Monday I suggest Jerry Hairston's job is on the line, Wednesday he's off to Texas for Phil Nevin.
Sorry for the delay.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Funny You Should Mention...
Chalk it up to timing. I mention Henry Blanco is 0-for-May, and in his next game he bloops an RBI single past shortstop... and proceeds to be almost comically thrown out at second trying, for lack of a better term, to leg out his first extra-base hit. It's something, though. He's going to be getting a lot more at-bats for a couple of weeks.
So hey, two straight. Don't break out the champagne just yet. But the hits are falling in, Maddux had a good outing, the bullpen was airtight tonight, and the defense... well... the defense still needs some work.
Ronny Cedeno is still overanxious at shortstop, and it's really hard to watch Jacque Jones play right field sometimes. As long as he's hitting, why not wheel Jones to first base, Womack to right and Walker to second? You put more speed in the outfield, put Walker back at his natural position and cut down on balls airmailed to the screen. The only questions then would be, can Jones pick 'em when balls are thrown directly to him, and can the left side hit a 5'10" target? Hey, it might make Cedeno a little more careful when he's got time to make a play.
Interesting note: Derrek Lee has six more RBIs and two more walks than Juan Pierre, and still ranks second on the team in stolen bases, tied with Cedeno.
Ex-Cub Watch: Corey Patterson hit two solo homers and made a game-saving catch above the wall in the ninth for Baltimore. He's batting .291 and is 18-of-19 in steals (t2 AL, t3 MLB). No one in baseball with fewer at-bats has more than nine.
Ex-Cub Watch II, III: Nomar Garciaparra is batting .379 in May and overall is at .362 with 35 RBIs playing first base for the Dodgers, where he bats behind ex-Cub Kenny Lofton (.315, 11 steals).
Ex-Cub Watch IV: Moises Alou is batting .378 for the Giants. And I still wouldn't take him back.
So hey, two straight. Don't break out the champagne just yet. But the hits are falling in, Maddux had a good outing, the bullpen was airtight tonight, and the defense... well... the defense still needs some work.
Ronny Cedeno is still overanxious at shortstop, and it's really hard to watch Jacque Jones play right field sometimes. As long as he's hitting, why not wheel Jones to first base, Womack to right and Walker to second? You put more speed in the outfield, put Walker back at his natural position and cut down on balls airmailed to the screen. The only questions then would be, can Jones pick 'em when balls are thrown directly to him, and can the left side hit a 5'10" target? Hey, it might make Cedeno a little more careful when he's got time to make a play.
Interesting note: Derrek Lee has six more RBIs and two more walks than Juan Pierre, and still ranks second on the team in stolen bases, tied with Cedeno.
Ex-Cub Watch: Corey Patterson hit two solo homers and made a game-saving catch above the wall in the ninth for Baltimore. He's batting .291 and is 18-of-19 in steals (t2 AL, t3 MLB). No one in baseball with fewer at-bats has more than nine.
Ex-Cub Watch II, III: Nomar Garciaparra is batting .379 in May and overall is at .362 with 35 RBIs playing first base for the Dodgers, where he bats behind ex-Cub Kenny Lofton (.315, 11 steals).
Ex-Cub Watch IV: Moises Alou is batting .378 for the Giants. And I still wouldn't take him back.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Hit By Pitcher
With two hits in two trips today, Kerry Wood now has more hits (3) in five at-bats than Henry Blanco (2) has in 39. Blanco is 0-for-May.
A Thousand Words
I had a big speech planned, but this unaltered image capture from before the final pitch of Sunday's game pretty much sums up how I feel after another increasingly spectacular loss, the Cubs' 23rd in their last 28 games.
(Editor's note: Okay, okay, the kid's index finger merely slipped off the bill of his helmet for a couple of frames, but hey, what's the electronic media without a little creative license being taken?)
What else can you say when you come back from six runs down in the 6th and get four in bottom of the 9th to send it to extra innings, only to have a sky-high popup bonk off of your third-baseman's head and put you on the business end of a fifth series sweep just in the month of May? Incidentally, as the saying goes, one more biscuit for breakfast and Aramis Ramirez' warning track fly out in the tenth reaches the basket and wins the game, and there's no 11th inning for him to Canseco that popup.
Still, there were good signs. First and foremost, the repeated comebacks. They didn't roll over and die this time when they were down several runs. It was unusual to see only two Cubs strike out, including pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu, while 18 Braves failed to make contact. When your team hits eight home runs everyone wants a piece of the action, but at least you can say Cub pitchers kept the ball in the zone, even if they did set a club record for a 130-year-old franchise.
