The Cubs had a pretty good series against the Reds this weekend. It would have been a great series had they not completely imploded, especially on defense, in the last two innings of Sunday's game. I can see why, if Alan Trammell is responsible for coaching the infield, he is not being considered for the managerial job. Soto and Fukudome got charged with throwing errors, but in Soto's case, Castro made a mistake in not just conceding the stolen base and catching the throw and Baker should have been backing up the play; in Fukudome's case, Ramirez made virtually no effort to stop the ball which was just a little off line.
Castro is a work in progress defensively, but the Cubs need to do something to inspire Ramirez to actually try to play a decent third base. They are stuck with him for at least another season - and really they have no replacement - and he is a key offensively when he is healthy, but he seems to have gone the wrong way since his shoulder injury. When he was a Pirate, he was considered a defensive liability, but in his years with the Cubs he had made himself a serviceable infielder. But, as I noted above, things have gone south since his injury last year. Needless to say, Baker should never ever play 2B, just as he should never ever bat against a right-handed pitcher.
Friday's game was a joke because Gorzelanny just did not have it. Lots of people like Gorzelanny, but to me the jury is still out. He has pitched some good games, but in all honesty he is a 5th starter despite his achievements this season. He throws too many balls and, as a consequence, he puts men on base too often and usually can't get past the 6th inning. Good enough for a #5 on a dominant staff, but I could see him going in the off-season if the Cubs think they have a younger gun to replace him.
Wells pitched very well on Saturday night in the best played game of the series. Wells has had a bit of a sophomore slump, but I see him as a pretty good #3 or #4 starter who should rebound next year closer to his freshman form.
Coleman pitched a gutsy game to keep them in it. He throws strikes, but he doesn't seem to have really dominant stuff. Maybe he can become another guy like Wells in time, but I wonder if he is up here too soon and would not benefit from more seasoning, especially if he is thought to be a potential starter. I can see him doing OK in long relief as well.
I have been criticized for harping on the good qualities of Kosuke Fukudome, among others, but I have to call it as I see it. Fukudome hit a two-run homer on Saturday night that gave the Cubs the win, and he hit a two-run homer Sunday (against a lefty, perish the thought) to tie the game and give the Cubs a chance to win. He is very hot these days and maybe his work with Jaramillo is paying off or maybe he has finally made the adjustments to American baseball that he has needed to make.
Several sports guys have read into the comments of some players the idea that whatever his skills Quade seems more involved in the game and the team seems looser. Cashner and Russell have both been quoted as saying Quade has helped them just by sitting down and talking about game situations and restoring their confidence.
The implication in all of these observations is that Piniella did just the opposite, and I have to say I have always thought that to be the case, and that the demeanor of the club under Lou was very tight and dour. The Cubs are thought not to be looking for a celebrity manager and I think they are right in this respect. One mistake they should not make, whether their choice is Quade or Sandberg or whoever, is to go with a four year deal. Two years is enough. You can always extend. Baker and Piniella were both successful in their first and second seasons and poison thereafter.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A New Era?
Well, maybe a little early to make that pronouncement, especially as they were knocking around the Nationals, a team with a record almost as bad as the Cubs and really no pretensions to have achieved anything better. Still, a series sweep is a series sweep. One thing you do notice is that Quade is involved in the game and that he is awake and that he shows a little enthusiasm, like he really wants to be where he is right now and nowhere else. Quite a contrast to old Lou, isn't it?
Some other encouraging signs. Coleman pitched a pretty good game. Zambrano pitched very well indeed, as did Dempster. About Zambrano, maybe he had a long talk with Maddux or something, but it seems to me that he is pitching now, especially when he gets in a jam, instead of throwing. He is not throwing in the mid-90s anymore, but he is getting guys out, which, of course, is what pitching is about. The consensus among the Cubs brass - which if it is a consensus you know they are wrong - was that Z needed to go to the pen to recover his velocity. Maybe they were just wrong about that. In any case, Z himself has correctly speculated that the move smacked of desperation. Hard to believe they were only 5-9, 14 games into the season before panic set in. What the hell is wrong with this organization?
Another bit of encouragement on the Zambrano front is that they seem to be putting out little trial balloons in the press about how maybe Z is all better and they might just keep him after all. I've never understood the meme about rehabilitating Zambrano so that you could trade him to a contender for prospects and pay half his salary so that he could come around and beat you in the playoffs. Another testimony to the power of the press and sports radio, where ultimately nearly every delusional idea that doesn't originate with management itself seems to arise and gain credence.
Anyway, Quade has been encouraging so far if only because he is not Lou. Moving DeWitt to leadoff on occasion at least indicates that he can read simple statistics and comprehend them. I still much prefer to see Fukudome there. This guy has had a hell of a month of August. He's batting around .350 and has an OBA over .400. Plus he is such a good outfielder. They would have lost Tuesday's game if anyone else were playing RF when he caught Zimmerman's line drive and actually made it look routine. The Cubs and the sports guys just undervalue this kind of play. That ball would have driven in the tying and winning runs. Catching it is the equivalent of hitting a two run homer.
The next day one of these sports radio nitwits opined that now that Fukudome was playing well, it was time to get rid of him and pay half his salary. Kind of like the Zambrano meme. I'm not saying Fukudome is worth $13 million, but he is a good player and good teams can carry a guy like this and play winning baseball.
The guy they should be showcasing is Soriano. I know he hit two home runs against Washington, but they would have won those games anyway. Here's the problem, he tries to hit a home run every time he bats and that means even if he hits 30, he still fails 19 out of 20 tries. That's 95% unproductive ABs and that just plain stinks. Plus he cannot play the outfield. Plus he cannot think straight. What he can do is hit mediocre lefties. Those are the only guys he should play against. He'll look good for the rest of the year and maybe some sucker will take him off your hands. Dropping him to 7th in the order is good first step, but the simplest solution is the Fukudome platoon.
That brings me to the last observation about the Quade regime so far, which is the end of the Colvin leadoff experiment, a welcome end indeed to another peculiar piece of Piniella logic. I do think this kid will eventually figure out the strike zone and become a consistent major league hitter. Right now, though, he is closer to being a left-handed version of a young Soriano without the blazing speed. So he is a work in progress. I wonder why he doesn't get a shot at first base. This would solve a lot of problems. The more I see of Colvin in the outfield, the more convinced I am that he is at best a decent left-fielder. He misjudges a lot of balls in RF, which is the most difficult field to play at Wrigley Field, and in CF he seems a little lost and to lack the confidence to play shallow. It might be possible for the Cubs to more readily fill the hole in their outfield, assuming they dump Soriano, than the one at 1B. Certainly cheaper.
