiz | 2B | Mark DeRosa |
P | *Cole Hamels | P | Ryan Dempster |
The Cubs and Phillies play the first game in Major League history in which the umpires—or at least the crew chief—will have the option to summon an instant replay to assist a call. (The Rangers/Angels and Twins/A's games starting later Thursday will also be replay-enabled; umpires at all games will be onboard starting Friday.) The reviewable plays will be limited to potential home runs, i.e., fair or foul, over the fence or in play, fan interference or not.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella thinks it's all just a grand idea:
"This is not going to work. I shouldn't say it's not going to work, but this could turn into a little bit of a fiasco initially."
Anyhow, having beaten our boys twice (and nearly three times) in a three-game series in Philadelphia back in April, the Philles begin this four-game set as the only NL team with a lead in their season series against the Cubs.
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Game 132 Thread / Pirates @ Cubs (2 of 3)
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Game 131 Thread / Cubs @ Pirates (1 of 3)
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SP | *Ted Lilly | SP | Jeff Karstens |
12-7, 4.25, 148 K, 56 W, 161 IP | 2-2, 2.25, 11 K, 8 W, 28 IP | ||
LF | Alfonso Soriano | CF | *Nate McLouth |
SS | Ryan Theriot | 2B | Freddy Sanchez |
1B | Derrek Lee | C | #Ryan Doumit |
3B | Aramis Ramirez | 1B | *Adam LaRoche |
CF | *Jim Edmonds | RF | Jason Michaels |
2B | Mark DeRosa | LF | *Brandon Moss |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome | 3B | Andy LaRoche |
C | Geovany Soto | SS | Jack Wilson |
P | *Ted Lilly | P | Jeff Karstens |
The Cubs open a three-game set at PNC Park, concluding their 9-game stretch against the Reds, Nationals, and Pirates before they resume play against Major League opposition. (Yes, I'm tempting fate: Friday's smug game preview was just a preamble to an ugly 13-5 loss to the Nats, but 30 games over .500, I'm feeling smug all over again.)
Coming off a tough luck defeat in which he held the Reds hitless for the first 5 innings and wound up yielding just 2 hits in 7 IP, Lily has reduced his ERA to a season-low 4.25.The lefty has given the Cubs Quality Starts in 8 of his last 10 turns, and that defeat to Cincinnati was his first after five consecutive W's.
This will mark Lilly's fourth start of the year against the Bucs. He's 1-0, 5.63 in the three previous starts, with a butt-ugly 8.38 ERA in his two outings at PNC.
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Game 128 Thread / Nationals @ Cubs (1 of 3)
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SP | *John Lannan |
SP | Jason Marquis |
6-12, 3.81, 89 K, 54 W, 141.2 IP |
8-7, 4.67, 68 K, 49 W, 129 IP |
||
2B |
#Emilio Bonificio | LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
SS | #Cristian Guzman |
SS | Ryan Theriot |
3B |
Ryan Zimmerman |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
CF |
Lastings Milledge |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
1B | Ronnie Belliard |
CF |
Reed Johnson |
RF | *Ryan Langerhans |
C |
Geovany Soto |
LF | *Willie Harris |
RF | Mark DeRosa |
C | Wil Nieves |
2B |
Ronny Cedeno |
P | *John Lannan |
P | *Jason Marquis |
Weather note: As of 12:40, it's pouring in the western suburbs, with storms on their way to the city. Could be a rain delay in our future.
The Cubs advance to the next course in the all-meatball buffet, following their series against the Reds with three against the 45-83 Nationals starting today, before moving on to Pittsburgh.
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Recent comments
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.
crunch (view)
dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.
i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.
crunch (view)
sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).
crunch (view)
cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.
videographer (view)
AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch. The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.