But who knows? Not too long ago we saw a week go by with fewer runs scoring than the Cubs put up Sunday, and making regular contact gets runners on, over and in. Maybe the beginning of air-conditioning season in Chicago has sparked something. It was right about this time in 1998 that the Cubs got hot.
And maybe Tony Womack will be part of that spark. He's made an immediate impact with five singles in seven trips over two games. He's been on five playoff teams in the last seven seasons and in two of the last five World Series, which is the right kind of fresh blood to have in the clubhouse. Think Kenny Lofton.
With Womack playing five positions and adding another stolen base threat, that means there'll be another odd man out when trade season rolls around. Perhaps Neifi Perez's three-run triple and game-tying run scored in the bottom of the ninth is a sign of a man who knows his job is on the line. Are you listening, Jerry Hairston?
So what do we do now? Sit back, have some holiday barbecue and, like the old rallying cry for Ryne Sandberg, pretend it's June a little early.
(Editor's note: Okay, okay, the kid's index finger merely slipped off the bill of his helmet for a couple of frames, but hey, what's the electronic media without a little creative license being taken?)
What else can you say when you come back from six runs down in the 6th and get four in bottom of the 9th to send it to extra innings, only to have a sky-high popup bonk off of your third-baseman's head and put you on the business end of a fifth series sweep just in the month of May? Incidentally, as the saying goes, one more biscuit for breakfast and Aramis Ramirez' warning track fly out in the tenth reaches the basket and wins the game, and there's no 11th inning for him to Canseco that popup.
Still, there were good signs. First and foremost, the repeated comebacks. They didn't roll over and die this time when they were down several runs. It was unusual to see only two Cubs strike out, including pitcher Jae Kuk Ryu, while 18 Braves failed to make contact. When your team hits eight home runs everyone wants a piece of the action, but at least you can say Cub pitchers kept the ball in the zone, even if they did set a club record for a 130-year-old franchise.
But who knows? Not too long ago we saw a week go by with fewer runs scoring than the Cubs put up Sunday, and making regular contact gets runners on, over and in. Maybe the beginning of air-conditioning season in Chicago has sparked something. It was right about this time in 1998 that the Cubs got hot.
And maybe Tony Womack will be part of that spark. He's made an immediate impact with five singles in seven trips over two games. He's been on five playoff teams in the last seven seasons and in two of the last five World Series, which is the right kind of fresh blood to have in the clubhouse. Think Kenny Lofton.
With Womack playing five positions and adding another stolen base threat, that means there'll be another odd man out when trade season rolls around. Perhaps Neifi Perez's three-run triple and game-tying run scored in the bottom of the ninth is a sign of a man who knows his job is on the line. Are you listening, Jerry Hairston?
So what do we do now? Sit back, have some holiday barbecue and, like the old rallying cry for Ryne Sandberg, pretend it's June a little early.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Tale of the Tape
DING DING DING DING... iiiiin this cornah... in black and white... weighing in at 235 pounds... former TNA wrestlah... A.J. Pierrrrrzynnnnnskiiiii.... Aaaaand in this cornah... in gray, blue and red... weighing in at 210 pounds... the Rantah from Atlantah... Michaelllll Barrrrrett....
It got chaotic in a hurry, but here's a recap of what happened in the square circle around home plate in the second inning Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field. There's always one side's story, the other side's story and the truth, but here's what the video reveals.
Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to left field off of Rich Hill, who had loaded the bases with one out, and A.J. Pierzynski charged in to score from third. With on-deck hitter Scott Podsednik signaling for Pierzynski to slide as Matt Murton's throw came in on line but late, he instead threw a block on Barrett and knocked him six feet away onto his kiester, with Pierzynski's helmet and Barrett's mask flying off in the process. Technically a clean play so far; the collision was unnecessary, but not unexpected between two hardscrabble catchers in a high-profile series.
The throw bounced off Pierzynski, who had already scored but slapped the plate emphatically, and the ball squirted off toward the third-base dugout as both players stumbled to their feet simultaneously and into each other's paths. Pierzynski turned a shoulder into Barrett, who hooked his left arm around Pierzynski as Hill, backing up the play, pounced on the still-live ball. When Pierzynski turned around, Barrett connected on a sharp right hook to the back of his jaw, and by the time he finished throwing the punch, Podsednik had a hand on Barrett's chest protector.
Pierzynski reeled back and Podsednik tackled Barrett as home plate umpire Greg Gibson tried to intercede. Both managers charged toward the home plate area, and Anderson returned to the scene of his sac fly. Cub first-baseman John Mabry tried to intercept him, holding up his palms as Anderson threw a roundhouse that Stevie Wonder could have dodged, and within ten seconds of the collision both benches had their choice of two pile-ons or their own extracurricular activity.
