Chicago Cubbies

Zambrano dazzles and delivers, no-hits Astros!

2008-09-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

Zambrano dazzles and delivers, no-hits Astros!

Unbelievable! That's the word which pops into my mind after finding out about and MISSING the historic game Sunday. First of all, I thought the game was postponed without knowledge that the venue was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee. What a comeback performance from Carlos Zambrano, baby! He records the first Cubs' no-hitter in 36 years (Milt Pappas in 1972 at Wrigley Field). Who said Big Z has a dead arm? Oh, please! The Z man was only saving his energy for such a sterling occassion when the Cubs had a chance to pull ahead and inch closer to a division title. The Cubs ace managed to walk one batter and hit a batter while serving up 10 strikeouts. Way to Go Zambrano! Adding to the Sunday delight was Alfonso Soriano who launched his 28th homerun as Derek Lee hit a double and drove in 2 runs.

With Hurricane Ike hitting the Houston area this weekend everything worked out fine for the Cubs. Game 1 and 2 got postponed. They got out of the city at a good time, unfortunately others didn't being left to contend with the havoc from the winds and rains. It's also a shame Houston didn't get to be apart of the piece of history tossed yesterday. What a bummer for the many Cubs fans who didn't get to see this one since WGN didn't broadcast the game (or at least not in my area). An extra lead over the Brewers is what is in order to maintain sole possession of first place. At the moment the Cubs are up 7.5 games.

The rest of the series with Houston is going to be made up this week at the designated neutral location. Since Milwaukee is close to Wrigley Field the Astros are complaining that this is an unfair advantage for the Cubs. Commissioner Selig decided to move the series at the site with the idea I suppose since no other options nearby were available and to not have further delays or inteferences from the weather. The 2 games would have been moved elsewhere if the Brewers weren't scheduled to play on the road. With the arguments surrounding the change in venue, one thing can't be denied: the no-hitter stands. Nothing can be taken away from Carlos Zambrano's performance. After finishing up with the Astros the Cubs head back home to face the Brewers for 3 games then the Cardinals. These series may lead to the Cubs clinching the division. Congrads to Big Z on capturing his 1st career no-hitter! Wooooooooooo, go Cubs!

Pete Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244146801174434996noreply@blogger.com

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The Big Z Gets the Big No

2008-09-15T11:07:00.002-07:00

The Big Z Gets the Big No

We know Carlos Zambrano loves baseball. He must've been chomping at the bit over the past two days with the unknown nature of when/where his next start would take place. His energy level must've been off the chart. Thankfully, he was able to control that energy tonight. And he did it in a big way.

9 innings pitched, zero runs, zero hits. That's right, I said zero hits. A no-hitter for the Big Z. He survived the game without yielding a hit despite being upset with himself for striking out in the seventh. But as the bat went parallel to the ground and his knee raised, he controlled himself and decided against breaking another bat over his knee.

This is the first Cubs No-No since 1972. Z did it in an almost un-Z-like 110 pitches. Not bad, considering Lou wanted to limit him to 100. But with the 100th pitch being thrown in the bottom of the 9th inning, Lou may not have made it back to the dugout if he had tried to take Z out of the game. Z may have also been helped before the ninth began, as he was scheduled to bat fourth in the inning. He didn't get a chance, as the Cubs went 1-2-3, but the fact that he had to mentall prep (and we know Z takes every AB importantly) may have allowed him to ignore the fact that he was heading into the ninth without a hit.

A great performance. Congrats, Z.

noreply@blogger.com (Lionel) Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:49:00 -0500

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Carlos Zambrano Tosses No Hitter.

2008-09-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

Carlos Zambrano Tosses No Hitter.

Big Z, baby. He's back. Carlos Zambrano throws the Cubs' first no-no since 1972. Check out the video here.

Oh...and in other news. The Brewers lost another 2 to the Phillies today while Z was dominating in their home ballpark. The Cubs now lead the division by 7.5 games. The Cubs magic number folks? Down to 7!

noreply@blogger.com (jumbo) Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:48:00 -0500

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Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Astros - 09/14/08

2008-09-14T15:37:00.001-07:00

Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Astros - 09/14/08

Game One Hundred Forty-Seven: Cubs (88-58) vs. Astros (80-67)
Game Time - 7:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN (Chicago Area Only) - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 186
Location - Miller Park, Milwaukee

Carlos Zambrano (13-5, 3.58/1.31) vs. Randy Wolf (10-11, 4.45/1.39)

After receiving a day off on Friday and spending Saturday on call with the MLB front offices, Lou Piniella's crew will return to work tonight against the hottest team in all of baseball....the Houston Astros. The unfortunate circumstances in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike has moved two of the three games to Miller Park in Milwaukee and the third game will be played on September 29th after the conclusion of the regular season if the game is needed to decide either the NL Wild Card or the Central Division Champion.

At the beginning of play on Sunday, the Cubs lead in the central is 6 games over the Brewers (7 in the loss column) and 8 1/2 over the Astros (9 in the loss column). The Brewers have a day-night doubleheader in Philadelphia and own a 2 game lead over the Phillies and a 2 1/2 game advantage over the red-hot Astros.

The Astros have won 14 of their last 15 and have many comparing their patented last season surge to the impressive run the Colorado Rockies made a year ago. Roy Oswalt and Randy Wolf are a combined 17-2 since July 27th and Geoff Blum and Ty Wigginton have led the offense. Randy Wolf told Holden Kushner on XM Radio Saturday that the team is playing relaxed, loose and with a lot of confidence. The Astros wanted these games played in Houston, and rightfully so, but with all of the damage in the Houston area, they chose for the right reasons to allow two of the three games to be moved to Miller Park....despite the fact the Brewers' home field is known as 'Wrigley Field North'.

For only the third time since 1961 weather has forced Major League Baseball to relocate games to a new location. Hurricane Ivan forced the Marlins to play the Montreal Expos at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago (September 13 - September 14) in 2004 and last season snow in Cleveland forced the Indians to open their home schedule at Miller Park against the Angels (April 10 - April 12). The last time the Cubs were involved in games being postponed due to a hurricane was in 2004.

Jason Marquis and Jack Cassel were originally scheduled to pitch in the opener on Friday night. Marquis will face Brian Moehler on Monday afternoon instead and hopefully the Cubs will not have to make a trip to Houston at the end of the season to play a meaningful game. The Cubs have 16 games left on the schedule and 15 games in 15 days before the last day of the season on September 28th....two weeks from today.

Carlos Zambrano will make his first start since facing these Astros on September 2nd at Wrigley. Zambrano will not face Carlos Lee but a very dangerous and confident lineup that includes Hunter Pence (19-for-59 in 15 games against the Cubs this season with a home run, 6 doubles and a triple - .322/.355/.508/.863) and Miguel Tejada (18-for-57 in 14 games against Cubs' pitching this year with a home run, 5 doubles and 2 triples - .316/.339/.526/.865).

Maybe the down time gave the Cubs offense a chance to get a breathier, especially Derrek Lee. The Cubs need one of their leaders to step up and start producing or it might be time for Lou Piniella to move him down in the lineup....

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:30:00 -0500

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Brenly Signs Extension

2008-09-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Brenly Signs Extension

On the same day a part of the Cubs past inked a 6-year deal to remain on the South Side, a part of the organization's present signed a 4-year extension to stay in the Cubs' broadcasting booth along side of Len Kasper. According to a report in the Daily Herald by Barry Rozner, Bob Brenly signed a 4-year contract extension with the Cubs on Saturday reported to be worth in the "neighborhood of $3.5 million."

Rumors suggested Steve Stone might return to the Cubs booth if Brenly did not re-up with Cubs.

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:20:08 -0500

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Update: Cubs @ Astros in Milwaukee Sunday And Monday

2008-09-14T15:22:00.004-07:00

Update: Cubs @ Astros in Milwaukee Sunday And Monday

UPDATE FROM AL -- Added to the front page so everyone will see this. Thanks for posting it!

Update: Ticket Info here! (Thanks to Neifi Puppy for providing the link!)

cst_cubs Finally. Cubs and Stros to play in Milw, 7:05 sunday, 1:05 monday. Will play 3rd game 9/29 if needed. 4 minutes ago from txt

Gordo hasn't added ticket info yet, but I will update as soon as it comes across the wire, or at least as soon as Twitter updates.

And heres hoping the 3rd game is of NO importance... I really don't want to make it up that late!!

Update: Looks like McLane finally came around to make this happen:

Minute Maid Park in Houston avoided serious damage and has been deemed playable, but not even Astros officials suggest any longer that games should be played amid the hardships area residents are enduring in the aftermath of Ike.

``We’d hate to play our game in Houston if there’s still lots of suffering in the city,’’ McLane told the Houston Chronicle. ``We could get out and play somewhere else.
``We don’t want to play a game if folks are stressing with their homes. The safety of our fans is most important.’

halfblindcubbiegirl Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:59:58 -0000

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The Sunday Funnies

2008-09-14T15:22:00.003-07:00

The Sunday Funnies

For your amusement, while we wait for tonight's game...

Click on cartoon to open a larger version in a new browser window

Al Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:07 -0000

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Let's Get It Started, Again Thread: Cubs vs. Astros at Milwaukee, Sunday 9/14, 7:05 CT

2008-09-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

Let's Get It Started, Again Thread: Cubs vs. Astros at Milwaukee, Sunday 9/14, 7:05 CT

Next Game

Chicago Cubs
@ Houston Astros

Sunday, Sep 14, 2008, 7:05 PM CDT
Miller Park

Carlos Zambrano vs Randy Wolf

Complete Coverage >

At last! Baseball again. By the time the Cubs play tonight, they'll know how their nearest competitors have fared -- I wanted to get this posted early, and some of the games have not yet been completed, plus the Brewers have the second game of their split doubleheader in Philadelphia tonight.

Here's the deal on TV tonight: the Cubs website is correct. The game is on WGN -- but only in Chicago, not on the national WGN feed. HOWEVER. The White Sox just announced that they are giving up the idea of playing a split (1:05/7:05) doubleheader today and are going to start a straight doubleheader as soon as it stops raining -- but that may not be for a couple more hours. The Sox' 2nd game is to be the ESPN game tonight. If the Sox start at 4:00 and play a long first game, I would imagine ESPN will pick up at least part of Cubs coverage. So, tune in... you might see some of the game, at least. Tomorrow's 1:05 Cubs/Astros game will be on CSN, and also on EI.

Here is today's gratuitous picture of Geovany Soto (taken last year in Cincinnati):

via farm2.static.flickr.com

Today's Starting Pitchers


C. Zambrano Cubs	vs.	R. Wolf Astros


13-5	W-L	10-11
3.58	ERA	4.45
117	SO	146
64	BB	67
16	HR	19
vs. Hou	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Carlos Zambrano	13-5	27	27	0	0	0	0	173.1	163	72	69	16	64	117	3.58	1.31

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Randy Wolf	4-1	9	9	1	1	0	0	54.1	51	25	23	5	20	41	3.81	1.31

The above numbers are Wolf's numbers with the Astros only. For Wolf's full-season stats see the pitcher box above.

