But, two out of three isn't going to help the Chicago Cubs record much. At least for a while. If the Cubs won every three game series in June two out of three and managed to win the two four game series they have three out of four, they'd only gain nine games and would still reside a game under .500. But at this point, the Cub fans would certainly take it.
What's the chances that the Cubs will win every series for the rest of the month and win three of four at Cincy and home vs. Milwaukee? Not great, considering two of the series are vs. Detroit and at Cleveland. But, winning more games than losing is certainly the priority, and the Cubs need to do much more winning if they want to approach the break-even point.
Is there much to cheer about if the Cubs somehow do reach .500? Well, it's better than a losing record, I suppose, but is it worth $100 mil? Obviously, it'd be good for TribCo, since the Cubs would definitely continue to sellout their games. In addition, it'd be good for Dusty, since the surge would likely be rewarded with a contract extention. Funny how losing as many games as you win would be looked at as a victory in 2006.
Do we really want Dusty back? I, for one, do not. I believe he'd be a great bench coach, getting the players to feel good about themselves, but I definitely think there are much better choices at the helm. Greater baseball minds have to outnumber Capt. Toothpick 3-1 out there. Seriously. Even the Cardinal fans know Dusty should go (as reported by 1060 West's interview, question #10, with the guys fromCardinal Diaspora), although they aren't as eager as we are to see it happen.
I can't believe it myself, but just due has to be given to Jacque Jones for turning it around, in spite of barbs from me, other writers, and one pissed (drunk) off female right field fan in Wrigley. In his last 10 games, he's been on fire, hitting .415/455/.756 with three homers, 11 RBI and eight runs scored. His season totals are now respectable as well, hitting .306/.346/.541 with 10 HR, 30 RBI, 21 R, 10 2B and nine BB. Not bad for a guy that looked like a lost puppy out there in RF the first month of the season. I owe you an apology, JJ. You are definitely a big reason this team looks anew in the last two series.
Alright, are the Northsiders ready to kick some Astros? Let's hope so. Carlos Zambrano up against Taylor Buchholz. Zambrano has found his way of late, as we've seen, and Buchholz has lost his, giving up 30 ER in 32 IP in May. He did have a complete game shutout vs. the Rangers in that timeframe as well, but the rest of the outings are the kind we'll be hoping for tonight.
Shut 'em down Carlos, and let's get on that March Toward Mediocrity.
acubfanrants
6/8/11
6/8/10
Whatever It Takes
Hey, the Cubs will take it, without question. A 5-4 extra inning win over the Cardinals is sweet however you slice it. A win is a win is a win. So three guys got caught stealing. So Todd Walker went 0-7 while sending in the tying run in the ninth on a Scott Rolen error and hitting in the go ahead run on a groundout in the top of the fourteenth. If Walk's going to go 0-7, that's the way to do it, I suppose.
And the Cubs need the win, as we are all much too painfully aware.
Sean Marshall had another good start, going 6.1 IP, allowing two ER on eight hits and striking out four. He's lowered his ERA to 4.80 on the season, which isn't great, but take away two of his 11 starts (his May 11th 9 run loss at SF, and his May 22nd 7 run defeat to the Marlins) and he'd be looking at a 2.72 ERA. Yeah, yeah, if it's and buts were candy and nuts, blah, blah, blah. But it's encouraging for the 6'7" young lefty, and for this writer, nonetheless.
Bob Howry didn't help matters much, though, allowing his inherited runner, Timo Perez, to score and count for Sean's second ER on the day (which tied the game), and also allowed Hector Luna to score on his record (which gave up the lead), both on a Scott Rolen double to left. He did get Juan Encarnacion to ground out, 5-3, however, to strand Albert Pujols at third, preventing any further damage.
Scott Williamson then came in and allowed two straight singles and a sac fly in the eighth to make it a two run deficit, before Rolen's two run error (only his fifth on the season) on Todd Walker's grounder to third. Thanks, Scott. The Cubs definitely needed that one.
