Gameday Open Thread
Game 104 Thread / Marlins @ Cubs (3 of 4)
SP | Chris Volstad |
SP |
Rich Harden |
2-1, 2.16, 9 K, 6 BB, 16.2 IP |
5-2, 2.12, 112 K, 36 BB, 89.1 IP | ||
SS |
Hanley Ramirez |
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
RF |
*Jeremy Hermida |
SS |
Ryan Theriot |
3B |
Jorge Cantu |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
1B |
*Mike Jacobs | 3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
2B |
Dan Uggla |
2B |
*Mike Fontenot |
LF |
Josh Willingham | RF |
Mark DeRosa |
C |
*John Baker |
C |
Geovany Soto |
CF |
#Alfredo Amezaga | CF |
*Kosuke Fukudome |
P |
Chris Volstad | P |
*Rich Harden |
Rise and shine, Cubbies. A 12:05 day game in Chicago sees Rich Harden looking for his first win as a Cub, the Cubs looking for reliable offense, and fans looking to maintain bragging rights over the charging Brewers. That's three more uses of the verb "looking" than I'd make if I wasn't rusty from yet another long hiatus.
Who is John Baker?
The biggest pregame news has to be Fontenot's promotion and Fukudome's demotion. This is by my quick count the second time this season Fukudome started a game in center, the first time Fontenot has started the game hitting fifth, likewise for Fukudome hitting eighth.
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Game 103 Thread / Marlins @ Cubs (2 of 4)
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SP | Josh Johnson |
SP |
Ryan Dempster |
0-0, 3.86, 10 K, 3 BB, 11.2 IP |
11-4, 3.05, 111 K, 51 BB, 132.2 IP | ||
SS |
Hanley Ramirez |
LF |
Alfonso Soriano |
RF |
*Luis Gonzalez |
SS |
Ryan Theriot |
3B |
Jorge Cantu |
1B |
Derrek Lee |
1B |
*Mike Jacobs | 3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
2B |
Dan Uggla |
RF |
*Kosuke Fukudome |
LF |
Josh Willingham | C |
Geovany Soto |
CF |
Cody Ross |
2B |
*Mike Fontenot |
C |
Paul Hoover |
CF |
Reed Johnson |
P |
*Josh Johnson | P |
Ryan Dempster |
With Jeff Samardzija (last name = 29 Scrabble points) in a Major League uniform for the first time and the Brewers so close you can smell the Miller High Life and cannibal sandwiches on their breaths, the Cubs go for a second win in a row against the Fightin' Fish.
Kosuke Fukudome returns to the starting lineup, as does Mike Fontenot, who has gone 14-for-41 (.341) with four homers and a 1260 OPS since the first of July.
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Game 102 Thread / Marlins @ Cubs (1 of 4)
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Game 100 Thread / Cubs @ Diamondbacks (2 of 3)
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SP | Jason Marquis |
SP |
Yusmeiro Petit |
6-5, 4.44 ERA, 53 K, 39 BB, 99.1 IP |
0-1, 3.06 ERA, 11 K, 1 BB, 17.2 IP | ||
SS | Ryan Theriot | SS | *Stephen Drew |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome |
LF | Conor Jackson |
1B |
Derrek Lee | 2B |
#Orlando Hudson |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez | 1B |
*Chad Tracy |
CF |
*Jim Edmonds | 3B | Mark Reynolds |
C | Geovany Soto | C | *Miguel Montero |
LF |
Mark DeRosa | CF | Chris Young |
2B |
*Mike Fontenot | RF | *Alex Romero |
P |
*Jason Marquis | P | Yusmeiro Petit |
The Cubs reach the century mark of the season that may mark their century-long run of futility. A little known fact is that they've lost the 100th game of every season since 1909 foreshadowing their 100-year drought (don't bother looking it up, I've posted it on the Internet, so it must be true)
Game 98 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (3 of 3)
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SP | Ryan Dempster |
SP |
Brandon Backe |
10-4, 3.25, 104 K, 350 BB, 124.2 IP |
6-9, 4.76, 83 K, 50 BB, 111.2 IP | ||
SS | Ryan Theriot |
2B | #Kaz Matsui |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome | CF | *Darin Erstad |
1B |
Derrek Lee | 1B |
#Lance Berkman |
3B |
Aramis Ramirez | LF |
Carlos Lee |
CF |
*Jim Edmonds |
SS | Miguel Tejada |
LF | Mark DeRosa | 3B | #Geoff Blum |
C |
Geovany Soto |
RF | Hunter Pence |
2B |
*Mike Fontenot |
C | J.R. Towles |
P |
Ryan Dempster |
P | Brandon Backe |
The Cubs' NL Central lead is down to +2 over the Cardinals and +3 over the Brewers as the Lou Crew tries to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Astros.
Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, and Kosuke Fukudome are a combined 3-for-32 (.094) in the series, and as a team, the Cubs have fanned 14 times and walked once.
Or, as Lou Piniella explained so elegantly after Saturday night's 4-1 fall, "We're not getting much hitting anywhere in the lineup."
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Game 97 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (2 of 3)
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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.