Randy Wolf threw a six-hit shutout vs. the Cubs 11 days ago at Wrigley Field. But on May 12, also at Wrigley, the Cubs pounded him. So which Wolf shows up tonight? FWIW, he has pitched twice in Miller Park (vs. the Brewers, of course) since donning an Astros uniform with a 9.72 ERA in 8.1 innings.

Z's last start was 12 days ago vs. the Astros, the game he took himself out of. He says he's feeling great and is ready to go. Z has one of his best career marks vs. the Astros -- 11-7, 2.85 in 25 appearances (23 starts) -- and is 6-5, 3.67 in Miller Park (11 starts vs. the Brewers there). He is also a .267 career hitter in Miller Park and has hit five of his 16 career homers off Astros pitching.

See above for TV information for tonight. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter. I'm not certain, but I believe MLB.TV viewers can watch tonight's game. Field reports would be appreciated, later today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

As always, you can find the overflow comment threads, including the first pitch thread, on the right sidebar of both the front page and any interior page in the box headed "RECENT STORIES IN GAME THREADS". Today's first pitch thread posts at 7 pm CT, and the overflow comment threads will post at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Al Sun, 14 Sep 2008 20:00:07 -0000

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Cubs-Astros to Play at Miller Park

2008-09-13T19:52:00.003-07:00

Cubs-Astros to Play at Miller Park

According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs and Astros will play two of the three games from this weekend series at Miller Park on Sunday night and Monday afternoon. The Sunday night game is scheduled for a 7:05pm C.T. start time and Monday will begin at 1:05pm C.T. Bob Nightengale from the USA Today is also reporting the Cubs and Astros will play two of the three games in Milwaukee.

The third game of the series will be made up on September 29th if necessary.

Updated - 9:06pm C.T. - It's Official - The Cubs and Astros will play at Miller Park on Sunday night and Monday afternoon.

On Standby....Cubs Wait for Decision from MLB

2008-09-13T19:52:00.001-07:00

Updated - 3:49pm C.T. - According to a report from the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs have decided not to travel on Saturday which would make a game on Sunday in Houston a near impossibility. Major League Baseball has not announced on where and when the 3 game series will be played.

Updated 5:43pm C.T. - Ken Rosenthal reported that Jim Hendry has told his team to report to Wrigley on Sunday with their bags packed and ready to get on a plane. According to Rosenthal, the Astros are adamantly opposed to the games being played at Miller Park because it would be turned into home games for the Cubs.

While thoughts and prayers remain with those being directly affected by Hurricane Ike, the Major League Baseball schedule is being affected and not only the first two games of Cubs-Astros series in Houston this weekend. There are six double headers scheduled for Saturday for the first time since 1974 and one on Sunday in Philadelphia between the Brewers and Phillies.

The latest on the Cubs is the scheduled workout for today at Wrigley has been changed to a meeting with all of the rain in the Chicago area. Players have been instructed to report to the park at 2:30pm C.T. with their bags packed as they await word from the MLB front offices of where and when they will play their next ballgame.

Let's Try This Again Thread: Brewers vs. Phillies, Saturday 9/13, 2:55 CT

2008-09-13T19:37:00.001-07:00

Next Game

Milwaukee Brewers
@ Philadelphia Phillies

Saturday, Sep 13, 2008, 2:55 PM CDT
Citizens Bank Park

Manny Parra vs Cole Hamels

Partly cloudy with a 30-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 80.

While a large swath of the central and eastern USA is about to be hit by the remnants of Hurricane Ike, the Brewers and Phillies will try to begin their series this afternoon. The Cubs were going to work out at Wrigley Field today, but this photo taken from the Wrigley webcam at 10:30 am says that isn't happening:

And with the White Sox likely rained out of their doubleheader this afternoon, the first game of which was going to be shown on Fox to about 24% of the country (Just think! You were going to be treated to the commentary of Rob Dibble if you were in that Fox region!), the Brewers/Phillies game will now be shown to just over half the country. See the link below for info on your market.

This link was posted in the comments of a couple of posts last night, but it bears repeating here: as of 11 pm last night, Miller Park was still under consideration for the Cubs/Astros series:

If that series is moved to Miller Park, there would be a game later in the day Sunday and a doubleheader on Monday. And you can bet Cubs fans would flock from Illinois to attend those games.

This was confirmed on the Brewers website:

Brewers spokesman Tyler Barnes confirmed that the team is on stand-by, and is waiting for direction from MLB.

We shall see. If I hear anything, I'll post it ASAP.

UPDATE: You can rest assured that playing in Houston will be impossible. The Ravens/Texans game that was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday has been postponed due to damage at Reliant Stadium, which is about six miles from Minute Maid Park. No reports from Minute Maid yet, but there may very well be damage there, too, or elsewhere in downtown Houston that would make it impossible to play there.

Today's Starting Pitchers


M. Parra Brewers	vs.	C. Hamels Phillies


10-7	W-L	12-9
4.03	ERA	3.12
138	SO	180
72	BB	47
14	HR	26
vs. Phi	--	vs. Mil

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Manny Parra	10-7	29	28	0	0	0	0	158.2	166	81	71	14	72	138	4.03	1.50

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Cole Hamels	12-9	30	30	2	2	0	0	208.0	173	82	72	26	47	180	3.12	1.06

This game is on Fox. It was originally to go to only 26% of the country, but with the likely White Sox rainout, it will now be seen in a little over half of the USA. For tonight's schedule see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

Baseball-reference.com game preview (at posting time this link was not working, but it should be later this morning or early afternoon)

I'm not going to open overflow threads for this game -- if this one gets too slow, please feel free to open one on the FanPost list.

Back on the right pace: Cubs snatch up series in St. Louis

2008-09-13T00:07:00.001-07:00

With all the constant negative reminders and forewarnings for ultimate doom the Cubs find a way to get back in stride. After experiencing a bad stretch where they lost 6 in a row the trip to St. Louis did the Cubs some good. Not only did winning the series lift their spirits, but the Cubs also gained a little ground in the division. Thanks to a Brewers defeat last night the Cubs garner a 5.5 game lead. The pitching was on point for the last 2 games, being stingy behind efficient run support. Thursday night before finding out the upcoming series in Houston will be postponed due to the hurricane approaching and probably moved to another city the Cubs focused on beating those Cardinals. Things got interesting in the 9th, but the Cubs pulled out a 3-2 victory!

Ryan Theriot came through on offense, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. To put the Cubs ahead 3-0 in the 6th inning Mike Fontenot drove in a run with a single. The Cards tried to make a comeback with 2 runs in the bottom half then came up empty. Kerry Wood, this time was able to be in control as he nailed down his 30th save. Not that their wasn't drama in the 9th, but it worked out in the Cubs' favor. Rich Harden was effective, pitching 6 innings. He didn't appear to show any ill-effects of a nagging arm problem. The following is his statline:

6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 0 HR

I noticed Felix Pie entered the game again as a defensive replacement yet didn't get an at-bat. That doesn't enable his future growth and a handful of plate appearances would benefit his future development. I understand Lou wants his best in the game during crunch time, but I think a few prospects off the bench could provide the extra offense Chicago needs.

I can only imagine what the Cubs' record would be if they'd have closed out other 1-run games earlier this year. That doesn't matter as much as staying atop in the NL Central and have the lineup stay productive for the rest of the way. Lou Piniella has plenty options now with the expanded rosters and can feel better about having his 2 starting pitchers back. Plus with the delay with the series in Houston will allow Zambrano and Harden to get extra rest and strength in their arms. I believe the next series in Milwaukee could give the Cubs the chance to put first place out of reach for their division rivals. Then again it all depends on how the Brewers respond later and the fact both teams square off for a final series at the end of the month.

Season Recap: Peoria Chiefs

2008-09-12T23:52:00.004-07:00

Season Recap: Peoria Chiefs

Ryne Sandberg's Peoria Chiefs will mostly be remembered for the July brawl that occurred while Ryno was attending HOF ceremonies in New York. Ryno may have been one of the best offensive and defensive 2-sacks in MLB history, but his team didn't have many good sticks and had some terrible defensive players.

Record:
30-38, 7th place (of 8) in the First Half
30-40, 7th place (of 8) in the Second Half

The only thing that the Chiefs really have to hand their hat on is the fact that some of their better players were promoted to Daytona, and that organizationally, this was by far the weakest team in terms of talent.

All Stars:

None

Top Ten Prospect Players:

None

Offensive POY: Luis Bautista

Essentially, this was a three-horse race, between Luis Bautista, Jovan Rosa, and Marquez Smith. But Smith was promoted to Daytona in early July and Rosa's K numbers (127) were too overwhelming to ignore. Bautista, a 32nd round pick of the Cubs in 2007, was the only Chief to hit over .300 for the year, coming in at .313. He hit 13 HR's, racked up 25 doubles and drove in 50 in 326 AB's. Exploration time: that's 24 HR's, 46 doubles, and 92 RBI's over a 600 AB season. Despite being a 6-4, 230 lber, Bautista also managed to steal 5 bags in 7 attempts.

Pitcher of the Year: Jordan Latham

Picking this was one difficult, because the Chiefs had a number of good relievers roll through the organization. But in the end, it was Latham who had spent the most time with the Chiefs while posting the best numbers. Latham, a 29th round pick in the '06 draft, spent the year with the Chiefs until a late July callup to Daytona. He pitched 31 games in relief for Peoria. He went 4-2 with a 1.93 ERA and 3 saves. He struck out 59 batters in 60 and 2/3 innings. More impressively, he had a 3.47 K/W ratio, so he was striking people out while maintaining control. He allowed 23 runs to score, but only 13 of them were earned. While that is a lot of unearned runs, the Chiefs had two players with 29 errors a piece.

Other Notables:

Josh Harrison (6th round, 2008): .262, 6 stolen bases in 31 games after call-up

Luis Flores (7th round, 2008): .189, but .290 OBP in 33 games after call-up

Jay Jackson (9th round, 2008): 2-2, 3.00 ERA in 24 innings after call-up

Brandon Guyer (5th round, 2007): 269, 14 HR's, 22 SB's

Dylan Johnston (4th round, 2005): .288, 15 HR's, but 4 of 12 in stolen base department

Notable Players Promoted, Numbers at Peoria

Todd Blackford (acquired in Todd Hollandsworth trade): 1-1, 2.60 ERA in 9 appearances

And Now, We Wait: Cubs 3, Cardinals 2

2008-09-12T23:52:00.003-07:00

And Now, We Wait: Cubs 3, Cardinals 2

The Cubs have now played four straight one-run games. Last night's heartstoppingly exciting 3-2 win over the Cardinals evened their one-run game record at 21-21, gave them their first series win in two weeks, expanded their division lead to 5.5 games over the Brewers, who lost 6-3 to the Phillies, and reduced their division title magic number to Don Kessinger.

Yes, I think that's how I'll refer to the magic numbers from here on out, and that's who is currently appearing on the right sidebar, the best Cub to wear #11 since the last pennant in 1945.

There were many heroes last night -- Rich Harden threw a solid six innings, though as Bruce Miles tells us, his velocity was down to the low 90's. It didn't matter because Harden changed speeds extremely well, something that is the key to victory for almost every pitcher. From Bruce's article:

"I don't know why everybody puts so much on velocity," Harden said. "Location's always the most important thing, change of speed."

