OK. Soft-tossing lefty, Pittsburgh Pirates, Lou's special lineup. 2-1 loss. Record against Pirates, one of the worst teams in baseball, actually hardly a step above AA, 2-8. Pirates record against everyone else, 18-48, that's .272, fans, that's barely winning one in four games.
Of course, it was all Zambrano's fault. They were playing a man short, which of course accounts for Theriot hitting into a double play on the first pitch with runners on 1st and 3rd as well as Soriano, Soto, and Nady (Nady???) striking out in the 9th with the tying run on base, and it also accounts for Colvin (whom I like and think will become a good player) misplaying a line drive into a triple to account for one of the two Pirates runs.
At least the Zambrano affair has reached some sort of conclusion or papering over. Apparently, Z will seek counseling until after the All-Star break when the Cubs will likely be at least 15 games below .500 and everything will be just peachy and probably he will not need to apologize to the team because by then they may have realized he was right after all.
It may just be me, but I somehow get the impression that Hendry has a lot more invested in Zambrano in general (they go back a long ways) and that Lou is not entirely on board with this rehabilitation project. I also think, despite Z's unusual motivational theories (see his conversation with Kevin Millar here, or at least Millar's account of it) that Piniella is the problem. Just looking at the shots of this brooding presence on the bench and contrasting it with, say, the loose demeanor of Ozzie and the Sox over the weekend and you see what I mean. This team is really up tight top to bottom and that may have a lot to do with the personality and style of their manager. Maybe I'll devote an entire post to this theory later this week.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Time to Move On, I Guess
This afternoon we learn that Lou Piniella met with the team to discuss the Zambrano situation and just things in general. It turns out the players only complaint was that Lou did not post the subsequent day's lineups soon enough after each game, so that no one knew who would be playing in the next game because they would already have left the stadium. Lou promptly blamed the media for keeping him after hours answering questions about why the Cubs stink.
Wow! That's a pretty hard-headed team meeting and I'm certainly glad Piniella and the team, or what remains of it, had a chance to clear the air. Apparently, the team is quite content to trot out every day and lose in ever more ignominious fashion so long as they know the night before who will be on the hook. Today's lineup was a little bizarre to say the least. Only one left-handed hitter against a right-hander who lives by throwing soft stuff about a foot outside. This year's stats show Garcia is slightly better against lefties, but his career stats are about even, and, anyway, the Cubs right-handed hitters generally cannot hit anyone at all, which proved to be pretty much the case today as usual.
We also found out that Zambrano, if he returns at all, will be relegated to the bullpen, which makes no sense whatsoever, but what does with this team and its management? Two or three observations worth discussing. Should the Cubs forget about this year and concentrate on next year? I think so. If they do, they might actually wind up winning more games this year than they expect.
With that in mind, the move of Gorzelanny into the rotation unless it is to compensate for a trade of Lilly is the wrong one. Cashner should start now. The more innings he gets under his belt at the major league level, the better he is going to be. Also designating Tracy is the wrong move. For some reason, Lou just loves Baker, but unless you are shopping Theriot and want to keep him as a platoon player, he has no real role on this team. Baker does hit lefties well enough, but he has only one hit (one hit!) all year against a right-hander in 33 ABs.
Tomorrow should bring another game and another loss if past performances have anything to do with it. Danks, another lefty, has always dominated the Cubs and there is no reason to suppose that domination will not continue unless they are rained out.
Wow! That's a pretty hard-headed team meeting and I'm certainly glad Piniella and the team, or what remains of it, had a chance to clear the air. Apparently, the team is quite content to trot out every day and lose in ever more ignominious fashion so long as they know the night before who will be on the hook. Today's lineup was a little bizarre to say the least. Only one left-handed hitter against a right-hander who lives by throwing soft stuff about a foot outside. This year's stats show Garcia is slightly better against lefties, but his career stats are about even, and, anyway, the Cubs right-handed hitters generally cannot hit anyone at all, which proved to be pretty much the case today as usual.
We also found out that Zambrano, if he returns at all, will be relegated to the bullpen, which makes no sense whatsoever, but what does with this team and its management? Two or three observations worth discussing. Should the Cubs forget about this year and concentrate on next year? I think so. If they do, they might actually wind up winning more games this year than they expect.
With that in mind, the move of Gorzelanny into the rotation unless it is to compensate for a trade of Lilly is the wrong one. Cashner should start now. The more innings he gets under his belt at the major league level, the better he is going to be. Also designating Tracy is the wrong move. For some reason, Lou just loves Baker, but unless you are shopping Theriot and want to keep him as a platoon player, he has no real role on this team. Baker does hit lefties well enough, but he has only one hit (one hit!) all year against a right-hander in 33 ABs.
Tomorrow should bring another game and another loss if past performances have anything to do with it. Danks, another lefty, has always dominated the Cubs and there is no reason to suppose that domination will not continue unless they are rained out.
The Zambrano Mess
Just when you think things cannot get any worse for the North-Siders something like yesterday happens. Lets get this out of the way for starters. Zambrano is his own worst enemy. He is a hothead and all this stomping around was childish and completely out of line. That being said, I have to say that the remarks of Bob Brenly during the game and Ozzie Guillen afterwards are much more pertinent than all the blather from Piniella and Hendry.
Brenly said essentially that at least Zambrano was showing some fire and emotion and that the Cubs so far were a "dead ass" team. The particular plays that Z was reacting to were dubious. It didn't look like Ramirez or Lee had a great chance on either double, but on the field it may have looked different, and, more importantly, Z may have been overreacting to all the plays these two guys have not made or botched up during the course of the season that were much more clearly their fault. I've seen plays like that made by major league players or at least attempted with a little more enthusiasm. The foul bunt that Soto and Ramirez failed to catch, well I've seen that play made all the time.
In any case, much of this debate is beside the point. From a fan's point-of-view, watching these guys stumble through the season to this point, all I want to express is that I have a lot of sympathy for Z's misplaced anger. They do stink. They don't seem to care. That's really all Brenly was trying to say. And actually it appears from subsequent reports that Z was calling out the whole team, not Lee in particular. Lee seemed to be the nearest object of attention and perhaps in a lucid moment flashed back on all the dumb errors he has made in the last month that cost the team ballgames and how he is barely hitting his weight and thought they were directed at him personally.
The Cubs are now in a really bad situation. Watching Piniella's post-game interview, my own observation was that it was the typical self-serving nonsense we always hear from this guy. He did succeed in working Hendry into a corner with all this stuff about abiding by the boss's decision, blah, blah, blah, so that Hendry was left with little choice initially in his reaction.
As a fan, I don't see what the big deal is about calling out your teammates. Z has a point, though of course doing so after a shaky start is not the most opportune time to do it. If anyone else had done this, the press and the media and the fans would be rushing to his defense and saying it was about time the players had figured out what a bunch of losers they seem to have become.
If you read about baseball from an insider's viewpoint and even in some of the biographies of great players and histories of great teams, it seemed to happen all the time in the past. Apparently it was sheer hell to play on the Yankees in the Joe DiMaggio era.
Anyway, where does this team go from here to get through the season and beyond? Clearly Piniella has lost control of the team. That happened sometime last season. However, he is making noises about wanting to come back for several more seasons so he can win 2,000 games. With this team, that could take a really long time and, honestly, that would be an intolerable situation.
Just from a business point-of-view everyone will be better served by patching things up. They still owe Zambrano $45 million, so even if they want to move him they probably cannot do so. Better to let the PR guys and maybe Ricketts take over from here. Bring Z in to make a public apology, how his temper got away from him, how frustrated he is. Behind closed doors, this team needs to get together and air their grievances, maybe without Lou or Hendry around, maybe with a respected figure like Maddox or someone else in their organization present.
Long term maybe Ricketts or a trusted lieutenant needs to come home, stop putting up statues of macaroni and clean out the management from top to bottom. They are, after all, the ones who put together this sorry excuse for a baseball team.
Brenly said essentially that at least Zambrano was showing some fire and emotion and that the Cubs so far were a "dead ass" team. The particular plays that Z was reacting to were dubious. It didn't look like Ramirez or Lee had a great chance on either double, but on the field it may have looked different, and, more importantly, Z may have been overreacting to all the plays these two guys have not made or botched up during the course of the season that were much more clearly their fault. I've seen plays like that made by major league players or at least attempted with a little more enthusiasm. The foul bunt that Soto and Ramirez failed to catch, well I've seen that play made all the time.
In any case, much of this debate is beside the point. From a fan's point-of-view, watching these guys stumble through the season to this point, all I want to express is that I have a lot of sympathy for Z's misplaced anger. They do stink. They don't seem to care. That's really all Brenly was trying to say. And actually it appears from subsequent reports that Z was calling out the whole team, not Lee in particular. Lee seemed to be the nearest object of attention and perhaps in a lucid moment flashed back on all the dumb errors he has made in the last month that cost the team ballgames and how he is barely hitting his weight and thought they were directed at him personally.
