Cubs @ Marlins: Lackey vs Clemens (Game 73)

Submitted by CTSteve on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:11am

We're back...back in the saddle again.I was going to make a Phish reference, but their lyrics are all pretty dumb. Sorry, Phishheads.

CHC (48-24): RHP John Lackey (7-3, 2.78)
MIA (39-35): RHP Paul Clemens (0-0, 5.40)
First pitch: 3:10pmCST

Lackey lost to the Cards on Monday (6 IP, 3 ER, 6 K, 3 BB). He’s 2-1 with a 1.75 this month. The Marlins are 45-159 (.283) against him. Suzuki is 36-119 with a HR. Stanton has never faced him.

Clemens has had one appearance this year, a no-decision against the Rockies (5 IP, 3 ER, 2 K, 3 BB). The former Astro has been kicking around the minor leagues and until this week had not seen big league action since August 2014. Ross has a hit in an AB against him, and Zobrist is 0-3. Clemens is fortunate to face the Cubs at less than 100%, although there’s still a pretty good chance that he gets creamed.

Hammel (7-3, 2.55) versus Fernandez (9-3, 2.36) at 12:10pmCST tomorrow.

Go Cubs!

Tags: 
2016 Season Game Thread

Comments

Submitted by Eric S  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 12:46pm  
Rizzo in, Zobrist out, Willson in LF, Montero back and Almora batting 9th ... let's score some runs

Submitted by johann  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 2:13pm  
Contreras seems pretty adamant he'll play anywhere Madden wants him to so as long as he stays hot and with all the injuries it'll be pretty nice to have yet another bat Madden can move around. As far as him catching one of the things I noticed during the Lackey start is he seemed afraid to go out to the mound to talk to Lackey when he was struggling. I heard a Lester interview this week where he said one of the great things about Ross is he knows how to push Lester until he's close to getting punched without getting there, and Lester said that helps him a lot. Hammel sent a tweet a few weeks back cracking a joke about sending Ross to the All Star game so he can yell at other pitchers. Montero has been sucking in a lot of things this year but I can also tell he has no problems going out to the mound to get on to a pitcher if they are sucking and I'm sure he does that in the background too and those kind of mound visits seem to usually help get a pitcher back on track. I bet it's really hard for a young catcher to come up and learn to have that sort of dynamic with someone like Lackey so I think it's a good thing if he catches Hendricks and Hammel a bit more than he does Lackey until he gets comfortable with the hard ass aspect of managing a pitching staff.

Submitted by billybucks  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 5:12pm  
Time to scrap the scouting report on Justin Bour and get a new one. Sheesh.

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 5:14pm  
I remember AZ PHIL talking about Bour's power during the Hendry era.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 7:39am  
He reminds me of a little of a young guy currently on the Cubs' DL, who is also tank-like in appearance.

Submitted by Brick  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 5:42pm  
Someone talk me down here.

Submitted by Jackstraw  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 5:56pm  
It's a long season. There will be stretches like this. It's Saturday night. Drink copiously but responsibly.

Submitted by Brick  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:12pm  
"Drink copiously but responsibly." Done and done. Thanks for that.

Submitted by Old and Blue  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 7:54am  
Also, I'd like to know if there are numbers to back up my suspicion that there are a lot more fast starts than late June romps. This seems like a time where everybody not named Willson Contreras is looking a little tired and/or banged up a bit. For once, the Cubs got off to a fast start. Seems like I've been waiting for that for 50 years.Everybody is really gunning for this team, too. It's their playoffs.

Submitted by billybucks  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 3:14pm  
Cubs have no spark and no life. Pretty boring to watch these days.

Submitted by billybucks  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 7:23pm  
- The pressure of going for the regular-season wins record is now gone. - Joe will come up with more wacky dress-up ideas for the team to wear after they lose their next get-away game. - There is more clarity on Spencer Patton. - We play the Reds next. They aren't very good. - We'll have at least a 9 game lead after today. EDIT: - Contreras looks like the real deal. Other than that, not much -- nasty stretch. Two ugly losses in the last 4 games. Ugh -- give Lackey a 4-1 lead, you hope for better.

Submitted by Brick  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:12pm  
"The pressure of going for the regular-season wins record is now gone." Brilliant. Maddon is a genius!

Submitted by billybucks  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 9:19am  
Also -- despite losing 6 of their last 10, the Cubs picked up a game on both STL and PIT during that period. Weird, given that they swept PIT and were swept by STL.

Submitted by Brick  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 5:55pm  
That valuable RBIGIDP.

Submitted by Eric S  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:03pm  
Oil Can Boyd now pitching for the Cubs

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:17pm  
HAHAHA! I love it here! Brilliant...

Submitted by Eric S  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:20pm  
I forgot how rail thin skinny Carl Edwards Jr. Is - he threw some nasty stuff - hope that continues

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 6:26pm  
Joe: "We lost. They beat us. Now where's my '09 Guigal Bordeaux glass...?

Submitted by billybucks  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 9:24pm  
Duane Underwood now 0-5 with a 5.44 ERA for Tenn. Urp. Warren not sharp at Iowa tonight. When will Cease and Hudson be ready? On a positive note, Jiminez with his 10th HR tonight. He has a .924 OPS -- the only player in the league with an OPS over .900. Leads the lead in 2B, SLG and OPS, tied for the league lead in HR and 3rd in Avg. Nice!

Submitted by QuietMan  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 9:48pm  
Former Major League All-Star Jim Hickman dies at 79 http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2016/0...

Submitted by The E-Man  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 12:15pm  
Ahhh...sad. Lke a few of you here, I saw him play during the '69-'71 seasons. He was the "hot Zobrist" for the club in August/September of '69 while everyone else was fizzling out...

Submitted by VirginiaPhil  on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 1:46pm  
Yeah, I have fond memories of old #28. He was a good field, no hit CF when he came up with the Mets, but later on in Chicago he had learned how to work the count and then demolish 3-2 fastballs. (Wish Javy Baez had the concept.) I remember, in '69 or '70, someone (maybe Durocher) saying that Hickman and Joe Torre were about the two best righty hitters in the league.

Submitted by crunch  on Sat, 06/25/2016 - 10:52pm  
draft signings are trickling in...rounds 6-9 are signed + a random slew of others. http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/index.php filter by team.

Submitted by cubbies.4ever  on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 9:28am  
There's some BA is missing too, here's all signing bonus BA doesn't have some: -6 Hockin $241,000 (slot price), 7 Cruz $75,000 (saved $110,00), 8 Ridlings $120,000 (saved $53,800), 9 Robinson $30,000 (saved $132,300), so far the Cubs have saved an extra $297,100