Atkins up, Stevens down
Strapped for bullpen arms, the Cubs today called righty Mitch Atkins up from Class AAA Iowa and sent Jeff Stevens back to Iowa. Stevens worked the previous 2 games, throwing 15 pitches last night and 36 the previous night.
Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija both have worked in three straight games, and if Lou can't go to Marshall today, it means he has no lefty reliever.
It hasn't been the greatest of seasons for Atkins, the Cubs' minor-league pitcher of the year last season. At Iowa this year, he was 6-10 with a 6.92 ERA with a 1.46 WHIP in 20 starts. In 108 innings, he gave up 121 hits and 37 walks while striking out 92. When the Cubs broke spring training, Lou talked of Atkins possibly being the first call-up, but Randy Wells passed him by and got the call instead. Last year, Atkins was 17-7 between Iowa and Class AA Tennessee. He led all Cubs minor-leaguers in wins and strikeouts. He also enjoyed a 12-game winning streak between Tennessee and Iowa.
B.J. Ryan apparently topped out at about 87 mph last night in his Iowa debut. He worked 1 inning, giving up 1 walk. The Cubs recently signed the former Blue Jays closer.
Lineup
Johnson, CF
Theriot, SS
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Bradley, RF
Soriano, LF
Baker, 2B
Hill, C
Wells, P
Hill is making his 19th straight start behind the plate.
Cubs batters have drawn 39 walks in their last six games, good for an average of 6.5 per game. Aramis Ramirez has at least 1 extra-base hit in each of his last six games, a career best. He has 5 doubles and 3 homers during this run.
Wind is blowing in, and it's a touch cool in the shade here. Enjoy.
Reed Johnson left the game at the start of the fourth inning with a bruised left foot. Fukudome replaces him in center.
... since he was scheduled to start tonight. Maybe Atkins will perform better in relief -- some guys do, and there's some reason to think he might be one -- but I wish the Cubs hadn't wasted Berg's callup like that. Since coming back from his early season shoulder problem, Berg has allowed hitters only about a .180 batting average and hasn't given up a homer in 32 innings. That doesn't necessarily translate into major league success, but it's more of a cause for optimism than anything Atkins has been doing....
about Berg....same amount of K's as BB's...just doesn't seem like a viable option to me.
don't feel like looking it up, but I'm guessing he must have a heck of a groundball percentage.
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One of the best offensive days of the year for the Cubs and the fewest comments! I guess there's not much to complain about so it quiets down!
2.95 this year, which is high but not unusually high for him. Here's a couple of other things about Berg. Despite your misgivings about his K/W ratio, he's a strike thrower: almost exactly 60% (295 strikes in 494 pitches) since coming off the DL. He has several other positives as well; dismissing him because you don't like his K/W ratio can't be called a thorough analysis.
But that's beside the point of my last post. I was not so much advocating for Berg as I was advocating against calling up Atkins. The crux of the matter is not which pitcher has the most long-term potential, but which would be likely to do a good job in the majors *right now*. Berg has pitched 32 innings since coming off the DL; his ERA in that time is 1.41, and even if we charged him with full responsibility for both inherited runners he has allowed to score his ERA would be only 1.97. Over his last 31 innings, Atkins has a 6.97 ERA, 5 full runs higher. Atkins has allowed more bases per hit and many more hits per 9 innings than Berg; opposition baserunners have stolen on him more frequently and at a higher success rate. Atkins hasn't shown any signs of improvement as the season has gone along; the reverse, if anything. He did fine today, in the final inning of a blowout, but I personally won't feel comfortable seeing him take the mound -- especially in Wrigley Field.
Berg can't be successful, the K/BB ratio is just a red flag IMO.
And I still think Gaub can come up and do as fine a job as Beimel/Grabow in a LOOGY role!
you're correct I'm wrong, he's been traded twice............
Atlanta Braves
DeRosa made his MLB debut on September 2, 1998 as a shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. From '98-'01, DeRosa spent much of his time as a backup utility player, playing both infield and outfield. In 2002, though still playing as a backup, DeRosa was starting to play more and more, and enjoyed a sucessful batting average of .297.