Overall damage, two ejections for each team (Barrett and Mabry for the Cubs, Pierzynski and Anderson for the White Sox). Booting Mabry was a bad call, but suspension is likely for at least Barrett (just what the Cubs need, more at-bats for Henry Blanco, now at .053) and possibly Anderson and Pierzynski as well.
After a 13-minute delay, coming back with runners at second and third, Jerry Hairston playing first base for the first time in his career and Blanco behind the plate, Rich Hill's second pitch to Podsednik was a non-purpose-pitch breaking ball above his head, and you can pretty much guess where things went from there. A walk to load the bases, a belt-high pitch over the plate that became Tadahito Iguchi's first career grand slam, and...
Well, by now it's redundant to report on another blowout loss for the Cubs, but at least now there's a visible indicator that somebody's upset about the skid that has now grown to 3-13.
Dusty Baker spoke with Bob Brenly and Len Kasper between innings, and said his main concern with where the Cubs are headed is getting the starting rotation back. While Hill, Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams and Angel Guzman are a combined 1-13, there are some bigger issues Baker should be thinking about. You could have the best starting pitching in the world, but you're going to keep losing if you don't score any runs.
The Cubs rank 30th out of 30 in the majors in RBIs, doubles, and by a wide margin, slugging percentage. 29th in runs scored, batting average, home runs, total bases and on-base percentage. 28th in hits. 26th in walks drawn. Dead last in the National League in every single one of those categories, and near the top in double play grounders. You can talk about how much payroll is on the DL until you're blue in the face, but when you're being outperformed in category after category by a Florida Marlins team with a $15 million payroll, you can't keep on beating that drum expecting it to be a viable explanation. And you can't keep attributing loss after loss to starting pitcher injuries when Cub pitchers still have allowed fewer hits than any team in the the NL and rank second in K's. The primary difference in pitching between now and a month ago is that they've plowed into the league lead in walks.
In other news, the Cubs have reacquired outfielder Tony Womack, signing him to a minor-league contract after he was designated for assignment and released by the Reds. Seeing as how there are fewer major league talents than roster spots with the Cubs, moving Womack to the roster to replace Freddie Bynum would give the Cubs more versatility for interleague play, allowing them to slide Jacque Jones into the DH role instead of starting second-baseman (a.k.a. starting first-baseman) Todd Walker to give the Cubs more speed and defense in the outfield. It won't mark the difference between chump and champ, but it would at least appear that the Cubs recognize roster moves are necessary.
It got chaotic in a hurry, but here's a recap of what happened in the square circle around home plate in the second inning Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field. There's always one side's story, the other side's story and the truth, but here's what the video reveals.
Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to left field off of Rich Hill, who had loaded the bases with one out, and A.J. Pierzynski charged in to score from third. With on-deck hitter Scott Podsednik signaling for Pierzynski to slide as Matt Murton's throw came in on line but late, he instead threw a block on Barrett and knocked him six feet away onto his kiester, with Pierzynski's helmet and Barrett's mask flying off in the process. Technically a clean play so far; the collision was unnecessary, but not unexpected between two hardscrabble catchers in a high-profile series.
The throw bounced off Pierzynski, who had already scored but slapped the plate emphatically, and the ball squirted off toward the third-base dugout as both players stumbled to their feet simultaneously and into each other's paths. Pierzynski turned a shoulder into Barrett, who hooked his left arm around Pierzynski as Hill, backing up the play, pounced on the still-live ball. When Pierzynski turned around, Barrett connected on a sharp right hook to the back of his jaw, and by the time he finished throwing the punch, Podsednik had a hand on Barrett's chest protector.
Pierzynski reeled back and Podsednik tackled Barrett as home plate umpire Greg Gibson tried to intercede. Both managers charged toward the home plate area, and Anderson returned to the scene of his sac fly. Cub first-baseman John Mabry tried to intercept him, holding up his palms as Anderson threw a roundhouse that Stevie Wonder could have dodged, and within ten seconds of the collision both benches had their choice of two pile-ons or their own extracurricular activity.
Overall damage, two ejections for each team (Barrett and Mabry for the Cubs, Pierzynski and Anderson for the White Sox). Booting Mabry was a bad call, but suspension is likely for at least Barrett (just what the Cubs need, more at-bats for Henry Blanco, now at .053) and possibly Anderson and Pierzynski as well.
