Tag: Chicago Cubs

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MLB General

The Full Count: Ice cold brews here!


1. The Slumping Central: Every NL Central team has a losing record in their last ten games, including ice-cold Milwaukee. The Brewers, who have lost 9 of their last 13 games, fell 5-1 to the Dodgers on Wednesday. Brad Penny shut them out in seven innings to improve to 6-1, while Chris Capuano struggled again for the Brewers. Also, the Astros got swept by the Giants in a series that could have been a great chance to catch up to the Brewers. The Cubs, who were nearly above .500 last week, have dropped three straight and remain in third place. As for the other teams…they’ve been in a slump all year, and nothing has changed.

2. Perez beats the Braves–again: If Oliver Perez pitched against the Braves every start, he’d be unstoppable. In three starts against the Braves this season, Perez is 3-0 with only three runs allowed. Amazingly, he has accounted for all of the Mets’ victories against the Braves this season. Perez pitched seven shutout innings on Wednesday as the Mets won 3-0. David Wright homered for the fourth time in four games. The Braves won their third straight series against the Mets this year, but New York retained their division lead.

3. The Yankees Strike Back: Boston crushed the Yankees in their first two series this season, but New York just took two of three from them at Yankee Stadium. They won 8-3 to finish the series, as Andy Pettitte pitched a gem and Curt Schilling was chased after six innings. Schilling allowed 12 hits and 6 runs in what was easily his worst start of the season. Pettitte, meanwhile, went 7 innings for the fourth start in a row and gave up just one run. Surprisingly, he is now fifth in the AL in ERA with 2.66. In a starting rotation that has seen injuries, numerous rookies, and inconsistency, Pettitte is definitely the strongest link. Roger Clemens will join the rotation sometime next week, though his second minor league start was far from ideal.

Player of the Day: Magglio Ordonez, Tigers: 2 HR, 2 RBIs in an 8-7 win over the Angels for the AL MVP candidate. Ordonez has 12 homers, 42 RBIs, and leads the league in slugging and OPS.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Jake Peavy makes his Cy Young case


1. King of the Hill: Jake Peavy faced Rich Hill in a promising pitching matchup on Tuesday. But this one wasn’t close, as Hill continued his recent struggles while Peavy kept his major league leading ERA. Hill allowed five runs in six innings, the third start in a row he’s given up four or more runs. He allowed four homeruns to the Padres, all of them solo. Meanwhile, Peavy gave up just one run to improve to 6-1 with a 1.63 ERA. If the season ended right now, he would win the Cy Young in a landslide. On offense, Adrian Gonzalez hit his 11th homer and Mike Cameron hit two out to triple his season total. The Padres are just a half game back of the Dodgers now.

2. Twin Powers: The Twins’ three best players–Johan Santana, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter–all dominated in a 7-1 win over the Rangers. Santana had one of his best starts of the season, with 13 strikeouts and one run allowed in seven innings. He only surrendered a homer to Sammy Sosa, who now has 598 on his career. Morneau powered the offense with two homers, five RBIs, and three hits. With 13 homers, he is now second only to A-Rod in the AL in that category. Torii Hunter also continued his recent hot streak, with another homer and two ribbies. In his last nine games, Hunter has 5 homers and 17 RBIs. The Rangers, followed up back-to-back 14-run outings with 18 strikeouts on offense.

3. Youth over experience: For the second time in six days, Tim Lincecum of the Giants took on Roy Oswalt of the Astros. Last time, both pitchers were even and the game was decided in extras. On Tuesday, Lincecum got the better of the two-time All Star. Lincecum pitched a career-high eight innings and gave up two runs, lowering his ERA to 3.08. After a poor debut, Lincecum has made three straight quality starts. Oswalt gave up four runs in the loss but is still 6-3. Also worth noting for the Giants is how Barry Bonds has completely struggled lately. Since his last homer on May 8, he has no RBIs, just 5 hits, and a .191 slugging percentage. His OPS has fallen from 1.311 to 1.121, though that’s still good enough to lead the NL.

Player of the Day: Kyle Davies, Braves: 8 innings, 1 run, and three RBIs in an 8-1 win over the Mets.