Good news followed, not only on Todd's 14th inning RBI, but also that Will Ohman, Roberto Novoa, David Aardsma, Scott Eyre and Ryan Dempster all combined to keep the Cards from scoring anymore runs on the day. Nice. Scott went 2.0 IP and Ryan went 2.1, so that's a lot of good work from the pen. However, the Cubs now need Glendon Rusch to go deep in this afternoon's game to let the pen have some rest. Yikes.
So, the Cards might just even up the three game series today, sending Mark Mulder up against Rusch. But, ya never know. Mulder is 5-3 on the season, but his ERA is 4.52 and he's coming off a eight run, three homer outing vs. the Padres on May 28th. Hopefully, he hasn't regained his form yet. But this is Mark Mulder (and his 2.63 GO/AO) we're talking about here. We'll find out on Fox soon enough.
I won't get into the mistakes Dusty made in the game, taking runners out of the game on several occasions. I must be in a nice mood or something. I'm just going to hope that the Cubbies aren't too worn out to score some more runs this afternoon. Can you expect Juan Pierre, Michael Barrett, Jacque Jones and Ronny Cedeno to get three hits every day? Don't we wish.
I think they might need it with Rusch on the mound. I might be grabbing the remote by the third. The thought of Glendon trying to get Pujols out makes me cringe.
And the Cubs need the win, as we are all much too painfully aware.
Sean Marshall had another good start, going 6.1 IP, allowing two ER on eight hits and striking out four. He's lowered his ERA to 4.80 on the season, which isn't great, but take away two of his 11 starts (his May 11th 9 run loss at SF, and his May 22nd 7 run defeat to the Marlins) and he'd be looking at a 2.72 ERA. Yeah, yeah, if it's and buts were candy and nuts, blah, blah, blah. But it's encouraging for the 6'7" young lefty, and for this writer, nonetheless.
Bob Howry didn't help matters much, though, allowing his inherited runner, Timo Perez, to score and count for Sean's second ER on the day (which tied the game), and also allowed Hector Luna to score on his record (which gave up the lead), both on a Scott Rolen double to left. He did get Juan Encarnacion to ground out, 5-3, however, to strand Albert Pujols at third, preventing any further damage.
Scott Williamson then came in and allowed two straight singles and a sac fly in the eighth to make it a two run deficit, before Rolen's two run error (only his fifth on the season) on Todd Walker's grounder to third. Thanks, Scott. The Cubs definitely needed that one.
Good news followed, not only on Todd's 14th inning RBI, but also that Will Ohman, Roberto Novoa, David Aardsma, Scott Eyre and Ryan Dempster all combined to keep the Cards from scoring anymore runs on the day. Nice. Scott went 2.0 IP and Ryan went 2.1, so that's a lot of good work from the pen. However, the Cubs now need Glendon Rusch to go deep in this afternoon's game to let the pen have some rest. Yikes.
So, the Cards might just even up the three game series today, sending Mark Mulder up against Rusch. But, ya never know. Mulder is 5-3 on the season, but his ERA is 4.52 and he's coming off a eight run, three homer outing vs. the Padres on May 28th. Hopefully, he hasn't regained his form yet. But this is Mark Mulder (and his 2.63 GO/AO) we're talking about here. We'll find out on Fox soon enough.
I won't get into the mistakes Dusty made in the game, taking runners out of the game on several occasions. I must be in a nice mood or something. I'm just going to hope that the Cubbies aren't too worn out to score some more runs this afternoon. Can you expect Juan Pierre, Michael Barrett, Jacque Jones and Ronny Cedeno to get three hits every day? Don't we wish.
I think they might need it with Rusch on the mound. I might be grabbing the remote by the third. The thought of Glendon trying to get Pujols out makes me cringe.
6/8/09
Nevin For JHJ?