After a 13-minute delay, coming back with runners at second and third, Jerry Hairston playing first base for the first time in his career and Blanco behind the plate, Rich Hill's second pitch to Podsednik was a non-purpose-pitch breaking ball above his head, and you can pretty much guess where things went from there. A walk to load the bases, a belt-high pitch over the plate that became Tadahito Iguchi's first career grand slam, and...
Well, by now it's redundant to report on another blowout loss for the Cubs, but at least now there's a visible indicator that somebody's upset about the skid that has now grown to 3-13.
Dusty Baker spoke with Bob Brenly and Len Kasper between innings, and said his main concern with where the Cubs are headed is getting the starting rotation back. While Hill, Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams and Angel Guzman are a combined 1-13, there are some bigger issues Baker should be thinking about. You could have the best starting pitching in the world, but you're going to keep losing if you don't score any runs.
The Cubs rank 30th out of 30 in the majors in RBIs, doubles, and by a wide margin, slugging percentage. 29th in runs scored, batting average, home runs, total bases and on-base percentage. 28th in hits. 26th in walks drawn. Dead last in the National League in every single one of those categories, and near the top in double play grounders. You can talk about how much payroll is on the DL until you're blue in the face, but when you're being outperformed in category after category by a Florida Marlins team with a $15 million payroll, you can't keep on beating that drum expecting it to be a viable explanation. And you can't keep attributing loss after loss to starting pitcher injuries when Cub pitchers still have allowed fewer hits than any team in the the NL and rank second in K's. The primary difference in pitching between now and a month ago is that they've plowed into the league lead in walks.
In other news, the Cubs have reacquired outfielder Tony Womack, signing him to a minor-league contract after he was designated for assignment and released by the Reds. Seeing as how there are fewer major league talents than roster spots with the Cubs, moving Womack to the roster to replace Freddie Bynum would give the Cubs more versatility for interleague play, allowing them to slide Jacque Jones into the DH role instead of starting second-baseman (a.k.a. starting first-baseman) Todd Walker to give the Cubs more speed and defense in the outfield. It won't mark the difference between chump and champ, but it would at least appear that the Cubs recognize roster moves are necessary.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Oof.
Kerry Wood's return didn't quite turn out like I'd hoped. He threw strikes, all right. Three of them wound up beyond the left-field wall for four runs over five innings.
After a solo blast two outs into Will Ohman's appearance made it 5-0, I figured the last three innings would be better spent listening to mp3s. I've seen enough scores like that lately to have a pretty good idea of how it's going to turn out anyway.
...later...
Okay, I tuned back in for the bottom ninth after all. Couple questions: If you're two down with two outs and two on, how could you not pinch-hit for someone who's batting under .200? And why on earth would you bunt?
After a solo blast two outs into Will Ohman's appearance made it 5-0, I figured the last three innings would be better spent listening to mp3s. I've seen enough scores like that lately to have a pretty good idea of how it's going to turn out anyway.
...later...
Okay, I tuned back in for the bottom ninth after all. Couple questions: If you're two down with two outs and two on, how could you not pinch-hit for someone who's batting under .200? And why on earth would you bunt?
Back on Track?
The Cubs this week have found the best possible cure for a long losing spell: The Washington Nationals.
Carlos Zambrano and Sean Marshall each scored a run themselves while propelling the Cubs to their first two shutouts of the season to open the series, and Kerry Wood finally debuts Thursday as the Cubs hope to ride into Bridgeport Friday on the heels of a three-game sweep.
Like the final spring training start that earned him a spot on the roster, Marshall took a no-hitter through five innings Wednesday night, giving up only a clean single to Alfonso Soriano leading off the sixth inning before giving way to the bullpen for the final three innings. Bobby Howry, Scott Williamson and Scott Eyre were untouched for an inning apiece as the Cubs combined on their first one-hitter since Mark Prior, Jerome Williams and Ryan Dempster shut down the White Sox last June.
And like before Derrek Lee was injured, the Cubs played station-to-station offense, capitalized on errors and manufactured early runs. Juan Pierre's hustle got the Cubs on the board, and Jacque Jones scored on a suicide squeeze. They're good steps to take when your team doesn't have a longball threat, and if Aramis Ramirez's early exit tonight with a lower back strain was a sign of things to come, they'll be even more necessary. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day.
The big question now is Wood. He says his strength is back, and he's been striking out batters left and right in his minor-league rehab starts. If he can stay ahead of Washington hitters early and get on a roll, maybe he throws seven innings; but if he starts walking the big-leaguers and going deep in a lot of counts, that pitch count can sneak up in a hurry and Dusty Baker will have to throw an extra couple of innings at the bullpen before squaring off against the defending champs.