That's a moment where you picture a lightbulb over Harden's head suddenly going on, or watching him hold his hand out flat and then smacking his forehead really hard. It took him this long to figure that out? Note that I'm not criticizing Harden, who has been an effective major league pitcher, when healthy, over the last few seasons. But there's more to that quote from Harden in Phil Rogers' column:

"I used to rear back and try to put everything I had on every pitch."

Obviously, that's a recipe for disaster, if not injury, and maybe that's why Harden has always been hurt. If he really has learned the "changing speeds" lesson, not only will he stay healthy, but he will be a much more effective pitcher.

The game was won in the 8th inning when, with a 3-2 lead, the Cubs turned two outstanding defensive plays; first, a tumbling catch by Alfonso Soriano on a line drive hit by Albert Pujols, and then, with two runners on base, a leaping grab by Kosuke Fukudome of a Felipe Lopez blast to the wall in right field, that would have easily scored both runs had he not made the catch. There may not be another right fielder in baseball who could have made that catch; if Dome's offense is still moribund, he has value to this team as a plus defender. Carlos Marmol then struck out Josh Phelps to end that threat, and in the 9th, Kerry Wood did his best Mitch Williams imitation by allowing two hits; the Cubs got a break when Brendan Ryan overslid third base on a sacrifice attempt and was tagged out by Aramis Ramirez, and then Wood got Pujols to pop up to end the game.

And now, we wait. The Cubs returned to Chicago after last night's game, instead of flying on to Houston, where Hurricane Ike is going to make landfall sometime late tonight or early tomorrow, and they will have a workout at Wrigley Field tomorrow and wait... and wait... and wait... for someone to make a decision on how and where and when the three-game series against the Astros will be played.

I understand the desire for Astros management to play the games in Houston; they were expecting three sellouts, probably 125,000 paid admissions, and the Astros have a good home record (43-29) while they are under .500 away from the Juice Box (37-38). But I cannot imagine that the city of Houston will be in any shape to host major league baseball on Sunday or even Monday -- even if there is no damage to the ballpark itself, there may be flooded streets, power failures, and damage in other areas which might prevent team employees from getting to downtown Houston for the games.

Obviously, no one has control over such a dangerous storm, and though it may put the Astros at a disadvantage, at least two of the games should be played at a neutral site. Atlanta or Washington would be the best choices, as those stadiums are at least somewhat familiar to both teams. As noted in Chanman25's FanPost, there is an event at Nationals Park Saturday night -- a simulcast of the opera "La Traviata" on the stadium Jumbotron. But that doesn't mean they couldn't have it ready for a noon doubleheader the next day. Atlanta makes some sense, since the Astros are heading to Florida for their next series. My suggestion: play a Cubs-Astros doubleheader in Atlanta on Sunday, then hold the third game till the end of the season and play it in Houston on September 29 if it's needed to determine anything for the postseason. That, I think, is the best compromise; it allows the Astros a game in Houston, played after hurricane cleanup, and keeps the off-day for both teams on Monday.

We await developments. I may open a front-page thread for everyone here to discuss the Brewers/Phillies game later this afternoon.

No Room for Error - Cubs 3 Cardinals 2

2008-09-12T04:22:00.003-07:00

Game One Hundred Forty-Six - Cubs 3 Cardinals 2

WP - Rich Harden (10-2, 5-1) LP - Todd Wellemeyer (12-7) Save - Kerry Wood (30)

What a ballgame! For the first time since Rich Harden last appeared on the mound, August 28th and August 29th, the Cubs put together back-to-back victories and notched their first series win since taking three from the Pirates from August 25th - August 27th. All three games of the series were decided by one run and the difference in the last game of the year in St. Louis was in the field, not at the plate. At Busch Stadium, the Cubs finished the year 5-4.

Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome turned in highlight reel catches in the 8th with the Cubs up by a 3-2 score. Soriano made a diving catch to take away a single, if not more, from Albert Pujols. With the tying and go ahead runs on with 1 out, Fukudome made a leaping catch as he crashed into the wall in right on a ball of the bat of Felipe Lopez. Carlos Marmol struck out Josh Phelps with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The 9th inning was a typical end of a Cubs-Cardinals game. Kerry Wood gave up a lead off double to pinch hitter Brendan Ryan. Cesar Izturis tried to sacrifice the tying run to 3rd but bunted the ball to hard to Derrek Lee. Lee threw a strike to Aramis Ramirez but he could not get the tag down. Ryan was called safe....but he slid past the bag, Ramirez stayed with the play and tagged out Ryan for the first out of the inning.

Skip Schumaker followed with a bloop single to left. With runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out, Wood struck out Aaron Miles swinging on three pitches. Albert Pujols stepped to the plate with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th with the winning run on 1st base.

Wood quickly fell behind Albert Pujols 2-0 then received a questionable call for strike one on an inside pitch. Pujols fouled off the next pitch then popped up to Mark DeRosa in shallow right center to end the game for his 30th save of the season. Game over, CUBS WIN!

Rich Harden pitched another very good game and picked up his 5th win as a Cub. Harden tossed 5 innings of shutout ball before giving up a pair in the 6th after a walk to Aaron Miles, a double by Albert Pujols and a 2-out RBI by Felipe Lopez. Harden struck out 3 on 86 pitches.

The offense sputtered against Cardinals pitching and managed only 7 hits on the night. The Cubs scored 2 runs in the 5th on 3 walks and an error by Albert Pujols and tacked on the third run after consecutive doubles in the 6th by Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot. They left nine on base and six in the first 7 innings.

Lou Piniella's crew picked up a huge win against their biggest rival on a night their closest pursuer lost in the City of Brotherly Love. The Cubs are back to 30 games over .500 on the season....

Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/11/08

2008-09-12T04:22:00.002-07:00

Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/11/08

Game One Hundred Forty-Six: Cubs (87-58) vs. Cardinals (78-67)
Game Time - 7:15pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 189
Location - Busch Stadium, St. Louis

Rich Harden (9-2, 1.99/1.05 - 4-1, 2.02/1.00) vs. Todd Wellemeyer (12-6, 3.74/1.22)

Updated - 5:10pm C.T. - Both the Friday and Saturday Games in Houston have been postponed according to multiple reports. There has not been a decision made on Sunday's game or when the two games will be made up.

Updated - 6:44pm C.T. - Jim Hendry stated on the Cubs pre-game show that the MLB office will have a neutral site worked out by Friday if the storm stays on its current path. They are hoping to play a day-night doubleheader on Sunday in Houston and use Monday's off day for the third game of the series. Hendry mentioned several times the game of baseball takes a backseat to the weather hitting the area. The Cubs will workout on Saturday at Wrigley and will fly out to a city on Saturday night. With using Monday as a make-up day, the Cubs last off day of the season will be Saturday.

As the Cubs prepare to play the Cardinals for the last time in St. Louis this season, the Brewers open up a 4-game series in Philadelphia and the Astros will finish their 4-game series against the Pirates in Houston. The Cubs-Astros game on Friday could be moved up from a 7:05pm C.T. start time to 1:00pm C.T. because of Hurricane Ike. Another scenario that has been reported is the Cubs and Astros playing the weekend series at Busch Stadium with the Cardinals on the road in Pittsburgh....stay tuned.

Rich Harden will make his first start since August 29th, 13 long days and a lot of struggles for the Cubs. Tonight, like the remaining 17 games, is an important game. The Cubs need a solid outing from Rich Harden in the rubber game of the series against Todd Wellemeyer....and to win back-to-back games for the first time since August 28th and August 29th.

Weekend Up in the Air

2008-09-12T04:22:00.001-07:00

Weekend Up in the Air

With Hurricane Ike heading for Houston, the Chicago Cubs will not play ball for at least the next two days. Both the Friday and Saturday games were postponed and there is a lot of speculation on when the 3-game series will be played. The Cubs will take Friday off, possibly their last full off day of the season, workout on Saturday at Wrigley Field then fly to either a neutral city or to Houston on Saturday night.

The most common report is the two teams will attempt to play a day-night doubleheader on Sunday followed by a single game on Monday, the last open date on both team's schedules. With the Cubs hosting the Brewers on Tuesday night and the Astros opening a 3-game set in Florida on Tuesday, Monday figures to be rescheduled as a day game.

ESPN reported a possible scenario during Baseball Tonight on Thursday that would give the Cubs and Astros the next three days off with a day-night doubleheader on Monday and the third game played on September 29th if necessary....the last day of the regular season is Sunday, September 28th.

Keep It Going Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Thursday 9/11, 7:15 CT

2008-09-12T04:07:00.001-07:00

Keep It Going Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Thursday 9/11, 7:15 CT

Next Game

Chicago Cubs
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Thursday, Sep 11, 2008, 7:15 PM CDT
Busch Stadium

Rich Harden vs Todd Wellemeyer

Partly cloudy with a 50-percent chance of rain. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 75.

Complete Coverage >

As if the Cubs didn't have enough to worry about, possibly heading into a hurricane tomorrow in Houston, they'll very possibly have to dodge raindrops tonight in St. Louis:

This Afternoon: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Light east wind.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Light southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

We've been over this in several other threads, but I wanted to repeat my position: asking the Cubs to fly into Houston, either tonight, tomorrow or Saturday, in the face of evacuations, storm damage and power failures, is completely ridiculous. Friday's game has now been officially postponed, with no rescheduling yet announced.

I am well aware that the Astros stand to lose quite a bit of money if they don't play the games in Houston this weekend. It seems to me that MLB could make up the money to them somehow, and playing the games on a neutral site makes the most sense -- Atlanta, St. Louis, Milwaukee, anywhere but Houston. If they haven't made this decision by gametime tonight, let's hope they do the right thing before the Cubs leave St. Louis.

Today's Starting Pitchers


R. Harden Cubs	vs.	T. Wellemeyer Cardinals


9-2	W-L	0-0
1.99	ERA	4.14
167	SO	35
49	BB	27
11	HR	9
vs. StL	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Rich Harden	4-1	9	9	0	0	0	0	54.0	31	11	9	6	18	75	1.50	.91

A reminder, the above stats are for Harden with the Cubs only. See the pitcher box for his full season stats.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Todd Wellemeyer	12-6	28	28	0	0	0	0	168.1	155	73	70	21	51	116	3.74	1.22

Rich Harden will be fine -- just fine. Yes, he hasn't thrown in 12 days -- but that's missing one start, even though Ted Lilly has started three times since then, due to having two off days in between. We knew he'd have to rest from time to time -- he's been handled the right way. He hasn't faced the Cardinals since 2004, and Adam Kennedy, who faced him quite a bit in the AL (7-for-22) is the only current Cardinal with more than four AB against him.

Todd Wellemeyer is 2-1 vs. the Cubs this year -- who knew he could ever be an effective starter in the majors, after washing out as a Cubs reliever? That includes this blowout Cub loss at Wrigley Field on August 9, the only game St. Louis won in that series. No current Cub has more than 10 AB against Wellemeyer (Reed Johnson, 4-for-10). Mark DeRosa is 3-for-7 with a HR.