What? While the Cubs did need a guy who could play first base, sort of, why did they trade away the one second baseman of the three who could also play outfield? Neifi and Womack are infielders only, and Nevin isn't going to play any outfield, although they seem to think they'll throw him out there (scary), so why handcuff the team further? OK, Phil Nevin has a better track record than Jerry Hairston, Jr., for sure, but when is he going to play?
And what's with Nevin's $10.3 million salary!! Seriously, what a joke. So the Cubs take on a big contract, to fill a position they don't really need, especially in a few weeks when Derrek Lee comes back. Unreal.
To make this worse, I see them platooning him with Walker, and taking AB's from Todd and giving them to Neifi or Womack. This is not going to help the team. Sure, Phil's hit nine homers. Great. He's also batting .216 and will lead the Cubs with his 39 K's on the young season. He has walked 21 times as well, which is more than anyone except for Walker, bringing his OBP up to .307, so that helps. Unfortunately, in his last 10 games, he's been struggling, hitting .132/.175/.289 with 11 K and only 2 BB. Great. Do the Cubs really need this guy?
In a word, no. Why waste millions of more dollars to pay for a semi-decent player they need for three weeks and then is going to be a bench warmer? Insane. Ignorant. Placating. Foolish.
Oh well, what else have we come to expect?
Are they thinking he can catch? Or play third? Who knows. All I know is this is too little, too late. It's a "look Mom, I'm trying my best!" sort of move.
Oh yeah, there's that ticket sales thing again.
I think I'm going to be sick.
OK, if they start Phil at first and Todd at second, and bat an order of:
Again, I ask, why, why, why?
When a lefty pitches, are they going to bench Walker and play Neifi at 2nd and Phil at 1st? I'm really afraid that's going to happen. Great, that's about half of the time. This trade is going to take the best bat (currently) out of the lineup (Todd's .310/.383/.427) and replace it with Nevin's (.216/.307/.415). Not helpful and at a cost of millions of dollars.
Also, since Neifi is a switch-"hitter" (hard to call .206/.228/.268 hitting), and Tony and Todd are lefties, Capt. Toothpick will likely put his little buddy Perez out there vs. the southpaws, even though he's only hitting .190 against them, 21 points lower than he hits righties, and 54 points lower than Walker hits the lefthanders. Add to all of this that Tony likely gets the shaft. So, not only will Walker get less AB's, but Neifi will get more and Womack, who's hot, will basically be out of the picture, except for a defensive replacement late in games (again, removing Walk's bat from the lineup).
Essentially, it costs more, it won't help the team, and is a move only made by desperate men who don't know any better.
Welcome to the Northside of Chicago.
UPDATE: OOPS. I'm an idiot.
The Cubs are only going to pay about $375 thousand of the deal (taking into account the salary gained by trading JHJ and $4.5 mil in cash the Rangers are sending over). Guess I should have taken my medication this morning. The deal looks much better now that I know all the facts. The point about keeping Walker's bat in the lineup still stands. We'll see how this all plays out.
I'll try and stay calm until then (like that'll happen).
Later.
And what's with Nevin's $10.3 million salary!! Seriously, what a joke. So the Cubs take on a big contract, to fill a position they don't really need, especially in a few weeks when Derrek Lee comes back. Unreal.
To make this worse, I see them platooning him with Walker, and taking AB's from Todd and giving them to Neifi or Womack. This is not going to help the team. Sure, Phil's hit nine homers. Great. He's also batting .216 and will lead the Cubs with his 39 K's on the young season. He has walked 21 times as well, which is more than anyone except for Walker, bringing his OBP up to .307, so that helps. Unfortunately, in his last 10 games, he's been struggling, hitting .132/.175/.289 with 11 K and only 2 BB. Great. Do the Cubs really need this guy?
In a word, no. Why waste millions of more dollars to pay for a semi-decent player they need for three weeks and then is going to be a bench warmer? Insane. Ignorant. Placating. Foolish.
Oh well, what else have we come to expect?
Are they thinking he can catch? Or play third? Who knows. All I know is this is too little, too late. It's a "look Mom, I'm trying my best!" sort of move.
