The Cubs Sunday brunch blog
Back at it here on a rainy Sunday morning at Wrigley. After today, I’ll pick up the team in-person in St. Louis. A lot to get to, including some numbers and even a forfeit by one of the Cubs’ minor-league teams last night. The Cubs are on pace to finish 69-93. Somebody here asked me about the over/under on the 93 losses. Given the schedule, I’ll take the over.
On a personal note, Lou Piniella will fly home after the game to tend to his mother, who was hospitalized. He hopes to rejoin the team during the road trip. Alan Trammell will run the team in San Francisco.
The Cubs got batting practice in, but just before the Reds took the field, the tarp went on. Not that the Reds need the practice or anything like that. Here is today’s Cubs lineup vs. lefty Travis Wood:
Castro, SS
Baker, 2B
Lee, 1B
Ramirez, 3B
Byrd, CF
Soriano, LF
Nady, RF
Hill, C
Diamond, P
Lou says Geovany Soto is better and that he should be able to catch tomorrow night in San Francisco, where Carlos Zambrano is expected to throw 75-80 pitches in his first start since coming back from anger-management treatment.
Lou says he’s sticking with D-Lee at first base. Somebody asked about Tyler Colvin possibly getting some time there.
“Look, we’ve got Nady, and we’ve got Derrek Lee at first,” Lou said. “Look, with Derrek, I can give him a breather from time to time, but he’s going to be playing first base.”
Before we get to the minor-league roundup, I came across this from Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus on Jeff Samardzija:
“I've taken more than my fair share of shots at the Cubs overpaying for Samardzija in 2006, but there's finally some good news on this front. Always in need of a second pitch, he's suddenly added a 88-90 mph cutter to his mix, and according to scouts, it's generating swings and misses. Since moving back to the rotation, Samardzija has a 2.18 ERA in nine starts while limiting Pacific Coast League hitters to a .177 batting average, and there's reason for hope once again _ not far stardom, but at least for a usable big league arm.”
As always, we shall see.
Random Sunday notes: The Cubs have played 39 1-run games this year, most in the majors. Their record in those games is 13-26…We talk a lot of about quality starts here. My TV pal Len Kasper points out the Reds are 44-15 when they get a quality start. The Cubs are 36-31 when they get one. The starters’ ERA in those games is 2.27. When the Cubs don’t get a quality start, the record is 11-32, and the starters ERA is 8.06…The Cubs are 10-for-43 (.233) with runners in scoring position on this homestand.
MINOR-LEAGUE ROUNDUP
The most unusual news came out of Class A Boise’s game last night at Everett, where Boise manager Jody Davis pulled his team off the field and forfeited the game after a second rain delay. Davis argued the field was not playable. Thus, a 9-0 forfeit victory for Everett.
Class AAA Iowa got another victory for starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx as the I-Cubs beat Tacoma 7-3. Bibens-Dirkx worked 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs. He’s 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA. At Class AAA and Class AA, he’s 9-3. Micah Hoffpauir extended his hitting streak to 16 games. He’s 26-for-66 (.379) in the streak. Darwin Barney recorded his 14th 3-hit game, going 3-for5. Matt Camp had 3 hits, and Sam Fuld was 2-for-4.
Tennessee (AA) got 6 in the first to beat Huntsville 9-2. Chris Carpenter went 6 innings of 3-hit shutout ball. He upped his record to 8-3 with a 3.03 ERA. Brett Jackson was 2-for-4. His line is .282/.392/.460 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 20 walks and 37 strikeouts since his promotion to Double-A. Tony Campana was 2-for-5. He has 130 hits and a line of .332/.388.404 with 18 doubles and 3 triples.
"In the bullpen I was feeling good so I just went out and tried to carry it through the game," Carpenter told the Knoxville News Sentinel. "I had all my pitches and that makes it a lot easier when you can throw three different pitches for strikes."