Some other encouraging signs. Coleman pitched a pretty good game. Zambrano pitched very well indeed, as did Dempster. About Zambrano, maybe he had a long talk with Maddux or something, but it seems to me that he is pitching now, especially when he gets in a jam, instead of throwing. He is not throwing in the mid-90s anymore, but he is getting guys out, which, of course, is what pitching is about. The consensus among the Cubs brass - which if it is a consensus you know they are wrong - was that Z needed to go to the pen to recover his velocity. Maybe they were just wrong about that. In any case, Z himself has correctly speculated that the move smacked of desperation. Hard to believe they were only 5-9, 14 games into the season before panic set in. What the hell is wrong with this organization?
Another bit of encouragement on the Zambrano front is that they seem to be putting out little trial balloons in the press about how maybe Z is all better and they might just keep him after all. I've never understood the meme about rehabilitating Zambrano so that you could trade him to a contender for prospects and pay half his salary so that he could come around and beat you in the playoffs. Another testimony to the power of the press and sports radio, where ultimately nearly every delusional idea that doesn't originate with management itself seems to arise and gain credence.
Anyway, Quade has been encouraging so far if only because he is not Lou. Moving DeWitt to leadoff on occasion at least indicates that he can read simple statistics and comprehend them. I still much prefer to see Fukudome there. This guy has had a hell of a month of August. He's batting around .350 and has an OBA over .400. Plus he is such a good outfielder. They would have lost Tuesday's game if anyone else were playing RF when he caught Zimmerman's line drive and actually made it look routine. The Cubs and the sports guys just undervalue this kind of play. That ball would have driven in the tying and winning runs. Catching it is the equivalent of hitting a two run homer.
The next day one of these sports radio nitwits opined that now that Fukudome was playing well, it was time to get rid of him and pay half his salary. Kind of like the Zambrano meme. I'm not saying Fukudome is worth $13 million, but he is a good player and good teams can carry a guy like this and play winning baseball.
The guy they should be showcasing is Soriano. I know he hit two home runs against Washington, but they would have won those games anyway. Here's the problem, he tries to hit a home run every time he bats and that means even if he hits 30, he still fails 19 out of 20 tries. That's 95% unproductive ABs and that just plain stinks. Plus he cannot play the outfield. Plus he cannot think straight. What he can do is hit mediocre lefties. Those are the only guys he should play against. He'll look good for the rest of the year and maybe some sucker will take him off your hands. Dropping him to 7th in the order is good first step, but the simplest solution is the Fukudome platoon.
That brings me to the last observation about the Quade regime so far, which is the end of the Colvin leadoff experiment, a welcome end indeed to another peculiar piece of Piniella logic. I do think this kid will eventually figure out the strike zone and become a consistent major league hitter. Right now, though, he is closer to being a left-handed version of a young Soriano without the blazing speed. So he is a work in progress. I wonder why he doesn't get a shot at first base. This would solve a lot of problems. The more I see of Colvin in the outfield, the more convinced I am that he is at best a decent left-fielder. He misjudges a lot of balls in RF, which is the most difficult field to play at Wrigley Field, and in CF he seems a little lost and to lack the confidence to play shallow. It might be possible for the Cubs to more readily fill the hole in their outfield, assuming they dump Soriano, than the one at 1B. Certainly cheaper.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Finally Gone
The press is loaded with encomiums to Sweet Lou, but, as readers will know already, he will not be missed by this commentator. Now this has been one hell of a lousy year, and certainly based on their collective performance, they would never have reached contention, but I would estimate that Lou personally lost ten or twelve games this year, and that does not count the games that have been lost because of the idiotic lineups he insists on fielding. Fittingly, today's lineup was no exception, indeed a parting shot by the king of dumb lineups, with the ubiquitous Jeff Baker in RF. Although down 16-5, I guess we can cherish the memory of Lou taking down Aramis Ramirez, who had three hits on the day, in favor of letting Sam Fuld end Lou's career with a game-ending double play.
Count me in on the side of those who thought the Cubs should have hired Joe Girardi four years ago, despite the two division championships. Lets just say goodbye to old Lou, remembering one and one-half good seasons, tempered by the reflection on the many memorable decisions the old codger takes with him into the record books. You know, taking Zambrano out after six innings against Arizona in the first playoff game in 2007 to save him for Game 4, batting Alfonso Soriano leadoff for two and one-half years. Well, the list goes on and on and there is little point in recounting it.
As to the series with Atlanta, actually three winnable games, or at least the first two, two losses in three shots. Numerous errors and boneheaded plays. I've got to wonder what prompts the decision to install Quade as the interim guy in Lou's place. I can understand why Trammell was eliminated from consideration for a future promotion, but Quade, and being in the running for next year as well. Who knows though with this organization?
Count me in on the side of those who thought the Cubs should have hired Joe Girardi four years ago, despite the two division championships. Lets just say goodbye to old Lou, remembering one and one-half good seasons, tempered by the reflection on the many memorable decisions the old codger takes with him into the record books. You know, taking Zambrano out after six innings against Arizona in the first playoff game in 2007 to save him for Game 4, batting Alfonso Soriano leadoff for two and one-half years. Well, the list goes on and on and there is little point in recounting it.
As to the series with Atlanta, actually three winnable games, or at least the first two, two losses in three shots. Numerous errors and boneheaded plays. I've got to wonder what prompts the decision to install Quade as the interim guy in Lou's place. I can understand why Trammell was eliminated from consideration for a future promotion, but Quade, and being in the running for next year as well. Who knows though with this organization?
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Padres Series/Odds and Ends
What can you say about the Padres series. Pretty much all bad, except to take note that, like the Giants, the Padres feature good pitching, good defense, and solid fundamental play, as well as a lineup without, excepting Gonzalez, any real stars. The Cubs have totally quit and some of the lineups Lou is fielding are pretty sad to say the least.
Carlos Zambrano pitched well. He had trouble finding his release point which affected his control. So he walked six guys, but he managed to pitch around the mistakes very well, ultimately settling down and taking control of the game. The Cubs managed to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, so he was in line for a win until they completely fell apart in the seventh inning which was capped by an utterly disgraceful play when the Cubs got an out of a rundown at third and then were shown up when they paid no attention to the runner and just stood around while the second runner scored.
Coleman was OK in his start on Wednesday, better than Diamond had been, but not really that impressive. It is interesting to note that he was the pitcher of the year in the Cubs minor league system in 2009, having been pretty dominating. This year he was not nearly so impressive in AAA and one wonders if he has been rushed to the big leagues too soon. He may have a future in the bullpen, but off his performance so far, it is hard to say.
Actually, almost all the Cubs young pitchers, both starters and relievers, look as if they have been brought up too soon. It used to be the axiom that a pitcher needed several hundred innings at the minor league level to be ready for the majors unless he was a phenom like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. There is a lot to be said for this idea, as well as the observation that the best relievers and closers are guys who were starters in the minors and were forced to the bullpen because they could not develop a third pitch. If you look around for the best performers in the closer or setup role, even historically, this has been true. Marmol and Marshall demonstrate this proposition on the current Cubs roster.