Oh yeah, there's that ticket sales thing again.
I think I'm going to be sick.
OK, if they start Phil at first and Todd at second, and bat an order of:
- Pierre
- Murton
- Walker
- Barrett
- Ramirez
- Jacque
- Nevin
- Cedeno
- Pierre
- Cedeno
- Walker
- Ramirez
- Jacque
- Nevin
- Murton
- Blanco
Again, I ask, why, why, why?
When a lefty pitches, are they going to bench Walker and play Neifi at 2nd and Phil at 1st? I'm really afraid that's going to happen. Great, that's about half of the time. This trade is going to take the best bat (currently) out of the lineup (Todd's .310/.383/.427) and replace it with Nevin's (.216/.307/.415). Not helpful and at a cost of millions of dollars.
Also, since Neifi is a switch-"hitter" (hard to call .206/.228/.268 hitting), and Tony and Todd are lefties, Capt. Toothpick will likely put his little buddy Perez out there vs. the southpaws, even though he's only hitting .190 against them, 21 points lower than he hits righties, and 54 points lower than Walker hits the lefthanders. Add to all of this that Tony likely gets the shaft. So, not only will Walker get less AB's, but Neifi will get more and Womack, who's hot, will basically be out of the picture, except for a defensive replacement late in games (again, removing Walk's bat from the lineup).
Essentially, it costs more, it won't help the team, and is a move only made by desperate men who don't know any better.
Welcome to the Northside of Chicago.
UPDATE: OOPS. I'm an idiot.
The Cubs are only going to pay about $375 thousand of the deal (taking into account the salary gained by trading JHJ and $4.5 mil in cash the Rangers are sending over). Guess I should have taken my medication this morning. The deal looks much better now that I know all the facts. The point about keeping Walker's bat in the lineup still stands. We'll see how this all plays out.
I'll try and stay calm until then (like that'll happen).
Later.
6/8/08
Cubs O Keeps On Rollin
Hey, are these the same Chicago Cubs? Not that I'm complaining, but where did this come from? Beating the Reds 8-3 with 11 hits? OK, except for the two errors, a fan could get used to this type of performance.
Aramis Ramirez went 2-4 with a run scored. Todd Walker went 2-2 with two runs scored, two walks and a RBI. Jacque Jones got hot again, and this time against lefties, hitting a bases loaded double that scored three and a solo shot off of Merker (yes!) in the bottom of the eighth. Even Henry Blanco got a RBI single. No kidding!
Greg Maddux pitched 5.2, giving up three earned runs on seven hits, no walks and a K, for his sixth win on the season, his first in May. If it wasn't for the hour+ rain delay, he might certainly would have gone deeper in the game. This time, however, the bullpen came in strong and finished the last 3.1 without surrendering a run. Aarsdma finished up the sixth with three pitches. Novoa actually had a decent outing, although he walked another one. Ohman continued his good work of late with a two K shutout eighth and Dempster came in to close it out, although it wasn't a save situation.
Alright, can the Cubs continue this little streak and be the sweeper instead of the sweepee? We'll find out tonight, when Carlos takes the hill looking to go 4-2 on the season.
Let's Get Some Runs.
Aramis Ramirez went 2-4 with a run scored. Todd Walker went 2-2 with two runs scored, two walks and a RBI. Jacque Jones got hot again, and this time against lefties, hitting a bases loaded double that scored three and a solo shot off of Merker (yes!) in the bottom of the eighth. Even Henry Blanco got a RBI single. No kidding!
Greg Maddux pitched 5.2, giving up three earned runs on seven hits, no walks and a K, for his sixth win on the season, his first in May. If it wasn't for the hour+ rain delay, he might certainly would have gone deeper in the game. This time, however, the bullpen came in strong and finished the last 3.1 without surrendering a run. Aarsdma finished up the sixth with three pitches. Novoa actually had a decent outing, although he walked another one. Ohman continued his good work of late with a two K shutout eighth and Dempster came in to close it out, although it wasn't a save situation.