The Cubs are now in a really bad situation. Watching Piniella's post-game interview, my own observation was that it was the typical self-serving nonsense we always hear from this guy. He did succeed in working Hendry into a corner with all this stuff about abiding by the boss's decision, blah, blah, blah, so that Hendry was left with little choice initially in his reaction.
As a fan, I don't see what the big deal is about calling out your teammates. Z has a point, though of course doing so after a shaky start is not the most opportune time to do it. If anyone else had done this, the press and the media and the fans would be rushing to his defense and saying it was about time the players had figured out what a bunch of losers they seem to have become.
If you read about baseball from an insider's viewpoint and even in some of the biographies of great players and histories of great teams, it seemed to happen all the time in the past. Apparently it was sheer hell to play on the Yankees in the Joe DiMaggio era.
Anyway, where does this team go from here to get through the season and beyond? Clearly Piniella has lost control of the team. That happened sometime last season. However, he is making noises about wanting to come back for several more seasons so he can win 2,000 games. With this team, that could take a really long time and, honestly, that would be an intolerable situation.
Just from a business point-of-view everyone will be better served by patching things up. They still owe Zambrano $45 million, so even if they want to move him they probably cannot do so. Better to let the PR guys and maybe Ricketts take over from here. Bring Z in to make a public apology, how his temper got away from him, how frustrated he is. Behind closed doors, this team needs to get together and air their grievances, maybe without Lou or Hendry around, maybe with a respected figure like Maddox or someone else in their organization present.
Long term maybe Ricketts or a trusted lieutenant needs to come home, stop putting up statues of macaroni and clean out the management from top to bottom. They are, after all, the ones who put together this sorry excuse for a baseball team.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
It Took 13 Innings
It took 13 innings for the Cubs to figure out how to win an agonizing game by finally successfully playing small ball. An uncharacteristic base on balls for Alfonso Soriano, followed by a perfect bunt from Kosuke Fukudome, followed by another astonishing walk to Ryan Theriot and then a nice hit from Marlon Byrd. I thought for a while this game might go on as long as the fabled Isner/Mahut tennis match at Wimbledon.
Speculation is that either Baker or Tracy will be designated for assignment to make room for Ramirez. I'd tend to favor retaining Tracy. He is left-handed and can play 1B or 3B. Baker is good enough against lefties, but he is completely one-dimensional as a player and cannot actually play any position very well. Tracy was at least a fairly competent regular player at one time. Lou has already announced he will need 12 pitchers to carry him through the stretch of 20 games without an off-day leading up to the All-Star break. Maybe so, but I've never understood this bit of Cubs reasoning. Pineilla always likes 12 pitchers and sometimes 13 as a kind of security blanket, but right now he has two pitchers he almost never uses, viz., Stevens and Gorzelanny, and two pitchers he should never even think about using in Grabow and Howry. Go figure.
The upcoming series with the White Sox will determine the rest of the season and the disposition of the Cubs as the trading deadline nears. The Sox are coming in off a long winning streak and a tremendous emotional high. The Cubs could not be playing worse ball and the pressure will be on Ramirez to produce immediately. Given the history of this series, that probably means the Cubs will take at least two of three and maybe even sweep.
Speculation is that either Baker or Tracy will be designated for assignment to make room for Ramirez. I'd tend to favor retaining Tracy. He is left-handed and can play 1B or 3B. Baker is good enough against lefties, but he is completely one-dimensional as a player and cannot actually play any position very well. Tracy was at least a fairly competent regular player at one time. Lou has already announced he will need 12 pitchers to carry him through the stretch of 20 games without an off-day leading up to the All-Star break. Maybe so, but I've never understood this bit of Cubs reasoning. Pineilla always likes 12 pitchers and sometimes 13 as a kind of security blanket, but right now he has two pitchers he almost never uses, viz., Stevens and Gorzelanny, and two pitchers he should never even think about using in Grabow and Howry. Go figure.
The upcoming series with the White Sox will determine the rest of the season and the disposition of the Cubs as the trading deadline nears. The Sox are coming in off a long winning streak and a tremendous emotional high. The Cubs could not be playing worse ball and the pressure will be on Ramirez to produce immediately. Given the history of this series, that probably means the Cubs will take at least two of three and maybe even sweep.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Even More Pathetic
Another game, another sloppy, listless effort with the same result, although this time, since Wells ran into a few troublesome jams, the game was not close. Now I do not suggest that the Cubs were likely to beat Cliff Lee, one of the best left-handers in the league, but they should have made some kind of effort to play something that resembled baseball. They got the first two runners on base on numerous occasions with allegedly good hitters coming up, but they did nothing. Nady, who is an abomination in any position, played 1B (badly I might add), but he saved the real stuff for the batter's box, grounding into two DPs and striking out twice. Quite a night. Not to be outdone, however, by Derrick Lee, who pitched in with a strike out and a DP of his own. Really all of these guys just get bug-eyed when they come up with men on base and start swinging for the fences. It was an interesting contrast to see how the Mariners played the innings where they had a chance to score. Quite a contrast.
I keep harping on this whole issue with Piniella's platoons because it just bugs me no end. This lineup does not perform well against left-handers despite the fact that it should and it contains a lot of dumb, defensively challenged players who wind up allowing runs and opportunities. Now given these facts, I would rather play a lineup that included some other players, even left-handed hitters who have some idea of how to play baseball. Maybe they will go 0 for 4, but then, the right-handers are going to go 0 for 4 as well, so what is the difference. As an aside, I would point out that Tyler Colvin, a left-handed hitter, provided the only offense in the form of a home run.
Steve Rosenblum, in his Rosenblog, has a biting and largely correct analysis of the Cubs in his latest entry. Well worth a read. Curiously enough, the Cubs answer to this whole disaster of a season, the second in a row, is to shop Kosuke Fukudome with some sort of agreement to pay most of his salary. I know it is an unpopular position to take, but Fukudome, even though he is overpaid for his production, is a baseball player who catches the ball, throws to the right base, runs the bases with some degree of sense, takes pitches, and gets on base. These are rare qualities in a Cub, so I guess he doesn't fit in very well.
What should the Cubs do? Fire Hendry and Piniella. Right now. Rosenblum makes so much sense here. Trade Lee, Lilly, and Nady. These are players who do not fit into next year's plans and are not under club control next year. Lee and Nady are contributing nothing right now. Lilly is inconsistent and can easily be replaced by several players already on the roster. Do everything possible to move Alfonso Soriano. No team will ever win a championship with Soriano as an everyday player. Stop picking up one-dimensional players: Soriano, Baker, Nady, etc.
I keep harping on this whole issue with Piniella's platoons because it just bugs me no end. This lineup does not perform well against left-handers despite the fact that it should and it contains a lot of dumb, defensively challenged players who wind up allowing runs and opportunities. Now given these facts, I would rather play a lineup that included some other players, even left-handed hitters who have some idea of how to play baseball. Maybe they will go 0 for 4, but then, the right-handers are going to go 0 for 4 as well, so what is the difference. As an aside, I would point out that Tyler Colvin, a left-handed hitter, provided the only offense in the form of a home run.
Steve Rosenblum, in his Rosenblog, has a biting and largely correct analysis of the Cubs in his latest entry. Well worth a read. Curiously enough, the Cubs answer to this whole disaster of a season, the second in a row, is to shop Kosuke Fukudome with some sort of agreement to pay most of his salary. I know it is an unpopular position to take, but Fukudome, even though he is overpaid for his production, is a baseball player who catches the ball, throws to the right base, runs the bases with some degree of sense, takes pitches, and gets on base. These are rare qualities in a Cub, so I guess he doesn't fit in very well.
What should the Cubs do? Fire Hendry and Piniella. Right now. Rosenblum makes so much sense here. Trade Lee, Lilly, and Nady. These are players who do not fit into next year's plans and are not under club control next year. Lee and Nady are contributing nothing right now. Lilly is inconsistent and can easily be replaced by several players already on the roster. Do everything possible to move Alfonso Soriano. No team will ever win a championship with Soriano as an everyday player. Stop picking up one-dimensional players: Soriano, Baker, Nady, etc.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Pathetic
I believe I called this shot last night in noting the Mariners, despite their terrible record, had good starting pitchers and a big ballpark. In particular, they are sending out two good lefties in the first two games and Lou is determined to trot out the all right-handed lineup that does not hit lefties nor score runs nor get on base.