What happens nowadays - and this is not only true of the Cubs organization - is that there is an increasing emphasis on specialization. So promising arms are often routed into relief right away if they have two good pitches or even just one. Then they come up to the big leagues having pitched less than 100 innings int the minors and having succeeded in getting guys out at a lower level with just a good fastball or sinker. The problem is they have never learned to pitch.
The Cubs have run through a whole raft of these guys in the past couple of seasons, the most notable and most promising being Cashner and Samardzija. I suppose it is inevitable if you have the kind of win now desperation that comes of having a manager and GM fighting for survival. Actually, the Cubs have a long history of this kind of activity and also of giving up on guys before they have had much of a chance.
As far as Lee goes, it was the right move too late to make a difference. At least they got a legitimate prospect in return, as this Lopez kid might become a good one.
Carlos Zambrano pitched well. He had trouble finding his release point which affected his control. So he walked six guys, but he managed to pitch around the mistakes very well, ultimately settling down and taking control of the game. The Cubs managed to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, so he was in line for a win until they completely fell apart in the seventh inning which was capped by an utterly disgraceful play when the Cubs got an out of a rundown at third and then were shown up when they paid no attention to the runner and just stood around while the second runner scored.
Coleman was OK in his start on Wednesday, better than Diamond had been, but not really that impressive. It is interesting to note that he was the pitcher of the year in the Cubs minor league system in 2009, having been pretty dominating. This year he was not nearly so impressive in AAA and one wonders if he has been rushed to the big leagues too soon. He may have a future in the bullpen, but off his performance so far, it is hard to say.
Actually, almost all the Cubs young pitchers, both starters and relievers, look as if they have been brought up too soon. It used to be the axiom that a pitcher needed several hundred innings at the minor league level to be ready for the majors unless he was a phenom like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. There is a lot to be said for this idea, as well as the observation that the best relievers and closers are guys who were starters in the minors and were forced to the bullpen because they could not develop a third pitch. If you look around for the best performers in the closer or setup role, even historically, this has been true. Marmol and Marshall demonstrate this proposition on the current Cubs roster.
What happens nowadays - and this is not only true of the Cubs organization - is that there is an increasing emphasis on specialization. So promising arms are often routed into relief right away if they have two good pitches or even just one. Then they come up to the big leagues having pitched less than 100 innings int the minors and having succeeded in getting guys out at a lower level with just a good fastball or sinker. The problem is they have never learned to pitch.
The Cubs have run through a whole raft of these guys in the past couple of seasons, the most notable and most promising being Cashner and Samardzija. I suppose it is inevitable if you have the kind of win now desperation that comes of having a manager and GM fighting for survival. Actually, the Cubs have a long history of this kind of activity and also of giving up on guys before they have had much of a chance.
As far as Lee goes, it was the right move too late to make a difference. At least they got a legitimate prospect in return, as this Lopez kid might become a good one.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Soriano Speaks
I happened upon a really astonishing interview of Alfonso Soriano by Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. Here is a sample quote:
So one might have thought the goal was to have a good year or to hit .300 or to hit 30 HRs or drive in 100 runs or occasionally catch flyballs and throw to the right base, but no, the idea was to stay healthy. The fact that he has put up atrocious numbers since the end of May, so bad that, for example, in tonight's game, the Padres starter obviously pitched around Xavier Nady - that's right, Xavier Nady! - to load the bases to get to the sure out Soriano has become.
Anyway , it is all his teammates' fault. Geez, tell that to Ernie Banks. If they had played better, he would have had a good year. But these mopes let him down, and you can see the results. Next year, if they play better, then maybe he will have a good year. I would have thought that earning $19 M this season and standing to collect $18 M for each of the next four years would have been sufficient for him to concentrate on baseball or at least not to blabber utter nonsense whenever he opens his mouth, but, alas, for your truly modern player, and possibly one of the most selfish players ever to put on a uniform, this is an insufficient incentive.
Anybody who thinks this guy should not be placed on unconditional waivers right now has some explaining to do. Lou, however, popped him right back in the #6 hole tonight.
Soriano said his knees are feeling good and his goal of not being on the disabled list all season is within reach.
"I'm very happy with myself because I said to myself in spring training I don't want to go back on the DL this year," he said. "So far I feel 100 percent."
Soriano is hitting .258 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs. But he's hitting only .195 in August with one home run and four RBIs, and only .222 since June 1.
Soriano said it was "very tough" to concentrate because of the Cubs' poor play this season. He believes he can become a dominant player again, and has four years left on his contract to prove it.
"For players to have a good year, they have to have a good team," he said. "So it's very hard to have a good year when you don't have a good team. ... If we have a very good team, everybody can have a very good year."
So one might have thought the goal was to have a good year or to hit .300 or to hit 30 HRs or drive in 100 runs or occasionally catch flyballs and throw to the right base, but no, the idea was to stay healthy. The fact that he has put up atrocious numbers since the end of May, so bad that, for example, in tonight's game, the Padres starter obviously pitched around Xavier Nady - that's right, Xavier Nady! - to load the bases to get to the sure out Soriano has become.
Anyway , it is all his teammates' fault. Geez, tell that to Ernie Banks. If they had played better, he would have had a good year. But these mopes let him down, and you can see the results. Next year, if they play better, then maybe he will have a good year. I would have thought that earning $19 M this season and standing to collect $18 M for each of the next four years would have been sufficient for him to concentrate on baseball or at least not to blabber utter nonsense whenever he opens his mouth, but, alas, for your truly modern player, and possibly one of the most selfish players ever to put on a uniform, this is an insufficient incentive.
Anybody who thinks this guy should not be placed on unconditional waivers right now has some explaining to do. Lou, however, popped him right back in the #6 hole tonight.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Cubs Win Two Straight
I wouldn't read a whole lot into these games. The Cubs always play well against the Cards, but there were good signs. The principal good sign was the apparent resurrection of Carlos Zambrano, who threw really well and looked a lot more like his dominant self than he has through most of the season. He managed to add four or five mph to his fastball and had good control. All in all, an encouraging outing, and one to think about before engaging in any more idiotic experiments and further humiliations. I may be a lone voice here, but you have got to think that if Z can return to form, the Cubs would be very foolish to deal him away.
On Saturday, what you saw in the field was the best possible lineup the Cubs can field right now, at least against a right-hander, with the exception that Soto was missing because of injury. They only scored three runs, but they were playing against one of the best right-handers in the league, and the addition of Fukudome in RF did in fact save the game for Zambrano. Anyway, you have to think of this as a possible everyday lineup next year with the addition of a left-handed first baseman and decide whether that is an encouraging or discouraging thought.
Sunday's game was a laugher until the 9th, but it figured to be with the Cardinals Lohse making his first start in three months and the Cubs pitching the consistent Ryan Dempster. Nice to see Soriano on the bench again, though playing Nady was an odd choice for LF. They are definitely going to have to do something about that bullpen. It is fairly clear that a lot of these kids are not anything like what they have been cracked up to be, and that, rather sadly, probably includes Cashner as well. Still, it is not necessary to mortgage the house to get some decent arms to supplement Marshall and Marmol, especially if Guzman were to return from his injury next season.
