Today the Cubs and the defending World Champion Giants will meet in a double header because they must make up a Sunday game that was postponed back on May 15. A wild homestand for the Cubs continues after a makeup game victory over the Rockies on a scheduled off day yesterday.
The Cubs bullpen could be in trouble today, because in addition to the fact that a twin bill always taxes a pen, they may not get much length out of their starters. Doug Davis will hopefully go deep into the first game, but you never know with the crafty lefty. Rodrigo Lopez, normally a member of the relief core, will be forced to start the second game because none of the five starters are available on regular rest.
This is a split twin bill, with game one starting at 1:20 and the first pitch of the second game taking place at 7:05. Here is the Cubs starting lineup for the first game:
1. Kosuke, RF
2. Campana, CF
3. Castro, SS
4. Ramirez, 3B
5. Pena, 1B
6. Soriano, LF
7. DeWitt, 2B
8. Hill, C
9. Davis, P
The Cubbies already played one day-night double dip this year, splitting a April 20 affair with the Padres. They won the first game 2-1 on a dramatic Reed Johnson home run before falling in the nightcap. At that point they were .500 for the season.
There are always two possibilities that could make a double header even more wild- a rain delay or extra innings. The first is unlikely today as the weather in Chicago is beautiful.
The Cubs did not play a double dip last year and split one in 2009 against the Cardinals. The last time the Boys in Blue swept both games was in Atlanta on August 13, 2008.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Showing posts with label Series Preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Series Preview. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Crosstown Showdown Preview
Last year, I took a look at the history of the Cubs VS White Sox match-up. Click here to check out that post. In 2010, the Sox took four of the six meetings to extend their all time series lead to 41-37. Last year's series will be remembered for a near Ted Lilly no-hitter (broken up by former Cub Juan Pierre), the Blackhawks bringing the Stanley Cup to Wrigley and for Carlos Zambrano's meltdown that earned him time away from the team.
Here is a look at the six game slate for this year.
June 20-22 @ U.S. Cellular Field
Game 1- Tonight at 7:10 Carlos Zambrano VS Gavin Floyd
Game 2- Tuesday at 7:10 Matt Garza VS Mark Buehrle
Game 3- Wednesday at 7:10 Doug Davis VS Jake Peavy
July 1-3 @ Wrigley Field
Game 1- Friday July 1 at 1:20
Game 2- Saturday July 2 at 3:10 FOX-TV
Game 3- Sunday July 3 at 1:20
All of the games, besides the one broadcast on FOX will be on Comcast Sports Net with either Cubs or White Sox announcers. The other club's broadcast team will do the game on either WGN or WCIU. All six games will be on both 670 The Score and WGN-720.
Here are some links and notes as we preview the Crosstown Classic.
Here is a look at the six game slate for this year.
June 20-22 @ U.S. Cellular Field
Game 1- Tonight at 7:10 Carlos Zambrano VS Gavin Floyd
Game 2- Tuesday at 7:10 Matt Garza VS Mark Buehrle
Game 3- Wednesday at 7:10 Doug Davis VS Jake Peavy
July 1-3 @ Wrigley Field
Game 1- Friday July 1 at 1:20
Game 2- Saturday July 2 at 3:10 FOX-TV
Game 3- Sunday July 3 at 1:20
All of the games, besides the one broadcast on FOX will be on Comcast Sports Net with either Cubs or White Sox announcers. The other club's broadcast team will do the game on either WGN or WCIU. All six games will be on both 670 The Score and WGN-720.
Here are some links and notes as we preview the Crosstown Classic.
- The Daily Herald's Mike Spellman lists some of the reasons to care about this series.
- Mike Quade is looking forward to the City Series.
- Phil Rogers writes that the Crosstown Series is still worth watching, despite the location of both teams in the standings.
- Carlos Zambrano will be in the spotlight tonight when he takes the mound for game one.
- Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times reports that the Cubs have a lot at stake in this series because "this is their playoffs."
- Carrie Muskat takes a look at the Cubs career leaders against the South Siders.
- Game coverage starts with Chicago Tribune Live from U.S. Cellular Field tonight at 5:00 on CSN Chicago.
That's it for now and remember...
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Monday, August 23, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Nationals
The Chicago Cubs will look to rebound after an embarrassing 16-5 defeat in Sunday's rubber match against the Braves. The Boys in Blue are now 51-74, 21.5 game behind the first place Reds. A new era of Cubs baseball begins with this series in Washington D.C.
Lou Piniella announced before yesterday's game that it would be his last as a big league manager. Sweet Lou had to step down earlier than expected in order to tend to his sick mother in Tampa, FL. He said it would be unfair to continue to leave the team and come back, so since it was his last year anyways he went ahead and stepped down.
Lou had a fantastic managerial career but he did not go out the way he had hoped. Third base coach Mike Quade will have a tall task ahead as he takes over as skipper for at least the rest of 2010. All eyes will be on the dugout tonight the new interim becomes the 51st manager in the history of the Chicago Cubs.
Quade and Ryne Sandberg are the two candidates that Jim Hendry has announced for the 2011 opening. Bench coach Alan Trammell will not receive consideration and will most likely leave the team after this season. Ivan DeJesus, who was the Cubs first base coach, will take over Quade's job at third for the rest of the year. Bruce Levine reported last night that minor league roving instructor Bobby Dernier will join the team as the first base coach, but that has not yet been confirmed. Matt Sinatro is also a candidate to take over at first for now.
The Washington Nationals are not in much better shape than the Cubs. They are 53-71 going into this set. The Nats had a decent first half, but they've gone down hill since and now reside in the basement of the NL East. They are 20 games behind the first place Braves.
Washington was blanked in the final game against the Phillies on Sunday 6-0. Ex-Cubs manager Jim Riggleman has not been able to get the job done this season. Third base coach Pat Listach will also receive a lot of attention from the media during this series. He is a former Cubs minor league manager at Triple-A Iowa and has expressed interesting in coming in as Lou's successor next season.
After the Cubs leave town at head for Cincinnati, the St. Louis Cardinals will come to Nationals Park looking to regain the top spot in the Central. This is the Cubs first trip to our nation's capital of the year, but they did host the Nats back in April. The Boys in Blue won the first game, but Washington battled back to win the next two.
Young phenom Stephen Strasburgh will not pitch in this series, but the Cubs will see a familiar face in Jason Marquis on Wednesday. Washington first baseman and free agent to be Adam Dunn could receive a look from the scouts in this set, as the Cubs could be looking for a new first baseman this winter.
Unless of coarse, Jim Hendry is happy with Tyler Colvin's play at first. Colvin sat out most of the weekend at Wrigley in order to take grounders at first base and is expected to debut there during this series. However, Colvin is in tonight's early lineup in right field.
Perhaps Quade and his staff were not happy with Tyler's play at first, because Micah Hoffpauir has been called up for tonight's game, according to a tweet from Gordon Wittenmyer. Geovany Soto is also expected to be activated from the disabled list and in the starting nine tonight. The club will have to make two corresponding moves, so most likely Sam Fuld and Welington Castillo are both headed back to Triple-A without getting much of a chance during there time with the team.
Perhaps the Cubs will pull off an Oriole-like win streak under a new skipper.
Let's just go get a win!
Lou Piniella announced before yesterday's game that it would be his last as a big league manager. Sweet Lou had to step down earlier than expected in order to tend to his sick mother in Tampa, FL. He said it would be unfair to continue to leave the team and come back, so since it was his last year anyways he went ahead and stepped down.
Lou had a fantastic managerial career but he did not go out the way he had hoped. Third base coach Mike Quade will have a tall task ahead as he takes over as skipper for at least the rest of 2010. All eyes will be on the dugout tonight the new interim becomes the 51st manager in the history of the Chicago Cubs.
Quade and Ryne Sandberg are the two candidates that Jim Hendry has announced for the 2011 opening. Bench coach Alan Trammell will not receive consideration and will most likely leave the team after this season. Ivan DeJesus, who was the Cubs first base coach, will take over Quade's job at third for the rest of the year. Bruce Levine reported last night that minor league roving instructor Bobby Dernier will join the team as the first base coach, but that has not yet been confirmed. Matt Sinatro is also a candidate to take over at first for now.
The Washington Nationals are not in much better shape than the Cubs. They are 53-71 going into this set. The Nats had a decent first half, but they've gone down hill since and now reside in the basement of the NL East. They are 20 games behind the first place Braves.
Washington was blanked in the final game against the Phillies on Sunday 6-0. Ex-Cubs manager Jim Riggleman has not been able to get the job done this season. Third base coach Pat Listach will also receive a lot of attention from the media during this series. He is a former Cubs minor league manager at Triple-A Iowa and has expressed interesting in coming in as Lou's successor next season.
After the Cubs leave town at head for Cincinnati, the St. Louis Cardinals will come to Nationals Park looking to regain the top spot in the Central. This is the Cubs first trip to our nation's capital of the year, but they did host the Nats back in April. The Boys in Blue won the first game, but Washington battled back to win the next two.
Young phenom Stephen Strasburgh will not pitch in this series, but the Cubs will see a familiar face in Jason Marquis on Wednesday. Washington first baseman and free agent to be Adam Dunn could receive a look from the scouts in this set, as the Cubs could be looking for a new first baseman this winter.
Unless of coarse, Jim Hendry is happy with Tyler Colvin's play at first. Colvin sat out most of the weekend at Wrigley in order to take grounders at first base and is expected to debut there during this series. However, Colvin is in tonight's early lineup in right field.
Perhaps Quade and his staff were not happy with Tyler's play at first, because Micah Hoffpauir has been called up for tonight's game, according to a tweet from Gordon Wittenmyer. Geovany Soto is also expected to be activated from the disabled list and in the starting nine tonight. The club will have to make two corresponding moves, so most likely Sam Fuld and Welington Castillo are both headed back to Triple-A without getting much of a chance during there time with the team.
Perhaps the Cubs will pull off an Oriole-like win streak under a new skipper.
Let's just go get a win!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Cardinals
St. Louis here I come! I'll be blogging live from Gateway City all weekend as I take in the games on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
The Cubs are trying to get things together. They are in the middle of a tough stretch of 20 games in 20 days, while the Cardinals are enjoying a stretch of three off days in an eight day span. The Cubbies lost three of four in San Francisco but played well in all four games. The bats are showing signs off life, but in the end a lineup of mostly subs couldn't get the job done against the Wild Card leaders.
