Gameday Open Thread
Game 125 Thread / Reds @ Cubs (1 of 3)
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Game 124 Thread / Cubs @ Marlins (3 of 3)
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Game 123 Thread / Cubs @ Marlins (2 of 3)
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Game 122 Thread / Cubs @ Marlins (1 of 3)
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Game 121 Thread / Cubs @ Braves (3 of 3)
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Game 120 Thread / Cubs @ Braves (2 of 3)
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Game 119 Thread / Cubs @ Braves (1 of 3)
Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview
SP | Jason Marquis |
SP |
Charlie Morton |
7-7, 4.73, 67 K, 47 BB, 123.2 IP |
3-5, 5.70, 32 K, 22 BB, 53.2 IP | ||
LF | Alfonso Soriano |
RF | *Gregor Blanco |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
SS | Yunel Escobar |
1B |
Derrek Lee | 3B | #Chipper Jones |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez | C | #Brian McCann |
CF | *Jim Edmonds | 1B | *Casey Kotchmann |
2B | Mark DeRosa | LF | Omar Infante |
C | Geovany Soto | CF | *Mark Kotsay |
SS | Ryan Theriot | 2B | *Kelly Johnson |
P |
*Jason Marquis | P | Charlie Morton |
UPDATED UPDATE: Marquis will start the first game in today's day/night doubleheader with our man Harden going in the nightcap. Otherwise the lineup remains unchanged from last evening.
UPDATE: Nevermind, the game has been called.
The Cubs try to stay North of the standings as they head South to play the Braves and Marlins on a six game road trip. Fresh off a 6-3 homestand, where they managed to lose a game and a half in the standings, the Cubs will look for their sixth straight road win tonight.
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Game 118 Thread / Cardinals @ Cubs (3 of 3)
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SP | Chris Carpenter |
SP | Ryan Dempster |
0-0, 1.00, 4 K, 2 BB, 9 IP |
12-5, 2.93, 133 K, 59 BB, 150.2 IP |
||
CF |
*Skip Schumaker |
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
LF |
Joe Mather |
RF |
*Kosuke Fukudome |
1B |
Albert Pujols |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
RF |
Ryan Ludwick |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
3B | Troy Glaus | CF |
*Jim Edmonds |
C |
Yadier Molina | 2B |
Mark DeRosa |
2B |
*Adam Kennedy | C | Geovany Soto |
P |
Chris Carpenter |
SS |
Ronny Cedeno |
SS | #Cesar Izturis | P | Ryan Dempster |
Amazing game, this baseball.
Just two days ago, we were aglow over the possibility that this weekend set could end with the Cardinals nine games behind the Cubs and all but out of the NL Central race. Then on Saturday the league's highest-scoring road team bludgeoned the Cubs' nominal pitching ace and suddenly, St. Louis has a chance to win this series and close to within five games of first place with the Brewers once again also breathing down the Cubs' necks.
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Game 116 Thread / Cardinals @ Cubs (1 of 3)
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SP | Braden Looper | SP | *Ted Lilly |
10-9, 4.29, 65 K, 32 BB, 134.1 IP | | 11-6. 4.35, 129 K, 50 BB, 140.2 IP | |
LF | #Vince Coleman | LF | Alfonso Soriano |
CF | #Willie McGee | SS | Ryan Theriot |
2B | #Tommy Herr | 1B | Derrek Lee |
1B | Jack Clark | 3B | Aramis Ramirez |
RF | *Andy Van Slyke | RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
3B | #Terry Pendleton | C | Geovany Soto |
C | Mike Heath | CF | *Jim Edmonds |
SS | #Ozzie Smith | 2B | Mark DeRosa |
P | *John Tudor | P | *Ted Lilly |
UPDATE: Screw LaRussa, I have to get back to work. Let's see how he does with Mike Heath in the lineup from 1986.
(I'm posting this without a Cardinals batting order. Based on what Bernie Miklasz is reporting here, Tony LaRussa is waiting to see if Rick Ankiel and his strained abdominal muscle are ready to go before he posts the lineup.)
At around 8:45 this morning, I saw a middle-aged couple walking hand-in-hand in downtown Chicago, wearing matching St. Louis Cardinals t-shirts. This reminded me of two things: first, that the Cards were in town to play the Cubs, and second, that middle-aged couples should never wear matching t-shirts.
As for baseball, all of the analysis of the Cards' unexpected success this season has overlooked the obvious—Tony LaRussa and Dave Duncan are witches.
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.