On Saturday, what you saw in the field was the best possible lineup the Cubs can field right now, at least against a right-hander, with the exception that Soto was missing because of injury. They only scored three runs, but they were playing against one of the best right-handers in the league, and the addition of Fukudome in RF did in fact save the game for Zambrano. Anyway, you have to think of this as a possible everyday lineup next year with the addition of a left-handed first baseman and decide whether that is an encouraging or discouraging thought.
Sunday's game was a laugher until the 9th, but it figured to be with the Cardinals Lohse making his first start in three months and the Cubs pitching the consistent Ryan Dempster. Nice to see Soriano on the bench again, though playing Nady was an odd choice for LF. They are definitely going to have to do something about that bullpen. It is fairly clear that a lot of these kids are not anything like what they have been cracked up to be, and that, rather sadly, probably includes Cashner as well. Still, it is not necessary to mortgage the house to get some decent arms to supplement Marshall and Marmol, especially if Guzman were to return from his injury next season.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Thomas Diamond
I think it is fair to say that the jury is in on Diamond and that one's initial impressions were fair. He just doesn't seem to have the command or the pitches to compete as a starter at this level. It has been painful to watch in his last two starts and I really think there is no further point to subjecting him and the fans to any more. At some point, Diamond may have had real potential, but a whole series of injuries seem to have wrecked his career.
There is some speculation as to where the Cubs rotation is going next year. If they dump Zambrano, or if he does not regain his form, it is, needless to say, going nowhere. Assuming they regain their sanity or get someone in the front office who has had some to begin with, things are still up in the air because besides Dempster, there is little consistency to build around. Gorzellany is still a possibility, but he is a little wild for my tastes and is still basically a #5. Silva is a big question mark because of his illness. Whatever happens, they are going to need to replace Lilly.
For some reason, the Cubs are always a little unwilling to test their pitching prospects in the rotation against major league hitters, at least in the roles for which their minor league careers have prepared them. Cashner seems to have followed the pattern of Samardzija. Personally, I think he would benefit with more seasoning in the minor leagues. Archer looks like the best prospect in AA. He has been dominant at A and AA, but he is probably a year or a part of the year away from the majors. Piniella is leaning toward starting Coleman in place of Diamond, but I seriously wonder why Samardzija doesn't get another shot, this time as a starter.
In the off season, there are likely to be plenty of free agent options available, but the best is Cliff Lee. If the Cubs were to make a play for him, it would serve notice that they are serious players and it would improve all their other starters immeasurably.
There is some speculation as to where the Cubs rotation is going next year. If they dump Zambrano, or if he does not regain his form, it is, needless to say, going nowhere. Assuming they regain their sanity or get someone in the front office who has had some to begin with, things are still up in the air because besides Dempster, there is little consistency to build around. Gorzellany is still a possibility, but he is a little wild for my tastes and is still basically a #5. Silva is a big question mark because of his illness. Whatever happens, they are going to need to replace Lilly.
For some reason, the Cubs are always a little unwilling to test their pitching prospects in the rotation against major league hitters, at least in the roles for which their minor league careers have prepared them. Cashner seems to have followed the pattern of Samardzija. Personally, I think he would benefit with more seasoning in the minor leagues. Archer looks like the best prospect in AA. He has been dominant at A and AA, but he is probably a year or a part of the year away from the majors. Piniella is leaning toward starting Coleman in place of Diamond, but I seriously wonder why Samardzija doesn't get another shot, this time as a starter.
In the off season, there are likely to be plenty of free agent options available, but the best is Cliff Lee. If the Cubs were to make a play for him, it would serve notice that they are serious players and it would improve all their other starters immeasurably.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fontenot
I suppose it is understandable that the Cubs would unload Fontenot. He is 30 years old, basically a utility player who has reached his upward limit, and he is arbitration eligible. On the other hand, he makes $1 million, which is cheap these days and is a fairly useful spare part. So I have mixed feelings about this deal, especially as they seem to have got nothing in return. A speedy CF in A ball who cannot hit and has no power is just not the sort of player the Cubs are ever inclined to develop or play.
I must confess I would rather have seen Nady or especially the utterly useless and one-dimensional Lou favorite Jeff Baker hit the road. Maybe those moves are yet to come. It is a little hard to see much rhyme or reason in these moves other than shedding salary. If this is the case, this is just a bit of tinkering that may or may not make a lot of long-term sense. The general consensus is the Cubs are ridding themselves or attempting to rid themselves of players who do not fit into their long-term plans, which makes sense if somebody can figure out what those plans really are and whether they actually make any sense. Shedding salary is not actually a plan unless the idea is to save incremental amounts so you can afford a big move.
I must confess I would rather have seen Nady or especially the utterly useless and one-dimensional Lou favorite Jeff Baker hit the road. Maybe those moves are yet to come. It is a little hard to see much rhyme or reason in these moves other than shedding salary. If this is the case, this is just a bit of tinkering that may or may not make a lot of long-term sense. The general consensus is the Cubs are ridding themselves or attempting to rid themselves of players who do not fit into their long-term plans, which makes sense if somebody can figure out what those plans really are and whether they actually make any sense. Shedding salary is not actually a plan unless the idea is to save incremental amounts so you can afford a big move.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Giants
Actually, the most interesting observation to be made about the last two nights' games is in comparing the Giants to the Cubs. If you look seriously at the Giants lineup, you have to scratch your head about how they can be a game or two out of first in their division and leading the Wild Card race in the NL.
Seriously, their infield has a SS on his last legs and a fat 3B who can hit but is having a sub-par season. They have Freddy Sanchez at 2B and he is a good hitter who is also having an off year and is an indifferent infielder. Aubrey Huff in RF is having a really good year, but Pat Burrell in LF, though he has helped them as a late season addition is hardly the stuff of legend. Their CF, Andres Torres is a Cub reject who wasn't even given a chance to hit in spring training, but who is having a breakout year. Their 1B, at least when Huff doesn't play there, Ishikawa, has 3 HRs and bats eighth in their lineup. Buster Posey, their catcher, is the only legitimate star, and he is a rookie.
I know they have great pitching, but they must be doing other things right like catching the ball and doing the so-called little things and they must be managed intelligently to be where they are today.
In a way this is a lesson for the Cubs. Remedy some chronic problems and you probably do not have to go out on a limb financially to succeed. The key is to recognize that these things actually matter and that the real challenge is to build a team based around your actual demonstrable strengths, which in the Cubs case is their starting pitching. The Cubs pitching is very good. It needs to become dominant, like the Giants and Yankees, I suppose, but this is not so daunting a task as may be supposed.