Tonight was more of the same. Dempster pitched a good game, making only a single mistake to Guittierez. Soriano will look as if he had a wonderful game in the box score, but two of his hits were bloopers and the other would have been a double for anyone who actually ran out of the batters box instead of observing the play for a while before committing himself. His base-running blunder on Colvin's line drive directly at the Mariners' left fielder was just ridiculous and a further example of how this team and this player in particular simply doesn't care at all how stupidly they play. That play pretty much ruined the only scoring chance the Cubs had until the top of the ninth when they mounted a tepid rally with two men out but failed as usual to deliver.
Tonight was more of the same. Dempster pitched a good game, making only a single mistake to Guittierez. Soriano will look as if he had a wonderful game in the box score, but two of his hits were bloopers and the other would have been a double for anyone who actually ran out of the batters box instead of observing the play for a while before committing himself. His base-running blunder on Colvin's line drive directly at the Mariners' left fielder was just ridiculous and a further example of how this team and this player in particular simply doesn't care at all how stupidly they play. That play pretty much ruined the only scoring chance the Cubs had until the top of the ninth when they mounted a tepid rally with two men out but failed as usual to deliver.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Baseball Gods Smile
Well, they did today anyway. I was encouraged by Carlos Zambrano's fine performance. He had really good stuff and was in command throughout. Of course, you'd expect that in a 12-1 rout. I hope his enthusiasm for the team is borne out in subsequent games.
Actually, a number of players, namely, Baker, Nady, and Soriano continued their sloppy or casual defensive play, though Baker and Nady were effective offensively. Theriot, back or reduced to the 8th spot where he belongs, had a good offensive game. Oddly enough, it was his base-running error in the 2nd inning that was one of the turning points of the game, in that he was fortunate to advance from second to third on a routine chance. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart.
Another lucky play turned the game around in the 1st when Alfonso Soriano, another guy who will never be described as a smart player, swung at a ball over his head with the bases loaded and accidentally topped the ball barely past the pitcher's mound for a "single" that produced two runs when Kendrick made an errant and ill-advised throw to first.
Anyway, after the 2nd it was all downhill for the Angels and all fun and games for the Cubs. Lets hope they play well in Seattle, where they will face some pretty good pitchers in Vargas, Lee, and Hernandez, the first two being left-handers in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Granted Seattle is a bad team, but the Cubs should not underrate them. They are likely to get Ramirez back on Wednesday. Maybe that will help.
Actually, a number of players, namely, Baker, Nady, and Soriano continued their sloppy or casual defensive play, though Baker and Nady were effective offensively. Theriot, back or reduced to the 8th spot where he belongs, had a good offensive game. Oddly enough, it was his base-running error in the 2nd inning that was one of the turning points of the game, in that he was fortunate to advance from second to third on a routine chance. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart.
Another lucky play turned the game around in the 1st when Alfonso Soriano, another guy who will never be described as a smart player, swung at a ball over his head with the bases loaded and accidentally topped the ball barely past the pitcher's mound for a "single" that produced two runs when Kendrick made an errant and ill-advised throw to first.
Anyway, after the 2nd it was all downhill for the Angels and all fun and games for the Cubs. Lets hope they play well in Seattle, where they will face some pretty good pitchers in Vargas, Lee, and Hernandez, the first two being left-handers in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Granted Seattle is a bad team, but the Cubs should not underrate them. They are likely to get Ramirez back on Wednesday. Maybe that will help.
Another Embarassment
Well, can things get any worse than yesterday? I guess so, but what difference does it make? Lou's comments, as usual, border on lunacy. He has tried everything, juggling the lineups, etc. Yeah, he juggles the lineups, but actually that is probably more of a problem than a solution. He switches roles around, but the switches make no sense at all, viz., Theriot leading off, Zambrano in the bullpen, etc. Yesterday was a perfect example. He loaded up with lefties, but they were all clustered, so that the pitcher did not have to constantly vary his approach, and anyway, had he bothered to look at the numbers, he would have noted that Weaver had much better stats against lefties than righties.
But, really, this team is a joke from top to bottom. Can they turn it around? Anything is possible, but it is hardly likely. Ramirez could return healthy and that would help. They could suddenly decide to fire Hendry and Piniella, but that seems unlikely as well. More likely is a brief spurt around the All-Star break and then back to mediocrity. We've seen this act before, last year and then in Baker's final year.
The real concern here is that this is such a bad team in terms of fundamentals. They don't execute routine plays. They make many more errors in the field and at bat that are not recorded in the box score. They just seem to have lost confidence from top to bottom. Come on, they must have known something here because they have been in panic mode almost from the first week of the season.
Today another lefty from the Angels, which means an all right-handed lineup with defensive holes at catcher, right field, left field, and third base and a batting order that makes absolutely no sense. Could be a long afternoon.
But, really, this team is a joke from top to bottom. Can they turn it around? Anything is possible, but it is hardly likely. Ramirez could return healthy and that would help. They could suddenly decide to fire Hendry and Piniella, but that seems unlikely as well. More likely is a brief spurt around the All-Star break and then back to mediocrity. We've seen this act before, last year and then in Baker's final year.
The real concern here is that this is such a bad team in terms of fundamentals. They don't execute routine plays. They make many more errors in the field and at bat that are not recorded in the box score. They just seem to have lost confidence from top to bottom. Come on, they must have known something here because they have been in panic mode almost from the first week of the season.
Today another lefty from the Angels, which means an all right-handed lineup with defensive holes at catcher, right field, left field, and third base and a batting order that makes absolutely no sense. Could be a long afternoon.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Yuck!
I've mentioned before how the all right-handed lineup has defensive as well as offensive deficiencies. The new one unveiled today, which is the same as the old one except Tyler Colvin leads off before the righties of doom swing into action, has the same problems. These were evidenced today in the 7th and 8th innings when Jeff Baker made two errors and Derrick Lee another, resulting in four unearned runs. I have no idea what is going on with Derrick Lee in the field, but I do know that Jeff Baker cannot play 3B and should not play 3B.
Actually all you have to do to beat the Cubs nine times out of ten is to start a left-handed pitcher. Today, Lou pitched in with some stunning decisions as well to tip the scales in the Angels favor. For some reason, Piniella still has confidence in "Home Run" Howry and Grabow. Granted they had some help from sloppy defense, but, especially in the case of Howry, they had nothing to begin with. Why would you use these guys in a close game?
There was another bizarre controversy involving Carlos Silva, who seemed to be pitching well enough to remain in for another inning (70 pitches, 50 strikes). Supposedly he had some cramping in his calf and Lou didn't wan to risk an injury. The risk of an injury in this case is virtually non-existent, but in Lou's mind it seemed to be paramount and, in any case, he got all huffy about it in the post-game interviews. Silva, justifiably, looked incredibly pissed in the dugout and he must have been even more upset when he saw the shambles his successors made of a winnable game. Especially weird was the fact that the tactical genius Piniella allowed Silva to make the final out of the 6th inning in a one-run game even though he had apparently decided to remove Silva from the game.
What's going on with this team? Despite all the adventures and sloppy play, they did make a run at it in the 9th before the Angels had to bring in their closer to finish things off.
Actually all you have to do to beat the Cubs nine times out of ten is to start a left-handed pitcher. Today, Lou pitched in with some stunning decisions as well to tip the scales in the Angels favor. For some reason, Piniella still has confidence in "Home Run" Howry and Grabow. Granted they had some help from sloppy defense, but, especially in the case of Howry, they had nothing to begin with. Why would you use these guys in a close game?
There was another bizarre controversy involving Carlos Silva, who seemed to be pitching well enough to remain in for another inning (70 pitches, 50 strikes). Supposedly he had some cramping in his calf and Lou didn't wan to risk an injury. The risk of an injury in this case is virtually non-existent, but in Lou's mind it seemed to be paramount and, in any case, he got all huffy about it in the post-game interviews. Silva, justifiably, looked incredibly pissed in the dugout and he must have been even more upset when he saw the shambles his successors made of a winnable game. Especially weird was the fact that the tactical genius Piniella allowed Silva to make the final out of the 6th inning in a one-run game even though he had apparently decided to remove Silva from the game.
What's going on with this team? Despite all the adventures and sloppy play, they did make a run at it in the 9th before the Angels had to bring in their closer to finish things off.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Another Tight Game
The Cubs did finally pull it out, thanks largely to two late hits by Fukudome. I've always thought that Fukudome was seriously undervalued by the fans and the organization, mainly because, although he can get into some bad habits and bad slumps, he is a fundamentally sound player who always has an idea of what to do in the field, on the bases, and at bat. He is especially valuable for the Cubs in that they play such bad fundamental baseball nearly all the time and they don't seem to care. It was also good to see Wells straighten himself out and Cashner and Marmol come through in relief.