They were without their starting first baseman & manager due to family problems, their catcher and third baseman due to injuries, and their second baseman and reserve infielder due to trades. On top of that, Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd both received a day off in the series. Their bullpen includes five rookies. What about their two best starting pitchers in the first half? One disabled, one traded. It's no wonder the Cubs lost that series.
The Cubs have seen a ton of prospects get the chance to get some big league experience lately. Three position players alone were called up from Iowa during the set with the Giants. Darwin Barney made his big league debut at second base on Thursday but did not come to the plate. Welington Castillo made his debut on Wednesday night and doubled in his first big league at-bat. Micah Hoffpauir went 0-for-6 with an error in one start and one pinch hit AB in the series. Micah could be sent down today when Derrek Lee is activated off of the bereavement list.
D-Lee is expected to rejoin the team. Keep the fan favorite first baseman in your thoughts as his grandfather is very ill. Lou Piniella will also return to the dugout tonight after leaving to be with his ailing mother. Bench coach Alan Trammell managed the last four games and is now 1-6 on the year when he takes over for Lou.
While the Cubs will be with their manager, the Cardinals will be without theirs. Tony LaRussa was suspended by Major League Baseball for his involvement in a bench clearing brawl in a game between the Cards and Reds earlier in the week. LaRussa will start his suspension tonight and then return for the series finale on Sunday. Bench coach Joe Pettini is expected to be at the helm in place of the suspended skipper.
While the Cubs are 17 games out of first and falling fast, this is a very important series for the St. Louis ballclub. They swept the Reds this week and hold a one game lead over Cincinnati for the top spot in the NL Central. The Reds, who will also be without manager Dusty Baker because of the brawl, will take on the Marlins this weekend.
The Red Birds come in at 64-49, while the Cubs hold a record of 48-67. The pair of old rivals will see a lot of each other down the stretch. They play a three game series at Busch Stadium Sept. 13-16, and then the Cards come to Wrigley September 24-26. That series will conclude the Cubs final homestand of the season.
The Cardinals are one of the only team in the division that the Cubs do not have a record under .500 against... but their mark against the Cards is at .500 at 3-3. They dropped two of three at home May 28-30, but then the Cubs won the set July 23-25. This is the first trip the Cubs have made all season to Busch Stadium.
Aramis Ramirez could be back in the lineup tonight. He injured his left side on Monday when he dove for a ball and missed the end of the Giants series with soreness. The Cubs are starting to get some guys back in there, but another waive of guys from Triple-A is still expected.
Game 1: Friday at 7:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Thomas Diamond, RHP (0-2, 8.00 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jake Westbrook, RHP (0-0, 3.46 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 3:10
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-6, 5.76 ERA
Cardinals Starting: Chris Carpenter, RHP (13-3, 2.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: FOX/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 1:15
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (10-8, 3.66 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Kyle Lohse, RHP (1-4, 5.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Let's push the Cardinals out of first!
The Cubs are trying to get things together. They are in the middle of a tough stretch of 20 games in 20 days, while the Cardinals are enjoying a stretch of three off days in an eight day span. The Cubbies lost three of four in San Francisco but played well in all four games. The bats are showing signs off life, but in the end a lineup of mostly subs couldn't get the job done against the Wild Card leaders.
They were without their starting first baseman & manager due to family problems, their catcher and third baseman due to injuries, and their second baseman and reserve infielder due to trades. On top of that, Alfonso Soriano and Marlon Byrd both received a day off in the series. Their bullpen includes five rookies. What about their two best starting pitchers in the first half? One disabled, one traded. It's no wonder the Cubs lost that series.
The Cubs have seen a ton of prospects get the chance to get some big league experience lately. Three position players alone were called up from Iowa during the set with the Giants. Darwin Barney made his big league debut at second base on Thursday but did not come to the plate. Welington Castillo made his debut on Wednesday night and doubled in his first big league at-bat. Micah Hoffpauir went 0-for-6 with an error in one start and one pinch hit AB in the series. Micah could be sent down today when Derrek Lee is activated off of the bereavement list.
D-Lee is expected to rejoin the team. Keep the fan favorite first baseman in your thoughts as his grandfather is very ill. Lou Piniella will also return to the dugout tonight after leaving to be with his ailing mother. Bench coach Alan Trammell managed the last four games and is now 1-6 on the year when he takes over for Lou.
While the Cubs will be with their manager, the Cardinals will be without theirs. Tony LaRussa was suspended by Major League Baseball for his involvement in a bench clearing brawl in a game between the Cards and Reds earlier in the week. LaRussa will start his suspension tonight and then return for the series finale on Sunday. Bench coach Joe Pettini is expected to be at the helm in place of the suspended skipper.
While the Cubs are 17 games out of first and falling fast, this is a very important series for the St. Louis ballclub. They swept the Reds this week and hold a one game lead over Cincinnati for the top spot in the NL Central. The Reds, who will also be without manager Dusty Baker because of the brawl, will take on the Marlins this weekend.
The Red Birds come in at 64-49, while the Cubs hold a record of 48-67. The pair of old rivals will see a lot of each other down the stretch. They play a three game series at Busch Stadium Sept. 13-16, and then the Cards come to Wrigley September 24-26. That series will conclude the Cubs final homestand of the season.
The Cardinals are one of the only team in the division that the Cubs do not have a record under .500 against... but their mark against the Cards is at .500 at 3-3. They dropped two of three at home May 28-30, but then the Cubs won the set July 23-25. This is the first trip the Cubs have made all season to Busch Stadium.
Aramis Ramirez could be back in the lineup tonight. He injured his left side on Monday when he dove for a ball and missed the end of the Giants series with soreness. The Cubs are starting to get some guys back in there, but another waive of guys from Triple-A is still expected.
Game 1: Friday at 7:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Thomas Diamond, RHP (0-2, 8.00 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jake Westbrook, RHP (0-0, 3.46 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 3:10
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-6, 5.76 ERA
Cardinals Starting: Chris Carpenter, RHP (13-3, 2.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: FOX/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 1:15
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (10-8, 3.66 ERA)
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Kyle Lohse, RHP (1-4, 5.89 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Let's push the Cardinals out of first!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Giants
The Cubs are headed back to the West Coast, where they will meet the Giants late tonight. The Cubbies offense has done nothing lately, and they will face very good pitching in the next seven games.
Four in San Fran starts tonight for a team that is coming off a 1-5 homestand and a sweep at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs come in at a new low water mark for the season, 17 games under .500 at 47-64. They are in fifth place, 16.5 back of first and 0.5 back of fourth. The Boys in Blue have dropped nine of their last ten.
The Giants come in after losing three of four in Atlanta in a big series this weekend. Tonight they will start a stretch of seven straight at AT&T Park, where they host the Cubs and the Padres this week. It will be an important week for San Francisco, because they are two games back of San Diego for the top spot in the NL West.
A 63-49 overall record puts the Giants atop the Wildcard standings in the National League. They will look to catch the Pads down the stretch, but at the same time they're trying to fend off the Phillies and Cardinals in the Wild Card race.
This series will be the first one between the two teams this season! This is the Cubs only trip to the Bay Area all year but the Giants will come to Wrigley September 21-23. The two teams haven't seen each other since a few Cactus League battles back in March.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who's having a tough summer personally and professionally, will not be with the team for this series. Sweet Lou's mother is in the hospital and he will head to Tampa, Florida to take care of her. He hopes to rejoin the team in St. Louis. For the time being, Alan Trammell will serve as the acting manager once again. Tram will get another chance to get his first W of the year after going 0-3 when Lou left the team for his uncle's funeral.
The Giants have couple of former Cubs farmhands on their roster in pitcher Todd Wellemyer and outfielder Andres Torres. Manager Bruce Bochy hopes his team can take advantage of the slumping Cubs and win this series before battling the first place Padres this weekend.
WGN Radio broadcaster Ron Santo has been skipping many of the Cubs road trips lately in order to stay healthy. Santo is a 70 year old type 1 diabetic. Dave Otto will join Pat Hughes on the broadcasts in San Fran.
Carlos Zambrano will make his return to the rotation tonight. Big Z hasn't made a start since the late June game against the White Sox where he exploded in the dugout on his teammates and ended up suspended for three games and then placed on the restricted list. Since then, Zambrano has undergone treatment from doctors, minor league rehab outings, three big league relief appearances, and is finally set to return to the rotation.
Both teams are expected to have their regular catchers back in the lineup on Monday. Buster Posey of the Giants received Sunday's game off but did pinch hit in the 9th. Geovany Soto missed the games on Saturday and Sunday due to a mild ligament sprain in his right shoulder.
Game 1: Monday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-6, 5.61 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner, LHP (4-4, 3.20 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN+/WGN Radio
Game 2: Tuesday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (9-8, 3.76 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, RHP (11-5, 3.15 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 3: Wednesday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-6, 3.51 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Barry Zito, LHP (8-6, 3.35 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 4: Thursday at 2:45 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (10-5, 4.37 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Matt Cain, RHP (9-9, 3.06 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Have the Cubs hit rock bottom yet?
Let's play the role of spoilers!
Four in San Fran starts tonight for a team that is coming off a 1-5 homestand and a sweep at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs come in at a new low water mark for the season, 17 games under .500 at 47-64. They are in fifth place, 16.5 back of first and 0.5 back of fourth. The Boys in Blue have dropped nine of their last ten.
The Giants come in after losing three of four in Atlanta in a big series this weekend. Tonight they will start a stretch of seven straight at AT&T Park, where they host the Cubs and the Padres this week. It will be an important week for San Francisco, because they are two games back of San Diego for the top spot in the NL West.
A 63-49 overall record puts the Giants atop the Wildcard standings in the National League. They will look to catch the Pads down the stretch, but at the same time they're trying to fend off the Phillies and Cardinals in the Wild Card race.
This series will be the first one between the two teams this season! This is the Cubs only trip to the Bay Area all year but the Giants will come to Wrigley September 21-23. The two teams haven't seen each other since a few Cactus League battles back in March.
Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who's having a tough summer personally and professionally, will not be with the team for this series. Sweet Lou's mother is in the hospital and he will head to Tampa, Florida to take care of her. He hopes to rejoin the team in St. Louis. For the time being, Alan Trammell will serve as the acting manager once again. Tram will get another chance to get his first W of the year after going 0-3 when Lou left the team for his uncle's funeral.
The Giants have couple of former Cubs farmhands on their roster in pitcher Todd Wellemyer and outfielder Andres Torres. Manager Bruce Bochy hopes his team can take advantage of the slumping Cubs and win this series before battling the first place Padres this weekend.
WGN Radio broadcaster Ron Santo has been skipping many of the Cubs road trips lately in order to stay healthy. Santo is a 70 year old type 1 diabetic. Dave Otto will join Pat Hughes on the broadcasts in San Fran.
Carlos Zambrano will make his return to the rotation tonight. Big Z hasn't made a start since the late June game against the White Sox where he exploded in the dugout on his teammates and ended up suspended for three games and then placed on the restricted list. Since then, Zambrano has undergone treatment from doctors, minor league rehab outings, three big league relief appearances, and is finally set to return to the rotation.
Both teams are expected to have their regular catchers back in the lineup on Monday. Buster Posey of the Giants received Sunday's game off but did pinch hit in the 9th. Geovany Soto missed the games on Saturday and Sunday due to a mild ligament sprain in his right shoulder.
Game 1: Monday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (3-6, 5.61 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Madison Bumgarner, LHP (4-4, 3.20 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN+/WGN Radio
Game 2: Tuesday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (9-8, 3.76 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Tim Lincecum, RHP (11-5, 3.15 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 3: Wednesday at 9:15 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-6, 3.51 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Barry Zito, LHP (8-6, 3.35 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 4: Thursday at 2:45 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (10-5, 4.37 ERA)
Giants Starting Pitcher: Matt Cain, RHP (9-9, 3.06 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Have the Cubs hit rock bottom yet?
Let's play the role of spoilers!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Reds
Many baseball people and Cubs fans have deemed the 2010 season a lost cause for Lou Piniella's squad. However, the final two month will be very important in terms of getting some younger guys experience and playing time. At the same time, the Cubs must work to try to increase the trade value of some of their veteran players that could be dealt this winter or even swapped in a waiver trade before the end of August.
The fifth place Chicago Cubs meet the first place Cincinnati Reds this weekend at Wrigley to finish up this six game homestand. This series is huge for the Reds, who are trying to hold off the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central. The Cards are only a half a game back.
With the Astros recent winning streak, they've passed up the Cubbies, who continue to slump on all cylinders. The 'Stros are now only 13 games out of first and the Cubs are 13.5 games back. The Cubs are coming off a big 15-3 win in the series finale against the Brewers on Wednesday before enjoying an off day on Thursday. They still dropped the series with the Crew after suffering a bashing on Monday and another loss on Tuesday. The victory on Wednesday snapped a seven game skid.
The Reds, who are 61-48 for they year, have hopes of capturing their first NL Central crown since 1995. This year could be their first trip to the playoffs in 15 years. Cincinnati is coming off a series where they beat the Pirates two out of three at PNC. This set concludes a six game trip, then they will return home on Monday to welcome the Cardinals and Marlins to town.
Lou's crew has dropped every series of the year with Dusty Baker's team. They are 3-7 against the Reds this season. This will be the first meeting since the All-Star break between the Midwest foes. The last time they met the Cubs lost three of four at Wrigley to start the month of July.
The Boys in Blue return to The Queen City August 27-29 for the final meetings of the year between the two teams. The Cubs will have to take all six game left against the Reds in order to take the season series, and they need to go 5-1 to split it.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Joey Votto gets when his name is announced today. Votto made some comments about Cubs fans during the All-Star break at Angel Stadium. He has said that he doesn't have an issue with Marlon Byrd or the organization, but just with the fan base. Joey's problems with the Faithful started when the Cubs won the NL Central at Great American Ballpark in front of thousands of Cubs fans in 2007. Votto says he will not sign autographs for supporters of the North Siders.
Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin are both making cases for the Rookie of the Year in the National League. They will continue to bat one and two in the Cubs order this weekend and throughout the rest of the season. Jim Hendry has said that more players for AAA-Iowa are on the way. Will the Cubs add guys like Welington Castillo, Bryan LaHair, Brad Snyder, and Darwin Barney to the roster soon?
Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com thinks the chances are good that we will see Darwin Barney at Wrigley this year, but it may not be until September. The story is the same for many of the other position players that are playing well at Triple-A.
The last time the Cubs were in first place was one year ago today- August 6, 2009. For all of the fans that thought last year was a total failure as well, it's weird to think that at this point last season they were in first place.
Yesterday the Marlins signed former Cub Chad Tracy to try to help them to the postseason. In other news, Jeff Samardzija is pitching well in the rotation in Iowa. He's throwing a good cutter and getting swings and misses according to scouting reports. He could return to the bigs to either start or relief at some point soon.
Game 1: Friday at 1:20 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, RHP (11-6, 4.01 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-5, 3.48 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 2: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Edinson Volquez, RHP (2-1, 6.35 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (5-9, 4.40 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Sunday at 1:20 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Travis Wood, RHP (2-1, 2.42 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Thomas Diamond, RHP (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
The Cubs go to San Fransisco and St. Louis on their next trip which starts on Monday.
It's time to play the role of spoilers!
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
The fifth place Chicago Cubs meet the first place Cincinnati Reds this weekend at Wrigley to finish up this six game homestand. This series is huge for the Reds, who are trying to hold off the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central. The Cards are only a half a game back.
With the Astros recent winning streak, they've passed up the Cubbies, who continue to slump on all cylinders. The 'Stros are now only 13 games out of first and the Cubs are 13.5 games back. The Cubs are coming off a big 15-3 win in the series finale against the Brewers on Wednesday before enjoying an off day on Thursday. They still dropped the series with the Crew after suffering a bashing on Monday and another loss on Tuesday. The victory on Wednesday snapped a seven game skid.
The Reds, who are 61-48 for they year, have hopes of capturing their first NL Central crown since 1995. This year could be their first trip to the playoffs in 15 years. Cincinnati is coming off a series where they beat the Pirates two out of three at PNC. This set concludes a six game trip, then they will return home on Monday to welcome the Cardinals and Marlins to town.
Lou's crew has dropped every series of the year with Dusty Baker's team. They are 3-7 against the Reds this season. This will be the first meeting since the All-Star break between the Midwest foes. The last time they met the Cubs lost three of four at Wrigley to start the month of July.
The Boys in Blue return to The Queen City August 27-29 for the final meetings of the year between the two teams. The Cubs will have to take all six game left against the Reds in order to take the season series, and they need to go 5-1 to split it.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction Joey Votto gets when his name is announced today. Votto made some comments about Cubs fans during the All-Star break at Angel Stadium. He has said that he doesn't have an issue with Marlon Byrd or the organization, but just with the fan base. Joey's problems with the Faithful started when the Cubs won the NL Central at Great American Ballpark in front of thousands of Cubs fans in 2007. Votto says he will not sign autographs for supporters of the North Siders.
Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin are both making cases for the Rookie of the Year in the National League. They will continue to bat one and two in the Cubs order this weekend and throughout the rest of the season. Jim Hendry has said that more players for AAA-Iowa are on the way. Will the Cubs add guys like Welington Castillo, Bryan LaHair, Brad Snyder, and Darwin Barney to the roster soon?
Carrie Muskat of Cubs.com thinks the chances are good that we will see Darwin Barney at Wrigley this year, but it may not be until September. The story is the same for many of the other position players that are playing well at Triple-A.
The last time the Cubs were in first place was one year ago today- August 6, 2009. For all of the fans that thought last year was a total failure as well, it's weird to think that at this point last season they were in first place.
Yesterday the Marlins signed former Cub Chad Tracy to try to help them to the postseason. In other news, Jeff Samardzija is pitching well in the rotation in Iowa. He's throwing a good cutter and getting swings and misses according to scouting reports. He could return to the bigs to either start or relief at some point soon.
Game 1: Friday at 1:20 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, RHP (11-6, 4.01 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-5, 3.48 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 2: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Edinson Volquez, RHP (2-1, 6.35 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (5-9, 4.40 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Sunday at 1:20 CT
Reds Starting Pitcher: Travis Wood, RHP (2-1, 2.42 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Thomas Diamond, RHP (0-1, 4.50 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
The Cubs go to San Fransisco and St. Louis on their next trip which starts on Monday.
It's time to play the role of spoilers!
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Friday, July 30, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Rockies
Update 4:40 CT- Bobby Howry has been released by the Cubs. He was let go to make room for Carlos Zambrano on the roster, who if officially reinstated according a tweet from Carrie Muskat.
The Cubs are set to begin a three game series in Colorado tonight. The big story though is the fact that that the Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. Will Hendry make a move our will the Cubs roster still be intact by the second game of this set tomorrow night?
The Cubbies still cannot figure out how to beat the terrible teams in the NL Central. They dropped two of three to the Astros earlier in the week, losing a series to the 'Stros for the second week in a row. They must win this series in order to salvage a decent road trip.
Lou's crew comes in with a 46-56 record, ten games under .500. They have dropped back to fourth place in the Central, 10.5 behind the first place Reds. They are looking to get back in the win column tonight after back-to-back losses Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday's off day. The Cubs are 20-29 away from Wrigley.
The Rockies are not exactly riding high either. They have lost eight of their last nine to fall out of the NL West picture. As it stands going into action tonight, Colorado has a 52-50 overall mark, which puts them in fourth in the West. They are 9 games in back of the Padres.
Colorado topped Pittsburgh yesterday 9-3 to end and eight game losing streak. They are a cold team, but they're getting healthy as players are starting to return from injuries. The Rockies coaching staff includes several guys with Cubs connections like first base coach Glenallen Hill (Cubs outfielder '93-'94, '98-'99), hitting coach Don Baylor (Cubs manager 2000-'02), and
manager Jim Tracy (made his MLB debut as a player with the Cubs in 1980).