Today's game is on CSN again -- good news if you think the broadcast channel has anything to do with the record. My EI listings show both home & road telecasts listed, so if you have EI you should get Len & Bob. Also see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Once again, a reminder that you can find the overflow comment threads, including the first pitch thread, on the right sidebar of both the front page and any interior page in the box headed "RECENT STORIES IN GAME THREADS". Today's first pitch thread posts at 7 pm CT, and the overflow comment threads will post at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CT.

And as suggested, today's post will also have a gratuitous picture of Geovany Soto:

via www.mlb.com

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Al Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:29:54 -0000

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Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/10/08

2008-09-11T08:37:00.005-07:00

Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/10/08

Game One Hundred Forty-Five: Cubs (86-58) vs. Cardinals (78-66)
Game Time - 7:15pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 189
Location - Busch Stadium, St. Louis

Ted Lilly (13-9, 4.43/1.32) vs. Braden Looper (12-11, 4.09/1.30)

Ryan Dempster put tonight's game into the proper perspective following the Cubs' loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night:

"We've just got to go out there tomorrow and try to win a baseball game. Have fun. We're putting pressure on ourselves to do more than we're capable of doing."

Lou Piniella's crew is 5-5 versus the Cardinals this season and it is past time to win a ballgame. Look for Carlos Marmol to not be available tonight and for Kosuke Fukudome to be back in the starting lineup in right field.

WGN Radio and TV reported during Tuesday night's game that Chad Gaudin is in Arizona rehabbing and there's no timetable for his return.

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:15:00 -0500

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Lilly Barreled 'Em Over - Cubs 4 Cardinals 3

2008-09-11T08:37:00.003-07:00

Lilly Barreled 'Em Over - Cubs 4 Cardinals 3

Game One Hundred Forty-Five - Cubs 4 Cardinals 3
WP - Ted Lilly (14-9) LP - Braden Looper (12-12) Save - Kerry Wood (29)

Lou Piniella's crew picked up a much-needed win on Wednesday night behind a tremendous effort behind Ted Lilly....but not without a little drama in the 9th inning. Ted Lilly put together one of his best outings of the season and set the tone when he ran over Yadier Molina in the 2nd inning. Lilly allowed only 1 run on 5 hits in 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and no walks. The biggest stat, the Cardinals put the leadoff runner on only twice in eight innings....and one was erased on a double play. Lilly did not allow a hit after a 4th inning single by Josh Phelps.

The Cubs offense scored all of their runs in the 2nd inning and took advantage of two errors by Felipe Lopez. Felix Pie drove in the Cubs' first run with a single to left after back-to-back singles by Kosuke Fukudome and Mark DeRosa to start the inning. Ted Lilly attempted his first sacrifice bunt of the night but Lopez tried to tag the sliding DeRosa instead of just stepping on the base.

Alfonso Soriano stepped in with the bases loaded and hit a smash to 3rd that was stopped by Lopez but his throw ended up in right center. Two runs scored on the error and Aramis Ramirez drove in the Cubs fourth run with a 2-out bloop single to left.

The turning point in the game came in the 3rd inning. Cesar Izturis and Felipe Lopez reached on consecutive 2 out singles and brought Albert Pujols to the plate with a chance in a 4-1 game. Pujols lined a 1-2 pitch from Lilly into left and Alfonso Soriano threw a one-hop strike to Geovany Soto to cut down Izturis at the plate.

Kerry Wood took the mound in the 9th after posting a loss in his last two appearances. Wood struck out Felipe Lopez swinging on a ball in the dirt but Albert Pujols ripped his second pitch into right center for the first extra base hit of the game. Ryan Ludwick followed with his 33rd home run of the season to right center that cut the Cubs lead to 4-3. Wood settled down and struck out Aaron Miles looking and Josh Phelps on a fly out to center to end the game. Ron Santo screamed 'THANK YOU, THANK YOU' as Pat Hughes declared the Cubs the winner.

The Cubs offense did just enough and was very opportunistic. All 4 runs came in the 2nd inning and they did not record a hit after the 4th inning....all eight hits for the Cubs on the night were singles.

Wednesday night's win was the Cubs second of the month....and maybe the one that will get them back on track.

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:21:42 -0500

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We Will Never Forget

2008-09-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

We Will Never Forget

Seven years ago today, the United States changed forever. In a few short hours, this country became a very different place to live, and our priorities as citizens of this Country changed as well. The word 'hero' received a new definition and every neighborhood block had dozens of American flags instead of just one. Relationships with loved ones supplanted professional ambition and a hug became the most important thing in the world. Personal feelings were discussed more often and mentioning God in public was once again acceptable. So many things changed that horrid day, including the game of baseball.

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:00:00 -0500

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When You Come By, Bring My Stomach: Cubs 4, Cardinals 3

2008-09-11T08:22:00.003-07:00

When You Come By, Bring My Stomach: Cubs 4, Cardinals 3

If you are a Cubs fan of "a certain age", you will recognize the headline of this post as something Jack Brickhouse would say every time the Cubs got out of a tough situation.

That was the case last night as I sat screaming at my TV after Kerry Wood gave up the two-run homer to Ryan Ludwick in the 9th inning: "He should have let Lilly finish it!"

Ted Lilly survived a shaky first inning and after that was outstanding, throwing only 90 total pitches and allowing just five hits, the single run in the first and walked no one and the Cubs survived Wood's rust and beat the Cardinals 4-3, holding on to their 4.5 game lead over the Brewers and reducing the magic number to clinch the division title to 13, and to clinch a playoff spot to 9.

It was the third straight game decided by a 4-3 score. The Cubs scored just enough runs in the second inning, helped out by two Cardinals errors -- and they should have scored more; they had three runs in with nobody out when Lilly raced home on a contact play and crashed into Yadier Molina, who held on to the ball and tagged him out. It was a very aggressive play for a pitcher, but Lilly has that bulldog attitude in him. Another run scored later in the inning and the Cubs had the bases loaded with two out, but Kosuke Fukudome was called out on strikes.

In the third, Alfonso Soriano threw out Cesar Izturis at the plate on one of his patented throws where he slings the ball sidearm and at first you can't believe he has anything on the throw, yet it gets there in time. It was a little to the first base side of the plate and so Geovany Soto didn't have time to get his leg in to block the plate; it was a very close play and replays showed that Izturis... well, he might have been safe.

Nevertheless, no one argued, and we'll take it. Lilly settled down and had several low pitch-count innings, and really, could have and should have been allowed to finish. Yes, I know Wood needed the work -- he's pitched only twice in eight days -- and it appears he still needs the work, since he gave up ringing extra-base hits to Ludwick and Albert Pujols, who doubled before Ludwick's homer.

Other good things: Soriano drove in his 70th run of the year. That equals his total from 2007 -- in 39 fewer games, and there are still 17 games remaining on the schedule. Felix Pie had a nice game in his first start since returning from Iowa -- walking twice (where did he learn to do that?), singling, scoring a run and driving one in. It's extremely small sample size, obviously, one game, and no judgments on his future can be made from this game. But it's a positive to build on.

One thing for the future that has to be decided immediately: where are the Cubs and Astros going to play their weekend series?

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said he had spoken Wednesday to Katy Feeney, Major League Baseball's senior vice president of scheduling, and she had no concrete plans for rescheduling games.

There has been no known talk about shifting the Saturday or Sunday games, though there is speculation Saturday's game would be postponed if the hurricane hits Houston, possibly forcing a doubleheader Sunday or single games Sunday and Monday, which is an off day for both teams.

Another possibility is playing the final two games in St. Louis because the Cardinals will be in Pittsburgh.

Well, if they're going to play in St. Louis, why not play the entire series there, rather than make the Cubs fly to Houston, then fly back to St. Louis a day later? Phil Rogers, in one of his rare pieces that make sense, lays out the scenario:

The Astros seem to be preparing for a scenario in which the teams play Friday, hunker down while the hurricane blows through Saturday and then choose between a day-night doubleheader Sunday or single games Sunday and Monday (when both teams have scheduled days off). If the storm is too bad for them to play Sunday, theoretically the Cubs could stay over until Monday for a split doubleheader.

"I don't think we can get out [of Houston] if we get in," Piniella said Wednesday. "We stay in [through the storm] if we get in."

Huh? Isn't this just a little absurd?

While the lateness of the season dictates this series has to be played, there's no way it should remain in Houston, no matter how loudly McLane argues that his team deserves home-field advantage as it tries to stay alive in the wild-card race.

There are 15 major-league parks that will sit empty this weekend, including Wrigley Field.

The series should be moved to a neutral site—say, Busch Stadium in St. Louis or Turner Field in Atlanta—if McLane and Selig aren't agreeable to the Cubs getting three extra home games in the middle of the playoff race.

This probably could go without saying, but money is a factor. The Astros expect three sellouts, bringing in revenue to help underwrite their $90 million payroll, and will be forced to refund money if the games aren't played.

This is where MLB needs to step in, dipping into the central fund to help subsidize McLane's losses. Ticket sales from a relocated series could be donated to hurricane relief, with the Cubs and Astros providing matching funds.

Here's the predicted track of the hurricane as of 7 am CDT today:

MLB wants the Cubs to ride that out sitting in Houston? I say, no way. Move the series to a neutral site -- St. Louis makes the most logical sense. Hope they make a decision soon.

In any event, there is business to be taken care of first: win this series, and root for the Phillies tonight.

Al Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:31:28 -0000

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Reversal Of Fortune Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Wednesday 9/10, 7:15 CT

2008-09-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

Reversal Of Fortune Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Wednesday 9/10, 7:15 CT

This reversal-of-fortune post will include several different types of things intended to reverse the Cubs' recent rough streak. First, a movie:

Next, a paragraph written backwards:

.niarts redlouhs a htiw emag s'thgin tsal gnivael retfa seires eht fo tser eht rof tuo eb yam sualG yorT :emag s'thginot rof eton tnatropmi eno ylno s'erehT

Finally, a quote, suggested by reader Trey2317:

These are the times that try men's souls. -- Thomas Paine

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Braden Looper	12-11	29	29	1	1	0	0	174.0	186	85	79	24	41	87	4.09	1.30

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Ted Lilly	13-9	30	30	0	0	0	0	176.2	173	90	87	31	60	161	4.43	1.32

Today's Starting Pitchers


T. Lilly Cubs	vs.	B. Looper Cardinals


13-9	W-L	12-11
4.43	ERA	4.09
161	SO	87
60	BB	41
31	HR	24
vs. StL	--	vs. Cubs

The rest of this is done in the reverse order from usual.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

You know where to find the threads. They'll be up at 7 pm, 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.

Baseball-reference.com game preview

MLB.com Gameday

Will history repeat? The previous time the Cubs lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion (May 24 and 25 at Pittsburgh), they immediately reeled off their season-high nine-game winning streak from May 26-June 3.

Today's game is on cable, CSN Chicago -- good thing, too, because the Cubs are 50-19 on CSN, under .500 on WGN. Does this really matter? It shouldn't, of course, but it's weird. Also see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

In his spare time, Braden Looper helps handicapped children to learn how to make ecologically sustainable clothing and grow their own food. After that, each day, he tends to the wind farm he has installed near Busch Stadium that provides all the power for the lights in the stadium, helps every little old lady in the state of Missouri across the street, scans all the tickets into the ballpark and has personally agreed to adopt the first 10,000 pets that are made homeless by Hurricane Ike.