Alright, can the Cubs continue this little streak and be the sweeper instead of the sweepee? We'll find out tonight, when Carlos takes the hill looking to go 4-2 on the season.
Let's Get Some Runs.
6/8/07
Wood Wins Game, Offense Shows Up
Two good things happened Monday afternoon. Kerry Wood looked better, getting up to 97mph on the gun. He went 6.0 IP, allowing 5 hits, one ER, one BB and striking out four. Not too bad. Still a little wild though, with 85 pitches and 56 for strikes. Oh, and one extremely wild pitch that led to a run. Again, not 100%, but better nonetheless.
Perhaps more refreshing, especially after three one run losses to Atlanta, the Cubbies offense showed up again, led by Todd Walker, who went 3-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Even better, that dinger was given up by our "buddy" Kent Mercker. Sweet. How's that 7.45 ERA feelin', eh?
Matt Murton also came through with a 2-4 day with a solo homer and two runs scored. Tony Womack continues to perform, bringing in another good day with a 2-5 on the board and another run scored. He's making life difficult for Neifi and JHJ, which is fine with me. Woody also helped his own cause going 2-2 on the day with an RBI.
How about Aardsma coming in throwing the heat and shutting the Reds down in the seventh? Impressive, but I've seen him fail as well, so I'm quite reluctant to believe it's anything more than a lucky day. Get on out there again and show it to me and maybe you'll win me over. But, if the slate was clean, I'd say he looked great today. Someone buy that man a cold one.
Can the Cubs keep up the good work? Or is this just a glimmer of futile hope in an otherwise dreary season? Only time will tell, but I'm feeling a little better. With Mark Prior throwing 44 pitches today as well, maybe, just maybe, .500 isn't that unrealistic a goal for '06.
Hey, did someone slip some Blue in my beverage?
Perhaps more refreshing, especially after three one run losses to Atlanta, the Cubbies offense showed up again, led by Todd Walker, who went 3-4 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Even better, that dinger was given up by our "buddy" Kent Mercker. Sweet. How's that 7.45 ERA feelin', eh?
Matt Murton also came through with a 2-4 day with a solo homer and two runs scored. Tony Womack continues to perform, bringing in another good day with a 2-5 on the board and another run scored. He's making life difficult for Neifi and JHJ, which is fine with me. Woody also helped his own cause going 2-2 on the day with an RBI.
How about Aardsma coming in throwing the heat and shutting the Reds down in the seventh? Impressive, but I've seen him fail as well, so I'm quite reluctant to believe it's anything more than a lucky day. Get on out there again and show it to me and maybe you'll win me over. But, if the slate was clean, I'd say he looked great today. Someone buy that man a cold one.
Can the Cubs keep up the good work? Or is this just a glimmer of futile hope in an otherwise dreary season? Only time will tell, but I'm feeling a little better. With Mark Prior throwing 44 pitches today as well, maybe, just maybe, .500 isn't that unrealistic a goal for '06.
Hey, did someone slip some Blue in my beverage?
6/8/06
About To Be Swept By Braves
John Smoltz against Jae Kuk Ryu? Just give it to the Braves. Seriously. It's over before it starts.
Cubs lose another tight one to the Braves 2-1. Well, at least Dempster didn't blow another save and Neifi didn't botch the game with 2 errors again. Oh, he didn't play. Hey! That's a great idea! Want to help the Cubs? Then Hendry/MacPhail, Inc. should trade Neifi Perez right away. Who cares who they get. I don't care if they get anything at all. It's addition by subtraction. First off, you get rid of Dusty's little nephew and remove the ability for the Capt. to screw up the lineup every other day. Secondly, you lose a guy who's hitting (if you can call it hitting) .195/.220/.241 on the year. He's committed 4 errors in 68 chances at 2nd. In comparison, the "defensive liability" Todd Walker has committed zero in 65 chances at 2nd, and only one in 186 chances at first. Oh yeah, he's hurting the team with the glove alright. And his .299/.365/.401 is worth just a bit more then Neifi, wouldn't you say? Well, not if you're the Ivory Tower, who's paying each of them $2.5 mil this season. What a frickin' joke. Seriously, you can't make this sort of material up. Someone actually thinks this is a good idea. Calling them morons would be a disjustice to morons out there. Unless they're Morans, of course.