DeRosa started the 2004 season as the starting third baseman for the Braves. He had been strictly a backup the previous bunch of years, but the departure of Vinny Castilla opened the spot for him.
His performance as a starter was widely considered unacceptable. DeRosa himself spoke openly of his poor performance, declaring in one interview that even his mother couldn't tell him she thought he was playing well. After about a month, DeRosa was demoted back to a backup.
Chipper Jones moved from left field to third base, where he had played his whole career until 2002. Jones was replaced in left field by a platoon of Charles Thomas, an unknown rookie, and Eli Marrero, a fairly obscure catcher/outfielder who was considered the much less important half of the trade in which the Braves acquired him and J. D. Drew for pitchers Jason Marquis, Ray King, and Adam Wainwright. At the end of 2004, the Braves declined to offer DeRosa a contract for the 2005 season.
has played for at least 5 teams, been traded at least 3 times....if you ever played any kind of sport and you were half way decent you'd know he has no RANGE..if he did he might still be here (Cubs), he's a good utility player with a good team.....with bad teams like Cleveland, Atlanta he isn't much help....he has no regular position cause he has no range....he's kind of like Jake Fox, good hitter with no range/position......so where out of what i said do you get that I'm insinuating he's a "bad egg"?.....3 times traded is many.....
Scutaro's name has been popping up in a lot of rumors related to other teams. I think he'd be a great fit for the Cubs. He's an above average fielder at SS and 2B and can hit the ball. Instead of platooning Baker and Fontenot spend the $400k that Scutaro has remaining on his current contract and get him. He'll be a FA at the end of the year so there is no future financial commitment.
Looks like Ruben Amaro just stuck it to Toronto and their greediness. The Philles just acquired Cliff Lee and another guy from Cleveland for 4 of their top 10 prospects, but none named Happ or Drabek.
This is a big game today for the Cubs because it could clinch the series so I think that's why you see the normal lineup. I think you'll see more regulars get the day off tomorrow but they need to get this game today to take the series.
Plus, it might rain tomorrow.
... it's a 4 game series.
Sorry, I must have been in a post-lunch daze. You are correct. Maybe it just seems like the Astros have been in town forever.
I still think some of the regulars will get a day off tomorrow.
I wish Lou would spot these guys and not trot a lineup of second liners out there. Then again, all he can do is spot at 2B and RF, since we don't have an effective regular at either position.
I fail to see how anyone can say the Cubs SHOULD have the pitching advantage when they are starting two guys that were expected to start in Triple A all year? Yes, Wells has been very good, but how can you think Kevin Hart provides an advantage for the Cubs over any other team's pitcher? I certainly hope you're right. but don't see it.
They may be AAA people but thus far they've done the job and I think Wells has proven he's the real deal. I think we'll only need Hart for another couple of starts before Lilly's back.
I'm also basing it on the fact that, after Oswalt and Wandy, their starting pitching drops off quite a bit with retread Russ Ortiz, Mike Hampton, and Brain Moehler.
Wow, the Astros are kind of an old team when you think about it, save for Hunter "Spaz" Pence and Bourne.
This is getting ridiculous. Lou would never put Soto in the starting line-up 19 games in a row, but he will do that with the back-up. Put Fox in and let Blanco play short. Theriot has had two rough games offensively and maybe he needs a day off.
Also, is it really that important to keep the gas can Aaron Heilman? He has been horrible and the Cubs punish Stevens, who has performed better than anyone would have hoped for. Come on Jim, just admit your mistake and give Heilman the Vizcaino treatment!
It's been going on all year Ron. Micah, Jake, Fuld, Stevens, Blanco...they play well and either get sent down or benched for days on end. What does Atkins do to strengthen our pen exactly? Meanwhile Smarge and Heilman continue to have one good outing for every 4 bad outings and Lou keeps trotting them out there.
You never know what will happen. Before last night's game, the two guys doing the Astros radio play by play were speculating that if Oswalt went deep and with Dempster off the D.L. and limited to 80 pitches, this could really tax the Cubs' bullpen and give the Astros an advantage in the final two games. Looks like it wound up basically being a "push". But the Cubs ...should...have the pitching advantage in these last two games.