Other than the trade deadline, the big story this weekend is the return of Carlos Zambrano. Big Z has been on the restricted list with his anger issues since a dugout explosion in a mid-June game against the White Sox. The media will be all over Zambrano, who is expected to meet with his team and talk about the incident.
Here is Carlos' minor league rehab recap:
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R in only outing with Mesa Cubs
1 IP, 2 H, 0 R in July 22 outing with Iowa Cubs
2 IP, 1 H, 0 R in July 24 outing with Iowa Cubs
1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER in July 27 outing with Iowa Cubs
The Cubs will have to make a move in order to make room for Zambrano on the roster. There is a chance that Bobby Howry will be let go of, but most likely Brian Schlitter or Justin Berg will head back to Iowa.
The Cubs have had success against Colorado this season. They swept a brief two game set at Wrigley May 17-18. This is the only trip to Coors Field that the Cubs make all year, it is the final set between the two teams, and a win tonight could assure the Cubs a season series victory.
Game 1: Friday at 8:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.71 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jeff Francis, LHP (3-3, 4.56 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 7:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-5, 3.22 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jason Hammel, RHP (7-6, 4.34 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 2:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (10-4, 3.76 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jorge De La Rosa, LHP (3-3, 5.15 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Ron Santo is not on this road trip, but his health if fine and he is resting at home. Keith Moreland did a great job of pinch hitting on the WGN Radio broadcast in Houston. Most likely either Davd Otto or Judd Sirott will join Pat Hughes for this series.
I will update this post if any news breaks.
Let's finish out the month strong!
The Cubs are set to begin a three game series in Colorado tonight. The big story though is the fact that that the Major League Baseball trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. Will Hendry make a move our will the Cubs roster still be intact by the second game of this set tomorrow night?
The Cubbies still cannot figure out how to beat the terrible teams in the NL Central. They dropped two of three to the Astros earlier in the week, losing a series to the 'Stros for the second week in a row. They must win this series in order to salvage a decent road trip.
Lou's crew comes in with a 46-56 record, ten games under .500. They have dropped back to fourth place in the Central, 10.5 behind the first place Reds. They are looking to get back in the win column tonight after back-to-back losses Tuesday and Wednesday before Thursday's off day. The Cubs are 20-29 away from Wrigley.
The Rockies are not exactly riding high either. They have lost eight of their last nine to fall out of the NL West picture. As it stands going into action tonight, Colorado has a 52-50 overall mark, which puts them in fourth in the West. They are 9 games in back of the Padres.
Colorado topped Pittsburgh yesterday 9-3 to end and eight game losing streak. They are a cold team, but they're getting healthy as players are starting to return from injuries. The Rockies coaching staff includes several guys with Cubs connections like first base coach Glenallen Hill (Cubs outfielder '93-'94, '98-'99), hitting coach Don Baylor (Cubs manager 2000-'02), and
manager Jim Tracy (made his MLB debut as a player with the Cubs in 1980).
Other than the trade deadline, the big story this weekend is the return of Carlos Zambrano. Big Z has been on the restricted list with his anger issues since a dugout explosion in a mid-June game against the White Sox. The media will be all over Zambrano, who is expected to meet with his team and talk about the incident.
Here is Carlos' minor league rehab recap:
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R in only outing with Mesa Cubs
1 IP, 2 H, 0 R in July 22 outing with Iowa Cubs
2 IP, 1 H, 0 R in July 24 outing with Iowa Cubs
1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER in July 27 outing with Iowa Cubs
The Cubs will have to make a move in order to make room for Zambrano on the roster. There is a chance that Bobby Howry will be let go of, but most likely Brian Schlitter or Justin Berg will head back to Iowa.
The Cubs have had success against Colorado this season. They swept a brief two game set at Wrigley May 17-18. This is the only trip to Coors Field that the Cubs make all year, it is the final set between the two teams, and a win tonight could assure the Cubs a season series victory.
Game 1: Friday at 8:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.71 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jeff Francis, LHP (3-3, 4.56 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 7:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (6-5, 3.22 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jason Hammel, RHP (7-6, 4.34 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 2:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (10-4, 3.76 ERA)
Rockies Starting Pitcher: Jorge De La Rosa, LHP (3-3, 5.15 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Ron Santo is not on this road trip, but his health if fine and he is resting at home. Keith Moreland did a great job of pinch hitting on the WGN Radio broadcast in Houston. Most likely either Davd Otto or Judd Sirott will join Pat Hughes for this series.
I will update this post if any news breaks.
Let's finish out the month strong!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Cardinals
When it's the Cubs and the Cardinals, the two teams step it up a notch. Usually, no matter where the teams are in the standings, competitive baseball is played! Let's hope that is the case this weekend when the 43-53 Cubs meet the 54-42 Cards at Wrigley Field.
St. Louis has the lead in the NL Central by 1.5 games over the Reds. They are 11 games in front of the 4th place Cubs. The Cards lost to the Phillies yesterday, but they're 8-2 in their last ten games! That loss snapped an eight game winning streak and ruined a perfect homestand. Today is the start of a six game road swing that will continue on to New York after Sunday.
This stretch of ten straight games at Wrigley started on a positive not when the Cubbies took three of four from the Phillies. However, they lost two of three at the hands of the woeful Astros. A winning homestand hinges on this set against the NL Central's top dog.
The Cubs and Cards have only met in one other series so far this year. The Cubs dropped two of three at Wrigley May 28-30. St. Lou got wins in blowout fashion, 7-1 in game one and 9-1 in game three. A lot of rivalry games will be played in the final two months, as these two teams meet 3 times in August and 6 in September. They play the next two of those series at Busch Stadium and the September 24-26 set will be back at The Friendly Confines.
Even though Tony La Russa has said that he will probably never manage the Cubs, he will still have to field a lot of questions from the Chicago media about the job opening. Tony's future is uncertain as 2010 is the final year of his contract. He has said that there are too many conflicts for him to take the Cubs job because of his relationships and history with both the Cardinals and White Sox.
General Manager John Mozeliak is much more comfortable after inking a three year extension last week. Cubs GM Jim Hendry also has job security after it was announced that he will lead the search for a new skipper. Hendry's main focus right now is the trade deadline that is only 8 days away. So far the Cubs have been silent and there have not been too many big moves around baseball.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says that Ted Lilly will almost certainly be traded. Tom Gorzelanny is on the market as well. With Carlos Zambrano rehabbing at Triple-A Iowa, it is possible that he could fill any opening in the rotation at some point. Z is expected to return to the bullpen next weekend in Colorado. He tossed a shutout inning for the I-Cubs last night and will make two more appearances there.
Carlos Silva will not pitch in this series because he is going to work with Larry Rothschild on the side after two straight bad outings. The Cubs say the issue is not injury related, but Silva has had hamstring problems this season.
Even though the three big stories this weekend seem to be the search for Lou's replacement, the trade deadline, and the HOF induction, there are still some big games to be played between the Cubs and Cardinals.
Game 1: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jeff Suppan, RHP (0-3, 4.20 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (4-7, 4.33 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Blake Hawksworth, RHP (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (5-5, 3.12 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 7:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Chris Carpenter, RHP (11-3, 3.05 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.70 ERA)
TV/Radio: ESPN/WGN Radio
The Cubs will travel to Houston after Sunday's game to start a trip that also will see a stop in Colorado. They will return to Wrigley on August 2.
Let's go get a series win!
St. Louis has the lead in the NL Central by 1.5 games over the Reds. They are 11 games in front of the 4th place Cubs. The Cards lost to the Phillies yesterday, but they're 8-2 in their last ten games! That loss snapped an eight game winning streak and ruined a perfect homestand. Today is the start of a six game road swing that will continue on to New York after Sunday.
This stretch of ten straight games at Wrigley started on a positive not when the Cubbies took three of four from the Phillies. However, they lost two of three at the hands of the woeful Astros. A winning homestand hinges on this set against the NL Central's top dog.
The Cubs and Cards have only met in one other series so far this year. The Cubs dropped two of three at Wrigley May 28-30. St. Lou got wins in blowout fashion, 7-1 in game one and 9-1 in game three. A lot of rivalry games will be played in the final two months, as these two teams meet 3 times in August and 6 in September. They play the next two of those series at Busch Stadium and the September 24-26 set will be back at The Friendly Confines.
Even though Tony La Russa has said that he will probably never manage the Cubs, he will still have to field a lot of questions from the Chicago media about the job opening. Tony's future is uncertain as 2010 is the final year of his contract. He has said that there are too many conflicts for him to take the Cubs job because of his relationships and history with both the Cardinals and White Sox.
General Manager John Mozeliak is much more comfortable after inking a three year extension last week. Cubs GM Jim Hendry also has job security after it was announced that he will lead the search for a new skipper. Hendry's main focus right now is the trade deadline that is only 8 days away. So far the Cubs have been silent and there have not been too many big moves around baseball.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says that Ted Lilly will almost certainly be traded. Tom Gorzelanny is on the market as well. With Carlos Zambrano rehabbing at Triple-A Iowa, it is possible that he could fill any opening in the rotation at some point. Z is expected to return to the bullpen next weekend in Colorado. He tossed a shutout inning for the I-Cubs last night and will make two more appearances there.
Carlos Silva will not pitch in this series because he is going to work with Larry Rothschild on the side after two straight bad outings. The Cubs say the issue is not injury related, but Silva has had hamstring problems this season.
Even though the three big stories this weekend seem to be the search for Lou's replacement, the trade deadline, and the HOF induction, there are still some big games to be played between the Cubs and Cardinals.
Game 1: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Jeff Suppan, RHP (0-3, 4.20 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (4-7, 4.33 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN/WGN Radio
Game 2: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Blake Hawksworth, RHP (4-5, 4.85 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (5-5, 3.12 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 3: Sunday at 7:05 CT
Cardinals Starting Pitcher: Chris Carpenter, RHP (11-3, 3.05 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.70 ERA)
TV/Radio: ESPN/WGN Radio
The Cubs will travel to Houston after Sunday's game to start a trip that also will see a stop in Colorado. They will return to Wrigley on August 2.
Let's go get a series win!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Astros
After starting the second half successfully by taking three of four from the Phillies the question is Can the Cubs win with consistency? After knocking Roy Halladay around on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, the Cubbies must avoid the let down factor and win a series against the lowly Astros.