One of the things I really hate about the all RH lineup, aside from the fact that they don't score many runs, is that it comes wrapped with all sort of defensive deficiencies built in, namely, Soriano, Baker, Nady, and lately Soto. The latter three showed their wares at various times today. Nady especially seems to be a lazy or incompetent outfielder who never gets a good jump to put himself in a position to make a clutch play. And Soto? Well, he is starting to look as bad behind the plate as he did last year. Can this guy block anything? Next time I go out there, I am going to keep count of the number of pitches he drops or misplays. It is a lot.
So be thankful for small favors. Even though they left ten men on base, they pulled it off. I lost count of how many guys Soriano stranded. Blevins must have been really wild to walk Theriot in the ninth, as this The Riot had previously either struck out on three or four pitches or hit the first pitch weakly for an easy out. Blevins was probably so disturbed by doing so that he managed to serve up a pitch that Kosuke could handle on the first attempt just to get it overwith.
The Cubs, or at least Tom Ricketts, announced they had hired a new guru to handle statistical analysis. That's a step in the right direction because whoever is doing it now is either incompetent or not getting through to Lou. Whatever the reason, he is going to have his work cut out for him with some of these mopes.
One of the things I really hate about the all RH lineup, aside from the fact that they don't score many runs, is that it comes wrapped with all sort of defensive deficiencies built in, namely, Soriano, Baker, Nady, and lately Soto. The latter three showed their wares at various times today. Nady especially seems to be a lazy or incompetent outfielder who never gets a good jump to put himself in a position to make a clutch play. And Soto? Well, he is starting to look as bad behind the plate as he did last year. Can this guy block anything? Next time I go out there, I am going to keep count of the number of pitches he drops or misplays. It is a lot.
So be thankful for small favors. Even though they left ten men on base, they pulled it off. I lost count of how many guys Soriano stranded. Blevins must have been really wild to walk Theriot in the ninth, as this The Riot had previously either struck out on three or four pitches or hit the first pitch weakly for an easy out. Blevins was probably so disturbed by doing so that he managed to serve up a pitch that Kosuke could handle on the first attempt just to get it overwith.
The Cubs, or at least Tom Ricketts, announced they had hired a new guru to handle statistical analysis. That's a step in the right direction because whoever is doing it now is either incompetent or not getting through to Lou. Whatever the reason, he is going to have his work cut out for him with some of these mopes.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Two Sides of the Coin
Two games in two days could not be more different. Tuesday night's performance was truly execrable. I really feel sorry for Carlos Zambrano who pitched quite well, giving up only two earned runs and surviving an inning from hell when Lee made run-producing errors on consecutive chances.
One note to Lou Piniella: How come you can play all right-handers against a left-handed pitcher (not a good idea anyway), but you seem to be limited to three left-handed hitters against a right-handed pitcher? You know, the percentages work both ways. In the Tuesday game, stringing together consecutive righties at the top of the order allowed Oakland to bring in a submariner who effectively shut down any comeback until Colvin's turn in the lineup, when he hit a home run. Not a lot of thought went into that lineup card.
Wednesday's game was like night and day. Dempster kept them in it and the Cubs had quality at bats for a change with the exception of Ryan Theriot. I managed to get out to the game and had a virtual wager going on how many pitches it would take to get our heroic leadoff hitter out. In no case was it more than three and that was in the AB where he struck out on three pitches. Something gives Lou the notion that this guy can lead off, but, of course, he had a similar guy in Soriano lead off for the better part of three seasons.
But other than Theriot's rotten play, the Cubs played very well both in the field and at the plate. Even Nady contributed, and Lee hit a home run. One of the real differences was their patience and selectivity. Now the real question is can they concentrate hard enough to string several good performances together. The mark of a mediocre team is that they cannot. So far this season the Cubs have not been able to do so.
One note to Lou Piniella: How come you can play all right-handers against a left-handed pitcher (not a good idea anyway), but you seem to be limited to three left-handed hitters against a right-handed pitcher? You know, the percentages work both ways. In the Tuesday game, stringing together consecutive righties at the top of the order allowed Oakland to bring in a submariner who effectively shut down any comeback until Colvin's turn in the lineup, when he hit a home run. Not a lot of thought went into that lineup card.
Wednesday's game was like night and day. Dempster kept them in it and the Cubs had quality at bats for a change with the exception of Ryan Theriot. I managed to get out to the game and had a virtual wager going on how many pitches it would take to get our heroic leadoff hitter out. In no case was it more than three and that was in the AB where he struck out on three pitches. Something gives Lou the notion that this guy can lead off, but, of course, he had a similar guy in Soriano lead off for the better part of three seasons.
But other than Theriot's rotten play, the Cubs played very well both in the field and at the plate. Even Nady contributed, and Lee hit a home run. One of the real differences was their patience and selectivity. Now the real question is can they concentrate hard enough to string several good performances together. The mark of a mediocre team is that they cannot. So far this season the Cubs have not been able to do so.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Rumors and Assessments
The papers and blogs are full of rumors of trades and possible trades. There are also hopes the Cubs can redefine themselves somehow and make a run, much as they did in 2007 when they had a similar record at this stage of the season, roughly a third of the way through. They certainly have the opportunity. It is unlikely the Reds will hold up and the Cardinals are having injury problems with their pitchers and are playing mediocre ball.
The real question is whether the Cubs have the talent to contend with the team they have now allowing for lineup adjustments and so on. Clearly they did in 2007 when they were able to plug in some young players and ride their pitching into the playoffs. So lets try to assess their current status and maybe suggest who should stay and who should go, who should play and who should sit.
First off, the pitching is fine. Actually, they have an abundance of good pitchers and their bullpen issues seem to have resolved themselves. They could use maybe a veteran right-handed setup man, but the question is who is available and what is the cost. They could afford to trade Lilly or Gorzelanny if they could get the right return and still contend. They should dump Grabow before he comes back and messes everything up. They should also try to ease Cashner into the rotation if they open up a spot by moving Lilly. They have an abundance of minor league pitching prospects, so they could easily include one in the right deal provided they have correctly evaluated their AA and AAA talent so they no which ones are the real prospects and which the ones with limitations.
Catching has been a disappointment both this year and last. Soto has become something of a platoon player. Hill is not a great hitter, but he gives you everything he has. This is a defensive position anyway, so they can make do with what they have. Obviously, they would be a better team if Soto returned to his 2008 hitting form, but they can afford to sit tight here. They have a good prospect in Robinson Chirinos at AA, so they have some cushion here for the future.
1B. Derrick Lee looks like he is past his prime. I know that last year he was awful through the first part of the year and came back, but I just do not see the signs here. He is in the final year of his contract and I can't see the Cubs giving him big bucks for a multiple year deal, so if he will agree to wave the no trade clause, he should be moved. He makes a lot of money, but any taker is likely to be a contender that needs a bat and they are only liable for $5 or $6 million, so from their point-of-view it is worth a shot. Besides, Lee is right-handed and the Cubs need to get more left-handed, so I don't see how he fits their plans or what should be their plans whether he rights the ship or not.
2B/SS. They are OK here, lots of depth in the minors. Castro is potentially a star player. He shouldn't bat eighth though. He has no protection there, won't get good pitches to hit, and it is going to make him more aggressive than he already is. The 2B situation is tolerable. I'd like to see Theriot play less and bat eighth where he belongs. Fontenot can hit right-handers and should play more often. Actually, I would consider moving Theriot if I could get good value in return. He started out as a heady, scrappy player who could move runners and get on base, but he has become something of a jerk. He really doesn't seem to understand the game right now, nor what he is expected to do.
3B. This season, like most lately, hinges on Ramirez getting healthy and returning to form. If you look at the stats and just really look at the games from an impressionistic perspective, this guy is the franchise offensively and has been since 2003. If he doesn't hit, they will not score runs, will not win and will not contend.
Utility IF, i.e., Tracy and Baker. Baker hits lefties, but he is a defensive liability. Tracy is no great shakes defensively, but there is more upside for him because he bats left-handed and he has been a successful everyday player before his injuries and slumps of the past two years.
OF. This is where things get tricky, and maybe where people are going to part company with my opinion. First off, Soriano. Soriano is not a baseball player and not a good outfielder. Nobody is going to win consistently as long as he plays every day. All his stats are meaningless. Every now and again he gets on a roll, but it is short-lived and he quickly returns to mediocrity. He does not hit with men on base at all. Sure, he was awful last year and looks better this year, but in truth he has not had a good year with the Cubs and he is only going to get worse. Of course, the Cubs are saddled with a huge commitment to Soriano, but if there were any way to dump this player, even if it cost $10 million per year for the rest of his remaining contract, he should go. If they keep him, he should be platooned.