Ted Lilly is lefthanded.

Oh, and this is by request:

Next Game

Chicago Cubs
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008, 7:15 PM CDT
Busch Stadium

Ted Lilly vs Braden Looper

Clear. Winds blowing in from center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 65.

Complete Coverage >

Al Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:00:05 -0000

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Not So Sweet Lou

2008-09-10T13:08:00.005-07:00

Not So Sweet Lou

After not addressing the media following Sunday's loss in Cincinnati, a very frustrated and animated Lou Piniella spoke after Tuesday's defeat in St. Louis. The Cubs are reeling and from Piniella's statements he is more than tired of what he is seeing on the field. Here are the quotes....

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:00:00 -0500

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Offense a no show in the 9th, Cubs drop two in a row

2008-09-10T13:08:00.004-07:00

Offense a no show in the 9th, Cubs drop two in a row

What is up with the Cubs' offense? Nothing seems to be clicking anymore. Tuesday night in St. Louis Ryan Dempster did his best to keep the game within reach. His teammates did give him a 3-0 lead then came up empty the rest of the game. Seeing these good pitching performances from the starters is frustrating. Dempster pitched 7 innings to allow 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. He also had 6 strikeouts. The big mistake he made in this outing was allowing runners to get on base ahead of Albert Pujols who hit a 3-run homer to tie the game in the 6th inning. Aramis Ramirez was the only guy in the Cubs' lineup doing the hitting as he went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

The Cubs caught the worst of a critical situation in late innings. Geovany Soto was instructed to bunt for a sacrifice yet dribbled the ball straight to the pitcher for a double play, taking them out of the promising inning. In that given predicament with the team struggling to score Lou might as well let Geo swing away since he normally makes good contact. I know he was thinking the rookie catcher could put the runner in scoring position, but the guys behind him just weren't hitting last night. Edmonds went 0-for-2 while DeRosa and Soriano combined for 0-for-9. The problem in Game 1 was only one player in the middle of the order was hitting and nobody around him could.

Due to the diminishing run support the Cubs rotation will not have a single 20-game winner this season. That's not of utmost importance, although when the Cubs enter the playoffs and the lineup doesn't produce with regularity it's going to become their own worst enemy. I always feel that pitching can hold down games, but offense actually leads to wins. With the roster fully expanded the Cubs once again have Felix Pie along with a handful of other talented prospects. Using Pie only for defensive purposes and pinch-running as mentioned last night by WGN broadcaster Bob Brenly (yes, I actually got to watch most of this game) isn't enough. Some way Lou Piniella will have to squeeze the most out of his young players on the bench.

The idea of rotating 2 or 3 outfielders to play center would work. Hoffpauir could also get a few starts in left or right field or enter in late innings with a switch. I'd also like to see what this McGehee has to offer so a decent amount of pinch-hitting spots would be good to see. I know Lou Piniella can only stretch things so far, having a tough job on his hands. He's done a excellent job so far this year. Instead of using Fukudome as a pinch-hitter let him have the whole game off to get refreshed and put in another capable option such as Cedeno, Johnson, or Ward. Sometimes a good contact hitter off the bench is the answer. They tend to get overlooked all too often. Today the Cubs need to write the ship, settle back in control as Ted Lilly (13-9) eyes a competitive start against Braden Looper (12-11). Okay, now LET'S SEE SOME RUNS CUBS!

Pete Harveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09244146801174434996noreply@blogger.com

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Fundamentally Frustrated - Cubs 3 Cardinals 4

2008-09-10T13:08:00.003-07:00

Fundamentally Frustrated - Cubs 3 Cardinals 4

Game One Hundred Forty-Four - Cubs 3 Cardinals 4
WP - Chris Perez (3-2) LP - Carlos Marmol (2-4) Save - None

What happened to the swagger? The Cubs lost for the 8th time in 9 games on Tuesday night on a check swing by Cesar Izturis in the bottom of the 9th. Carlos Marmol faced the minimum in the 8th but gave up a leadoff single to Yadier Molina to start the final inning. Brendan Ryan pinch ran for Molina and advanced to 2nd on a balk by Marmol. Home plate umpire, Balkin' Bob Davidson made the right call and put the eventual winning run into scoring position.

Felipe Lopez walked and Brian Barden followed with his first career sacrifice bunt. Cesar Izturis then checked his swing on a 2-1 pitch from Marmol and the weak grounder allowed Brendan Ryan to get a good jump off of 3rd. Ryan slid past Soto and touched home plate with his hand....ballgame over.

The difference in the game....the Cardinals executed the fundamentals of baseball and the Cubs simply did not.

The Cubs lead going into the 6th inning 3-0 but could not add on. A 1-out single in the 1st inning by Ryan Theriot followed by back-to-back doubles by Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Aramis Ramirez came through with a 2-out RBI single to right in the 3rd that plated Ryan Theriot with the Cubs third run.

They left 8 on base in the first 7 innings, including the bases loaded in the 6th and could not take advantage of a miscue in left by Rick Ankiel in 4th. The Cubs put the leadoff hitter on in both the 8th and 9th innings but double plays from Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano ended each frame before they ever got started.

Ryan Dempster put together another quality start but made one mistake....and it was a big one. Skip Schumaker led off the 6th with a double to left. It was the first time in the game the Cardinals put the leadoff batter on. Aaron Miles, subbing for the injured Troy Glaus who left with a right shoulder strain in the 3rd inning, pushed a bunt past Dempster that Mike Fontenot could not make a play on. Albert Pujols followed and launched Dempster's first pitch into the stands in right center.

After the winning run scored, the team was shown in the dugout and they appeared dejected and stunned as they starred at the field.

Once again the Cubs had plenty of chances to put this game away and they are 1-6 in the season's final month....

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:07:36 -0500

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Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/09/08

2008-09-10T13:08:00.001-07:00

Talkin' Cubs Live - Cubs vs. Cardinals - 09/09/08

Game One Hundred Forty-Four: Cubs (86-57) vs. Cardinals (77-66)
Game Time - 7:15pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 189
Location - Busch Stadium, St. Louis

Ryan Dempster (15-6, 2.99/1.21) vs. Kyle Lohse (13-6, 3.76/1.29)

Updated - 4:06pm C.T. - Felix Pie and Randy Wells Added to the Active Roster

According to a report on Cubs.com, Jon Lieber was placed on the 60-day DL officially ending his season. The move allowed the Cubs to purchase the contract of Randy Wells from Triple-A Iowa and add him to the Cubs 40-man roster. Felix Pie was officially recalled from Triple-A as well on Tuesday and both players will be available tonight in St. Louis. Wells will wear number 36.

Last week as they say is history and that is exactly the way the Cubs must treat it. It is time to get back on track and with 19 games left to play there is still a lot of work to do. The Cubs will enter play tonight 4 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers, 9 in front of the Cardinals with the red hot Astros just 9 1/2 back. The Cubs can answer a lot of questions tonight by just taking care of their own business and posting a much needed win.

The Cubs have won 5 of the first 9 meetings of the year against the Cardinals with 6 left to play....and are 10-5 in the last 15 at the new Busch Stadium.

Lou Piniella not only needs he offense to start producing but for his bullpen to return to form. The Cubs pen entered September with a 3.73 ERA and a .242 OBA but in the last 5 games....a 10.50 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP with 23 hits allowed and 10 walks in 18 innings. One of the strengths of the Cubs has been the ability to chase the other team's starter and tack on late. The Cubs offense must be patient against Kyle Lohse and get into the Cardinals pen as soon as possible. The Cardinals have a very dangerous offense....Albert Pujols is 12 for his last 30 with 4 home runs in 8 games, and a good starting staff, their Achilles heal has been their relief corp.

If the Cubs are to get back in the win column consistently over the last 3 weeks of the season, tonight would be a good time to start with Ryan Dempster on the hill....

neil@chicagocubsonline.com (Chicago Cubs Online) Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:30:00 -0500

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The Cubs "Other" Magic Number

2008-09-10T12:52:00.009-07:00

The Cubs "Other" Magic Number

As I'm sure all of you TD fans out there have noticed, we have added a magic number counter on the top left of the page, which currently stands at 15. For the sake of full disclosure, a magic number is the number of a combination of Cubs wins and/or Brewers losses that it would take to secure the division championship. But, in all actuality, the Cubs have a magic number of 12 to make the playoffs. If the Cubs win and/or the Phillies lose 12 games before the season ends, the Cubs will be in the playoffs. I think I speak for all Cubs fans when I say that this would be a huge disappointment to not take the division, but I wanted everyone to know that the Cubs are only 12 games away and can start rooting against the Phils.

noreply@blogger.com (Lionel) Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:44:00 -0500

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Minor League Wrap--September 8

2008-09-10T12:52:00.008-07:00

Minor League Wrap--September 8

It's just the Daytona Cubs wrap these days, and they just don't want their time in the spotlight to end.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs failed to win the FSL Championship tonight as they lost to the Fort Myers Miracle, 5-3. They'll try again tomorrow.

The bad James Russell returned tonight as he got battered for five runs in 5.2 innings. He gave up eight hits, including a pair of two-run home runs. If you're a "glass is one-eighth full" type, Russell didn't walk a batter. He struck out three.

Jordan Latham pitched 2.1 innings of relief without allowing a hit or a run. He did walk two, though, and struck out one.

Second baseman Tony Thomas has been hot throughout the playoffs and that continued tonight. Thomas was 3 for 5 with a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Thomas also scored twice and stole a base.

Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 5. By the way, anyone else here remember the way that Jim Frey used to play Jody Davis every day, hardly ever giving him a break? Jody's returning the favor as Clevenger has started behind the plate of every single game of the post-season so far.

Left fielder Ty Wright went 2 for 4 with a walk. He did strike out with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth, though.

Shortstop Darwin Barney had a 2 for 4 game and scored a run.

The D-Cubs still lead the series two games to one and will try to finish out the series tomorrow night at home.

Josh77 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:23:13 -0000

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Baseball 101: Cubs 3, Cardinals 4

2008-09-10T12:52:00.007-07:00

Baseball 101: Cubs 3, Cardinals 4

Lou Piniella got outmanaged last night, and I'm not real happy about that.

Answer this question: why would you, in the eighth inning of a tie game, have one of your best RBI men bunt? Maybe this question should be asked first, and don't look it up before you answer: how many sacrifice bunts did Geovany Soto have in his major league career before last night?

The answer is zero, and it's still zero after he bunted too hard and Ryan Franklin turned it into an easy double play, after Jim Edmonds had walked to lead off the inning and Felix Pie was sent in to pinch-run for him. Soto slammed the bat down in the dugout afterward (at least he didn't break any bones!); was that out of frustration at not being able to do the job, or disbelief that he was even asked? They couldn't believe it either in the Yahoo recap:

Top 8th: Chi Cubs
- J. Edmonds walked
- F. Pie ran for J. Edmonds
- G. Soto unknown into double play pitcher to shortstop to first, F. Pie out at second
- M. Fontenot grounded out to first

0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors
Chi Cubs 3, St. Louis 3

"Unknown into double play". Yeah, that about sums up the Cubs' 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. It wasn't just Soto's DP -- Alfonso Soriano also hit into one in the 9th -- but it was also failure to capitalize on other opportunities; the Cubs could have put the game away in the first inning with some timely hitting, and again in the sixth when they had the bases loaded and one out.