Saturday's game was a tough one, because the Cubs were that close to sweeping the series and having a four game over .500 weekend instead of a two games over .500 weekend.
The Cubs have a history of having trouble with struggling teams like the Astros and Pirates. If this mini turn around is for real, beating the 'Stros before a tough weekend series with St. Louis is a must.
Houston comes in to Wrigley Field with a 37-55 record, 14 games back in the NL Central. They are still in fifth place, 4.5 ahead of the Bucs. After a crucial series victory, the Cubs are tied with the Brewers for third in the division. Both teams are 9.5 games back of St. Louis, who took over first with a win yesterday.
The Astros, who are in the Windy City for three games, have had a tough go of it on the road, 17-29 this season. They started their second half by dropping two of three in Pittsburgh. Houston will look to bounce back tonight after a tough 9-0 defeat yesterday.
The Cubbies dropped two of three when the two teams met August 16-18 at Wrigley. The Cubs lost the first set of the year at Minute Maid June 4-6, so the 'Stros have a 4-2 edge in the season series thusfar. The two teams will not go long without seeing each other, as a three game set in Houston starts next Monday. The Central division foes will battle at Wrigley one more time after this series, September 6-8 in the final meetings of the year.
Marlon Byrd had a great series against the Phills and continued to show that he's a team player. Marlon was hit by the pitch four times in the series, twice last night. He is second in the league in HBP with 16. Rickie Weeks, who has been plunked 17 times, leads the league.
Tyler Colvin hit lead-off yesterday and Starlin Castro returned to the No. 2 spot in the order. We'll see if Lou keeps the kids at the top tonight. Piniella also showed craftiness in the series, calling for two squeeze bunts and several other strategic plays to try to get the offense going.
Carlos Zambrano could rejoin the team in time for their next road trip, which starts a week from today. Z tossed a simulated game in Mesa and is expected to make a rehab start at Triple-Iowa this week.
Game 1: Monday 7:05 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (6-11, 4.97 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (9-3, 3.45 ERA)
TV/Radio: WCIU/WGN 720
Game 2: Tuesday 7:05 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Wesley Wright, LHP (0-0, 5.59 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.57 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Wednesday 1:20 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Brett Myers, RHP (7-6, 3.35 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly, LHP (3-8, 4.07 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
The bottom line for the Cubs is just taking it one win at a time. After this series they will enjoy a day off tomorrow and then host St. Louis to round out the ten game homestand. The Astros start a homestand of their own against the Reds on Friday. The Cubs and Brewers will be in town to play the 'Stros next week.
The MLB Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away... but will the Cubs play on the field effect whether the Hendry decides buy or sell, or is it a case of too little too late.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Saturday's game was a tough one, because the Cubs were that close to sweeping the series and having a four game over .500 weekend instead of a two games over .500 weekend.
The Cubs have a history of having trouble with struggling teams like the Astros and Pirates. If this mini turn around is for real, beating the 'Stros before a tough weekend series with St. Louis is a must.
Houston comes in to Wrigley Field with a 37-55 record, 14 games back in the NL Central. They are still in fifth place, 4.5 ahead of the Bucs. After a crucial series victory, the Cubs are tied with the Brewers for third in the division. Both teams are 9.5 games back of St. Louis, who took over first with a win yesterday.
The Astros, who are in the Windy City for three games, have had a tough go of it on the road, 17-29 this season. They started their second half by dropping two of three in Pittsburgh. Houston will look to bounce back tonight after a tough 9-0 defeat yesterday.
The Cubbies dropped two of three when the two teams met August 16-18 at Wrigley. The Cubs lost the first set of the year at Minute Maid June 4-6, so the 'Stros have a 4-2 edge in the season series thusfar. The two teams will not go long without seeing each other, as a three game set in Houston starts next Monday. The Central division foes will battle at Wrigley one more time after this series, September 6-8 in the final meetings of the year.
Marlon Byrd had a great series against the Phills and continued to show that he's a team player. Marlon was hit by the pitch four times in the series, twice last night. He is second in the league in HBP with 16. Rickie Weeks, who has been plunked 17 times, leads the league.
Tyler Colvin hit lead-off yesterday and Starlin Castro returned to the No. 2 spot in the order. We'll see if Lou keeps the kids at the top tonight. Piniella also showed craftiness in the series, calling for two squeeze bunts and several other strategic plays to try to get the offense going.
Carlos Zambrano could rejoin the team in time for their next road trip, which starts a week from today. Z tossed a simulated game in Mesa and is expected to make a rehab start at Triple-Iowa this week.
Game 1: Monday 7:05 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Wandy Rodriguez, LHP (6-11, 4.97 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano, RHP (9-3, 3.45 ERA)
TV/Radio: WCIU/WGN 720
Game 2: Tuesday 7:05 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Wesley Wright, LHP (0-0, 5.59 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (8-7, 3.57 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Wednesday 1:20 PM CT
Astros Starting Pitcher: Brett Myers, RHP (7-6, 3.35 ERA)
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly, LHP (3-8, 4.07 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
The bottom line for the Cubs is just taking it one win at a time. After this series they will enjoy a day off tomorrow and then host St. Louis to round out the ten game homestand. The Astros start a homestand of their own against the Reds on Friday. The Cubs and Brewers will be in town to play the 'Stros next week.
The MLB Trade Deadline is less than two weeks away... but will the Cubs play on the field effect whether the Hendry decides buy or sell, or is it a case of too little too late.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Phillies
After three full days of resting up, the Cubs will return to the field tonight when they host the Phillies at Wrigley. They finished up the All-Star Break by losing three of four to the Dodgers this past weekend. The final game of the first half, a thrashing at the hands of L.A., perfectly summed up the frustration felt by Cubs fans this season.
The Phillies are in for four to start this ten game homestand. The Astros will come to town next followed by the Cardinals. The red hot Philadelphia club, who completed a four game sweep of the Reds with a 1-0 win on Sunday, will start the second half with eight games in the Midwest. The will travel to St. Louis at the conclusion of their series in Chicago.
The defending National League champs currently stand in third place in the East at 47-40. That mark puts them 4.5 games back of the over-achieving Braves. They haven't played very well on the road at 20-22, but teams can get away with a .500 road mark if they play very well at home.
The Cubbies are an example of a team that does not play very well at home or on the road. Their 20-23 home mark is not bad compared to their overall record of 39-50. With the loss on Sunday, the Boys in Blue dropped to fourth in the Central, 9.5 out of first.
Going into this season, most people didn't expect the Cubs to win the division, but nobody expected them to play as poorly as they have so far. Everyone in the organization is hoping to see a better product on the field in the second half. With the July 31 trade deadline looming, it's time for the organization to decide what direction they want to go in. Reportedly there are offers on the table for Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot, and Xavier Nady. Management may want to see a few more games before they call for a fire sale, so it's important for this team to have a good series in order to keep the current roster intact.
Marlon Byrd is the lone Cub who can call himself an All-Star. He did a fine job of single handily representing the organization at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. He helped the National League to a 3-0 victory, the first time the Senior Circuit took a Mid-Summer Classic W single 1996. Byrd walked, scored, and made a terrific defensive play in the ninth inning. Byrd will take that momentum into this four game stint against his former team.
After managing the N.L. to a win on Tuesday, Philly skipper Charlie Manuel will try to get his club to roll over the slumping Cubs. Manuel's roster was staked with former Cubs last year, but now the lone ex-Cub is veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer, who will start game one of this series.
The two teams met at Citizens Bank Park earlier this season, a brief two game set May 19-20 that resulted in a split. The season series will conclude when this set wraps up on Sunday.
Starting tonight, 50/50 game day raffles will take place at Wrigley Field. One fan will win big at every home game the rest of the season. Proceeds benefit Chicagoland charities. Click for the press release from Cubs.com.
Game 1: Thursday 7:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (7-7, 3.61 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Jamie Moyer, LHP (9-8, 4.51 ERA)
TV/Radio: WCIU/WGN Radio
Game 2: Friday 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly, LHP (3-8, 4.08 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Joe Blanton, RHP (3-5, 6.41 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 3: Saturday 12:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (4-7, 4.61 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Cole Hamels, LHP (7-7, 3.78 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 4: Sunday at 7:05
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (4-5, 3.16 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Roy Halladay, RHP (10-7, 2.19 ERA)
TV/Radio: ESPN/WGN Radio
The first game of this series is of the utmost importance. Setting the tone in a series has been critical for the Cubbies. Since May 21, they've gone on to loose every series where they've dropped game one and gone on to win every series where they've won the first game.
The key to a good second half for the team is bounce back performances from the stars (namely Lee and Ramirez). It all starts tonight...
so I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!
The Phillies are in for four to start this ten game homestand. The Astros will come to town next followed by the Cardinals. The red hot Philadelphia club, who completed a four game sweep of the Reds with a 1-0 win on Sunday, will start the second half with eight games in the Midwest. The will travel to St. Louis at the conclusion of their series in Chicago.
The defending National League champs currently stand in third place in the East at 47-40. That mark puts them 4.5 games back of the over-achieving Braves. They haven't played very well on the road at 20-22, but teams can get away with a .500 road mark if they play very well at home.
The Cubbies are an example of a team that does not play very well at home or on the road. Their 20-23 home mark is not bad compared to their overall record of 39-50. With the loss on Sunday, the Boys in Blue dropped to fourth in the Central, 9.5 out of first.
Going into this season, most people didn't expect the Cubs to win the division, but nobody expected them to play as poorly as they have so far. Everyone in the organization is hoping to see a better product on the field in the second half. With the July 31 trade deadline looming, it's time for the organization to decide what direction they want to go in. Reportedly there are offers on the table for Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot, and Xavier Nady. Management may want to see a few more games before they call for a fire sale, so it's important for this team to have a good series in order to keep the current roster intact.
Marlon Byrd is the lone Cub who can call himself an All-Star. He did a fine job of single handily representing the organization at Angel Stadium on Tuesday. He helped the National League to a 3-0 victory, the first time the Senior Circuit took a Mid-Summer Classic W single 1996. Byrd walked, scored, and made a terrific defensive play in the ninth inning. Byrd will take that momentum into this four game stint against his former team.