Byrd has been a pleasant surprise to me. I had him down as a journeyman player who would hit .280 or so, but he has been better than that so far. He hustles and is a fan favorite, so maybe this contract will work out. Not a lot of upside here, though. What you are getting now is the best you are likely to see. He is hitting better this year than through his career against lefties and a little worse against righties, but it is too early to tell if this is a significant trend. One bad rap is that he is not a patient hitter.
Fukudome is another guy that people will have differences with me about. Fukudome is a great outfielder and a great right-fielder. This is a big consideration at Wrigley Field because RF is the most difficult OF position to play there and the adventures of Colvin and Nady in the last week give ample evidence of this. Fans also don't appreciate his skills as a hitter. Even though he has had terrible streaks and has slumped very badly late in the year, he still gets on base and makes pitchers work. I wish he could overcome these flaws, but I would still bat him leadoff and play him almost every day. He is a thinking and fundamentally sound player who pays attention to the game all the time, which is something most Cubs do not do, as was in evidence Tuesday night.
Tyler Colvin is a potential star. He should be playing a lot more, though at the expense of Soriano and Byrd if possible. I also think they should be breaking him in playing CF and LF more that RF, at least at Wrigley Field.
Xavier Nady. I must confess I thought he was a decent investment, but I was wrong. He has no position right now, and I'm not sure he ever had one other than DH. If somebody wants this guy, trade him right away.
What do the Cubs need to contend now and next year? They need a new manager and GM for one thing. Their scouts and coaches and minor league administrators probably have a better evaluation than even informed fans, but it looks like they are strong in their minor league affiliates in pitching, catching, and middle infielders. Josh Vitters was supposed to be the heir apparent at 3B, but he seems to be overmatched at AA and to lack plate discipline. They don't seem to have good prospects at either of the corner infield positions. So I would suppose left-handed or switch hitting prospects at 1B or 3B would be their principal need. They seem to have some outfielders coming along, but again if they could get a really good prospect who hit left-handed and played CF, they would be foolish to pass.
Now obviously if they were able to pick up a proven star like Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez, their lineup would be instantly transformed. But this is pretty unlikely as the Red Sox still have a shot and the Padres are unexpectedly in contention as well.
Tonight's game, by the way, was an absolute disaster. More about it later, but they have put on a clinic lately on how to screw up nearly every aspect of the game.
The real question is whether the Cubs have the talent to contend with the team they have now allowing for lineup adjustments and so on. Clearly they did in 2007 when they were able to plug in some young players and ride their pitching into the playoffs. So lets try to assess their current status and maybe suggest who should stay and who should go, who should play and who should sit.
First off, the pitching is fine. Actually, they have an abundance of good pitchers and their bullpen issues seem to have resolved themselves. They could use maybe a veteran right-handed setup man, but the question is who is available and what is the cost. They could afford to trade Lilly or Gorzelanny if they could get the right return and still contend. They should dump Grabow before he comes back and messes everything up. They should also try to ease Cashner into the rotation if they open up a spot by moving Lilly. They have an abundance of minor league pitching prospects, so they could easily include one in the right deal provided they have correctly evaluated their AA and AAA talent so they no which ones are the real prospects and which the ones with limitations.
Catching has been a disappointment both this year and last. Soto has become something of a platoon player. Hill is not a great hitter, but he gives you everything he has. This is a defensive position anyway, so they can make do with what they have. Obviously, they would be a better team if Soto returned to his 2008 hitting form, but they can afford to sit tight here. They have a good prospect in Robinson Chirinos at AA, so they have some cushion here for the future.
1B. Derrick Lee looks like he is past his prime. I know that last year he was awful through the first part of the year and came back, but I just do not see the signs here. He is in the final year of his contract and I can't see the Cubs giving him big bucks for a multiple year deal, so if he will agree to wave the no trade clause, he should be moved. He makes a lot of money, but any taker is likely to be a contender that needs a bat and they are only liable for $5 or $6 million, so from their point-of-view it is worth a shot. Besides, Lee is right-handed and the Cubs need to get more left-handed, so I don't see how he fits their plans or what should be their plans whether he rights the ship or not.
2B/SS. They are OK here, lots of depth in the minors. Castro is potentially a star player. He shouldn't bat eighth though. He has no protection there, won't get good pitches to hit, and it is going to make him more aggressive than he already is. The 2B situation is tolerable. I'd like to see Theriot play less and bat eighth where he belongs. Fontenot can hit right-handers and should play more often. Actually, I would consider moving Theriot if I could get good value in return. He started out as a heady, scrappy player who could move runners and get on base, but he has become something of a jerk. He really doesn't seem to understand the game right now, nor what he is expected to do.
3B. This season, like most lately, hinges on Ramirez getting healthy and returning to form. If you look at the stats and just really look at the games from an impressionistic perspective, this guy is the franchise offensively and has been since 2003. If he doesn't hit, they will not score runs, will not win and will not contend.
Utility IF, i.e., Tracy and Baker. Baker hits lefties, but he is a defensive liability. Tracy is no great shakes defensively, but there is more upside for him because he bats left-handed and he has been a successful everyday player before his injuries and slumps of the past two years.
OF. This is where things get tricky, and maybe where people are going to part company with my opinion. First off, Soriano. Soriano is not a baseball player and not a good outfielder. Nobody is going to win consistently as long as he plays every day. All his stats are meaningless. Every now and again he gets on a roll, but it is short-lived and he quickly returns to mediocrity. He does not hit with men on base at all. Sure, he was awful last year and looks better this year, but in truth he has not had a good year with the Cubs and he is only going to get worse. Of course, the Cubs are saddled with a huge commitment to Soriano, but if there were any way to dump this player, even if it cost $10 million per year for the rest of his remaining contract, he should go. If they keep him, he should be platooned.
Byrd has been a pleasant surprise to me. I had him down as a journeyman player who would hit .280 or so, but he has been better than that so far. He hustles and is a fan favorite, so maybe this contract will work out. Not a lot of upside here, though. What you are getting now is the best you are likely to see. He is hitting better this year than through his career against lefties and a little worse against righties, but it is too early to tell if this is a significant trend. One bad rap is that he is not a patient hitter.
Fukudome is another guy that people will have differences with me about. Fukudome is a great outfielder and a great right-fielder. This is a big consideration at Wrigley Field because RF is the most difficult OF position to play there and the adventures of Colvin and Nady in the last week give ample evidence of this. Fans also don't appreciate his skills as a hitter. Even though he has had terrible streaks and has slumped very badly late in the year, he still gets on base and makes pitchers work. I wish he could overcome these flaws, but I would still bat him leadoff and play him almost every day. He is a thinking and fundamentally sound player who pays attention to the game all the time, which is something most Cubs do not do, as was in evidence Tuesday night.
Tyler Colvin is a potential star. He should be playing a lot more, though at the expense of Soriano and Byrd if possible. I also think they should be breaking him in playing CF and LF more that RF, at least at Wrigley Field.
Xavier Nady. I must confess I thought he was a decent investment, but I was wrong. He has no position right now, and I'm not sure he ever had one other than DH. If somebody wants this guy, trade him right away.
What do the Cubs need to contend now and next year? They need a new manager and GM for one thing. Their scouts and coaches and minor league administrators probably have a better evaluation than even informed fans, but it looks like they are strong in their minor league affiliates in pitching, catching, and middle infielders. Josh Vitters was supposed to be the heir apparent at 3B, but he seems to be overmatched at AA and to lack plate discipline. They don't seem to have good prospects at either of the corner infield positions. So I would suppose left-handed or switch hitting prospects at 1B or 3B would be their principal need. They seem to have some outfielders coming along, but again if they could get a really good prospect who hit left-handed and played CF, they would be foolish to pass.
Now obviously if they were able to pick up a proven star like Victor Martinez or Adrian Gonzalez, their lineup would be instantly transformed. But this is pretty unlikely as the Red Sox still have a shot and the Padres are unexpectedly in contention as well.
Tonight's game, by the way, was an absolute disaster. More about it later, but they have put on a clinic lately on how to screw up nearly every aspect of the game.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Great Game
And a great win for the Cubs. It was fun to watch Lilly and Floyd match each other pitch for pitch into the seventh inning before the Cubs broke through. Actually, they almost didn't, when Lee was thrown out at second on a dubious decision to advance on a pitch that got away from Pierzynski but always remained in front of him. The Cubs seemed anxious to squander every opportunity with ill-judged base running when Castro was caught stealing an inning later.
In between, though, they collected a run on a solid double by Soriano and an RBI single by Chad Tracy. Lilly lost the no-hit bid in the ninth, and Marmol made the save an adventure, but the run held up. Lou had a curious lineup again tonight. For some reason he thinks Theriot can lead off. He also seems to have a quota of left-handed hitters, viz., three. Floyd has historically had trouble getting lefties out, so I sort of wondered why Fontenot and Fukudome were not in the lineup, but things worked out for the Cubs despite this aberration.