Ryan Dempster threw well enough -- it's no shame to give up a HR to Albert Pujols, many have done this -- and it wouldn't have mattered if the Cubs had scored the six or seven runs they should have scored last night.

The other criticism I have of Lou last night is: why didn't he walk Cesar Izturis? In a situation like that, you almost have to load the bases to set up force plays at every base. Yes, I am well aware that Skip Schumaker, who was on deck, is a far better hitter than Izturis. But if you induce Schumaker to hit the same grounder that Izturis hit -- only have the bases loaded instead of runners on second and third -- well then, all Soto has to do is step on the plate instead of try a desperate swipe tag. In that situation I think an IBB is mandatory, no matter who the hitter is.

Here's what Lou said:

"We're playing like we're waiting to get beat," the Cubs manager said after Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. "You don't have a big enough lead in September to play ball like that. Teams who play baseball like that invariably get caught, no matter how big the lead."

Yeah, that includes you too, Lou. I like Lou -- he's been a godsend to this team -- but last night wasn't his finest hour.

This is a strange month. There are 13 teams within five games of a playoff spot -- quite a large number for this late in the year -- and only five of them have winning September records:

 Astros: 7-1 Dodgers: 7-1 Red Sox: 6-2 Mets: 5-2 Cardinals: 4-3 Angels: 4-4 Phillies: 4-4 White Sox: 3-5 Twins: 2-5 Rays: 2-6 D'backs: 2-6 Brewers: 2-7 Cubs: 1-6

Yes, only the bad play in Milwaukee has saved the Cubs from a horrid fate so far this month. Thank you for the second night in a row to the Reds, who came back and beat Milwaukee 5-4 in 11 innings after blowing a 4-1 lead. They'll play a day game today, with CC Sabathia on the mound for the Brewers, so the Cubs will know exactly how they need to do to reduce the magic number further before they take the field tonight in St. Louis.

I received an email from a friend last night, someone who is an occasional poster at this site, which read in its entirety:

Just shoot me now, it'll be less painful.

When I emailed him back to tell him I was going to post this -- and he can identify himself if he wants to, I won't -- he replied:

I still believe, but I'm taking Prilosec and buying a defibrillator off ebay.

I think we all need those. As ever, win tonight and the ship will begin to right itself.

Al Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:24:12 -0000

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A September To Remember

2008-09-10T12:52:00.006-07:00

A September To Remember

I went to sleep last night figuring the Brewers had won -- they were leading 4-2 going into the 9th -- only to wake up and discover, happily, that the Reds had won a game in their last at-bat for the second day in a row, beating Milwaukee 5-4, reducing the Cubs' magic number to 15 and making the Cubs' division lead 4.5 games going into the series with the Cardinals tonight.

Yes, the Cubs are cold, 1-5 in September so far. Guess what? So are the Brewers, at 2-6 this month.

One more note for this morning: I keep reading all over this site about who you'd want the Cubs to face in the postseason. Never mind that they have to get there first. Frankly, I don't care who they play -- while you've been debating Diamondbacks/Dodgers, the Phillies have sneaked to within three games of the Brewers for the wild card.

And the Phillies host the Brewers for a four-game series this weekend.

So, don't make too many plans. The cautionary tale is the 2006 Twins. For nearly four months the Tigers led the AL Central, heading for the best record in the league and home field throughout the playoffs. They lost their final five games and wound up as the wild card; the Twins finished first in the Central and drew Oakland in the first round, with home field.

The Twins got swept. Meanwhile, the Tigers won their Division Series with the Yankees and then, without home field as the wild card, swept the A's in the ALCS.

Just get in. Myownself, I'll be happy to see the Cubs in the playoffs two years in a row. Would I rather they had home field throughout? Of course. But wild cards have made the World Series each of the last six years and won it three times. Once you get into the postseason, it's a crapshoot.

Just keep winning and good things will follow.

Al Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:19:55 -0000

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Welcome to the Bigs, Part III (of probably III)

2008-09-10T12:52:00.005-07:00

Welcome to the Bigs, Part III (of probably III)

The Cubs called up two more yesterday. I guess Jim Hendry thought I was getting a little too full of myself with the prediction that Casey McGehee may be called up. So, he reviewed the players I had listed and made sure he picked one that wasn't on my list, just to make me look stupid.

Felix Pie-It surprised me a little that Pie wasn't called up when the rosters expanded, only because the Cubs seemed to have a need for an extra OF, given the rest that old man Edmonds needs, the way Fukudome phas been playing, the defense (or lack thereof) of Sori, etc. But he's up now. I assume the Cubs are still "bringing him along slowly" by allowing him to get some more PT, including some playoff experience, and let him get some regular AB's instead of sitting on the bench. Pie finished his Iowa campaign with a .287 batting average and 10 HR's in 335 AB's. He was able to cut down his K total some with 54, although that still amount to roughly 100 K's over a full season. He had a hit in each of Iowa's 5 playoff games, hitting .300 overall. Pie will be used primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.

Randy Wells-Randy Wells wasn't on the radar, at least not my radar. Why? Well, quite simply, he didn't do a lot lot to impress, outside his record. He managed to win a team high 10 games against only 4 losses. But his ERA was over 4. He had a WHIP for the year of 1.36, which isn't terrible, but isn't great. He started the year as a reliever (the role he'll play for the Cubs) and made some spot relief appearances throughout the year, giving up 10 earned runs in 8 relief appearances (a 5.87 ERA). So, he just didn't seem like the kind of guy the Cubs would add to their 40 man roster. I guess the Cubs decided that there was the concern that he would be plucked in the Rule V draft this December (he was picked by the Blue Jays last year and made one relief appearance before being returned to the Cubs).

noreply@blogger.com (Lionel) Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:14:00 -0500

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Pregame Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Tuesday 9/9, 7:15 CT

2008-09-10T12:52:00.004-07:00

Pregame Thread: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Tuesday 9/9, 7:15 CT

Next Game

Chicago Cubs
@ St. Louis Cardinals

Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008, 7:15 PM CDT
Busch Stadium

Ryan Dempster vs Kyle Lohse

Mostly clear. Winds blowing from left to right field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game Time temperature: Around 65.

Per Bruce Miles, the Cubs have called up Felix Pie and purchased the contract of Randy Wells:

It looks like the Cubs will place pitcher Jon Lieber on the 60-day DL to make room for Wells on the 40-man roster.

Randy Wells threw in one game for Toronto this year after the Jays picked him in the Rule 5 draft, then he was returned. He's not really a prospect at age 26, but who knows? An extra arm can't hurt.

Baseball-reference.com has been, for the last couple of weeks, keeping track of all HR hit, because the 250,000th HR in major league history was approaching. One of the least likeable guys in the game, Gary Sheffield, hit it last night in Detroit. According to this list, the very first ML HR was hit by a member of the Chicago National League Ball Club, Ross Barnes, on May 2, 1876.

Other milestone HR hit by or off of Cubs (no matter what the team nickname was at the time, it's the franchise we root for):

#1000: Ned Williamson on July 4, 1884. Williamson set the single season HR record that year (27), a freak because of the short dimensions of Lake Front Park, where they then played their home games (the location is now in Millennium Park).

#10,000: Joe Tinker on September 5, 1903. Oddity: Tinker hit it off Mordecai Brown, a future teammate. It was Brown's only year as a Cardinal; Tinker hit only 31 career HR.

#100,000: hit by Hal King of the Braves off Fergie Jenkins on April 30, 1970.

#120,000: hit by Barry Foote of the Expos off Bruce Sutter on May 24, 1977. Foote had only 81 AB and 3 HR that year; this HR, hit in the 8th inning, tied that game and the Expos won in 15 innings. Less than a year later Foote and Sutter were Cub teammates.

#150,000: hit by the Phillies' John Russell off Rick Sutcliffe on August 3, 1986.

Now, on to the business of getting some home runs -- or better yet, just a lot of runs -- against the Cardinals tonight.

Today's Starting Pitchers


R. Dempster Cubs	vs.	K. Lohse Cardinals


15-6	W-L	13-6
2.99	ERA	3.76
167	SO	106
72	BB	44
12	HR	16
vs. Hou	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Ryan Dempster	15-6	29	29	1	0	0	0	183.2	150	68	61	12	72	167	2.99	1.21

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2008 - Kyle Lohse	13-6	30	30	0	0	0	0	182.0	190	79	76	16	44	106	3.76	1.29

Kyle Lohse has one good game (which the Cubs should have won anyway) and one bad game against the Cubs this year. Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot have homered off Lohse this season, but the Cub who hits him best is Alfonso Soriano (13-for-32, 3 doubles, 2 HR). Aramis Ramirez is 5-for-8 off Lohse.

Ryan Dempster beat the Cardinals at Wrigley Field on August 10. The opposing starter was Chris Carpenter, who left the game with arm problems; we now learn that Tony LaRussa may try Carpenter at closer. The Cardinals have 30 blown saves this year. Dempster handles most of the Cardinals well, including Albert Pujols. Pujols is hitting .267 (7-for-26, 1 double, 1 HR) lifetime off Dempster and is finally considering elbow surgery in the offseason.

Today's game is on WGN, and cable in the St. Louis area. For more options check the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Discuss amongst yourselves.

MLW--9/9--Daytona Wins FSL Championship

2008-09-10T12:52:00.003-07:00

MLW--9/9--Daytona Wins FSL Championship

Congratulations to Jody Davis and the Boys of Daytona! The Daytona Cubs won their first individual Florida State League Championship since 2000 tonight with a 7-3 beating of the Ft. Myers Miracle to take the series three games to one.

Starter Marcos Mateo was staked to a lead, but couldn't stay in the game long enough to pick up the win. Mateo pitched only four innings and allowed three runs on five hits. Mateo walked one and struck out three.

Mateo was relieved by first-round pick Andrew Cashner, and Cashner shut down the Miracle for 2.2 innings. Cashner didn't allow a hit. He struck out four (although one strikeout reached base on a wild pitch) and walked only one. Cashner picked up the win in the clinching game.

Jayson Ruhlman didn't allow a run over 1.1 innings and Blake Parker pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to clinch the championship.

Daytona fell behind 1-0 in the second inning, but right fielder Yusuf Carter homered in the bottom of the inning to tie the game up with a solo shot. Carter was 2 for 3 with a walk and scored twice.

The only FSL All-Star for Daytona, center fielder Jim Adducci, pounded on Ft. Myers with a 2 for 3 effort with a solo home run. He also put down a successful sac bunt.

Shortstop Darwin Barney has been on fire the last few weeks of the season, and tonight Barney was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI. The first double was the eventual game winner and Barney was named player of the game. Barney also scored once.

Second baseman Tony Thomas was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Thomas hit .483 in the series and was named MVP of the Championship series.

Third baseman Jonathan Mota went 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Oh yeah. Steve Clevenger caught yet again and was 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored.