After managing the N.L. to a win on Tuesday, Philly skipper Charlie Manuel will try to get his club to roll over the slumping Cubs. Manuel's roster was staked with former Cubs last year, but now the lone ex-Cub is veteran pitcher Jamie Moyer, who will start game one of this series.
The two teams met at Citizens Bank Park earlier this season, a brief two game set May 19-20 that resulted in a split. The season series will conclude when this set wraps up on Sunday.
Starting tonight, 50/50 game day raffles will take place at Wrigley Field. One fan will win big at every home game the rest of the season. Proceeds benefit Chicagoland charities. Click for the press release from Cubs.com.
Game 1: Thursday 7:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (7-7, 3.61 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Jamie Moyer, LHP (9-8, 4.51 ERA)
TV/Radio: WCIU/WGN Radio
Game 2: Friday 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly, LHP (3-8, 4.08 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Joe Blanton, RHP (3-5, 6.41 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 3: Saturday 12:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (4-7, 4.61 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Cole Hamels, LHP (7-7, 3.78 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio
Game 4: Sunday at 7:05
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (4-5, 3.16 ERA)
Phillies Starting Pitcher: Roy Halladay, RHP (10-7, 2.19 ERA)
TV/Radio: ESPN/WGN Radio
The first game of this series is of the utmost importance. Setting the tone in a series has been critical for the Cubbies. Since May 21, they've gone on to loose every series where they've dropped game one and gone on to win every series where they've won the first game.
The key to a good second half for the team is bounce back performances from the stars (namely Lee and Ramirez). It all starts tonight...
so I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS D'backs
After a 2-5 homestand, the Cubs will try to bounce back in this three game series in Arizona. The two teams are meeting at Chase Field for the first time this season. The Cubs took three out of four at Wrigley Field from April 29-May 2, which was the first series between the two clubs in 2010. The Cubs and Diamondbacks will not meet again until next season after Wednesday's game.
The Cubs are embarking on a seven game road trip that leads up to the All-Star Break. After this series, they will play four at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs are in fourth place with a 35-47 mark. They are 11.5 back of first place Cincinnati but just two back of the third place Brewers. The Cubs dropped three of four against the Reds at Wrigley this weekend. Yesterday's game got ugly in the seventh inning when Ted Lilly and Jeff Stevens gave up a total of eight runs. Drew Stubbs hit three home runs on the Fourth of July in his team's 14-3 blowout win.
The Cubs are 15-24 on the road going into this West Coast trip, and 3-7 in their last ten games. However, things have also been a struggle for the D'backs. They fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes last week. Jerry Dipoto will take over GM duties for the rest of the year and bench coach Kirk Gibson has been named the interim manager. Gibson's club has a 32-50 record, which puts them in dead last in the NL West, 17 games behind the Padres.
The D'backs are in the middle of a ten game homestand that they started by losing two of three to the Dodgers. They dropped yesterday's game 3-1. After the Cubs leave town, the Marlins will come in for four before the break.
Both teams have only one All-Star. Chris Young and Marlon Byrd are both NL reserve outfielders, and both men will make their first trip to the Mid-Summer Classic. Young is hitting .264 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs. Byrd leads the Cubs with a .309 average to go along with his 9 homers, 35 RBIs, and .355 OBP.
Aramis Ramirez, who's hitting just .177 in 55 games, was scratched on Sunday with swelling in his thumb. He has already missed several weeks with a thumb injury this season. No timetable has been set for his return.
The homestand was not a favorable one for the Cubs. Lee hit .120, Theriot hit .222, Lilly gave up a career high 11 hits on Sunday, and they stranded 17 guys on base in Saturday's win. The Cubs are looking to snap a string of losing 11 straight series openers with a win this afternoon. In those 11 series, the Boys in Blue are 1-10. Tyler Colvin, who went deep twice yesterday for the first time in his career, is the only Cub swinging the bat well.
Game 1: Monday at 3:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (2-5, 3.14 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Ian Kennedy, RHP (3-6, 3.77 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 2: Tuesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 2.96 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Barry Enright, RHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Wednesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-7, 3.54 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Edwin Jackson, RHP (6-6, 4.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
Can the Cubs lackluster offense pick it up? It will be a challenge, as the Cubs have always been known to have problems on the West Coast!
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
The Cubs are embarking on a seven game road trip that leads up to the All-Star Break. After this series, they will play four at Dodger Stadium. The Cubs are in fourth place with a 35-47 mark. They are 11.5 back of first place Cincinnati but just two back of the third place Brewers. The Cubs dropped three of four against the Reds at Wrigley this weekend. Yesterday's game got ugly in the seventh inning when Ted Lilly and Jeff Stevens gave up a total of eight runs. Drew Stubbs hit three home runs on the Fourth of July in his team's 14-3 blowout win.
The Cubs are 15-24 on the road going into this West Coast trip, and 3-7 in their last ten games. However, things have also been a struggle for the D'backs. They fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes last week. Jerry Dipoto will take over GM duties for the rest of the year and bench coach Kirk Gibson has been named the interim manager. Gibson's club has a 32-50 record, which puts them in dead last in the NL West, 17 games behind the Padres.
The D'backs are in the middle of a ten game homestand that they started by losing two of three to the Dodgers. They dropped yesterday's game 3-1. After the Cubs leave town, the Marlins will come in for four before the break.
Both teams have only one All-Star. Chris Young and Marlon Byrd are both NL reserve outfielders, and both men will make their first trip to the Mid-Summer Classic. Young is hitting .264 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs. Byrd leads the Cubs with a .309 average to go along with his 9 homers, 35 RBIs, and .355 OBP.
Aramis Ramirez, who's hitting just .177 in 55 games, was scratched on Sunday with swelling in his thumb. He has already missed several weeks with a thumb injury this season. No timetable has been set for his return.
The homestand was not a favorable one for the Cubs. Lee hit .120, Theriot hit .222, Lilly gave up a career high 11 hits on Sunday, and they stranded 17 guys on base in Saturday's win. The Cubs are looking to snap a string of losing 11 straight series openers with a win this afternoon. In those 11 series, the Boys in Blue are 1-10. Tyler Colvin, who went deep twice yesterday for the first time in his career, is the only Cub swinging the bat well.
Game 1: Monday at 3:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Tom Gorzelanny, LHP (2-5, 3.14 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Ian Kennedy, RHP (3-6, 3.77 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 2: Tuesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 2.96 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Barry Enright, RHP (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN 720
Game 3: Wednesday at 8:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-7, 3.54 ERA)
D'backs Starting Pitcher: Edwin Jackson, RHP (6-6, 4.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN 720
Can the Cubs lackluster offense pick it up? It will be a challenge, as the Cubs have always been known to have problems on the West Coast!
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Reds
June is history! The Cubs will welcome in July today after going 10-16 last month. They've had their chances against last place teams, but they've lost to the likes of Pittsburgh and Seattle. Perhaps a good opponent is just was the doctor ordered.
Can the Cubs step up their game against the first place Cincinnati Reds, who come into play today 0.5 game ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central? The Reds are fighting for first, and they will do their best to take advantage of a meager Cubs offense. The Cubbies are ten games under at 33-43, which means they need a win today to avoid setting a new low water mark for the year. In fact, the Cubs have not been 11 under .500 in four years under Lou Piniella.
Speaking of managers, whenever these two teams meet it's a reunion of sorts. Sweet Lou spent three years in Cincinnati, including the World Series champion 1990 ballclub. Current Reds skipper Dusty Baker is returning to Wrigley Field, where he managed from 2003-2006. Piniella is in the final year of his contract and is in a situation similar to the one Dusty was in in '06. Chris Speier (bench coach, former Cubs third base coach) and Juan Lopez (former Cub and current Red bullpen coach) are still a part of Baker's staff.
The Cubs have fallen to forth place, 9.5 back of the Reds and 1 game behind the now third place Brewers. The Crew open a series with the Cardinals today. Cincinnati is in town for four straight day games that wraps up the seven game homestand at Wrigley.
The Cubs are coming off losing two of three to the Pirates to fall to 3-9 against the Bucs this year. In the three games, they scored a total of just four runs. The series finale, a 2-0 loss despite five shutout innings from ex-Pirate Tom Gorzelanny, was particularly frustrating. Andrew Cashner continued his recent struggles as he has gotten the loss in each of his last three appearances. The Cubs bats were silent, Aramis Ramirez made a costly error on defense, and Sean Marshall walked in a run.
The Reds just concluded a six game stretch at the Great American Ballpark where they went 4-2. The beat a good Phillies team 4-3 on Wednesday to take the series and finish the month 13-13. When the first place club had an average month and the Cubs had an "easy" schedule, you know Lou's crew missed a chance to make up some ground. From now on, they will have to do it against the good teams.
The Cubbies hope to finally put an end to their struggles in series openers today. They have dropped ten straight game ones and haven't started off a set with a win since May 25 against the Dodgers. Alfonso Soriano is a guy that needs to heat up. When he gets hot, he can carry the team on his back. Sori has showed some signs of getting hot with two solo-homers in Tuesday's win and a deep fly ball to the warning track that would have left the yard on most days on Wednesday.
John Grabow was placed on the DL with a knee injury during the last series. The Cubs now have four rookies in the bullpen in Andrew Cashner, Jeff Stevens, James Russell, and Brian Schlitter, but youth is not necessarily a bad thing. Grabow will wait for the swelling in his knee to lessen a may miss as long as a month.
Yesterday, Mike Fontenot got the start at second base and Ryan Theriot received the day off. According to FOX Sports, the Red Sox had talks about acquiring Little Mike before they settled on Eric Patterson. Could the Cubs be showcasing Fontenot for a possible trade? Will he see a few starts in this series?
On a quick note... the Major League Baseball All-Star voting ends tonight at 10:59 CT. Be sure to log on to MLB.com or Cubs.com and give the Cubs players your votes! You can cast your votes 25 times per email address.
After only winning one series in the month of June, the Cubs will look to get that first series of July out of the way right off the bat this weekend.