Just as an aside, I ran some numbers comparing Soriano and Fukudome. You could make a good case that they should be platooned and that might just be the answer. Neither one has had a good June, Soriano sitting at .133 for the month and Fukudome at .185. For the season, both are hitting around .275 with Soriano having more HRs and Fukudome a better OBP. Their RBI are roughly even, and this is fairly significant in that Soriano hits in an RBI spot and Fukudome bats first or second. That's probably because Fukudome is hitting .344 with RISP whereas Soriano is hitting .256. Also interesting is this stat, which further supports the notion of a platoon. Soriano is batting .340 vs. lefties and .250 against righties. Fukudome is batting .282 against righties and .214 against lefties. So I humbly propose this as another potential solution to the dilemma of getting Colvin more playing time. Maybe the most expensive platoon in baseball history, but it makes a lot of sense.
In between, though, they collected a run on a solid double by Soriano and an RBI single by Chad Tracy. Lilly lost the no-hit bid in the ninth, and Marmol made the save an adventure, but the run held up. Lou had a curious lineup again tonight. For some reason he thinks Theriot can lead off. He also seems to have a quota of left-handed hitters, viz., three. Floyd has historically had trouble getting lefties out, so I sort of wondered why Fontenot and Fukudome were not in the lineup, but things worked out for the Cubs despite this aberration.
Just as an aside, I ran some numbers comparing Soriano and Fukudome. You could make a good case that they should be platooned and that might just be the answer. Neither one has had a good June, Soriano sitting at .133 for the month and Fukudome at .185. For the season, both are hitting around .275 with Soriano having more HRs and Fukudome a better OBP. Their RBI are roughly even, and this is fairly significant in that Soriano hits in an RBI spot and Fukudome bats first or second. That's probably because Fukudome is hitting .344 with RISP whereas Soriano is hitting .256. Also interesting is this stat, which further supports the notion of a platoon. Soriano is batting .340 vs. lefties and .250 against righties. Fukudome is batting .282 against righties and .214 against lefties. So I humbly propose this as another potential solution to the dilemma of getting Colvin more playing time. Maybe the most expensive platoon in baseball history, but it makes a lot of sense.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Was That a Rerun?
It must have been a rerun, as the game the Cubs played this afternoon seemed very familiar. First off, soft-tossing lefty on the mound, all right-handed lineup guaranteed not to produce runs under virtually any conditions. Result: 10 hits, only one walk (these guys don't clog up the bases unnecessarily), 10 men left on base, 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. 2-1 loss, a tough one for Silva, who, like his counterpart Mark Buerhle, pitched a good game.
Some additional observations. Another virtue of the righties of doom lineup is the certain presence of Xavier Nady either in RF or at 1B, neither of which positions he can actually play. Today it was RF. Both Konerko singles that drove in runs looked like they could have been caught and would have been caught by Fukudome, for example. In each case, there was a kind of loopy flyball into the shallow outfield that Nady watched for a little bit, approached tentatively, and then decided to play on a bounce.
If you have a team that just doesn't score runs but has excellent pitching, which is the case with the Cubs this year, you have to field your best defensive team every day. You cannot afford to allow any cheap runs. I don't get what is so hard to fathom in this proposition for Cubs management. So what if your best defenders don't get hits; your offensive-minded players don't either. The difference is the good defenders take away hits and take away runs; the lousy defensive players give them away.
Castro also had a hand in allowing the final Sox run, missing a tag on a sure out at 2B when Pierre should have been caught stealing. I don't want to single this kid out for blame. He is a young player and still learning to play at the major league level. The problem is that all the Cubs middle infielders play the same way. They never straddle or block the base. They always take the throw off to the side. Brenly is always on about this habit. Can't someone on the Cubs coaching staff actually try to teach them to make this play correctly?
Which brings up another frustration aptly noted by one of the post-game callers. He noticed that Guillen is always talking to his players and counseling them during the game, giving advice and instruction, even though he must know the Sox stink and are already hopelessly out of contention in their division, whereas Lou is generally sitting off to the side shrugging and smirking and grimacing and generally looking like some derelict they dragged in off the street and put a uniform on to take up space.
Time is running out for these mopes, which is a pity because you know the Reds can't last and the Cardinals are playing lousy ball the last month except for their series against the Cubs.
Some additional observations. Another virtue of the righties of doom lineup is the certain presence of Xavier Nady either in RF or at 1B, neither of which positions he can actually play. Today it was RF. Both Konerko singles that drove in runs looked like they could have been caught and would have been caught by Fukudome, for example. In each case, there was a kind of loopy flyball into the shallow outfield that Nady watched for a little bit, approached tentatively, and then decided to play on a bounce.
If you have a team that just doesn't score runs but has excellent pitching, which is the case with the Cubs this year, you have to field your best defensive team every day. You cannot afford to allow any cheap runs. I don't get what is so hard to fathom in this proposition for Cubs management. So what if your best defenders don't get hits; your offensive-minded players don't either. The difference is the good defenders take away hits and take away runs; the lousy defensive players give them away.
Castro also had a hand in allowing the final Sox run, missing a tag on a sure out at 2B when Pierre should have been caught stealing. I don't want to single this kid out for blame. He is a young player and still learning to play at the major league level. The problem is that all the Cubs middle infielders play the same way. They never straddle or block the base. They always take the throw off to the side. Brenly is always on about this habit. Can't someone on the Cubs coaching staff actually try to teach them to make this play correctly?
Which brings up another frustration aptly noted by one of the post-game callers. He noticed that Guillen is always talking to his players and counseling them during the game, giving advice and instruction, even though he must know the Sox stink and are already hopelessly out of contention in their division, whereas Lou is generally sitting off to the side shrugging and smirking and grimacing and generally looking like some derelict they dragged in off the street and put a uniform on to take up space.
Time is running out for these mopes, which is a pity because you know the Reds can't last and the Cardinals are playing lousy ball the last month except for their series against the Cubs.
Not a Memorable Day
Well, today saw the first game of the Crosstown Classic, including the unveiling of the BP Trophy. Can these guys come up with any worse PR than that hunk of junk, which was deservedly booed by the crowd? OK, maybe not worse, but definitely in competition was the genuinely hideous Toyota sign, sponsored by another corporate giant of dubious merit.
The game wasn't much to talk about from the Cubs point-of-view. They played their usual listless game and fell 10-5. Wells again had nothing. Wells is a bit of an enigma. He started the season very well and looked to be continuing his progress from his rookie year when he was arguably the best and most consistent starter and probably should have won 15 or more games. But his last starts have been pretty bad. I don't know if it is a mental thing or if he is hurt or if he is tipping his pitches or sequences, but whatever it is, right now he stinks.
The final piece to delete from the memory bank is Lou Piniella's pregame rant on Steve Stone. Now I'm not a big fan of Stone's observations generally, but his comments on Colvin make a lot of sense. Nor do I think that Piniella has been dealt the best hand with this Cubs team. But as Stone points out, even if he has been given a team that does not fit together well, it is his job as manager to make it fit, to make it a team. Stone is also right in saying that five man rotations in the outfield never seem to work. But I have pointed out on numerous occasions that one way to try to fit these pieces together is to play a three man rotation in left and center field, which means essentially that each guy among Colvin, Soriano, and Byrd plays two games of every three, and, if you really need to do so, platoon Fukudome and Nady in right field.
Anyway, Piniella's temper tantrum was really pretty petty and disgraceful and it is not the first time he has shown a decided lack of class. The fact that he is so thin-skinned about it shows that he probably knows Stone is right or that he is completely off base in supposing his job is to make everyone happy rather than winning baseball games.
The game wasn't much to talk about from the Cubs point-of-view. They played their usual listless game and fell 10-5. Wells again had nothing. Wells is a bit of an enigma. He started the season very well and looked to be continuing his progress from his rookie year when he was arguably the best and most consistent starter and probably should have won 15 or more games. But his last starts have been pretty bad. I don't know if it is a mental thing or if he is hurt or if he is tipping his pitches or sequences, but whatever it is, right now he stinks.
The final piece to delete from the memory bank is Lou Piniella's pregame rant on Steve Stone. Now I'm not a big fan of Stone's observations generally, but his comments on Colvin make a lot of sense. Nor do I think that Piniella has been dealt the best hand with this Cubs team. But as Stone points out, even if he has been given a team that does not fit together well, it is his job as manager to make it fit, to make it a team. Stone is also right in saying that five man rotations in the outfield never seem to work. But I have pointed out on numerous occasions that one way to try to fit these pieces together is to play a three man rotation in left and center field, which means essentially that each guy among Colvin, Soriano, and Byrd plays two games of every three, and, if you really need to do so, platoon Fukudome and Nady in right field.
