http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/ en-us Tue, 13 May 2008 17:44:00 PST Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 PST support2007@baseballtoaster.com 60 http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/983931.html Nothing will be solidified until sometime tomorrow, but based on all the ink spilled on the subject, come Wednesday night, or Thursday afternoon at the latest, there will be a Jedmonds in our midst. I'm trying to find positives, trying not to just spew obscenities, and it's absolutely killing me. Here's what I'll do instead. I'll outline what I believe the club is thinking, and then we'll see if I want to call in an airstrike when I'm done. The chain of events should move something this: http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/983931.html Tue, 13 May 2008 17:44:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/983347.html I don't get to go to a lot of games. Tickets are hard to come by, not to mention the time involved. Not that I don't watch the contests anyway, but there's a big difference between hanging out with your family until your four-year-old is safely stowed in her dream factory then catching up via the DVR, and leaving the house at six to get home at ten-thirty when everyone's asleep - and that timeframe's assuming a relatively speedy resolution. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/983347.html Tue, 13 May 2008 07:38:36 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982590.html Looks like life made me skip a week, so we'll just put the last 14 days in the old compressor and pretend it's the same damn thing as it's always been. Agreed? http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982590.html Mon, 12 May 2008 11:18:27 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982454.html The week began in a disappointing way that was quickly becoming the norm. Nothing like a little home cookin' to fix what ails ya. Game 32 Opponent: Cincinnati Result: Loss Score: 5-3 Big Play: Adam Dunn's moon shot in the third that, even if it didn't put the game out of reach, certainly made the task exponentially more difficult. Oh, and the seventeen errors were big, too. Big Player: Johnny Cueto wasn't flawless, but he was very solid, and was the best guy on the field that day. Unless you're talking about Ryan Dempster, who'd likely be the guy here if anyone could have caught the ball behind him. We'll talk about this game next year because: It was this team's worst defensive game of the season. Game 33 Opponent: Cincinnati Result: Win Score: 3-0 Big Play: Ronny Cedeno's fourth inning, two-out, two-RBI single that gave the Cubs some necessary breathing room. Big Player: Carlos Zambrano shut out the Reds for 8 innings, giving up only three hits and three walks in the process. He's not striking out as many, but he's still getting his share, and since he's not giving out free passes like they were...um...free, the need to erase guys without contact isn't as acute. This start lowered his ERA to 1.80, and if you take out his start in Philadelphia - the only one of his 8 starts where he's given up more than 2 runs - it drops to 1.10. I do believe this is the guy we've been waiting for. We'll talk about this game next year because: It's another spectacular data point in the best season to date of Zambrano's career. Game 34 Opponent: Cincinnati Result: Loss Score: 9-0 Big Play: Sending Jon Lieber to the bump. We all had such high hopes, but the only thing higher were the pitches he threw that sailed over the fence. Big Player - Pitching Edition: Edinson Volquez, who is owning the joint in spectacular fashion in 2008. Big Player - Hitting Edition: Joey Votto, who clubbed three dingers on the day. We'll talk about this game next year because: Any pitcher's outing that makes you long for Jason Marquis deserves a few minutes of couch time. Game 35 Opponent: Arizona Result: Win Score: 3-1 Big Play: Ted Lilly's two-out RBI single to tie the game in the fifth off one of the best pitchers in the league. The D-Backs rightly walked Reed Johnson to get to Lilly, but he made them pay, and paved the way for Soriano's tie-breaking double that followed. Big Player: Ted Lilly struck out ten men, and after giving up a first inning bomb to Chris Young, shut down the team that embarrassed him in last year's playoffs. Good Ted has returned, and it looks like he'll be staying for a while. We'll talk about this game next year because: It broke the pattern of the previous four series, and served as a huge confidence boost for a team seemingly on the ropes, particularly coming against the team that had the best record in the Majors at the time, and had so thoroughly owned the Cubs last October. Game 36 Opponent: Arizona Result: Win Score: 7-2 Big Play: Alfonso Soriano's seventh inning RBI double that gave the Cubs their margin of victory. Big Player: Soriano went 4-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, serving notice that the slump that was his year-to-date is now a thing of the past. We'll talk about this game next year because: It will, hopefully, be the day that Soriano began one of his patented hot streaks. Game 37 Opponent: Arizona Result: Win Score: 6-4 Big Play: Daryle Ward's go-ahead double in the bottom of the eighth to give the Cubs the lead for good. Big Player: I'm going with Daryle again. Sure, he was only in there for 30 seconds, but seems to me when you get the game winning hit, that's all you really need. We'll talk about this game next year because: The Cubs swept the team that's likely to be their playoff nemesis, should we all be so fortunate to be there in the first place. The Week That Was http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/982454.html