Game 1: Thursday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Travis Wood, LHP (MLB Debut)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720
Games 2: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-6, 3.58 ERA)
Red Starting Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, RHP (7-4, 4.49 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720
Game 3: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (3-6, 4.96 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Johnny Cueto, RHP (8-2, 3.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720
Game 4: Sunday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly (3-6, 3.12 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: TBA
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720
The Cubs will look to avoid giving guys their first big league debut on back-to-back days. Travis Wood was called up from AAA after Sam LeCure was sent down. Wood, a former second round pick, was 5-6 with a 3.12 ERA at Louisville before the callup.
The Chicago Cubs will finish up the first half on the West Coast against the D'backs and Dodgers. After this weekend, they will not return to Wrigley until July 15 after the All-Star break. Dusty's club will continue their road swing in New York, and then finish up the first half in Philly. They will return to the Windy City August 6-8 and the Cubs go to Great American the final weekend of August.
Can the Cubs step up their game against the first place Cincinnati Reds, who come into play today 0.5 game ahead of the Cardinals in the NL Central? The Reds are fighting for first, and they will do their best to take advantage of a meager Cubs offense. The Cubbies are ten games under at 33-43, which means they need a win today to avoid setting a new low water mark for the year. In fact, the Cubs have not been 11 under .500 in four years under Lou Piniella.
Speaking of managers, whenever these two teams meet it's a reunion of sorts. Sweet Lou spent three years in Cincinnati, including the World Series champion 1990 ballclub. Current Reds skipper Dusty Baker is returning to Wrigley Field, where he managed from 2003-2006. Piniella is in the final year of his contract and is in a situation similar to the one Dusty was in in '06. Chris Speier (bench coach, former Cubs third base coach) and Juan Lopez (former Cub and current Red bullpen coach) are still a part of Baker's staff.
The Cubs have fallen to forth place, 9.5 back of the Reds and 1 game behind the now third place Brewers. The Crew open a series with the Cardinals today. Cincinnati is in town for four straight day games that wraps up the seven game homestand at Wrigley.
The Cubs are coming off losing two of three to the Pirates to fall to 3-9 against the Bucs this year. In the three games, they scored a total of just four runs. The series finale, a 2-0 loss despite five shutout innings from ex-Pirate Tom Gorzelanny, was particularly frustrating. Andrew Cashner continued his recent struggles as he has gotten the loss in each of his last three appearances. The Cubs bats were silent, Aramis Ramirez made a costly error on defense, and Sean Marshall walked in a run.
The Reds just concluded a six game stretch at the Great American Ballpark where they went 4-2. The beat a good Phillies team 4-3 on Wednesday to take the series and finish the month 13-13. When the first place club had an average month and the Cubs had an "easy" schedule, you know Lou's crew missed a chance to make up some ground. From now on, they will have to do it against the good teams.
The Cubbies hope to finally put an end to their struggles in series openers today. They have dropped ten straight game ones and haven't started off a set with a win since May 25 against the Dodgers. Alfonso Soriano is a guy that needs to heat up. When he gets hot, he can carry the team on his back. Sori has showed some signs of getting hot with two solo-homers in Tuesday's win and a deep fly ball to the warning track that would have left the yard on most days on Wednesday.
John Grabow was placed on the DL with a knee injury during the last series. The Cubs now have four rookies in the bullpen in Andrew Cashner, Jeff Stevens, James Russell, and Brian Schlitter, but youth is not necessarily a bad thing. Grabow will wait for the swelling in his knee to lessen a may miss as long as a month.
Yesterday, Mike Fontenot got the start at second base and Ryan Theriot received the day off. According to FOX Sports, the Red Sox had talks about acquiring Little Mike before they settled on Eric Patterson. Could the Cubs be showcasing Fontenot for a possible trade? Will he see a few starts in this series?
On a quick note... the Major League Baseball All-Star voting ends tonight at 10:59 CT. Be sure to log on to MLB.com or Cubs.com and give the Cubs players your votes! You can cast your votes 25 times per email address.
After only winning one series in the month of June, the Cubs will look to get that first series of July out of the way right off the bat this weekend.
Game 1: Thursday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva, RHP (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Travis Wood, LHP (MLB Debut)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720
Games 2: Friday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster, RHP (6-6, 3.58 ERA)
Red Starting Pitcher: Bronson Arroyo, RHP (7-4, 4.49 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720
Game 3: Saturday at 12:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells, RHP (3-6, 4.96 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: Johnny Cueto, RHP (8-2, 3.74 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN/WGN Radio 720
Game 4: Sunday at 1:20 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ted Lilly (3-6, 3.12 ERA)
Reds Starting Pitcher: TBA
TV/Radio: WGN-TV/WGN Radio 720
The Cubs will look to avoid giving guys their first big league debut on back-to-back days. Travis Wood was called up from AAA after Sam LeCure was sent down. Wood, a former second round pick, was 5-6 with a 3.12 ERA at Louisville before the callup.
The Chicago Cubs will finish up the first half on the West Coast against the D'backs and Dodgers. After this weekend, they will not return to Wrigley until July 15 after the All-Star break. Dusty's club will continue their road swing in New York, and then finish up the first half in Philly. They will return to the Windy City August 6-8 and the Cubs go to Great American the final weekend of August.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS White Sox
If the Chicago Cubs where ever in need of a series win, it's right now. The Boys in Blue are in danger of dropping out of third place if they lose today. The Brewers are Cubs are tied for third in the NL Central, both 8 games back of first place St. Louis.
When the White Sox and Cubs met from June 11-13, both teams were struggling and hoping that a series win against their rivals would get them going. The White Sox won the series and have a 9-0 mark since then. The last time the Sox lost a game was the finale at Wrigley when Ted Lilly flirted with a no-hitter and Carlos Marmol came on to save the thrilling 1-0 Cubs win.
The South Siders are looking to stay red hot. They've won 13 of 14 to climb to 37-34, which puts them in third place in the AL Central. The Twins are in front, 2.5 ahead of the Sox and 0.5 ahead of Detroit. Ozzie's crew is hoping for to extend their winning streak to ten today with a win at U.S. Cellular Field. The homestand started with a sweep of a solid Braves club this week.
The Cubs, now 32-40, started this road trip by dropping two of three to the last place Mariners. Sweet Lou's club just started a stretch of 20 games in 20 days (17 remaining) leading up to the All-Star Break. The Cubbies got a big win yesterday 3-2 in a 13-inning affair to avoid the sweep in Seattle. The bullpen played a key role in allowing the game to last long enough for Marlon Byrd to stroke a single to put the Cubs in front in the top of inning number 13.
The BP Crosstown Cup is on the line this weekend. The Cubs need to win all three games in order to be awarded the trophy, but the Sox only need a series win to guarantee themselves the prize. The last time the teams met, there was a sort of friendly feeling going around because the Blackhawks brought this city together. This time around, both teams mean business.
Prior to the game, the Cubs made a roster move activating Aramis Ramirez from the 15-day DL. Rami will hope for a big return against the Crosstown Rivals. He spent the Seattle series working with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo in order to get his swing back. Aramis has been rehabbing from a thumb injury. Before going down, he hit just .168 with 5 homers.
In order to clear space for Aramis on the roster, the Cubs decided to designate Chad Tracy for assignment. This means they have ten days to either trade him, release him, or place him on waivers. Chad hit .250 in 28 games this year, and many fans would have rather seen him stick around than Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot.
Saturday night's game will be the 20,000th game in Cubs history. The Cubs first gave ever contest was a 4-0 victory at Louisville on April 25, 1876. They reached 10,000 games on June 9, 1947 in a 1-0 loss to the Braves. Hopefully by #30,000 the Cubs have their third World Series title.
Saturday (June 26) is also a special day for Cubs legend and current broadcaster Ron Santo. It marks the 50 year anniversary of Ron's big league debut in Pittsburgh in 1960. Santo missed the trip to Seattle to rest up, and will return to the WGN Radio booth this afternoon. The Cubs will honor Ron's anniversary in a ceremony on Monday.
Game 1: Friday at 3:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano (3-5, 5.10 ERA)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: Jake Peavy (6-5, 5.07 ERA)
Cubs TV Broadcast: CSN
Sox TV Broadcast: WGN
Game 2: Saturday at 6:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: Freddy Garcia (8-3, 4.85 ERA)
National TV Broadcast: FOX
Game 3: Sunday at 1:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: TBA (Most likely Ryan Dempster)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: John Danks (7-5, 3.23 ERA)
Cubs TV Broadcast: WGN
Sox TV Broadcast: CSN
The Sox dodge Ted Lilly, who tossed a 1-hitter against them the last time the two teams met, but they'll have to deal with Silva instead, who was scratched from the Seattle series with a hamstring injury. After this game, the Cubs go back to the Friendly Confines as they welcome the Pirates for a three game series to close out the month. The South Siders will travel to Kansas City for a three game set starting Monday.
"Let's go get a win today!"
When the White Sox and Cubs met from June 11-13, both teams were struggling and hoping that a series win against their rivals would get them going. The White Sox won the series and have a 9-0 mark since then. The last time the Sox lost a game was the finale at Wrigley when Ted Lilly flirted with a no-hitter and Carlos Marmol came on to save the thrilling 1-0 Cubs win.
The South Siders are looking to stay red hot. They've won 13 of 14 to climb to 37-34, which puts them in third place in the AL Central. The Twins are in front, 2.5 ahead of the Sox and 0.5 ahead of Detroit. Ozzie's crew is hoping for to extend their winning streak to ten today with a win at U.S. Cellular Field. The homestand started with a sweep of a solid Braves club this week.
The Cubs, now 32-40, started this road trip by dropping two of three to the last place Mariners. Sweet Lou's club just started a stretch of 20 games in 20 days (17 remaining) leading up to the All-Star Break. The Cubbies got a big win yesterday 3-2 in a 13-inning affair to avoid the sweep in Seattle. The bullpen played a key role in allowing the game to last long enough for Marlon Byrd to stroke a single to put the Cubs in front in the top of inning number 13.
The BP Crosstown Cup is on the line this weekend. The Cubs need to win all three games in order to be awarded the trophy, but the Sox only need a series win to guarantee themselves the prize. The last time the teams met, there was a sort of friendly feeling going around because the Blackhawks brought this city together. This time around, both teams mean business.