Anyway, Piniella's temper tantrum was really pretty petty and disgraceful and it is not the first time he has shown a decided lack of class. The fact that he is so thin-skinned about it shows that he probably knows Stone is right or that he is completely off base in supposing his job is to make everyone happy rather than winning baseball games.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Rock Bottom?
Well, you can't get much worse than this. Or can you? The afternoon game on Thursday was one of the worst games I've ever experienced, and you can say that from both sides' point-of-view. And it was just endless. I must say the Cubs generally find a way to play to the level of their opposition, and I think that is why, historically, so much bad baseball has been played between them and the Brewers. I mean, don't these guys practice at all making basic plays that minor leaguers make every day? The botched up double play, double rundown that cost the Cubs a run in the 5th was something you'd expect to see in a highlight reel of the Amazing Mets or the Dodgers of the 1930s. And the topper of course was the ludicrous error by Nady to blow the game in the 10th inning. The only refreshing thing about the game was the absolute frankness of Koyie Hill in discussing the final play, in which he said basically the Brewers had nothing to lose in trying to go from first to third on the bunt as the Cubs had "one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
As for the Wednesday night game, I thought Zambrano pitched rather well for the time he was in there. He seems to be coming around. The lineup Lou fielded was one so weird and illogical that you cannot imagine any reasonable person supposing there was any way they could possibly manufacture a run unless they hit five or six home runs, which, of course, they did. Putting Ramirez on the DL was the only recourse left to them. Lets hope he heals, and lets hope it is really just the thumb that has been bothering him.
There are all kinds of stories floating around about dissension in the clubhouse, backbiting by various cliques of players, and about Piniella, much as Baker had in his final season on the Norst Side, losing control. I'd be very surprised if some of it weren't true. Last year they managed to blame it all on Bradley, and in 2006 they blamed Sosa. I wonder who the scapegoat will be this time? This team has a lot of lazy, selfish, incompetent, and dumb players, more than enough to counter-balance the genuinely talented and intelligent ones, so there are plenty of candidates.
As for the Wednesday night game, I thought Zambrano pitched rather well for the time he was in there. He seems to be coming around. The lineup Lou fielded was one so weird and illogical that you cannot imagine any reasonable person supposing there was any way they could possibly manufacture a run unless they hit five or six home runs, which, of course, they did. Putting Ramirez on the DL was the only recourse left to them. Lets hope he heals, and lets hope it is really just the thumb that has been bothering him.
There are all kinds of stories floating around about dissension in the clubhouse, backbiting by various cliques of players, and about Piniella, much as Baker had in his final season on the Norst Side, losing control. I'd be very surprised if some of it weren't true. Last year they managed to blame it all on Bradley, and in 2006 they blamed Sosa. I wonder who the scapegoat will be this time? This team has a lot of lazy, selfish, incompetent, and dumb players, more than enough to counter-balance the genuinely talented and intelligent ones, so there are plenty of candidates.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
A Tough Loss
Hard to quarrel with any of Lou's major decisions, but when you are in this sort of streak everything that can go wrong usually does. The Cubs did not figure to score a lot of runs against the Brewers' ace and they did not. They put out probably the best lineup they could, although why on earth Lou still thinks Theriot can lead off is a mystery to me. The one chance the Cubs had to break the game open relatively early died when the aforementioned Theriot stepped up with the bases loaded and promptly killed the rally on the first pitch.
Fukudome, who should of course be the leadoff man, had a good game, as did Colvin and Castro. Soriano, who was used as a pinch-hitter when the Cubs had far more experienced talent on the bench, did drive in the lead run in the ninth with a weak groundout. The Cubs seemed poised to take home a hard-earned win with Marmol closing it out, but Marmol hit a batter and then forgot he was on base, putting the Cubs in a hole from which they could not recover. The little things count in games like this. 99% of the time, Marmol pitches out of it, but this time he did not. I didn't see the play because the TV feed experienced technical difficulties, but Fielder must have had some kind of secondary lead to lumber in on McGehee's game-winning single.
Tomorrow night they face a tough lefty in Randy Wolf, which undoubtedly means the return of the all right-handed lineup of doom. This road trip, which should have brought them back up around .500 with six or seven wins, will be fortunate to provide three.
Fukudome, who should of course be the leadoff man, had a good game, as did Colvin and Castro. Soriano, who was used as a pinch-hitter when the Cubs had far more experienced talent on the bench, did drive in the lead run in the ninth with a weak groundout. The Cubs seemed poised to take home a hard-earned win with Marmol closing it out, but Marmol hit a batter and then forgot he was on base, putting the Cubs in a hole from which they could not recover. The little things count in games like this. 99% of the time, Marmol pitches out of it, but this time he did not. I didn't see the play because the TV feed experienced technical difficulties, but Fielder must have had some kind of secondary lead to lumber in on McGehee's game-winning single.
Tomorrow night they face a tough lefty in Randy Wolf, which undoubtedly means the return of the all right-handed lineup of doom. This road trip, which should have brought them back up around .500 with six or seven wins, will be fortunate to provide three.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Back to Basics?
The Cubs put on a sort of clinic on how not to play baseball, including how not to run the bases in particular, on Sunday and well into Monday's makeup game before they finally settled down to score a three runs against a batting practice pitcher and coast home behind another surprisingly good outing from Carlos Silva.
There is just something terribly wrong with the mindset of this team, and I am not sure if it can be cured. Today, for example, Alfonso Soriano, watched patiently while his teammate Marlon Byrd ran around frantically for several minutes after being caught off second base. Byrd evidently believed (mistakenly) that his heroic efforts would at least result in Soriano being able to move into scoring position before he had to concede the out, but he did not reckon on Soriano's amazing lack of baseball instincts. The Cubs cost themselves a couple of runs on Sunday with the same lack of interest, and, of course, later in the same inning Soto managed to casually run up to the second baseman on Castro's slowly hit double play ball instead of stopping.
Anyway, this team is not a pleasure to watch in the field or at the plate, nor is it much fun watching Piniella consistently screw up his lineups and pitching changes. At least they managed to win a game in Pittsburgh, and also it was refreshing to see Theriot take a couple of pitches and actually walk twice today, scoring four runs in the process. Perhaps Piniella or Jaramillo has convinced this erstwhile leadoff man that it is not a sissy thing to take pitches several feet out of the strike zone or over your head, and that as the first batter, you are expected to reach first base safely a fair proportion of the time.
On to Milwaukee, whom the Cubs have owned this year, and maybe they can come home bruised but not battered to face the hopeless White Sox this weekend.
There is just something terribly wrong with the mindset of this team, and I am not sure if it can be cured. Today, for example, Alfonso Soriano, watched patiently while his teammate Marlon Byrd ran around frantically for several minutes after being caught off second base. Byrd evidently believed (mistakenly) that his heroic efforts would at least result in Soriano being able to move into scoring position before he had to concede the out, but he did not reckon on Soriano's amazing lack of baseball instincts. The Cubs cost themselves a couple of runs on Sunday with the same lack of interest, and, of course, later in the same inning Soto managed to casually run up to the second baseman on Castro's slowly hit double play ball instead of stopping.
Anyway, this team is not a pleasure to watch in the field or at the plate, nor is it much fun watching Piniella consistently screw up his lineups and pitching changes. At least they managed to win a game in Pittsburgh, and also it was refreshing to see Theriot take a couple of pitches and actually walk twice today, scoring four runs in the process. Perhaps Piniella or Jaramillo has convinced this erstwhile leadoff man that it is not a sissy thing to take pitches several feet out of the strike zone or over your head, and that as the first batter, you are expected to reach first base safely a fair proportion of the time.
On to Milwaukee, whom the Cubs have owned this year, and maybe they can come home bruised but not battered to face the hopeless White Sox this weekend.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
A Breakout Game?
Certainly that is a little too early to say, but their performance Saturday night was refreshing. The Cubs since 2003 have largely been built around their pitching and the performance of Aramis Ramirez, so lets hope this guy gets in a groove and stays there as he did tonight. Lets also hope Piniella starts, minimally, to rotate Colvin into the lineup two-thirds of the time, as I have recommended in an earlier post.
With respect to the lineup, the Cubs were successful largely because of the performance of their hitters two through five, something they have lacked on a consistent basis up until now. A note to Piniella though: achieving balance doesn't mean just playing two left-handed hitters and continuing to bat Theriot leadoff when Fukudome doesn't play. If Theriot plays, he should bat eighth. Balancing a lineup, ideally, means setting up righty, lefty, righty sequences as well as playing contrasting hitters back to back rather than similar hitters. So tonight I would have to say they won despite the lineup. Until his walk, Theriot saw maybe five pitches and it was his first walk since early May! Fontenot needs to play half the time as well.