Daytona (A) lost 4-2 to Jupiter. Lefty Brooks Raley worked 6.2 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run. He got a no-decision and is 6-6 with a 4.11 ERA. DJ LeMahieu extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He’s 18-for-43 (.419) in the streak.
At Peoria (A), Brett Wallach worked 3.1 innings, giving up 3 hits and 7 runs (4 earned) while walking four and striking out three as the Chiefs fell 9-8 to Quad Cities. Wallach came over from the Dodgers organization in the Ted Lilly trade.
"He was just around the zone but not in it," manager Casey Kopitzke told the Peoria Journal Star. "The stuff is there it's just a matter of him getting comfortable."
Logan Watkins went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Jae-Hoon Ha extended his hitting streak to six games, going 2-for-4. He’s 11-for-26 (.423) in the streak.
Tom Ricketts is already in denial and it's becoming readily apparent that he is a meely-mouthed child of the privileged who has no clue what he is up to in terms of running a baseball operation. Meanwhile the turnstiles continue to click to the tune of 40,000 a game regardless whether the Cubs are destined for 100 losses and continue their long-standing tradition of being the laughingstock of the professional sports world.
Jim Hendry? We'll, he actually gets to KEEP his job which is unbelievable on many levels. Worst still he continues to live in denial and is of the ardent belief that the Cubs are only a couple moves away from something special.
And to top it off the kool-aid drinkers are beating the drums to have Ryne Sandberg annointed the next manager in deference to brighter and more capable baseball minds. Ryne Sandberg, the franchise legend who comes across like he dropped out of the 7th grade, is going to lead this team to the promised land because he claps well and hollers when called upon.
God save the queen.
Beyond the juvenile antics of Zambrano does anyone expect anything different on the mound tonight? I'm guessing we'll see more of what we've seen last season and this - cannot consistently throw stikes, Giant hitters will set there and take until they get ahead in the count, at which time Zambrano will have to groove one and boom.
I truly believe the best result of this season is the end of Zambrano as a Cub.
Just read at NSBB that Jody Davis has been suspended for 6 games. Seems odd, since he was protecting his players from injury. It had to be a tough decision for him to make, it's nice the Cubs have guys like that in the organization.
Mike 143 has the right idea. Nady, Baker, & Hill all started yesterday. That group really put some fear into the Red. Make room for the young regime. They are the energy to give fans some hope. It's time for Barney & Chirinos to come up & see what they have.
D-Lee needs some time off, Fukodome needs to play RF as he has contributed & is rested, Colvin needs to play 1b some. We have 2 catchers in AA & AAA with a combined 30 Home Runs & we stay with Hill, a below .200 ba and no Homeruns. "Hello"...its time Hendry to force Lou to make some moves.
I hope Ryno & Maddux can team up as the next Manager & pitching coach & say good bye to Lou & Larry. To think Hendry is in charge of the future is very scarey. Losing Lilly was a huge mistake to this team. He is a winner in most cub fans minds.
A note to Tom Ricketts: Sit down in a very private office with Ernie, Ron, Billy, Dawson, Maddux & Fergy & get their feelings on the way the Cubs are going & their suggestions for the future. No Hendry, No Crane "Capt. Morgan" Kenny, No Lou....Just U and the Cub allstars. They won't bs you or sell you a bad bill of goods. When is Jim Hendry going to sing the 7th inning stretch so Tom can really get a pulse on how the fans feel. The boos will be heard in Gary and Lake Michigan.
Enough said, go Cubs and don't look now but Ryno is winning big in Iowa without using Castro, cashner, and vitters plus the two top catchers were assigned to AA. Wonder why??? The smart fans can figure it out. There was no sense to start them all in AA except to keep Ryno from winning big early but he proved you wrong.
>> Sit down in a very private office with Ernie, Ron, Billy, Dawson, Maddux & Fergy & get their feelings on the way the Cubs are going & their suggestions for the future. <<
Here we go with the "sentimental", loveable loser thing again..... These guys were on Cub teams that fared no better than most Cub teams. Only logical that these fans are pushing Sandburg to take them for a ride into the "glory days" of the past.