Stat of the Day: After only recording three RBIs in the first 32 games this year, Felipe Lopez of the Nationals has 13 RBIs in his last 13 games, including a 6-RBI effort on Tuesday in a win over Cincinnati.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Smoltz vs Maddux


1. Pitcher’s Duel, Hall of Fame style: It’s not often there’s a pitching matchup features two starters that are future Hall of Famers and former teammates. But that’s what John Smoltz vs. Greg Maddux had to offer, and it lived up to its billing. The game marked Maddux’s return to Turner Field for the first time since leaving the team in 2003. I went to Turner Field to see these two greats face off. One of the more interesting moments occurred during Maddux’s first at-bat. The crowd at Turner Field gave him an enormous standing ovation, then Maddux lined a single off Smoltz. Earlier that inning, Geoff Blum hit a solo homer, which was matched the next inning with an opposite-field shot by Adrian Gonzalez. But Smoltz was never rattled by these errors, as he moved down many of the batters he faced to finish with 7 innings, 2 runs, and 7 strikeouts. Maddux, meanwhile, was his usual, efficient self. He was taken out early after just 72 pitches, but Maddux pitched a great 5.1 innings, only surrendering one run. With the Padres up 2-1 and stud reliever Cla Meredith in, it seemed over for the Braves. However, the Braves reeled off four straight hits, including RBIs by Chipper and Andruw Jones. For Andruw, it turned out to be his second night in a row with a game-winning RBI. That’s because when relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano came in for the Braves, they were utterly unhittable. Gonzalez, with his awkward windup and wicked curveball, quickly ousted the bottom third of the Padres’ order. Soriano, who came in as the closer, struck out 2 using his 96 mph fastball. The Braves won 3-2, with John Smoltz receiving his 198th career win. Another note in this game was Braves leftfielder Willie Harris, who was very speedy on the basepaths and hit the ball well. Overall, this was one of those games that came in with a lot of hype and completely lived up to it.

2. Unlikely Aces: Jason Marquis sucked last year with the Cardinals, as he put up a 6.00+ ERA and was left off the team’s postseason rotation. But this year with the Cubs, he has dominated and won five straight starts. On Wednesday, he gave a complete-game shutout, three-hit effort, good for a 1-0 win over the Pirates. The game’s only run was scored on a leadoff homer by Alfonso Soriano. For the rest of the game, Marquis (5-1 with a 1.70 ERA now) was the story. Elsewhere around baseball, some breakout pitchers emerged. The Devil Rays’ James Shields pitched as well as Marquis–nine innings, three hits and no runs allowed–but his team lost. That’s because opposing pitcher Erik Bedard struck out 10 and shut out the D-Rays, and this game went 0-0 into extra innings. Aubrey Huff of the Orioles hit a game-ending homerun. Also, Gil Meche of the Royals, the most widely panned offseason signing, pitched well enough to lead his team over the first-place A’s.

Player of the Day: It’s too hard to choose among the pitchers, so I’m going with David Ortiz, Red Sox: 4-5, HR (9), 3 RBIs in a 9-3 win over Toronto.

Stat of the Day: Maddux and Smoltz have combined for 533 wins and 5 Cy Youngs in their careers. It’s not the most ever for opposing pitchers in either category, but it’s still impressive.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Losing the Arms Race


1. All Bats, No Arms: The Yankees have a problem. Their lineup is great — probably the best in the majors — and Alex Rodriguez is already breaking records this season. But, due to injuries and bad trades, they have awful pitching. After allowing four homeruns in a row in a Sunday loss to the Red Sox, the Yanks were torched by the Devil Rays on Monday night. Kei Igawa allowed 7 earned runs and could make it out of the 5th inning. His ERA in four starts is 7.84. Rocco Baldelli, BJ Upton, and other youngsters took advantage as the D-Rays continued their offensive success with a 10-run performance.

Even in a winning effort, the Devil Rays could not stop Alex Rodriguez. He hit two homers, giving him 14 on the year. That ties Albert Pujols’ record for homers in the month of April (set last year), and A-Rod still has six games left in the month. He also now has 34 RBIs, one short of the record. But still, despite scoring 8 runs, the Yankees lost their fourth in a row and are now just a half game ahead of Tampa for last place in the division.