Since the Cardinals are 5.0 games in first, and the Cubs are 12 games below .500, I think comparing the Redbirds to the lowly Cubs would be a serious mistake by anyone. It's like comparing the Patriots to the Texans. Except the Texans might be better than the Cubs. The smart Cub fans wish they had Larussa at the helm. I know, I know, blasphemous, but true. Deal with it.
I'm too sick to write anymore about it. Why do people put up with this crap?
And would Capt. Toothpick please put someone with OBP ("duh, what's that?") in the two-slot in the order? PLEASE! How about Matt Murton? Just because a guy is fast doesn't mean he should bat 2nd. Enough of JHJ and Neifi already. OK, I'll accept some speed to leadoff (although Boston seems to do fine with Youklis), but why does Dusty consistenly put a rally killer in the second spot in the batting order? Who hired this overrated, smoke and mirrors guy? Don't you think baserunners would be a good idea with your best hitters coming up and not the pitcher's spot? Is this that tough to figure out?
Lastly, maybe you should vote for Neifi for the All-Star Game to join Matt, myself and many others in protest of fans voting for the starters in a game that means home field advantage in the World Series. I'm not sure it'll do anything at all, but what the hell, are you seriously going to vote for Biggio or something?
Cubs lose another tight one to the Braves 2-1. Well, at least Dempster didn't blow another save and Neifi didn't botch the game with 2 errors again. Oh, he didn't play. Hey! That's a great idea! Want to help the Cubs? Then Hendry/MacPhail, Inc. should trade Neifi Perez right away. Who cares who they get. I don't care if they get anything at all. It's addition by subtraction. First off, you get rid of Dusty's little nephew and remove the ability for the Capt. to screw up the lineup every other day. Secondly, you lose a guy who's hitting (if you can call it hitting) .195/.220/.241 on the year. He's committed 4 errors in 68 chances at 2nd. In comparison, the "defensive liability" Todd Walker has committed zero in 65 chances at 2nd, and only one in 186 chances at first. Oh yeah, he's hurting the team with the glove alright. And his .299/.365/.401 is worth just a bit more then Neifi, wouldn't you say? Well, not if you're the Ivory Tower, who's paying each of them $2.5 mil this season. What a frickin' joke. Seriously, you can't make this sort of material up. Someone actually thinks this is a good idea. Calling them morons would be a disjustice to morons out there. Unless they're Morans, of course.
Since the Cardinals are 5.0 games in first, and the Cubs are 12 games below .500, I think comparing the Redbirds to the lowly Cubs would be a serious mistake by anyone. It's like comparing the Patriots to the Texans. Except the Texans might be better than the Cubs. The smart Cub fans wish they had Larussa at the helm. I know, I know, blasphemous, but true. Deal with it.
I'm too sick to write anymore about it. Why do people put up with this crap?
And would Capt. Toothpick please put someone with OBP ("duh, what's that?") in the two-slot in the order? PLEASE! How about Matt Murton? Just because a guy is fast doesn't mean he should bat 2nd. Enough of JHJ and Neifi already. OK, I'll accept some speed to leadoff (although Boston seems to do fine with Youklis), but why does Dusty consistenly put a rally killer in the second spot in the batting order? Who hired this overrated, smoke and mirrors guy? Don't you think baserunners would be a good idea with your best hitters coming up and not the pitcher's spot? Is this that tough to figure out?
Lastly, maybe you should vote for Neifi for the All-Star Game to join Matt, myself and many others in protest of fans voting for the starters in a game that means home field advantage in the World Series. I'm not sure it'll do anything at all, but what the hell, are you seriously going to vote for Biggio or something?
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