I don't think it has anything to do with winning, but more likely these people wanting to relive their youth.
The history of the Cubs sucks. Who cares what a bunch of retired ballplayers have to think about the strategic direction of the Cubs. Ron Santo was part of the reason why the Cubs went into the toilet the 2nd half of 1969 and, other than that season, spent his entire career playing on craptacular teams.
The kool-aid drinkers have convinced themselves that Lou Piniella is entirely to blame for what is wong with the Cubs. To them Ryne Sandberg is the shining knight in white armor who is going to be the salvation. What a load of hoey.
I truly don't understand the correlation of Ernie, Ron, Billy, Dawson, Maddux, Fergy, Davis, Grace, Dunston, Buckner, etc, etc. with building a winning franchise among many Cub fans.
Can one of you please explain to me how these former Cub players know anything about building a winning organization when NONE of them (outside of Maddux & Grace) were ever a part of winning anything?
Can anyone explain why any of these former Cubs would be any better at front office responsibilities than Tarzan Joe Wallace, Carmen Fanzone or Steve Ontiveros?
Do the Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers or any other teams that have winning traditions load their front office with former players?
I just don't understand the mindset of these "fans" other than the nostalgia, sentimentality and re-living their youth factors when the teams these same guys played on with the Cubs were almost as bad as the current one!
Let's hear it directly from those posters who have man-crushes on these former Cubs and why they think any of these guys are capable of turning the franchise around. Don't just toss out names.... give us reasons WHY you feel these ex-Cubs would be the perfect "brains" behind the organization.
I agree that now is the time to see what some of the youngsters can do. If they fail, they're still getting invaluable experience. If Baker, Hill, Kosuke etc. fail, its just more of the same.
The Cubs really......you know, forget it.....I am tired of writing and reading about the Cubs. I'l be on the Bears and Bulls baords from now on. Adios!
me, Steve Rain, and Boozer tried telling faithful Cub fans not to expect much this year. we said "we're just being Realistic" and were crucified.
I do remember 1 cub fan saying "it's only 1 game".
I remember early in the year and people were saying the Cubs wouldn't be any good. Here were the reasons.
1. The lineup has too many what ifs, with Soto, Byrd, Soriano, Fukudome, and a platoon at 2nd base. Colvin is not for real and will come back to earth.
2. The pitching staff is doomed. Silva sucks and is terrible, you can't count on Randy Wells.
3. The bullpen is terrible.
Well, at least you were right on the last one.
Almost everyone that was saying the Cubs were going to be terrible to mediocre at the first of the year was saying that Soto, Soriano, Byrd, and Colvin would not be any good.
Not one person on your list, or any other list I ever saw predicted that Lee, Ramirez, and Zambrano would be as horrible as they have been. No one saw it coming, and when it boils down to it, those 3 are the reason the Cubs are not in contention. Your #3 and #4 hitter and your supposed #1 pitcher all stunk up the joint.
Derrek Lee 2009 - .306 .393 .579 - 35 HRs
Derrek Lee 2010 - .246 .332 .383 - on pace for 18 HRs
Aramis Ramirez 2009 - .317 .389 .516
Aramis Ramirez 2010 - . 224 .280 .423
Carlos Zambrano 2009 - 169 IP, 1.38 WHIP, 3.77 ERA
Carlos Zambrano 2010 - 59 IP, 1.75 WHIP, 5.61 ERA
Keep in mind, 2009 was considered a down year for both Zambrano and Ramirez due to injuries, but they have been a ton better than this year.
You being right is more coincidence, than some great baseball knowledge.
like Ohhhhboy said, it was common sense.
some people on here gave these reasons for being hopeful.
Soriano would be 100 % healthy, he's still below average, still looks at his fly balls. he worked hard on his D, improved and still is a bad LF'er.