2. Fluke or no Fluke?: Could the Brewers actually be a good team? At 12-7, they lead the NL Central division easily and have won 4 out of their last 5 games. Milwaukee beat the Cubs on Monday in 12 innings. They were down 4-0 but rallied back to tie the game in the eighth. Then Prince Fielder had a solo homerun to win the game, his second of the day. Shortstop JJ Hardy homered, giving him 6 on the year which ranks second in the league. I’m still not sold on this team, but their upcoming series against the Astros and Cardinals will help show if they are for real.

3. AL Central Delivers: The division race that seemed exciting even before the season started — the AL Central — has not disappointed. The top four teams (the Tigers, Twins, Indians, and White Sox) are all within a half-game of the division lead. On Monday the White Sox and Tigers beat the Royals and Angels, while the Indians beat the Twins. Minnesota has led the division most of the season, but they just lost a series to the Royals. Maybe when Johan Santana pitches tonight they’ll do better. Upcoming interdivision series include Tigers-White Sox and Tigers-Twins.

Co-Players of the Day: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 4-5, 2 HR (14), 3 RBIs in 8-10 loss to the Devil Rays. Jimmie Rollins, Phillies: 4-5, HR (7), 4 runs, 2 RBIs in an 11-4 win over Houston.

Stat of the Day: The Yankees starting pitchers have averaged 4.8 innings per start, the worst mark in the majors.

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MLB General

The Full Count: See NY? This is what happens when you don’t boo A-Rod



Boo me now, bitches!

1. Who’s Booing Now?: Alex Rodriguez getting booed at home was not a newsworthy event last year. But this season, he’s been the only reason the Yankees aren’t in last place. A-Rod has been absolutely sensational to say the least, and he continued on Thursday with a walk-off three-run homer. The blast was his 10th of the year; he has 26 RBIs and leads the majors in almost every major category. Rodriguez’s game-winner simply put an exclamation point on an already impressive comeback by New York. The Yanks were down 6-2 to start the ninth, but Josh Phelps hit a solo homer, then Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu each hit RBI singles. A-Rod’s shot won the game, sent the Yanks to second place, and ruined Joe Borowski’s ERA.

2. MVP vs. LVP: Another player who has proved invaluable to his team this year is Cubs starter Rich Hill. While Chicago stands at a mediocre 6-9, they would be even worse if it wasn’t for Hill, who has won half their games. He pitched 8 innings against the Braves, allowing no runs to bring his ERA down to 0.41. The Braves’ starter, Mark Redman, gave a much better effort than his first two starts of the year, but was not supported at all by the offense. Redman is now 0-3 on the year, accountable for the majority of the Braves’ 5 losses. Hill seems like he’s an All Star selection right now, while Redman could be demoted from the rotation unless he improves.

3. Manny’s Back: Many stars have struggled this year, and Manny Ramirez was one of them. The slugger had no homeruns in the team’s first 13 games, and was hitting under .200. But last night his first homer was huge for the Red Sox. The Blue Jays were up 3-1 entering the eighth inning, when Manny launched a two-run shot to tie the game. Then the Sox scored two more runs in the ninth, and Jonathan Papelbon sealed the deal for his fourth save. Boston is now 9-5, good for the division lead. But that all could change when they face the Yankees at Fenway for a three-game set this weekend.

Player of the Day: Rich Hill, Cubs: 8 innings, 9 runs, 7 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Atlanta.

Walk Off: Here are the division leaders right now: Boston, Minnesota, Oakland, New York, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles. Of those, five have been perennial contenders the last few years. But how is Milwaukee so good? They were a sleeper pick to start the year, but do they have any potential to continue their success? The answer lies in their pitching. In six of their nine wins, the Brewers have allowed 3 runs or less. Francisco Cordero hasn’t given up a run in 5 saves, but beyond that, their pitchers have simply been lucky and/or inconsistent. Chris Capuano hasn’t made it out of the fifth inning but is 2-0. Jeff Suppan has been good but not dominant, while Ben Sheets and Doug Davis have only been good one out of their three starts. Of course Sheets has ace potential, but the rest of the rotation seems mediocre. I don’t think this team will last–their above average hitting will regress as well. I still think St. Louis is the team to beat in the division, even though they’re in last right now. If they can’t do it, Houston will take advantage and win the division.

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Chicago Bears

Devin Hester does his best Ozzy impression

Devin Hester might be the fastest man in Madden history but that doesn’t make him a good singer. But, like so many before him, Hester was asked to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in front of the Cubbies crowd and, like so many before him, he fell flat on his face. Here’s the horrific proof that Hester definitely belongs on the field and not in a recording studio.