Mon, 12 May 2008 07:11:16 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980301.html Has anyone else noticed how this downturn has manifested itself? Allow me to illustrate: http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/980301.html Fri, 9 May 2008 06:02:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978651.html So, is it time for the 'Free Ronny Cedeno' movement yet? I swear, I never thought I'd write those words - that is, unless Cedeno were wrongly accused of a crime that I'd been a witness to, seeing it wasn't he that pulled the trigger, knowing with my eyes and heart that it was, in fact, the one-armed-man who'd done the deed. Ask me at the beginning of the year, and the fantastic scenario above would have been rated at approximately 217% more likely to spur a liberty campaign on Ronny's behalf than his play on the field. Yet, here we are, a week into May, and I've come around to thinking that Ronny Effin Cedeno needs to be in the lineup everyday until he plays his way out of it. Next thing you know, I'll be buying Clay Aiken albums and putting ketchup on my hot dogs. It's not just the results, either, it's way he's gotten them. His approach at the plate is so different as to call into question his identity. He's not a masked man, but perhaps someone with discipline and bat control has made himself a lovely Ronny Suit. Stranger things have happened. Last night's two-out, two-run single is an excellent example: Down a strike, Harang throws Cedeno a breaking ball, but coming out of his hand it doesn't necessarily look like one. It's a pretty nice pitch, so it initially appears to be a fastball on the outer half, at least judging by Cedeno's reaction. Based on what he's seeing he has to swing, because he can't reasonably sit on a pitch that looks like a good one to drive up the line and let himself get down two strikes. Up to this point, what we're seeing is exactly what we'd see in years previous. What's changed isn't the choice to swing, but rather, the choice of how to swing. Think back to days of yore - 2006, to be precise - and imagine a similar situation. Men on second and third in a one-run game, two-out, and Ronny Cedeno is at the plate. He sees what looks like a good pitch to hit hard up the line and - zoom! - out go his hands, his bat flies over the ball, and around on his front heel he spins, wondering why that pill done moved so much. This time around, instead of letting his hands lead, he starts to shift his weight but keeps his grab-nabbers back because he's down 0-1, and with Harang having already tossed a slider for a strike, he might just come with another. What this does is put him in position to punch a fastball into right - because his weight has shifted, the most time consuming part of the swing - while giving him the time he needs to react to the flight and spin of the ball. Watching the replay, Cedeno clearly sees as his weight shifts that it is not, in fact, a fastball - you can see as you view the footage a little hitch in his swing, a small delay as he holds back to time the pitch he now sees is a breaker - adjusts accordingly, and dumps the ball into right. It's these sort of adjustments, along with the fact that he's been able to both foul off tough pitches all year, while managing to draw his share of free passes, that make me think he's finally turned a corner. Probably not to the tune of .373/.458/.549, but certainly enough to justify putting him in the lineup every day. Perhaps even at shortstop. Perhaps even - hold onto your hats when I say this folks - in the leadoff spot. He's seeing a lot of pitches, he has good speed, and he seems to have mastered the art of bat control. More and more, he's looking like someone that, at least in the short term, you can put in that top spot and get a boost out of, which again, I can't honestly believe I'm saying. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to run to the store. I think I'm out of ketchup. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/978651.html Wed, 7 May 2008 07:16:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/975911.html An odd combination of exhilaration and searing pain this week. Let's relive some glory and pick some scabs. Game 26 Opponent: Milwaukee Result: Loss Score: 10-7 Big Play: Mike Cameron's seventh-inning, two-out, two-RBI single. The Brewers were already ahead, but that was the blow that essentially put the game out of reach on a night when no one seemed able to pitch. Big Player: Cameron again. 3 for 5 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored. His presence was the spark that got the Brewers' offense to ignite. We'll talk about this game next year because: It will be nail n, where n + x = Total nails needed to seal Jason Marquis' coffin. Game 27 Opponent: Milwaukee Result: Win Score: 19-5 Big Play: Geovany Soto's first inning, three-run homer capped the six run inning that finished the game almost before it started. Big Player: All Geo. Two three-run homers will get you some love any day of the week, even when your six RBI account for less than a third of the offense. We'll talk about this game next year because: Who doesn't like to talk about being on the good side of a rout? Game 28 Opponent: Milwaukee Result: Loss Score: 4-3 Big Play - Micro Version: Alfonso Soriano's misplay that became Gabe Kapler's ninth inning double that kicked open the door Kerry Wood had already left slightly ajar by plunking Craig Counsel. Big Play - Macro Version: The fifth inning defensive play where, as we all found out after the game, Yovani Gallardo blew out his ACL. Big Player: Ryan Braun, who was 3 for 5 with a homer, a double, and three RBI, the double being the hit that gave them their final