Byrd would hit over 25 homers, well, he did have a good year,
Fukudome would be better cause he'd be in his regular RF spot, LOL.
Aram would be 100% healthy, with his history you depended on that?
Theriot is a good SS, LOL, we pointed out that he had no range, arm,
Fontenot had a bad year, he never played good as a regular. bench guy.
Lee is Lee, yeah he sure is,
Soto can't be that bad, that I figured,
pitching would be better, where did you get that from?
Colvin, I said from day 1 he should have started cause of his spring, I also said he can't be judged till he plays everyday. now you think he's good, what do you base that on?
you also don't judge a team by 3 guys, it takes 25 and we judged them as that. we seen it coming by the 25 man roster and Louie/Hendry. you didn't have to be a rocket scientist to see it coming.
>> You being right is more coincidence, than some great baseball knowledge. <<
It was neither.... it was common sense.
No bullpen, weak bench, no speed, inability to generate runs, no 2nd baseman and the big unknowns regarding Soto, Soriano, Byrd, and Colvin. The team lacked a spark, had no fire, played with no emotion or sense of emergency and lacked leadership. They had become stale because they became too comfortable. This was all apparent coming out of spring training.
Lou's speech to them coming out of spring training was to "relax and have a good time". Unfortunately they took him literally.
Ricketts said that he needed a year to be able to evaluate the team. If you have a long term, guaranteed contract.... that means everybody else is going to be evaluated. When you think everyone else is going to be evaluated other than you.... you kinda cruise. Which is what most of these type of guys did... Ramirez, Z, Soriano and even Lee to a certain extent. When those guys go M.I.A..... the year is doomed.
All of these signs pointed to a bad season.... and I think we know that when the Cubs are bad, they're always VERY bad.
What will the Cubs' record in 2013 be?
Who will be the next President of the United States?
What will you eat for dinner in 6 Wednesdays from now?
When will be the first measurable snowfall in Omaha, NE in 2011?
Keep up the great prognostication.
......it is impossible to predict much of anything yet a blind fan could see this trainwreck wobbling down the tracks. Several folks predicted a very bad season right here and it should surpise no one that Zambrano, after having declared himself a new man, displayed his true colors once again. I dare say, the year before, an even greater number of fans screamed and ran off as Hendry signed Milton the Mental.
What will the Cubs' record in 2013 be? good,
Who will be the next President of the United States? Palin, no, lol, kidding.
What will you eat for dinner in 6 Wednesdays from now? Stake and potatoes,
When will be the first measurable snowfall in Omaha, NE in 2011? June 21st,
Keep up the great prognostication. ok,
so you played for the Cubs, who released you, won 1 game and retired at 24. do you think you have a shot at the HOF? kidding you.
>> The Cubs are on pace to finish 69-93. Somebody here asked me about the over/under on the 93 losses. <<
At the beginning of the year I saw that the team going into 2010 wasn't as "good" (in the loosest of sense) as the 2009 team.... in spite of the rhetoric and hype from Hendry & Piniella, which was swallowed hook, line & sinker by many Cub fans. Many even on this very board (If they couldn't recognize it early on... they're hopeless and will be forever in regards to the Cubs).
At that time I also posted on this very board (to the slings & arrows of those same hopeless posters) that the Cubs would win 66 games this year. Look it up.
How anyone thought for one second that the Cubs were a playoff team going into 2010 is beyond belief.
But yet there are still people who think Hendry's got a good record as GM, Piniella's a great Cub manager, Ricketts is the guy and blah, blah, blah.
So long as these people continue to believe in the Tooth Fairy, the Cubs will never be anything but what they've always been because if it's okay with them.... it's okay to the Cub organization.