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Chicago Cubs

What would Harry Caray think?


For those of you who are fortunate enough (or possibly cursed) to watch the Cubbies play ball every year at Wrigley Field, buying beer just got a whole lot easier thanks to a new website that allows you to learn more about the lucky vendors who get to watch you get drunk and stuff your face with hot dogs.

BeerVendors.com has the pics and bios of all the beer dispensing men and women who call Wrigley home for a few hours each week. Just imagine it, no more embarrassing moments spent screaming, “Hey! Beer dude, over here,” in vain. Now, you can simply yell for your favorite vendor by their nickname to get their undivided attention.

For example, the next time 37 year veteran Don Gerstein is working your section just holler out, “Yo, Slappy! Two Buds.” Now doesn’t that sound like a much more pleasurable game atmosphere?

Links:

[MySA.com]: Click and Scroll: Guys, girls who make the confines a little friendlier

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Chicago Cubs

Odds and Ends: Kerry Wood’s evil hot tub


Kerry Wood makes an early bid for the upcoming “Dumbest Non-Playing Injury” list we’ve been meaning to do on Sportscolumn blog. Wood is out for a few days after slipping and landing on his stomach and chest getting out of a hot tub. It’s gonna be that type of season, Cubbies fans.

In other news…

[Flash Warner]: Why Isn’t Hardaway In Rehab Yet?

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Kenny Smith on John Amaechi

[WBRS Sports Blog]: Handicapping The Entire All-Star Weekend

[James Mirtle]: Analysis of Forsberg to Nashville

[Jeff Little]: Looking at past McDonald’s All Americans (1991-1995)

[DC Sports Blog]: Yeah… this isn’t representative of Sixers fans

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Chicago Cubs

Lou Pinella joins Cubs, denies wanting A-Rod



They can get their tips frosted together!

Lou Pinella (stealer of wallets) was officially introduced as the Cubs manager today. He signed a three year contract worth $10M with a club option for a fourth year. His first official act was to deny an ESPN report that he wanted to trade for A-Rod. A lot of speculation has gone into an A-Rod to Cubs trade because of the relationship that Pinella has with Alex Rodriguez that started when A-Rod was actually a good player in Seattle.

That’s right folks. A club with a $95M payroll and 66 wins (that’s $1.4M per win if you’re counting) wants to add a $25M player who went 1 for 14 in the postseason. Brilliant. The Goat Riders of the Apocalypse is going to have plenty of time until the “end of the world”.

Links:
[Chicago Tribune]: ‘Perfect guy’ Piniella agrees to $10 million, 3-year contract
[MSNBC]: Piniella vows wins, denies A-Rod talks
[Cub Town]: Here He Comes To Save The Daaaaaaay!

[Todd Hundley Sucks]: “Lou Piniella is kind of a douchebag”

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Detroit Lions

What happens when Fire_____.com is obsolete?


Today, we stumbled upon FireMillen.com and their attempt to organize a “Baltimore Orioles-esque walkout” for the Bills game. Personally, we think the Bills game (10/15) is way too soon and way too low profile for a protest. We suggest they go with their other idea and stage a protest for the Thanksgiving Day game. Sure the matchup of Lions-Dolphins is going to send more people to sleep than the trytophan in the turkey but at least it’s a national game.

FireMillen.com is also suggesting that people wear any color to the games other than the Lions blue. However, if you don’t tell people what color to wear, you end up with a mishmash of colors in the stands and it just looks like a normal apathetic fan base (you know, like Falcons games) instead of a protest of the pathetic job that Matt Millen is doing with the franchise. This brings us to the fans of opposing teams in the NFC North. Shouldn’t they band together and make sure Matt Millen doesn’t get fired? When you can count on an exec to produce two easy wins for your team a year, you want to make sure he’s there for a long time. (It’s the same reason NFC East fans love Daniel Snyder.)

Finally, we have to wonder what becomes of websites like FireMillen.com when Matt Millen eventually gets fired. (Because if he isn’t fired soon, you know he’s got photos of William Clay Ford doing something illegal to Roary the mascot. ) It seems you would have to wait around for someone foolish enough to hire him. If someone else hires Matt Millen, we’ll lose all faith in billionaire owners but there’s still hope for the owner of FireDustyBaker.com