And yes, they played "GO CUBS GO" when the game ended.

The D-Cubs last won the Florida State League Championship in 2004, but that was a shared title with the Tampa Yankees as the Championship Series was cancelled because of Hurricane Ivan. It's their first undisputed title since 2000. Just for some reference, the star pitchers on that 2000 team were starters (yes, starter) Michael Wuertz and Ben Christensen. Steve Smyth and Juan Cruz also pitched for the D-Cubs that season.

The hitting stars of that team were Hee-Seop Choi, David Kelton, Gary Johnson and Nate Frese.

Season Recap: Boise Hawks

2008-09-10T12:52:00.001-07:00

Season Recap: Boise Hawks

Some of you may have been wondering what happened to the TD staff, as we have made few posts of late. Well, my mom is kicking me out of the basement, Jumbo is too big to reach the keyboard or leave his house to buy a wireless keyboard, and no one has heard or seen Arthur in weeks. But, I have returned to provide you loyal TD readers with a season recap of all the Cubs minor league affiliates. Today, the Boise Hawks.

Record: 43-33, 2nd place

The Hawks finished 10 games above .500, but ended up 8 games out of first place, thanks to a 51-25 season for Spokane. If the Hawks would've been in the other division, they would've won the division.

All Stars:

2B Josh Harrison

SS Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters (only unanimous selection)

DH Ryan Keedy

Top Ten Prospect Players: Josh Vitters

Josh Vitters, the Cubs #1 prospect according to Baseball America, hit .328 for Boise in 61 games with a .498 slugging percentage. He amassed 129 total bases to lead the team, thanks to a league-leading 25 doubles. But overall, I would have to say his season was just slightly above average, at least for a #3 overall pick (he was the highest draft pick playing the league). His .328 BA was second on the team and fourth in the league, but he was 4th on the team in HR's, Runs, and RBI's. As for his defense, he committed 14 errors, the second most on the team. I would expect the Cubs to move him up a level next year, but given that he just turned 19 a few days ago, I'm sure the Cubs will move him along slowly.

Offensive POY: Ryan Keedy

This was a difficult choice, because there were a number of guys whose numbers were pretty close, including Vitters and Josh Harrison, who was named an All Star despite playing in only half the games before being promoted to Peoria. But Keedy hit .333, 5 points higher than Vitters and good for 3rd best in the league. He was 3rd on the team in RBI's and total bases, but those number are slightly skewed, as he played in more games than anyone else. But it was his walk numbers that stuck out with me and was the determining factor for me. In 70 games, he walked 35 times. That gave him an OBP for the year of .419, good for 5th in the league. So he gets the nod, although I will admit that I am usually partial to the non-big time prospects when I determine these things.

Pitcher of the Year: Dan McDaniel

Dan McDaniel, the Cubs 14th round pick of this year, was the Hawks closer. Essentially, he had the award locked up by the time the calender turned to August. In 10 games in July, he didn't allow an earned run to cross the plate, allowing only 5 hits and 5 walks in 16 and 1/3 innings pitched. Opposing batters hit .094 off him. He came back to earth in August, giving up 6 earned runs in 16 innings pitched (3.38 ERA), but finished the season with 7 saves and a 1.67 ERA. His WHIP for the year was under 1, at 0.94. He pitched roughly every three days, but usually pitched more than an innings, even going as high as 2 and 2/3. The only two numbers that are of any concern with McDaniel were his wild pitches (5) and that he allowed 36.4% of the runners he inherited to score. To put some context in the inherited runners scoring, 36% is a little above MLB average...Carlos Marmol allowed only 12.2% to score last year (which was 3rd in all of baseball).

Other Notables:

Ryan Flaherty (1st round supplemental, 2008): .297, 8 HR's, .511 slugging, 16 errors

Aaron Shafer (2nd round, 2008): 2-2, 3.09 ERA

Chris Carpenter (3rd round, 2008): 4-2, 4.22 ERA, 1.69 WHIP

Justin Bristow (5th round, 2008): 2-1, 9.00 ERA

James Leverton (8th round, 2008): 1-3, 4.61 ERA, 1 HR in 54 innings pitched

Michael Brenly (Bob's son): .325 BA

Kyler Burke (Acquired in the Michael Barrett trade, 1st round pick, 2006): .261 BA, 7 HR's

Notable Promoted Players Numbers at Boise:

Andrew Cashner (1st round, 2008): 1-1, 4.96 ERA

Josh Harrison (6th round, 2008): .351, 27 Runs, 25 RBIs, 23 walks, 12 SB's in 33 games

Luis Flores (7th round, 2008): .167 in 9 games

Jay Jackson (9th round, 2008): 0-0, 5.00 ERA in 3 games

Pie to Be Recalled....and Another Arm?

2008-09-08T21:37:00.002-07:00

Jim Hendry was on Sports Central with Dave Kaplan on Monday night and said Felix Pie will be recalled and with the Cubs on Tuesday in St. Louis. The I-Cubs were eliminated from the PCL playoffs on Sunday.

Hendry also stated another pitcher would be called up from the minors and the announcement would be made before Tuesday's game. Hendry did not mention the player by name. He added with Jon Lieber done for the season and Chad Gaudin's lingering back injury they needed to add another arm.

The only healthy arms not currently with the big club and on the 40-man roster are Jose Ascanio and Carmen Pignatiello. Neither fared too well down the stretch for the Iowa Cubs....so a roster move could be on the horizon.

Cubs blow lead in Game 3, drop series after homerun exhibition

2008-09-08T21:37:00.001-07:00

I started to wonder whether or not I ought to watch the rest of the Cubs' regular season games. It's odd to me, when I miss a game like Game 2 at Cincy where the Cubs put on a homerun parade they usually win without question, but seeing the game on TV ruins a good time when they fail to execute, hold leads, or score enough runs. First of all, how does a team 30 games over .500 lose to the stinking Reds? Simply incomprehensible since the Cubs had several opportunities with runners in scoring position in Sunday's game yet didn't deliver when needed. The worst part for me to witness was having Sean Marshall pitch a fine game through 6 innings for 1-run on 3 hits and 2 walks. Kerry Wood ran into trouble in the 9th, walking a few batters while surrendering the lead and giving up the game-winning hit.

To give Fukudome another day off Micah Hoffpauir got the start in right field. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Lou Piniella was hot under the collar following Sunday's loss to the Reds knowing his team had the contest wrapped up. He prides his team on good defense and pitching yet didn't see this aspects come into play effectively. I'm sure he'll have choice words for the guys back in the locker room. There is no sense in the Cubs not winning the last series on the road. They can't count on Milwaukee continuing to lose with them only trailing in second by 4 games. The contribution is definitely there though from the Cubs' bench. Ronny Cedeno hit a go ahead RBI double yesterday to give the Cubs momentum. Mike Fontenot and Daryl Ward are chipping in and doing a solid job as well.

Luckily for the Cubs they had went on a 7-game win streak toward the end of August with a decent lead built up in the NL Central. That will fade away quick if they don't start winning with regularity. Following through on the fundamentals and executing needs to be in their mindset every game. They've got the talent and tools to success, it's up to them to function as a team. When Alfonso Soriano can blast 3 homers in a game that is always going to give them a major boost.

The real main issue is having such consistency. Scoring around 4-5 runs per game will be a big plus. If the Cubs can bring that to the table they'll be able to handle the competition during the playoffs. For now they have to take care of business and gut out these last 19 games. They resume play Tuesday opening a big 3-game series with the Cardinals then head to Houston for another triple bill. With Zambrano and Harden expected back by then the offense needs to kick it in gear! Go Cubs Go!

Minor League Wrap--September 7

2008-09-08T21:22:00.002-07:00

Did Santo say "NOOOOOOOOOO!" today? I did.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs season ended today with a 16-5 loss to the Oklahoma RedHawks. Oklahoma takes the playoff series, three games to two.

The Chicago Cubs pitching woes filtered down to the I-Cubs today, because of injuries and call-up, Randy Wells had to start today on only three days rest. Wells got knocked around for five runs over five innings, including two home runs. Wells gave up three hits and three walks while striking out five.

The bullpen was just bad, as anyone could tell by looking at the final score. Justin Berg got hammered for three runs in an inning, Ed Campusano gave up four runs (two earned) in two-thirds of an inning and Jesse Estrada topped things off by getting slammed by the RedHawks for four runs in the one inning he pitched.

The I-Cubs were down 12-1 and 16-2 in this game before plating three garbage runs in the ninth inning. Left fielder Andres Torres bookended two home runs today, hitting a solo home run in the first inning and a three-run blast in the ninth to account for four of Iowa's five runs. He was 2 for 4 on the afternoon.

Right fielder Sam Fuld was 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored. Bobby Scales went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk.

Center fielder Felix Pie was 2 for 4 with a triple and a stolen base.

Daytona Cubs

So only the D-Cubs are left standing and they took a commanding two games to none lead in the best-of-five FSL playoffs with a 9-1 thumping of the Fort Myers Miracle.

Jay Jackson pitched the Cubs to within one game of their first solo championship since 2000. (The 2004 FSL title was split between Daytona and Tampa after Hurricane Ivan cancelled the championship series.) Jackson threw 5.2 shutout innings and allowed only four hits. Jackson struck out five and didn't walk a batter in what was probably his last appearance in his first professional season.

Every Cub in the starting lineup had at least one hit.

DH Blake Lalli blew the game open in the third with a two-run home run that capped off a five-run inning. Lalli was 2 for 3 before being removed in the seventh inning.

The other big bat of the night belonged to right fielder Ryan Harvey. Harvey went 2 for 4 with a double and a triple. Harvey scored twice and was also hit by a pitch.

Second baseman Tony Thomas went 2 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI. His double-play partner, shortstop Darwin Barney, went 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 5. He did have two passed balls, however.

Jody Davis' boys now return to Daytona Beach needing to win only one more game to take the Florida State League Championship. They will play game three tomorrow night at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 7:05. Games four and five, if necessary, will also be home games for Daytona.

Remembering The Past...

2008-09-08T21:22:00.001-07:00

... so, to paraphrase George Santayana, perhaps the Cubs will repeat it.

After blazing through the first five months of this year with nothing worse than a four-game losing streak, the Cubs have now lost seven of eight. What we wonder, then, is how recent championship teams have fared. Have they gone through stretches like this? Some of you have posted this in the comments, but I thought I'd consolidate all the information here, to console and bring optimism back.

The answer to the question above is decidedly, yes. Here's how each of the last eight World Series winners did down the stretch:

2007 Red Sox: Had a 7-game lead on September 4. Then, they lost 8 of 12 and saw their lead drop to one game on September 19. Finished the season 6-3 to win the AL East by two games and had an 11-3 record in the postseason.

2006 Cardinals: Had a 7-game lead on September 19. Then, they lost 7 in a row and 8 of 9 to see the lead drop to a half game with three games left. Won two of the three and clinched on the season's last day even though they lost. Had an 11-5 record in the postseason.

2005 White Sox: Had a 9-game lead on September 7. Then, they lost 10 of 14, including two in extra innings; the lead dropped to 1.5 games on September 22 (and would have gone to 0.5 games if Grady Sizemore hadn't lost a ball in the sun vs. the Royals). After that, won 8 of their last 10 regular season games and went 11-1 in the postseason.