I did not comment last night, but I thought Zambrano's performance was encouraging. He started badly, but once he settled down he got guys out until his exit in the fifth after exceeding some sort of pitch count. I should also have noted that Soriano, even when he produces hits and runs, generally gives away nearly as many in the field, as he did Friday night by misplaying Berkman's double in the fifth inning. I'm convinced that no team can be a serious contender with this mope in the lineup. If there is any way to trade this guy, the Cubs should jump at it now as there are people who think he is having a comeback year. How wrong they are.
With respect to the lineup, the Cubs were successful largely because of the performance of their hitters two through five, something they have lacked on a consistent basis up until now. A note to Piniella though: achieving balance doesn't mean just playing two left-handed hitters and continuing to bat Theriot leadoff when Fukudome doesn't play. If Theriot plays, he should bat eighth. Balancing a lineup, ideally, means setting up righty, lefty, righty sequences as well as playing contrasting hitters back to back rather than similar hitters. So tonight I would have to say they won despite the lineup. Until his walk, Theriot saw maybe five pitches and it was his first walk since early May! Fontenot needs to play half the time as well.
I did not comment last night, but I thought Zambrano's performance was encouraging. He started badly, but once he settled down he got guys out until his exit in the fifth after exceeding some sort of pitch count. I should also have noted that Soriano, even when he produces hits and runs, generally gives away nearly as many in the field, as he did Friday night by misplaying Berkman's double in the fifth inning. I'm convinced that no team can be a serious contender with this mope in the lineup. If there is any way to trade this guy, the Cubs should jump at it now as there are people who think he is having a comeback year. How wrong they are.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Disgusting
I'm really not going to even try to summarize these games any more. What is the point? It is essentially the same scenario. The pitchers pitch reasonably well, sometimes really well, sometimes they make a mistake or two, but it doesn't really matter because you know that this team will never score any runs, so the whole exercise is pointless.
The Cubs are finished with a third of their season and they are on a pace to lose 90 games with the third highest payroll in baseball. Changes are clearly in order, starting at the top. There are rumors floating around that people are interested in Lee and Nady and maybe Lilly and Gorzelanny. That's mostly good news except that the guy who will be evaluating the players the Cubs will get in return is Jim Hendry who is responsible for, among other things, the Soriano and Bradley signings, and also letting Casey McGehee (who leads the NL in RBI) go for absolutely nothing and for a whole series of idiotic misjudgments and trades since the few decent moves he made in 2003. So the odds of doing anything but dumping salary that is likely to be dumped in any case in the off-season seem pretty slim.
The Angels are interested in Lee or Nady, but I don't see them as a likely trading partner just because looking over their roster and their prospects, they don't seem to have much to give. The Giants and Red Sox may be more likely buyers for the washed up or marginal hitters we have to market. I agree with the guys at MLB Trade Rumors that Gorzelanny is potentially a bigger chip to deal, especially if the Cubs think they have pitching prospects coming along to replace him, which I think they do. Lilly is also a chip to spend, but maybe a less valuable one. I've also come to think of Theriot, who I formally thought was a smart and over-achieving gamer, as a guy who has become pretty much useless, but who retains some value to dump. The real question is whether the Cubs can figure out what they need, which, in my opinion is a switch-hitting or left-handed first baseman, third basemen, or catcher who produces runs, preferably two of those three.
The Cubs are finished with a third of their season and they are on a pace to lose 90 games with the third highest payroll in baseball. Changes are clearly in order, starting at the top. There are rumors floating around that people are interested in Lee and Nady and maybe Lilly and Gorzelanny. That's mostly good news except that the guy who will be evaluating the players the Cubs will get in return is Jim Hendry who is responsible for, among other things, the Soriano and Bradley signings, and also letting Casey McGehee (who leads the NL in RBI) go for absolutely nothing and for a whole series of idiotic misjudgments and trades since the few decent moves he made in 2003. So the odds of doing anything but dumping salary that is likely to be dumped in any case in the off-season seem pretty slim.
The Angels are interested in Lee or Nady, but I don't see them as a likely trading partner just because looking over their roster and their prospects, they don't seem to have much to give. The Giants and Red Sox may be more likely buyers for the washed up or marginal hitters we have to market. I agree with the guys at MLB Trade Rumors that Gorzelanny is potentially a bigger chip to deal, especially if the Cubs think they have pitching prospects coming along to replace him, which I think they do. Lilly is also a chip to spend, but maybe a less valuable one. I've also come to think of Theriot, who I formally thought was a smart and over-achieving gamer, as a guy who has become pretty much useless, but who retains some value to dump. The real question is whether the Cubs can figure out what they need, which, in my opinion is a switch-hitting or left-handed first baseman, third basemen, or catcher who produces runs, preferably two of those three.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Lineup Different, Same Result
Well, umm, uh, what can you say? I guess this is a perfect illustration of the thesis I proposed after yesterday's game: that there comes a time when anything a manager does is wrong. The Cubs had one good inning when Fukudome tripled and scored on Nady's home run. The following inning Castro made a great throw to cut down a Pirate runner at third before the lead runner had scored and rob them of a run. After that they relaxed and wound up losing 3-2.
I will say this, Lou Piniella manages as if he had no bullpen at all. He always leaves a struggling starter around one batter too long and this is not the first game he has lost in this way. It is, I think, the third or fourth. In this case, there was no excuse for not removing Lilly after he walked a man in the bottom of the eighth inning. There was one out and Marmol, only the most difficult pitcher to hit in the league, was ready. Instead, Walker hit a two run homer to win the game.
I really don't care what the reasons may be or who is hurt or sulking or unhappy, this kind of effort is just impossible to tolerate. 1-7 against the Pirates. Give me a break. It looks like they will never score a run and they will always find a way to lose. Maybe Zambrano needs to lean on someone after each inning tomorrow night to shake things up. Lou certainly won't.
I will say this, Lou Piniella manages as if he had no bullpen at all. He always leaves a struggling starter around one batter too long and this is not the first game he has lost in this way. It is, I think, the third or fourth. In this case, there was no excuse for not removing Lilly after he walked a man in the bottom of the eighth inning. There was one out and Marmol, only the most difficult pitcher to hit in the league, was ready. Instead, Walker hit a two run homer to win the game.
I really don't care what the reasons may be or who is hurt or sulking or unhappy, this kind of effort is just impossible to tolerate. 1-7 against the Pirates. Give me a break. It looks like they will never score a run and they will always find a way to lose. Maybe Zambrano needs to lean on someone after each inning tomorrow night to shake things up. Lou certainly won't.
Another Disappointment
The Cubs wasted a decent start by Randy Wells and lost their sixth game in seven tries to the miserable Pirates, who had previously dropped five in a row and who are 15-30 (.333) against everyone else. It is hard to quarrel with most of Lou's pitching moves on paper, but it is a fair question to ask whether you need five pitchers to lose a 2-1 game and whether you really need to reevaluate the notion that Garrett Jones, the left-handed hitting Pirates' right-fielder, is at any sort of disadvantage facing the Cubs' left-handers. He has so far hit more than half-a-dozen homers, triples, and doubles against them after all.
The Cubs continue to struggle offensively and the performance of Lee and Ramirez and Theriot are the principal causes. Piniella rested Theriot on Sunday, but did manage to get him a key AB to end the game. I'm not sure what they can actually do here. Clearly they need to break up that succession of right-handed hitters, but unless Piniella commits to playing Fontenot and Colvin pretty regularly and they bring up Tracy, that is not a likely event.
I think sometimes you reach a point with a team where everything you do is wrong and that that point has been reached with Piniella so whether it is just or unjust something has to give and really he needs to go to shake things up. I also think, though there is no objective evidence for this, that it is probably the case that the core of a team has one shot for the brass ring and when they fail, as the Cubs did in 2008 (and earlier in 2003 with a different set of chips) they just lose confidence or karma or whatever and they are never going to get it back without the addition or subtraction of significant players.
The Cubs continue to struggle offensively and the performance of Lee and Ramirez and Theriot are the principal causes. Piniella rested Theriot on Sunday, but did manage to get him a key AB to end the game. I'm not sure what they can actually do here. Clearly they need to break up that succession of right-handed hitters, but unless Piniella commits to playing Fontenot and Colvin pretty regularly and they bring up Tracy, that is not a likely event.
I think sometimes you reach a point with a team where everything you do is wrong and that that point has been reached with Piniella so whether it is just or unjust something has to give and really he needs to go to shake things up. I also think, though there is no objective evidence for this, that it is probably the case that the core of a team has one shot for the brass ring and when they fail, as the Cubs did in 2008 (and earlier in 2003 with a different set of chips) they just lose confidence or karma or whatever and they are never going to get it back without the addition or subtraction of significant players.
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