The last two games were fairly predicable given the strengths of the two teams. The Cubs lineup, especially against left-handers is designed more or less not to score runs and on Monday night they struggled and lost in extra innings. On Tuesday, they played a more balanced lineup and they caught Lincecum on an off-night. I really don't know what they have against the idea of platooning Soriano and Fukudome. Anyway, Fukudome had a really good night, as did Castro and Colvin except in the field.
As it played, the Cubs were able to overcome numerous miscues to hold on for an 8-6 win. I'm beginning to think Colvin's future is in LF or 1B. He made a really horrible play in CF after a long run on Posey's "double" which should have been an error.
Just as an aside, the more the Cubs protest they have not quit, the more it looks like they have, with a couple of exceptions, done just that. But then what do you expect of a team whose manager announces in mid-season that he is resigning at the end of the year and proceeds to go on not one but two extended bereavement leaves. Derrick Lee, not to be outdone, after refusing a perfectly reasonable trade, hops on a bus for Sacramento on a bereavement leave of his own. Now I have nothing against people tending to family issues, etc., but you have to ask yourself if this had happened in the middle of a pennant race, would the same thing have happened, and if it did, what does that tell you about this organization and its commitment to quality?
I read somewhere where lots of guys want to be Cubs. Think about it. Sure there is a lot of pressure, but then nobody expects to win, so it is really pressure you put on yourself. Otherwise, no expectations, you bat wherever you like in the lineup and otherwise you pout about it, lots of day games so you can hit the bars almost every night, big money, come and go as you please, you don't have to pay attention to anything while you are on the field if you hit at least one HR every week or so, no practice either. Must be nice.
Seriously, their infield has a SS on his last legs and a fat 3B who can hit but is having a sub-par season. They have Freddy Sanchez at 2B and he is a good hitter who is also having an off year and is an indifferent infielder. Aubrey Huff in RF is having a really good year, but Pat Burrell in LF, though he has helped them as a late season addition is hardly the stuff of legend. Their CF, Andres Torres is a Cub reject who wasn't even given a chance to hit in spring training, but who is having a breakout year. Their 1B, at least when Huff doesn't play there, Ishikawa, has 3 HRs and bats eighth in their lineup. Buster Posey, their catcher, is the only legitimate star, and he is a rookie.
I know they have great pitching, but they must be doing other things right like catching the ball and doing the so-called little things and they must be managed intelligently to be where they are today.
In a way this is a lesson for the Cubs. Remedy some chronic problems and you probably do not have to go out on a limb financially to succeed. The key is to recognize that these things actually matter and that the real challenge is to build a team based around your actual demonstrable strengths, which in the Cubs case is their starting pitching. The Cubs pitching is very good. It needs to become dominant, like the Giants and Yankees, I suppose, but this is not so daunting a task as may be supposed.
The last two games were fairly predicable given the strengths of the two teams. The Cubs lineup, especially against left-handers is designed more or less not to score runs and on Monday night they struggled and lost in extra innings. On Tuesday, they played a more balanced lineup and they caught Lincecum on an off-night. I really don't know what they have against the idea of platooning Soriano and Fukudome. Anyway, Fukudome had a really good night, as did Castro and Colvin except in the field.
As it played, the Cubs were able to overcome numerous miscues to hold on for an 8-6 win. I'm beginning to think Colvin's future is in LF or 1B. He made a really horrible play in CF after a long run on Posey's "double" which should have been an error.
Just as an aside, the more the Cubs protest they have not quit, the more it looks like they have, with a couple of exceptions, done just that. But then what do you expect of a team whose manager announces in mid-season that he is resigning at the end of the year and proceeds to go on not one but two extended bereavement leaves. Derrick Lee, not to be outdone, after refusing a perfectly reasonable trade, hops on a bus for Sacramento on a bereavement leave of his own. Now I have nothing against people tending to family issues, etc., but you have to ask yourself if this had happened in the middle of a pennant race, would the same thing have happened, and if it did, what does that tell you about this organization and its commitment to quality?
I read somewhere where lots of guys want to be Cubs. Think about it. Sure there is a lot of pressure, but then nobody expects to win, so it is really pressure you put on yourself. Otherwise, no expectations, you bat wherever you like in the lineup and otherwise you pout about it, lots of day games so you can hit the bars almost every night, big money, come and go as you please, you don't have to pay attention to anything while you are on the field if you hit at least one HR every week or so, no practice either. Must be nice.
Zambrano
Carlos Zambrano returned to the rotation last night and pitched well enough. I rather regard this outing as part of an extended rehab assignment. Actually, if you look at the whole season for the whole team in that light, things do not look nearly so bleak.
But anyway, I thought he showed some good signs. He pitched five innings and left with a 3-2 lead against a contending team. He walked seven or eight guys, but he really didn't have good command, nor did he seem able to find a consistent release point. He was only throwing in the high eighties, but the point is that he pitched. I mean he really pitched and managed his innings well rather than just throwing. He had to pitch, really pitch, to escape allowing so many baserunners and only two runs.
One of the more curious things about coverage of the Cubs is the consistently low quality of commentary available from the news media. Witness Gordon Wittenmeyer's article from the Sun-Times which advances the curious and convoluted argument that it is important to rehabilitate Zambrano to something close to the pitcher he once was so that you can trade him away and pay most of his salary and go out and get a free agent stopper who will likely cost twice as much money as Z. Duh! Is this guy just parroting some idiotic mantra he got from a front-office underling or is he seriously challenged on the subject of logical thought?
Here's the deal. If Z were to return to form and pitch well, why wouldn't you keep him as he is a cheaper and more durable investment than anything you could get in return? And if he fails, he is your problem anyway and no one will want him without a hefty subsidy.
On the subject of the rest of his article, though, it makes sense to think the Cubs need a left-handed first baseman. I'm not absolutely sure it is Adam Dunn. Dunn has good numbers, but the last time I saw him play he was with Cincinnati and he either struck out, walked, or hit a home run and he couldn't catch anything. In short he played some sort of game that only vaguely resembled baseball. I think we have a guy like that playing left field now every day, except this guy doesn't walk.
On the topic of getting a pitcher in free agency, I guess this makes some sense if the pitcher is Cliff Lee. The Cubs are going to save around $25 million next season by not having to pay Ted Lilly, Derrick Lee, and Xavier Nady, so don't swallow this poor mouth baloney about not being able to afford a serious move on that front. $25 million is more than enough to get Cliff Lee.
But anyway, I thought he showed some good signs. He pitched five innings and left with a 3-2 lead against a contending team. He walked seven or eight guys, but he really didn't have good command, nor did he seem able to find a consistent release point. He was only throwing in the high eighties, but the point is that he pitched. I mean he really pitched and managed his innings well rather than just throwing. He had to pitch, really pitch, to escape allowing so many baserunners and only two runs.