Prior to the game, the Cubs made a roster move activating Aramis Ramirez from the 15-day DL. Rami will hope for a big return against the Crosstown Rivals. He spent the Seattle series working with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo in order to get his swing back. Aramis has been rehabbing from a thumb injury. Before going down, he hit just .168 with 5 homers.
In order to clear space for Aramis on the roster, the Cubs decided to designate Chad Tracy for assignment. This means they have ten days to either trade him, release him, or place him on waivers. Chad hit .250 in 28 games this year, and many fans would have rather seen him stick around than Jeff Baker and Mike Fontenot.
Saturday night's game will be the 20,000th game in Cubs history. The Cubs first gave ever contest was a 4-0 victory at Louisville on April 25, 1876. They reached 10,000 games on June 9, 1947 in a 1-0 loss to the Braves. Hopefully by #30,000 the Cubs have their third World Series title.
Saturday (June 26) is also a special day for Cubs legend and current broadcaster Ron Santo. It marks the 50 year anniversary of Ron's big league debut in Pittsburgh in 1960. Santo missed the trip to Seattle to rest up, and will return to the WGN Radio booth this afternoon. The Cubs will honor Ron's anniversary in a ceremony on Monday.
Game 1: Friday at 3:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Zambrano (3-5, 5.10 ERA)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: Jake Peavy (6-5, 5.07 ERA)
Cubs TV Broadcast: CSN
Sox TV Broadcast: WGN
Game 2: Saturday at 6:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: Freddy Garcia (8-3, 4.85 ERA)
National TV Broadcast: FOX
Game 3: Sunday at 1:05 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: TBA (Most likely Ryan Dempster)
White Sox Starting Pitcher: John Danks (7-5, 3.23 ERA)
Cubs TV Broadcast: WGN
Sox TV Broadcast: CSN
The Sox dodge Ted Lilly, who tossed a 1-hitter against them the last time the two teams met, but they'll have to deal with Silva instead, who was scratched from the Seattle series with a hamstring injury. After this game, the Cubs go back to the Friendly Confines as they welcome the Pirates for a three game series to close out the month. The South Siders will travel to Kansas City for a three game set starting Monday.
"Let's go get a win today!"
Monday, June 21, 2010
Series Preview: Cubs VS Seattle
Tomorrow night the Cubs will return to action to battle the Seattle Mariners in the first of a three game interleague set. The off day today came at a perfect time for the club to rest up after dropping six of the last seven series. On Sunday, the bats showed some signs of life in a 12-1 stomping of the L.A. Angels to avoid the weekend sweep at Wrigley.
Geovany Soto was the only Cub to homer yesterday launching his eighth dinger of the year. It was good to see Geo go deep, but it was also good to see the Cubs finding some other ways to score some runs. Carlos Zambrano helped his own cause with a run scoring single and got his first win at Wrigley since last July. Z went seven innings and allowed only one run to improve 3-5 overall on the year. Despite the fact that the game was already in the bag, Andrew Cashner and Carlos Marmol got their work in pitching the eighth and ninth respectively. Neither man surrendered a run. Derrek Lee drove in four runs and Marlon Byrd, who was hitting lead-off doubled twice.
The Seattle Mariners are not having a fun 2010 campaign either. They are just 28-41, which puts them in last of four teams in the AL West and 13 game behind first place Texas. The M's have played decent ball at Safeco Field where they hold an 18-17 mark.
The Mariners also have an off day today. They are in the midst of a four game winning streak including a sweep of the Reds this weekend to kick off their six game homestand. They are also in the middle of 15 straight games against NL opponents.
Seattle has several former Cubs on its roster, most notably controversial outfielder Milton Bradley. The Ex-Cubbie is hitting just .215 with 6 homers and 25 runs batted in. He will be swamped by his old pals from the Chicago media all series long. Luckily for him, Bradley does not have to go back to Wrigley to face the Cubs' faithful, which he has publicly ripped since departing from the North Side. Pitcher David Aardsma is also with the Mariners. Aardsma was a piece in the Cubs bullpen during the forgettable 2006 season before they shipped him to the White Sox in the Neal Cotts trade. The only reason David will be remembered by Cubs fans is because his last name comes first alphabetically on the list of all the players in Cubs history. Garrett Olson is another familiar name on the roster. Olson has never appeared in a game in the blue pinstripes, but he was a Cub for a short time during the 2008-2009 offseason. Garrett came over from Baltimore in the Felix Pie deal but was sent to Seattle along with Ronny Cedeno in the trade that netted the Cubs reliever Aaron Heilman.
These two clubs don't exactly have a long history of playing one another. They've played a total of six games (three in Chicago, three in Seattle) most recently at Wrigley in 2007. The Cubs took two of three in '07 and in '02 when the clubs met in Seattle. Every year, they face off during Spring Training games. This spring, they played only one Cactus League game against one another... a 1-0 Cubs win in Peoria on March 28.
This series will be a homecoming for manager Lou Piniella, who led the M's from 1993 to 2002. The Mariners made four postseason appearances during his tenure including 2001 when they won 116 regular season games.
Cubs' legend and radio broadcaster Ron Santo decided not to make the trip to his hometown. Ronny, who's 70 years old and has already had several health scares this season, is feeling fine and just wants to stay back to rest up. He will rejoin the Cubs when they play at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday. Santo plans to cut back on his travelling because of his health. Dave Otto will fill in for this series.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez is expected to come off the DL at some point during this series. Rami finished his rehab stint in Peoria 1-6 with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Gordon Wittenmyer reports that the Cubs will activate Aramis, who was hitting just .168 before going down with the thumb injury, prior to Wednesday night's game. The Cubs will have to make a corresponding roster move... which means Chad Tracy could be in danger of being sent back to Iowa once again.
Game 1: Tuesday at 9:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster (5-5, 3.67 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Jason Vargas (5-2, 2.88 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN+, WGN Radio
Game 2: Wednesday at 9:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells (3-5, 4.92 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Cliff Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN, WGN Radio
Game 3: Thursday at 2:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Felix Hernandez (5-5, 3.39 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN Radio
The Cubs are embarking on a six game road trip, but after the three in the Pacific Northwest they will be right back to the city of Chicago to play the South Siders. They are 31-38, 7 games out of first, and in third place in the NL Central. The bottom line: The Cubs are much in need of a series win... and against last-place Seattle a sweep would not be too much to ask for.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
Geovany Soto was the only Cub to homer yesterday launching his eighth dinger of the year. It was good to see Geo go deep, but it was also good to see the Cubs finding some other ways to score some runs. Carlos Zambrano helped his own cause with a run scoring single and got his first win at Wrigley since last July. Z went seven innings and allowed only one run to improve 3-5 overall on the year. Despite the fact that the game was already in the bag, Andrew Cashner and Carlos Marmol got their work in pitching the eighth and ninth respectively. Neither man surrendered a run. Derrek Lee drove in four runs and Marlon Byrd, who was hitting lead-off doubled twice.
The Seattle Mariners are not having a fun 2010 campaign either. They are just 28-41, which puts them in last of four teams in the AL West and 13 game behind first place Texas. The M's have played decent ball at Safeco Field where they hold an 18-17 mark.
The Mariners also have an off day today. They are in the midst of a four game winning streak including a sweep of the Reds this weekend to kick off their six game homestand. They are also in the middle of 15 straight games against NL opponents.
Seattle has several former Cubs on its roster, most notably controversial outfielder Milton Bradley. The Ex-Cubbie is hitting just .215 with 6 homers and 25 runs batted in. He will be swamped by his old pals from the Chicago media all series long. Luckily for him, Bradley does not have to go back to Wrigley to face the Cubs' faithful, which he has publicly ripped since departing from the North Side. Pitcher David Aardsma is also with the Mariners. Aardsma was a piece in the Cubs bullpen during the forgettable 2006 season before they shipped him to the White Sox in the Neal Cotts trade. The only reason David will be remembered by Cubs fans is because his last name comes first alphabetically on the list of all the players in Cubs history. Garrett Olson is another familiar name on the roster. Olson has never appeared in a game in the blue pinstripes, but he was a Cub for a short time during the 2008-2009 offseason. Garrett came over from Baltimore in the Felix Pie deal but was sent to Seattle along with Ronny Cedeno in the trade that netted the Cubs reliever Aaron Heilman.
These two clubs don't exactly have a long history of playing one another. They've played a total of six games (three in Chicago, three in Seattle) most recently at Wrigley in 2007. The Cubs took two of three in '07 and in '02 when the clubs met in Seattle. Every year, they face off during Spring Training games. This spring, they played only one Cactus League game against one another... a 1-0 Cubs win in Peoria on March 28.
This series will be a homecoming for manager Lou Piniella, who led the M's from 1993 to 2002. The Mariners made four postseason appearances during his tenure including 2001 when they won 116 regular season games.
Cubs' legend and radio broadcaster Ron Santo decided not to make the trip to his hometown. Ronny, who's 70 years old and has already had several health scares this season, is feeling fine and just wants to stay back to rest up. He will rejoin the Cubs when they play at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday. Santo plans to cut back on his travelling because of his health. Dave Otto will fill in for this series.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez is expected to come off the DL at some point during this series. Rami finished his rehab stint in Peoria 1-6 with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Gordon Wittenmyer reports that the Cubs will activate Aramis, who was hitting just .168 before going down with the thumb injury, prior to Wednesday night's game. The Cubs will have to make a corresponding roster move... which means Chad Tracy could be in danger of being sent back to Iowa once again.
Game 1: Tuesday at 9:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Ryan Dempster (5-5, 3.67 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Jason Vargas (5-2, 2.88 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN+, WGN Radio
Game 2: Wednesday at 9:10 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Randy Wells (3-5, 4.92 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Cliff Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA)
TV/Radio: WGN, WGN Radio
Game 3: Thursday at 2:40 CT
Cubs Starting Pitcher: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA)
Seattle Starting Pitcher: Felix Hernandez (5-5, 3.39 ERA)
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN Radio
The Cubs are embarking on a six game road trip, but after the three in the Pacific Northwest they will be right back to the city of Chicago to play the South Siders. They are 31-38, 7 games out of first, and in third place in the NL Central. The bottom line: The Cubs are much in need of a series win... and against last-place Seattle a sweep would not be too much to ask for.
"I don't care who wins as long as it's the Cubs!"
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