Either way, Wood's a valuable puzzle piece to get into place in order to find out just how good or bad this team's going to be four months from now. Mark Prior and Wade Miller are finally scheduled for rehab starts as well, and if the good Lord's willin' and the crick don't rise, the Cubs pitching staff could finally be set within the next couple of weeks.
Carlos Zambrano and Sean Marshall each scored a run themselves while propelling the Cubs to their first two shutouts of the season to open the series, and Kerry Wood finally debuts Thursday as the Cubs hope to ride into Bridgeport Friday on the heels of a three-game sweep.
Like the final spring training start that earned him a spot on the roster, Marshall took a no-hitter through five innings Wednesday night, giving up only a clean single to Alfonso Soriano leading off the sixth inning before giving way to the bullpen for the final three innings. Bobby Howry, Scott Williamson and Scott Eyre were untouched for an inning apiece as the Cubs combined on their first one-hitter since Mark Prior, Jerome Williams and Ryan Dempster shut down the White Sox last June.
And like before Derrek Lee was injured, the Cubs played station-to-station offense, capitalized on errors and manufactured early runs. Juan Pierre's hustle got the Cubs on the board, and Jacque Jones scored on a suicide squeeze. They're good steps to take when your team doesn't have a longball threat, and if Aramis Ramirez's early exit tonight with a lower back strain was a sign of things to come, they'll be even more necessary. Ramirez is listed as day-to-day.
The big question now is Wood. He says his strength is back, and he's been striking out batters left and right in his minor-league rehab starts. If he can stay ahead of Washington hitters early and get on a roll, maybe he throws seven innings; but if he starts walking the big-leaguers and going deep in a lot of counts, that pitch count can sneak up in a hurry and Dusty Baker will have to throw an extra couple of innings at the bullpen before squaring off against the defending champs.
Either way, Wood's a valuable puzzle piece to get into place in order to find out just how good or bad this team's going to be four months from now. Mark Prior and Wade Miller are finally scheduled for rehab starts as well, and if the good Lord's willin' and the crick don't rise, the Cubs pitching staff could finally be set within the next couple of weeks.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Desperation Row
Before I tear into the Cubs, I’d like to say something nice about Jacque Jones. While he got off to an awful start, he’s been one of the few guys who’s stepped it up a notch offensively in the absence of Derrek Lee. In this miserable 15-game span since the Cubs’ last off-day, Jones is 18-for-51 (.353) and raised his average 85 points to a respectable .273. I’m still not crazy about his defense, and I’d still rather have Corey Patterson (17-for-44, .386 in the same span for Baltimore) as my third outfielder, but maybe he belongs ahead of Aramis Ramirez in the lineup for awhile.
So anyway…
There are a couple of metaphors for what the Cubs need to do at this point, and both of them involve trucks.
The first is, throw Dusty Baker under the truck. He said he wanted to manage young players? Well, look how it’s turning out. There’s still trouble with delayed pitching changes, such as leaving Glendon Rusch in long enough to give up six relief runs. Or batting sub-.200 hitters as table-setters. There’s a reason he’s been managing talented squads for 14 years without producing a World Series ring. He’s a good manager if he has a good team, but he’s not a great manager regardless of his roster.
It makes me wonder what Jack McKeon’s been up to lately, having, to mix metaphors, jumped ship before Joe Girardi took the helm of the Titanic down in Florida.
The second metaphor is, back up the truck. Even if everybody comes off the DL in shape and on time, the Cubs still aren’t playoff-worthy. There are too many malleable roster spots that aren’t producing or preventing enough runs, and c’mon, eleven out of twelve? How much longer can you sit and wait? There’s still time to right the ship, but the Cubs need to roll the dice and shake things up.
Start with today’s starting catcher, Henry Blanco. Okay fine, maybe a Bob Uecker gets by for a few years straddling the Mendoza line, but when you go 1-for-18 and your batting average only drops eight points, there’s a problem. There will always be teams needing a veteran backup catcher who can call pitches, and if he doesn’t bring another catcher or catcher/1B, Geovany Soto is batting .292 at Iowa with an OBP of .381 and might deserve a cup of coffee while the Cubs look for someone else to fill that gap.
I’ve also mentioned my preference for Augie Ojeda over Neifi Perez. Ojeda’s still batting .320 at AAA. Regardless of his career stats he’s simply having a better year, and a better year is what the Cubs need out of that roster spot.
Then there’s Freddie Bynum at .188. Bynum could use more seasoning and more at-bats to keep his legs fresh on the basepaths, averaging 40 steals a year in the minors. As long as the final outfield spot’s going to a borderline major-leaguer, outfielder Buck Coats is batting .362 at Iowa and Nic Jackson’s up over .400 at AA West Tennessee. Play the hot hand. Shake things up. See what happens.