lead. We'll talk about this game next year because: The Cubs may have lost the game - and in dramatic, disappointing fashion - but the Brewers lost one of their best starting pitchers for the rest of the year. As painful as the loss was, I'll take the Cubs' side of the bargain. Game 29 Opponent: St. Louis Result: Loss Score: 5-3 Big Play: When Rich Hill was deservedly yanked after recording only two outs in the bottom of the first, the course of the game was set. Although the Cubs came close to winning, once the game went into extras, and the need to deploy Chad Fox arose, the loss became all but inevitable. Big Player: Hit a game winning homer in extras, you're the player of the game. I think that's the rule I learned first in Weekly Recap 101, so Skip Schumaker, this one's yours. We'll talk about this game next year because: It will either mark the beginning of Rich Hill's return to usefulness via a vigorous search through the cornfields of Iowa, resulting in the eventual relocation of his Ding-A-Ling, or whatever it is he's lost, or it will be the start of Jon Lieber's permanent return to the rotation. Perhaps both, depending on what x equals. Game 30 Opponent: St. Louis Result: Win Score: 9-3 Big Play: Mike Fontenot hit the first homer of the year off of Kyle Lohse, a three-run job, giving the Cubs a 6-0 lead that they would never relinquish. Big Player: Little Mikey Hottentot, hoppin' through the forest, scoopin' up the Cardinals, and boppin' 'em on the head. We'll talk about this game next year because: After his third solid start in a row, it was the day we could finally breathe easy about Ted Lilly. Game 31 Opponent: St. Louis Result: Loss Score: 5-3 Big Play: The fourth inning, two-out, two-run double from Albert Pujols that gave the Cardinals the lead for good. Big Player: Adam Kennedy, who got on base every time up, and drove in two runs to boot. It was his walk with two out in the fourth that brought Albert Pujols to the plate. We'll talk about this game next year because: Everyone likes to cry in their beer sometimes. The Week That Was http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/975911.html Mon, 5 May 2008 06:53:08 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/974530.html Here's the rather expected news that Rich Hill is on his way to Iowa, with Sean Gallagher taking his place on the roster, although not in the rotation. That slot is going to Jon Lieber, which despite what I wrote earlier, really makes the most short term sense. The club can't afford to wait for Marshall to stretch out, and Lieber's been too good to not give him the ball so he can take those innings that've been falling to the bullpen of late. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/974530.html Sat, 3 May 2008 13:03:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/974441.html If I may be so gauche, I'd like to take a moment to quote myself. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/974441.html Sat, 3 May 2008 09:00:14 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/973341.html I realize there are another 134 games yet to be played, and that even if the Cubs were to pile up 100 victories and make the question of who might win the division moot by September, that there will, indeed, be other losses like yesterday's. Still, I find myself in need of a bit of therapy this morning, so I'm going to confront my emotional demons by listing some of the reason's why this particular defeat is so hard to bear. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/973341.html Fri, 2 May 2008 06:55:08 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/972657.html It was improbable, all but inconceivable, really. Who, other than a certain group of blue-pinstriped men or a supernaturally prescient being, would say otherwise? But, incomprehensibly, Ryan Dempster has proved me very, very wrong: He has been a very good starting pitcher. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/972657.html Thu, 1 May 2008 12:40:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/972058.html I'm sitting at Reagan National waiting for my flight home. I had half a mind to go to a National's game last night, see the new stadium and all that. Then I realized that the Cubs would actually be on ESPN, and since I also happened to still be waiting for my ears to pop from the flight in, feeling suitably nervous about blowing a drum on my return (I took Benadryl about an hour ago, and I can tell it's working because I'm typing this on three phones with six hands), I took the less adventurous road and settled in for some hopefuly comforting TV. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/972058.html Thu, 1 May 2008 05:15:09 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/969676.html Sports Illustrated hates America and Freedom and Baby Seals, the end. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/969676.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:45:20 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/969636.html I'm behind this week, so apologies all around. Despite the Cubs going 4-3, only one team managed to gain any ground. Let's take the tour. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/969636.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:05:00 PST http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/968832.html I didn't see John Lannan and the Nationals shut down the Cubs yesterday, and listened only sparingly, but my ignorance was probably for the best. I always end up frustrated, as I suppose any reasonable fan will, when watching a no-name like Lannan fluster the Cubs so. http://cubtown.baseballtoaster.com/archives/968832.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:50:00 PST