One of the more curious things about coverage of the Cubs is the consistently low quality of commentary available from the news media. Witness Gordon Wittenmeyer's article from the Sun-Times which advances the curious and convoluted argument that it is important to rehabilitate Zambrano to something close to the pitcher he once was so that you can trade him away and pay most of his salary and go out and get a free agent stopper who will likely cost twice as much money as Z. Duh! Is this guy just parroting some idiotic mantra he got from a front-office underling or is he seriously challenged on the subject of logical thought?
Here's the deal. If Z were to return to form and pitch well, why wouldn't you keep him as he is a cheaper and more durable investment than anything you could get in return? And if he fails, he is your problem anyway and no one will want him without a hefty subsidy.
On the subject of the rest of his article, though, it makes sense to think the Cubs need a left-handed first baseman. I'm not absolutely sure it is Adam Dunn. Dunn has good numbers, but the last time I saw him play he was with Cincinnati and he either struck out, walked, or hit a home run and he couldn't catch anything. In short he played some sort of game that only vaguely resembled baseball. I think we have a guy like that playing left field now every day, except this guy doesn't walk.
On the topic of getting a pitcher in free agency, I guess this makes some sense if the pitcher is Cliff Lee. The Cubs are going to save around $25 million next season by not having to pay Ted Lilly, Derrick Lee, and Xavier Nady, so don't swallow this poor mouth baloney about not being able to afford a serious move on that front. $25 million is more than enough to get Cliff Lee.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Same Script, Same Result
Or to the reader who may have read yesterday's comments, I told you so. Today the Cubs got a nicely pitched game from Wells and entered the 9th inning down by three runs. Cordero, the Reds closer, seemed determined to continue his strategy of never throwing a strike if he could avoid it. The result was that he walked the bases loaded before he hit Starlin Castro to force in a run. By then even Dusty had seen enough so he summoned Nick Masset from the bullpen. Unfortunately, the Cubs were playing the righties of doom lineup or were at the beginning of the stretch where four straight guys who are essentially the same hitter bat one after the other. Lee struck out. Ramirez, who probably should not be lumped in with the others, walked, but Byrd again made the final out, this time seeing four pitches, three of which were balls, and striking out on a pitch that was a foot outside the strike zone. I should note that Lou helped matters along by allowing Hill to hit and strike out ear;ier in the inning when Fontenot and Colvin were still available as pinch-hitters.
For those who hate and despise Kosuke Fukudome and blame him for all the ills of the world, please note that he has started the last two games and has reached base in six of his nine plate appearances, twice on hits and four times on walks. He has also made two very good plays in the outfield, today making a nice diving catch and doubling up the Cincinnati runner who had strayed from first base. One may also note that Soriano continued to shine, striking out once and hitting into a double play.
For those who hate and despise Kosuke Fukudome and blame him for all the ills of the world, please note that he has started the last two games and has reached base in six of his nine plate appearances, twice on hits and four times on walks. He has also made two very good plays in the outfield, today making a nice diving catch and doubling up the Cincinnati runner who had strayed from first base. One may also note that Soriano continued to shine, striking out once and hitting into a double play.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Lineup
People are always wondering why I harp so much on the lineup and batting order. The simple answer is that it is the key to winning games. It is one of the little things that go unnoticed. It is certainly a weakness in Lou Piniella's game and a weakness in Jim Hendry's planning. Hendry may be willing to spend money on free agents, but it is pretty clear that as the years have passed, he has no clear plan on building a team that can win consistently, and it is increasingly clear that in general the Cubs front office has no idea what such a team really looks like. A similar failing has afflicted Cubs managers, who generally speaking have a very limited idea of how a good lineup and batting order should be constructed.
Now some of a team's success is just luck. I have no doubt, for example, that had Ramirez not been hurt the last two seasons, the Cubs would have been much more of a force in the NL Central. That being said, however, there are certain misconceptions the Cubs manifest almost all the time, and these failures have more to do with the team's consistent shortcomings than fans ordinarily realize. A good analysis of statistics could help them here, but some of the stuff is just so basic it is hard to understand why they don't get it.
One of the more obvious issues the Cubs have is an almost total lack of understanding of what the leadoff hitter is supposed to do. Leadoff hitters get on base, work the count, run the bases well, and score runs. If they have speed and steal bases, that is nice, but they need to get on base before they can do any of those things. In the Piniella era, we have had Soriano for 2 1/2 years. Soriano hit home runs, never walked or took pitches, and never ran the bases well. Before he came to the Cubs, there was a time when he stole bases, but since his arrival, he was never a base-stealing threat, and actually he was hardly ever on base anyway. We then went into the Theriot era. Theriot also never walked or worked the count. He was not a particularly intelligent baserunner and when he did steal, he was often thrown out. We are now in the Colvin era. There is a good chance Lou will succeed in ruining this guy by the way he has handled him.
I like Colvin. He is a potentially excellent player. He does not now have the experience and knowledge of the strike zone to hit first. His frustrations in the leadoff spot are going to lead to bad habits at the plate. Why they do not drop him down in the order and in the process break up the string of essentially similar RH hitters is anybody's guess. Why they stuck with Soriano and Theriot is a similar question. They do it because they are stupid and, in the case of Piniella, stubborn as well. The only reason Colvin is playing everyday is because Piniella was embarrassed by Steve Stone calling him out for his mishandling of the outfield logjam and essentially telling him to play Colvin in RF everyday at the expense of Fukudome. Piniella initially rejected the idea for all the wrong reasons and then followed Stone's advice out of spite. Batting Colvin leadoff not only hurts the team, but it considerably retards his development as a ballplayer. Why the Cubs are doing this is anybody's guess, but it makes no sense. When they brought up Castro, they played him everyday and protected him for a while by batting him lower in the order while he learned the pitchers and the strike zone. Why they haven't treated Colvin the same way is a bit of a mystery unless the real idea is to prove to everyone that Lou was right in not playing him regularly and that he really isn't all that great. In any case, if you look down the Cubs roster, they probably do not have a true leadoff hitter. Throwing out guys like Soto who is having a great year from an on-base point-of-view and other guys like Lee and Ramirez who historically have good OBA largely because they are power-hitters that teams pitch around, the only really decent OBA guys they have are Fukudome and Castro.
The second perennial flaw in Cubs thinking is that they overvalue power and home-run hitting and they especially overvalue RH power based, I suppose, on the mistaken belief that the wind always blows out to left in the summer. Even if this were the case and even if weather data did not consistently demonstrate this surmise to be untrue, having a bunch of HR hitters in the lineup does not automatically insure success and frequently it leads to failure, especially in the big games. Whitey Herzog was fond of saying that speed never slumps. He could have said the same thing about pitching and defense. The truth is that nobody hits the best pitchers with any consistency and you face the best pitchers in the post-season. What it does do, though, is put fans in the stands. Witness the Andre Dawson and Sammy Sosa eras, when the Cubs by and large drew big crowds to watch inferior teams. The Cubs are now a major market team whose fans expect them to contend every year, so they ought to be beyond this kind of thinking.