In the bullpen, Glendon Rusch is looking more like the guy who’d been bounced from three organizations for pitching like he has this year. The pitching staff will be in flux with Kerry Wood’s return next week, and like the Blanco situation, there will always be teams out there who need a left-handed spot starter in their bullpen.
If you package Blanco and Rusch, maybe throw in one of the young pitchers like Angel Guzman, or one of the borderline guys like Freddie Bynum or Michael Restovich, maybe you can get a solid first-baseman who can bring you someone else if Derrek Lee comes back before the trade deadline.
In the end, how many historic losers can you see end their streaks before you stop considering .500 a successful year? I think we’ve seen enough.
So anyway…
There are a couple of metaphors for what the Cubs need to do at this point, and both of them involve trucks.
The first is, throw Dusty Baker under the truck. He said he wanted to manage young players? Well, look how it’s turning out. There’s still trouble with delayed pitching changes, such as leaving Glendon Rusch in long enough to give up six relief runs. Or batting sub-.200 hitters as table-setters. There’s a reason he’s been managing talented squads for 14 years without producing a World Series ring. He’s a good manager if he has a good team, but he’s not a great manager regardless of his roster.
It makes me wonder what Jack McKeon’s been up to lately, having, to mix metaphors, jumped ship before Joe Girardi took the helm of the Titanic down in Florida.
The second metaphor is, back up the truck. Even if everybody comes off the DL in shape and on time, the Cubs still aren’t playoff-worthy. There are too many malleable roster spots that aren’t producing or preventing enough runs, and c’mon, eleven out of twelve? How much longer can you sit and wait? There’s still time to right the ship, but the Cubs need to roll the dice and shake things up.
Start with today’s starting catcher, Henry Blanco. Okay fine, maybe a Bob Uecker gets by for a few years straddling the Mendoza line, but when you go 1-for-18 and your batting average only drops eight points, there’s a problem. There will always be teams needing a veteran backup catcher who can call pitches, and if he doesn’t bring another catcher or catcher/1B, Geovany Soto is batting .292 at Iowa with an OBP of .381 and might deserve a cup of coffee while the Cubs look for someone else to fill that gap.
I’ve also mentioned my preference for Augie Ojeda over Neifi Perez. Ojeda’s still batting .320 at AAA. Regardless of his career stats he’s simply having a better year, and a better year is what the Cubs need out of that roster spot.
Then there’s Freddie Bynum at .188. Bynum could use more seasoning and more at-bats to keep his legs fresh on the basepaths, averaging 40 steals a year in the minors. As long as the final outfield spot’s going to a borderline major-leaguer, outfielder Buck Coats is batting .362 at Iowa and Nic Jackson’s up over .400 at AA West Tennessee. Play the hot hand. Shake things up. See what happens.
In the bullpen, Glendon Rusch is looking more like the guy who’d been bounced from three organizations for pitching like he has this year. The pitching staff will be in flux with Kerry Wood’s return next week, and like the Blanco situation, there will always be teams out there who need a left-handed spot starter in their bullpen.
If you package Blanco and Rusch, maybe throw in one of the young pitchers like Angel Guzman, or one of the borderline guys like Freddie Bynum or Michael Restovich, maybe you can get a solid first-baseman who can bring you someone else if Derrek Lee comes back before the trade deadline.
In the end, how many historic losers can you see end their streaks before you stop considering .500 a successful year? I think we’ve seen enough.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Sometimes...
Sometimes I need to learn just to keep my big, fat trap shut.
In the tenth inning Saturday night, I decided to take a rare opportunity to gloat to a Sox fan friend of mine, even though his team had the best record in baseball and mine was down to .500 for the first time in a month.
"Hey, those White Sox castoffs are doing pretty well in the Cub bullpen this year."
It was a legitimate jab. Minus an ill-advised flip to first base, Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry have given the Cubs everything they could ask for and more this season. Pretty much right up until I said that.
By the time the words left my mouth, Rob Bowen's walkoff home run was on its way toward the stands, and the Padres were about to take a second straight extra-inning win while scoring a total of three runs. Man...
It's funny, that sort of thing just kind of happens to me. During the 2003 playoffs when the Cubs were five outs away from their first pennant in 58 years, I turned to the fella next to me at a local watering hole and told him, and may God strike me down if I'm lying, "It feels like a dream. I feel like I'm going to wake up any minute." "Shut up," he said, as well he should have. Not two minutes later, some poor schlub from the northern suburbs became a footnote in baseball history.