Seems a lot of the folks who criticized your, my and other's suggestions that this season was doomed have developed amnesia. When opening day reflected exactly what I expected from this club, I was told to keep perspective...it was only one game. Yet, the Winter did NOT give any reason to feel encouraged and things such as the further disintegration of "big" z (who replaced Sosa as a Cub I loathed) did not surprise. Now they remind me of some of the 50's and early 60's teams that could not throw, catch or hit the ball and who quit trying to do so pretty early on. As they no doubt could tell back then, the chance of winning seemed slim to none.
It's not what someone has done in the past - fine, we'll have a nice dinner for him the end of the season.
Rather it's about doing what's necessary to win - not It's about me / Lee.
Compare Jake Westbrook (and earlier Lance Berkman) to D Lee (below)
This speaks to Cub leadership and country club thinking.
Lee would rather stay in Chicago, avoid a possible playoff race,
and continue to clog the number 3 hole (at least move down!).
Even Fukudome (!!) has better stats, incl home runs, per
number at bats.
Yet Lee is playing every day? We should be looking at other
players, even if we suspect they may at best be future reserves or small future trades.
---
Phil Rogers writes 8-8-10: Jake Westbrook probably still would be in Cleveland if he insisted that the Indians honor his contract. But the 32-year-old pitcher felt he owed it to the Indians to let them get something back from their $33-million investment, so he facilitated the deadline trade to the Cardinals when he agreed to waive the $2 million bonus he was due if he was traded.
"I felt like anyway I could help the Indians, I should,'' said Westbrook. "I don't think I honored the contract the way I should, with me being hurt, so it was in my best interest and theirs to help get this thing done.''
The Indians landed Double-A pitching prospect Corey Kluber in the three-way deal between the Indians, Cardinals and Padres.
Neifi Perez at SS in 2006.
They need to give Lee a nice seat on the bench. He's not part of the plans going forward. He's not playing well. He's not a 3rd hitter.
To continue to play him AND bat him third is quitting as much by this coaching staff as Dusty did in 2006.
If they benched Lee, this would finally give the Cubs a chance to see what they have with....
wait, they don't have anyone they're wondering about at 1B.
I take it back, terrible idea.
Hey, if anyone looks for a Neifi reference/comparison on a regular basis it's definitely me, but yeah, this one is a stretch. :-) Of all the curious (I would say 'stupid', but hey, it's Sunday) things Dusty said in his four years, it definitely was that Neifi "saved" their season. PUH-Lease.
With regard to D. Lee, I think you have to look at his total seven year stint, and overall he's been very good. My guess is that since they tried to trade him and unless he can't find work/pay elsewhere to his liking, Lee is probably as good as gone after this year, be that a good thing or a bad thing.
No arguing Lee has been bad, but he's not Neifi Perez. Lee has a track record of a lot of good play. Neifi did not, even as Dusty would have had you believed he "saved" the Cubs.
I'm not saying they are equal in terms of player or stature, Bruce. I am saying that playing Lee now, and batting him third, does as much to benefit the Cubs going forward as playing Neifi did in 2006. I would rather see 50 games of Colvin at 1st than any more Lee.
No arguing the utter lack of production.
Really dumb of Hendry to still have Baker on this team. He's, ummm, not good. Value is about a nickel over DFA level. Not enough to keep around for any trade value. Just let him go and bring up D Barney and let him move over from SS and share 2B. I understand Baker is 3B backup depth, but Fontenot (wow, lucky he's still around, too) can cover that. At this point, you shed bad fringe vets wherever you can and give promotion, experience, playing time to worthy youngsters. The next sensible move along these lines--which'll probably happen too late if ever with Hendry at helm--is to say thanks for the memories to good-D, no-O K Hill and give his playing time to R Chirinos, who's certainly earned it with a great season at AA. After that, Nady gone in a waiver deal for not much in return, and promote an OF. Hendry is always, always too slow in doing these things in a rebuilding second half.
Is at AA for a reason. He's a AA caliber player. He won't get a sniff of the bigs for at least another year when he progresses through AAA just like every other marginal player.