The last of the flawed mindsets I want to mention is that the Cubs undervalue defense and just fundamental good baseball instincts. Making a good play in the infield or catching a difficult chance in the outfield, making an intelligent throw even if an out is not recorded or even stopping a wild pitch is just as important as hitting a home run or an extra-base hit. Just having the speed or baseball instincts to play, for example, in a large park, makes a big difference. The Cubs got killed by the Rockies last weekend in Denver, but even watching the games on TV you could see their outfield defense was overmatched. The Rockies outfielders made catch after catch of hard-hit balls that the Cubs didn't come anywhere near. The Cubs outfield looked lost out there. Granted, Soriano always looks lost because he actually is lost, but Colvin, despite his speed, failed to get a jump on several balls and misjudged others hit over his head, balls the Rockies outfielders usually caught. Byrd played pretty well, but he did not have the speed to go back on several long hits.
Friday's game against the Reds perfectly illustrates some of my points. Fukudome in RF made one really nice catch of a potential gapper. There were no outs, but that play over the long haul is worth at least half-a-run and maybe more if he doesn't get it and it leads to a big inning. Colvin in LF made a throw to home plate on the play the Reds scored their third run. The runner was a third of the way down the line when the throw was made and it went over the cutoff man's head, allowing the hitter to advance to 2B. Now it made no difference, but it might have cost the Cubs a run. These things add up, along with all the other botched plays and over the course of a season, I would argue that teams that give away outs or fail to take away hits lose more often than teams that don't hit a lot of home runs.
Now these things cannot be fixed right now, but as to Friday's lineup, I think it is the best lineup the Cubs can field right now against RH pitching both offensively and defensively. They did not score runs for sure, but they left nine runners on base and they might have scored with a couple of breaks. What has often been remarked is the Cubs tend to mount rallies with the bottom of the order and they put together innings that build scoring chances too often from that part of the order. That is not an accident. Unlike other teams they bat their most patient hitters lower down and because they don't have the same level of confidence in these guys, they mix them up more in terms of lefties and righties and batting styles. The problem, of course, is that when this works, they are on base for the top of the order or the middle of the order which does not deliver.
So if this lineup was so great, or at least the best they could muster, how come they got shut out? First off, Colvin led off. He was an automatic out in this position. Castro was OK batting second, but he had an unproductive game. Next comes the real trouble, Lee, Ramirez, Byrd. These guys are the same hitter, aggressive RH power hitters. You need to break them up with LH hitters or guys with a different mindset or style, like Soto. The 9th inning was a perfect example of this. Lee led off and struck out on ball four. Ramirez got on. Byrd struck out on a bad pitch. Fukudome walked, leaving the game in the hands of DeWitt who made the final out. The Reds closer did not vary his approach to the big three one bit, nor did he throw them strikes, yet he got two outs in short order when by rights the bases should have been loaded for Fukudome.
Things might be better if the Cubs had a LH hitting 1B, but that will have to wait until next year when they will either sign a free agent or move Colvin to the position. Right now, Fukudome should lead off when he plays, which should be in a platoon with Soriano. Castro should bat second, but Lee needs to drop in the order way down. Byrd, Soto, and Ramirez should be the middle three, followed by Colvin, Lee, and DeWitt.
Now some of a team's success is just luck. I have no doubt, for example, that had Ramirez not been hurt the last two seasons, the Cubs would have been much more of a force in the NL Central. That being said, however, there are certain misconceptions the Cubs manifest almost all the time, and these failures have more to do with the team's consistent shortcomings than fans ordinarily realize. A good analysis of statistics could help them here, but some of the stuff is just so basic it is hard to understand why they don't get it.
One of the more obvious issues the Cubs have is an almost total lack of understanding of what the leadoff hitter is supposed to do. Leadoff hitters get on base, work the count, run the bases well, and score runs. If they have speed and steal bases, that is nice, but they need to get on base before they can do any of those things. In the Piniella era, we have had Soriano for 2 1/2 years. Soriano hit home runs, never walked or took pitches, and never ran the bases well. Before he came to the Cubs, there was a time when he stole bases, but since his arrival, he was never a base-stealing threat, and actually he was hardly ever on base anyway. We then went into the Theriot era. Theriot also never walked or worked the count. He was not a particularly intelligent baserunner and when he did steal, he was often thrown out. We are now in the Colvin era. There is a good chance Lou will succeed in ruining this guy by the way he has handled him.
I like Colvin. He is a potentially excellent player. He does not now have the experience and knowledge of the strike zone to hit first. His frustrations in the leadoff spot are going to lead to bad habits at the plate. Why they do not drop him down in the order and in the process break up the string of essentially similar RH hitters is anybody's guess. Why they stuck with Soriano and Theriot is a similar question. They do it because they are stupid and, in the case of Piniella, stubborn as well. The only reason Colvin is playing everyday is because Piniella was embarrassed by Steve Stone calling him out for his mishandling of the outfield logjam and essentially telling him to play Colvin in RF everyday at the expense of Fukudome. Piniella initially rejected the idea for all the wrong reasons and then followed Stone's advice out of spite. Batting Colvin leadoff not only hurts the team, but it considerably retards his development as a ballplayer. Why the Cubs are doing this is anybody's guess, but it makes no sense. When they brought up Castro, they played him everyday and protected him for a while by batting him lower in the order while he learned the pitchers and the strike zone. Why they haven't treated Colvin the same way is a bit of a mystery unless the real idea is to prove to everyone that Lou was right in not playing him regularly and that he really isn't all that great. In any case, if you look down the Cubs roster, they probably do not have a true leadoff hitter. Throwing out guys like Soto who is having a great year from an on-base point-of-view and other guys like Lee and Ramirez who historically have good OBA largely because they are power-hitters that teams pitch around, the only really decent OBA guys they have are Fukudome and Castro.
The second perennial flaw in Cubs thinking is that they overvalue power and home-run hitting and they especially overvalue RH power based, I suppose, on the mistaken belief that the wind always blows out to left in the summer. Even if this were the case and even if weather data did not consistently demonstrate this surmise to be untrue, having a bunch of HR hitters in the lineup does not automatically insure success and frequently it leads to failure, especially in the big games. Whitey Herzog was fond of saying that speed never slumps. He could have said the same thing about pitching and defense. The truth is that nobody hits the best pitchers with any consistency and you face the best pitchers in the post-season. What it does do, though, is put fans in the stands. Witness the Andre Dawson and Sammy Sosa eras, when the Cubs by and large drew big crowds to watch inferior teams. The Cubs are now a major market team whose fans expect them to contend every year, so they ought to be beyond this kind of thinking.