2004 Red Sox: Went 7-8 between September 9 and 24, but still won the wild card (by five games) and went 11-3 in the postseason.

2003 Marlins: Not to be discussed in polite company.

2002 Angels: Lost 8 of their last 13 regular season games, but won the wild card by six games and went 11-5 in the postseason.

2001 Diamondbacks: Went 10-11 in September and saw a 4.5 game lead dwindle to 1.5 games; won four of their last six regular season games and went 11-6 in the postseason.

2000 Yankees: Stumbled into the postseason by losing six in a row, winning two, then losing their final seven regular season games (overall, losing 13 out of their last 15!) and seeing a 9 game lead on September 13 shrink to 2.5 at season's end, winning the AL East only because the Red Sox couldn't play better than .500 ball in September; had a mediocre 87-74 record (the worst of any of the 2000 postseason entrants) but went 11-5 in the postseason.

That's seven different championship teams in the last eight years; every single one of them (including the 2003 Marlins, who I glossed over) struggled in September, but righted the ship once October started. This Cubs team is at least as good as any of those champions and better than most. They'll get the pitching rotation back in order this week:

Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden will face the Cardinals, while Jason Marquis will open the Cubs' series in Houston on Friday -- with Carlos Zambrano tentatively scheduled for Saturday and Dempster closing it up Sunday.

If Zambrano can't go, Sean Marshall will get another substitute start, but all indications are that Big Z is ready. He threw off flat ground Sunday, and his right shoulder passed all the tests. He will have a bullpen session in St. Louis. Harden, skipped as a precautionary measure, is also ready to go.

In a perfect world, Piniella can stay with five starters for the remaining three weeks of the season.

The perfect world starts tomorrow. In the meantime, come in off the ledge and enjoy the off-day.

Open for Discussion

2008-09-08T02:07:00.004-07:00

Is Lou Piniella stewing? After Sunday's loss to the Reds, Piniella did not address the media for the first time all season. If Piniella is indeed upset, that could mean more changes are on the horizon. The Cubs have not played good ball in the last week and the manager that never stops thinking and tinkering will have an extra day to try to figure out how to get his team back on track.

So with the off day, the CCO will not discuss a specific topic or talk about all of the problems that have surfaced since the beginning of the month....or the fact that despite losing 7 of 8, the Cubs still own a 4-game lead in the division and the best record in the Senior Circuit. The CCO will instead open up the floor to discuss whichever topic or topics the Faithful would like debate back and forth about on the penultimate off day of the regular season.

The floor is yours, with one stipulation....Stay Classy Cubs Fans.

Lieber Done for Year

2008-09-08T02:07:00.003-07:00

According to multiple reports out of Chicago, Jon Lieber has returned home to Mobile, AL and will not pitch for the remainder of the season. According to the report on Cubs.com, Lieber told "Cubs general manager Jim Hendry his arm is sore and he is unable to pitch the rest of the season."

Lieber was a big part of the early season success for the Cubs. Lieber finished 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 26 games....but was 2-1 in 8 games in April with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

Completely Useless? - Cubs 3 Reds 4

2008-09-08T02:07:00.001-07:00

Game One Hundred Forty-Three - Cubs 3 Reds 4
WP - Francisco Cordero (5-4) LP - Kerry Wood (4-4, BS 6) Save - None

While Saturday's win ended the Cubs 6-game losing streak, Sunday's loss erased the memory of the victory as the Cubs returned to the formula that has seen them drop 7 of their last 8 games. There are no excuses the Cubs can make for losing, not only the game....but the series to the Reds. The last 3 games magnified all of the problems since the calendar turned to September. Poor defense, lack of clutch hitting and wasting strong performances by their starting pitchers.

The Cubs offense struggled against Aaron Harang but managed to put 3 runs on the board in 6 innings off of 7 hits. The Cubs left 10 on base on the afternoon and could not capitalize on the extra opportunities Reds pitching gave them.

The Cubs first run scored in the 4th inning on a double play off the bat of Geovany Soto. The Cubs loaded the bases with no outs but came away with only the one run. Ronny Cedeno doubled in Geovany Soto in the 7th that gave the Cubs a 1-run lead. Mike Fontenot followed with a sacrifice fly to right that plated Mark DeRosa with the Cubs third run.

Sean Marshall turned in a great performance. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 6 innings with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Neal Cotts and Carlos Marmol kept the Reds off the board and did not allow a hit in 2 combined innings of work. Lou Piniella's crew took the field in the bottom of the 9th up 3-1 with Kerry Wood on the mound for the first time since Tuesday.

Edwin Encarnacion reached on a bloop single to center and advanced to 2nd on an error by Jim Edmonds. Edmonds over ran the ball and allowed Encarnacion to advance into scoring position. Kerry Wood walked Jay Bruce on 5 pitches. Ryan Hanigan attempted to sacrifice bunt the tying runs into scoring position but bunted the ball too hard and Derrek Lee threw out Encarnacion at 3rd for the first out of the inning.

Javier Valentin, another long-time Cub killer, pinch-hit for Corey Patterson and worked a walk to load the bases after falling behind 0-2. Wilkin Castillo ran for Valentin and Chris Dickerson stepped in with the bases loaded and 1 out.

On a 2-2 pitch from Wood, Dickerson hit a bouncer up the middle. Ronny Cedeno moved to his left and then took his eye off the ball. What should have been a game ending double play, or at the very least the inning's second out, turned into an error. Jay Bruce and Ryan Hanigan scored the tying runs....Cedeno's error was changed to a double for Dickerson after the game.

With runners on 2nd and 3rd and only 1 out, Jolbert Cabrera then gave the Reds the win with a hard single to left. Cabrera threw his hands in the air, Kerry Wood screamed obscenities and appeared to make a mental note of the celebration.

Two errors and two walks led to the loss. Fielders must catch the ball and pitchers must throw strikes in the 9th inning of a game....especially in September.

The Cubs completed their worst 8-game stretch of the season with an embarrassing loss in Cincinnati and finished the season series with the Reds with 8 wins out of 15 games. With the loss by the Brewers in Milwaukee on Sunday the Cubs will spend the off day traveling to St. Louis with a 4-game lead in the division and still with the best record in the National League.

Cubs make it 6 in a row, 5-run inning sparks comeback

2008-08-29T11:38:00.002-07:00

Cubs make it 6 in a row, 5-run inning sparks comeback

Ryan Dempster went to the mound Thursday night shooting for his 16th win. Instead he got a no-decision yet pitched well through 5 innings allowing a run. It wasn't until the 6th inning before Dempster found himself in a little trouble. The Phillies put a 3-spot on the scoreboard to take a 4-1 lead. After the Cubs veteran starter departed Sean Marshall came in to pitch a scoreless 7th frame.

Cole Hamels had the Cubs reeling, quieting the lineup with an array of changeups and fastballs. He left the game after 7 innings which was a blessing for the Cubs because the next inning Mike Fontenot creamed a solo homerun to right-center. Then Soriano hit a double, another man reached base before D. Lee was walked to load the bases. Aramis Ramirez strolled to the plate and delivered with a monstrous grand slam! That makes 8 for his career.

Rallied from 4 down the Cubs scored all their runs in the inning via the long ball. This marks the 25th time this year the club has scored at least 5 runs in an inning. Wow that is outstanding! All it took was bringing in the Phillies' bullpen. The lineup tallied 5 hits off their relievers and drew 2 walks. One main strength the Cubs have over their NL opponents is their bullpen. Kerry Wood captured his 28th save pitching a scoreless 9th, yielding only a hit. Bob Howry keep the game within reason, giving the Cubs a chance late as he pitched an inning and picked up the win to improve to 6-4. Last night's outcome shows the Cubs reaching 50 wins at home with the other 34 on the road.

Aramis Ramirez is on the verge of catching fire as he closes in on 100 RBIs. He's going to blow by his numbers from last season: 26 homeruns, 99 RBIs, 35 doubles, and 72 runs. With him and Lee making solid contact in the middle of the order the Cubs will become even tougher to handle in late game situations. The clutch hits are there as a hot streak has developed. I'd like to see it resume uninterrupted for the rest of the series at Wrigley. Cubs' fans have to feel confident about the outlook for Game 3 with Rich Harden (4-1, 2.00) vs. Joe Blanton (1-0). This contest could result in another close one down to the wire in Chi town. Keep those bats cracking Cubbies!

Car Crash, as Described by a Bunch of Phillies Fans Who Got Creamed

2008-08-29T11:38:00.001-07:00

Car Crash, as Described by a Bunch of Phillies Fans Who Got Creamed

From reader comments during Thursday night's stirring 6-4 Cubs victory, the Cubs' 50th home victory of the season, as they appeared at The Good Phight, an excellent Phillies fans blog:

Oh Baby, Cole is on tonight. 7:19 pm
Good work Cole. He's on tonight. 7:35 pm
Cole is going good so far tonight. 9:07 pm
Oh crap, get Madson out of there. 9:26 pm
We're heading for another 8th inning meltdown! 9:29 pm
How many times recently has the bullpen crapped the bed? 9:31 pm
Bases loaded no outs. Wow. 9:33 pm
Were fucked. 9:33 pm
And a fucking Grand Slam…Charlie you should of just left Cole in... 9:35 pm
Utley never comes through in the clutch. 9:51 pm
man, phils could use somebody like kerry wood…throws strikes! 9:53 pm
they let that one get away. that was a win. they blew that one. damn it. 9:58 pm

Sarcastic Kiss-Off Memos Don't Get Much Better Than This

2008-08-28T16:38:00.001-07:00

Sarcastic Kiss-Off Memos Don't Get Much Better Than This

A quick timeout from the Cubs to consider other news on the Chicago sports scene...

Longtime sourpuss columnist Jay Mariotti announced on Wednesday that he had resigned his position at the Chicago Sun-Times, a development which occasioned a pointed reaction from Sun-Times editor Michael Cooke. Per Phil Rosenthal in the Tribune:

Cooke issued a decidedly unsentimental statement concerning Mariotti's exit..."We wish Jay well and will miss him--not personally, of course--but in the sense of noticing he is no longer here, at least for a few days."

The irony of all this is twofold.

First, the Sun-Times agreed with Mariotti on a contract extension until 2011 less than three months ago.

Second, Cooke's brief statement is more memorable than anything Mariotti has written in the past 17 years.

With Wednesday's 2-0 win at Pittsburgh, the Cubs finished the fleshy underbelly part of their late-season schedule—a sequence of three series and nine games against the Reds, Nationals, and Pirates—with seven wins and two losses and a six-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central. Now the Cubs have to get back to work.

On Thursday, the team will open a four-game set against the Phillies at Wrigley Field. Though the Phils lost to the Mets Wednesday to fall a half-game behind New York in the N.L. East race, they will come to Chicago still able to lay claim to a distinction unique so far this year in the National League:

The Phillies are the only team to enjoy an edge in their season series with the Cubs. (Charlie Manuel's team took two of three from Lou Piniella's boys at Citizens Bank Park back in mid-April.)