(Bottom line, of course, if Moises Alou doesn't wig out over a lousy foul ball, maybe things turn out differently. It's time we all give this poor guy a break for doing something you or I would have done too if given the opportunity. Except, of course, you or I would have made that catch and some innocent bystander wouldn't wind up with 98 thou and change.)
So for the record, if you ever happen to be taking in a game with ol' West Side Charlie and I start to say something ironic in a key situation, shut me the hell up.
In the tenth inning Saturday night, I decided to take a rare opportunity to gloat to a Sox fan friend of mine, even though his team had the best record in baseball and mine was down to .500 for the first time in a month.
"Hey, those White Sox castoffs are doing pretty well in the Cub bullpen this year."
It was a legitimate jab. Minus an ill-advised flip to first base, Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry have given the Cubs everything they could ask for and more this season. Pretty much right up until I said that.
By the time the words left my mouth, Rob Bowen's walkoff home run was on its way toward the stands, and the Padres were about to take a second straight extra-inning win while scoring a total of three runs. Man...
It's funny, that sort of thing just kind of happens to me. During the 2003 playoffs when the Cubs were five outs away from their first pennant in 58 years, I turned to the fella next to me at a local watering hole and told him, and may God strike me down if I'm lying, "It feels like a dream. I feel like I'm going to wake up any minute." "Shut up," he said, as well he should have. Not two minutes later, some poor schlub from the northern suburbs became a footnote in baseball history.
(Bottom line, of course, if Moises Alou doesn't wig out over a lousy foul ball, maybe things turn out differently. It's time we all give this poor guy a break for doing something you or I would have done too if given the opportunity. Except, of course, you or I would have made that catch and some innocent bystander wouldn't wind up with 98 thou and change.)
So for the record, if you ever happen to be taking in a game with ol' West Side Charlie and I start to say something ironic in a key situation, shut me the hell up.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Can't Buy a Thrill
I told you how much I appreciate low-scoring games. In a low-scoring game, one play here or there, maybe even one pitch out of 300+ between two teams, is the difference between winning and losing.
On two plays in the 11th inning tonight, the fundamentals fell short and it cost the Cubs the game.
I'm not a fan of Jacque Jones yet; I think the Cubs essentially paid more money for a less talented version of Corey Patterson (who has 12 hits in his last seven starts and has raised his average to .277 with seven steals for Baltimore). While Jones came through with two of the Cubs' four hits, he had a chance to double up Khalil Greene from first base on a sinking liner by Adrian Gonzalez in the 11th, but he took three steps and threw off the wrong foot, three-hopping an off-line throw on a play that was right in front of him. Greene ambled back safely as Todd Walker moved off the bag to take the throw.
After getting a second life, Greene proceeded to take off for second. He got a huge jump, but while a swift throw from Michael Barrett would have made it a close play, Neifi Perez was out of position to make a tag and Greene slid in behind him. One pitch later, the ballgame was over and the D-Backs won 1-0.
If either play nabs Greene, Josh Barfield's first career game-winning hit turns into a regular old single, assuming he comes through with two outs and the bases empty instead of one out and a runner on second. It's all in the details.
The great shame of it all, apart from a tough loss, is that Carlos Zambrano was outstanding again. Obviously throwing shutout ball, Big Z scattered four hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out ten. Leading the majors in strikeouts is probably little consolation for seven winless starts.
When Zambrano, Scott Eyre, Bobby Howry and Scott Williamson combine to allow four hits and no runs over ten innings and you still can't get the win, either you're facing tough pitching, you're just not hitting, or both. Tonight it was both. Chan Ho Park took a no-hitter into the fifth and threw nine innings of two-hit ball, and pinch-hitter John Mabry was the only Cub to so much as draw a walk with a runner on base. No Cub reached third base.
The Freddie Bynum experiment isn't panning out either. Bynum was 0-for-5 batting second, making two errors in left field and grounding into a 4-6-3 first-inning double play after Juan Pierre walked to open the game. Outfielder Buck Coats is currently batting .341 down at Iowa.
I agree you need to make some changes when you go through a week losing five of six, getting outscored 45-5 without a home run and getting shut out three times. But youth movement leaders Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno were each given the night off instead of still-cold Aramis Ramirez, and the night ended with four of the eight starters at .214 or less, a fourth shutout and a season-high four-game losing streak.
And as long as changes are being made, Cub fan favorite Augie Ojeda has scored ten runs in only 50 at-bats at Iowa with an OBP of .417, more than double fellow switch-hitter Neifi Perez' .208. I don't care if Neifi did win a Gold Glove six years ago, no major league team can afford to have a .174 hitter in its top eight in at-bats this far into the season.
