MRI for Bradley
Had a chance to talk with GM Jim Hendry today. Jim is in Peoria, getting a look at Josh Vitters (no, the Cubs aren't calling him up) and Chris Archer, one of the pitchers the Cubs got from Cleveland for Mark DeRosa.
Right fielder Milton Bradley was undergoing an MRI late this afternoon on his right calf, which he strained last night. The Cubs didn't think the injury was a DL thing, but the MRI could turn up anything.
Jim didn't want to comment on Carlos Zambrano missing Monday's charter flight to Atlanta, saying that was a matter for Lou to handle. Lou has been amazingly lenient with Zambrano's antics the last couple years. Reports coming out of Atlanta said Z had nothing to say.
Lineup:
Soriano, LF
Theriot, SS
Fukudome, RF
Lee, 1B
Fontentot, 3B
Johnson, CF
Hill, C
Blanco, 2B
Lilly, P
Lou said on his pregame radio show that Hill will get to catch more. Maybe that was his way of lighting a fire under Geovano Soto, who has 1 homer and 12 RBI and is 6-for-32 in throwing out runners.
Randy Wells is moving up on the quality start leader board:
Lilly: 7
Dempster: 6
Z: 5
Harden: 5
Wells: 4
Marshall: 2
The Cubs are 17-12 when their starters give a quality start, and the starters' ERA in those games is 2.45. When the Cubs don't get a quality start, the team is 8-13.
Speaking of DeRosa, he has a .764 OPS, which ranked 60th in the AL entering today. The OBP was .332 and the SLG was .432. My problem with the DeRosa trade to Cleveland was that it left the Cubs without a bona fide backup to Ramirez at third. I guess that came into play, huh?
Here is how the three pitchers the Cubs got in return were doing entering today:
Archer (Peoria)
2-0
1.29 ERA
9 games started
WHIP: 1.11
John Gaub (Class AA Tennessee)
2-1
3.44 ERA
18 games
WHIP: 1.36
Jeff Stevens (Class AAA Iowa)
0-2
1.80 ERA
WHIP: 1.12
All of those numbers are pretty good. The trade still gets an "incomplete."
i believe Edmonds played a little 1st base with the cards....sure would be nice to platoon him with Lee....left handed bat with power....good athlete, cheap, available
good job on monsters today,
the last few years i away's felt Maddux would make a great 7th-8th inning guy....do you think Tom Glavine would except a relievers role? Does he still have something left in the tank? Is he better then Cotts? Anyone is.....
Why does a manager need a lefty for one hitter? Why can't he be a lefty marmol or Guzman and pitch an inning? I'm not a big believer in the lefty/righty thing.......when you bring a lefty in for one hitter then take him out to bring in your righty for a righty, by doing this everyday you're wearing out your bullpen....I'll admit there are times to do so, but not every time....
Just awful. Can anyone bunt? Do the Cubs ever do "bunt camp" like Guillen? I mean this is getting old. Every year they lose games because they can't move guys over. No reason why Theriot or Fontenot can't lay down a bunt.
Figures A-Ram would get hurt for a lengthy period of time after the DeRosa trade. I'm not a curse type of guy, but there's no denying good luck has for the most part stayed away/been absent from Clark and Addison.
Poor Randy Wells. What a meltdown. I would've left Wells in there at least for one or two more hitters. He had only thrown something like 83 pitches.
I like the numbers the guys who came over for DeRosa are putting up, but I agree the grade is still "incomplete" since I don't think any of them are ready for MLB duty.
Bruce,
Why don't the Cubs just see the error of their way and trade for DeRosa? He would be a great fit for this team(ironic, eh?). 3rd base, 2nd base, LF, and RF and maybe even a little at 1st. George Sherrill looks as if he would be a great fit for the Cubs as well.
The Cubs have absolutely no room to be adding payroll right now. The Indians don't seem inclined to take back any money. Sherrill? Maybe you can back up the clock and start talks with the Orioles last November if you want to get a deal done by now. In other words, that deal would take a whole lot of time to get done, and what about the money?