With Cub bats desperately floundering and no big singular threat as Ramirez struggles to reach mid-season form, the Cubs are reportedly looking to Baltimore to fill the void left by Derrek Lee with one of two more former members of the Florida Marlins, Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine. Neither is off to a hot start, but either could move to the outfield when Lee returns, and Conine, the better hitter of the two, could spell Ramirez at third.
It would only make sense to deal with the Orioles, as the Cubs have trended toward former Marlins and the O's trend toward Cub castoffs (Patterson, Sammy Sosa and LaTroy Hawkins in the past two years). Baltimore is without a veteran utility infielder, and Perez or a return of Jerry Hairston Jr. would fill that bill.
In the meantime, the Cubs look to rookie Sean Marshall to snap the skid against Jake Peavy in game two of the four-game set Saturday night. But as impressive as Marshall and many Cub pitchers have been early on, somebody's going to have to light a fire under this team post haste or it won't make any difference if everybody comes back on schedule.
On two plays in the 11th inning tonight, the fundamentals fell short and it cost the Cubs the game.
I'm not a fan of Jacque Jones yet; I think the Cubs essentially paid more money for a less talented version of Corey Patterson (who has 12 hits in his last seven starts and has raised his average to .277 with seven steals for Baltimore). While Jones came through with two of the Cubs' four hits, he had a chance to double up Khalil Greene from first base on a sinking liner by Adrian Gonzalez in the 11th, but he took three steps and threw off the wrong foot, three-hopping an off-line throw on a play that was right in front of him. Greene ambled back safely as Todd Walker moved off the bag to take the throw.
After getting a second life, Greene proceeded to take off for second. He got a huge jump, but while a swift throw from Michael Barrett would have made it a close play, Neifi Perez was out of position to make a tag and Greene slid in behind him. One pitch later, the ballgame was over and the D-Backs won 1-0.
If either play nabs Greene, Josh Barfield's first career game-winning hit turns into a regular old single, assuming he comes through with two outs and the bases empty instead of one out and a runner on second. It's all in the details.
The great shame of it all, apart from a tough loss, is that Carlos Zambrano was outstanding again. Obviously throwing shutout ball, Big Z scattered four hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out ten. Leading the majors in strikeouts is probably little consolation for seven winless starts.
When Zambrano, Scott Eyre, Bobby Howry and Scott Williamson combine to allow four hits and no runs over ten innings and you still can't get the win, either you're facing tough pitching, you're just not hitting, or both. Tonight it was both. Chan Ho Park took a no-hitter into the fifth and threw nine innings of two-hit ball, and pinch-hitter John Mabry was the only Cub to so much as draw a walk with a runner on base. No Cub reached third base.
The Freddie Bynum experiment isn't panning out either. Bynum was 0-for-5 batting second, making two errors in left field and grounding into a 4-6-3 first-inning double play after Juan Pierre walked to open the game. Outfielder Buck Coats is currently batting .341 down at Iowa.
I agree you need to make some changes when you go through a week losing five of six, getting outscored 45-5 without a home run and getting shut out three times. But youth movement leaders Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno were each given the night off instead of still-cold Aramis Ramirez, and the night ended with four of the eight starters at .214 or less, a fourth shutout and a season-high four-game losing streak.
And as long as changes are being made, Cub fan favorite Augie Ojeda has scored ten runs in only 50 at-bats at Iowa with an OBP of .417, more than double fellow switch-hitter Neifi Perez' .208. I don't care if Neifi did win a Gold Glove six years ago, no major league team can afford to have a .174 hitter in its top eight in at-bats this far into the season.
With Cub bats desperately floundering and no big singular threat as Ramirez struggles to reach mid-season form, the Cubs are reportedly looking to Baltimore to fill the void left by Derrek Lee with one of two more former members of the Florida Marlins, Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine. Neither is off to a hot start, but either could move to the outfield when Lee returns, and Conine, the better hitter of the two, could spell Ramirez at third.
It would only make sense to deal with the Orioles, as the Cubs have trended toward former Marlins and the O's trend toward Cub castoffs (Patterson, Sammy Sosa and LaTroy Hawkins in the past two years). Baltimore is without a veteran utility infielder, and Perez or a return of Jerry Hairston Jr. would fill that bill.
In the meantime, the Cubs look to rookie Sean Marshall to snap the skid against Jake Peavy in game two of the four-game set Saturday night. But as impressive as Marshall and many Cub pitchers have been early on, somebody's going to have to light a fire under this team post haste or it won't make any difference if everybody comes back on schedule.
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