The last of the flawed mindsets I want to mention is that the Cubs undervalue defense and just fundamental good baseball instincts. Making a good play in the infield or catching a difficult chance in the outfield, making an intelligent throw even if an out is not recorded or even stopping a wild pitch is just as important as hitting a home run or an extra-base hit. Just having the speed or baseball instincts to play, for example, in a large park, makes a big difference. The Cubs got killed by the Rockies last weekend in Denver, but even watching the games on TV you could see their outfield defense was overmatched. The Rockies outfielders made catch after catch of hard-hit balls that the Cubs didn't come anywhere near. The Cubs outfield looked lost out there. Granted, Soriano always looks lost because he actually is lost, but Colvin, despite his speed, failed to get a jump on several balls and misjudged others hit over his head, balls the Rockies outfielders usually caught. Byrd played pretty well, but he did not have the speed to go back on several long hits.
Friday's game against the Reds perfectly illustrates some of my points. Fukudome in RF made one really nice catch of a potential gapper. There were no outs, but that play over the long haul is worth at least half-a-run and maybe more if he doesn't get it and it leads to a big inning. Colvin in LF made a throw to home plate on the play the Reds scored their third run. The runner was a third of the way down the line when the throw was made and it went over the cutoff man's head, allowing the hitter to advance to 2B. Now it made no difference, but it might have cost the Cubs a run. These things add up, along with all the other botched plays and over the course of a season, I would argue that teams that give away outs or fail to take away hits lose more often than teams that don't hit a lot of home runs.
Now these things cannot be fixed right now, but as to Friday's lineup, I think it is the best lineup the Cubs can field right now against RH pitching both offensively and defensively. They did not score runs for sure, but they left nine runners on base and they might have scored with a couple of breaks. What has often been remarked is the Cubs tend to mount rallies with the bottom of the order and they put together innings that build scoring chances too often from that part of the order. That is not an accident. Unlike other teams they bat their most patient hitters lower down and because they don't have the same level of confidence in these guys, they mix them up more in terms of lefties and righties and batting styles. The problem, of course, is that when this works, they are on base for the top of the order or the middle of the order which does not deliver.
So if this lineup was so great, or at least the best they could muster, how come they got shut out? First off, Colvin led off. He was an automatic out in this position. Castro was OK batting second, but he had an unproductive game. Next comes the real trouble, Lee, Ramirez, Byrd. These guys are the same hitter, aggressive RH power hitters. You need to break them up with LH hitters or guys with a different mindset or style, like Soto. The 9th inning was a perfect example of this. Lee led off and struck out on ball four. Ramirez got on. Byrd struck out on a bad pitch. Fukudome walked, leaving the game in the hands of DeWitt who made the final out. The Reds closer did not vary his approach to the big three one bit, nor did he throw them strikes, yet he got two outs in short order when by rights the bases should have been loaded for Fukudome.
Things might be better if the Cubs had a LH hitting 1B, but that will have to wait until next year when they will either sign a free agent or move Colvin to the position. Right now, Fukudome should lead off when he plays, which should be in a platoon with Soriano. Castro should bat second, but Lee needs to drop in the order way down. Byrd, Soto, and Ramirez should be the middle three, followed by Colvin, Lee, and DeWitt.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Falling
The Cubs always seem to find inventive and imaginative ways to lose games and last night was no exception. The theme was set in the first inning when the irrepressible Alfonso Soriano started back, then forwards on a weakly hit ball, eventually diving to the turf, rolling over, and dropping the ball in an evident effort to convince everyone that he had made a great play. Give the Brewers one run as the next guy singled home the run. Soriano managed to go 0 for 4 and strike out twice, killing several rallies, but it was hard for anyone to top his first inning heroics.
The evening was also notable for Derrick Lee falling over first base after lacing a sure double to drive in Starlin Castro, the only guy on the team who seems to be playing something that resembles baseball these days. Castro also had his share of bad luck when he grounded a single to center to knock in a run in the bottom of the ninth. He rounded first aggressively and it looked as if this tactic forced Jim Edmonds to bobble the ball. Unfortunately, Castro almost fell down changing gears to hustle toward second and was cut down, killing the Cubs comeback chances.
The night also saw the long-delayed major league debut of Thomas Diamond, whose career had been plagued by injuries until yesterday. I'd have to say the jury is still out on the rookie. He pitched well enough, but he threw 122 pitches in just six innings. Looks like he has a decent but not overpowering fastball and a good changeup. I wonder if he has a good enough breaking ball now to succeed as a starter at the major league level. He didn't really have an out pitch last night despite the ten strikeouts. His future may be in long or middle relief if he can improve his control, but he is worth another look, especially in what has now become a lost season.
The evening was also notable for Derrick Lee falling over first base after lacing a sure double to drive in Starlin Castro, the only guy on the team who seems to be playing something that resembles baseball these days. Castro also had his share of bad luck when he grounded a single to center to knock in a run in the bottom of the ninth. He rounded first aggressively and it looked as if this tactic forced Jim Edmonds to bobble the ball. Unfortunately, Castro almost fell down changing gears to hustle toward second and was cut down, killing the Cubs comeback chances.
The night also saw the long-delayed major league debut of Thomas Diamond, whose career had been plagued by injuries until yesterday. I'd have to say the jury is still out on the rookie. He pitched well enough, but he threw 122 pitches in just six innings. Looks like he has a decent but not overpowering fastball and a good changeup. I wonder if he has a good enough breaking ball now to succeed as a starter at the major league level. He didn't really have an out pitch last night despite the ten strikeouts. His future may be in long or middle relief if he can improve his control, but he is worth another look, especially in what has now become a lost season.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Thus Ends the Reign of Alan Trammel
And none too soon. 32 runs in three games. Bullpen a shambles. Same dumb lineup, same ineffectual results. Look, what can you say?
I thought I detected - although this may be my cynical self reading more into it than it merits - a note of relief and a subtext criticism of the Cubs and Piniella gestalt in the remarks of Lilly and Theriot in this article from MLB. Theriot did go 0 for 4 Sunday with two strikeouts and 1 for 4 Monday night whilst DeWitt was 3 for 4 Sunday and 0 for 3 today.
I came across an interesting statistic today. Alfonso Soriano's numbers in June and July are .234/.310/.468 and .225/.271/.450. In other words, he is getting paid around $18 million to put up what look a lot like Fukudome type numbers at his worst, though at least the latter gets on base more often even when he is in a funk. However, nobody seems to notice this tail off as the season wears on and he plays every day and some people think he is having a good year. It just bothers me no end to think this guy is likely to be the starting left fielder for the rest of this season and the next four years thereafter and that he was the leadoff man for his first 2 1/2 seasons with the team. It is an indication of just what a joke the Cubs front office and management has become.
I thought I detected - although this may be my cynical self reading more into it than it merits - a note of relief and a subtext criticism of the Cubs and Piniella gestalt in the remarks of Lilly and Theriot in this article from MLB. Theriot did go 0 for 4 Sunday with two strikeouts and 1 for 4 Monday night whilst DeWitt was 3 for 4 Sunday and 0 for 3 today.
I came across an interesting statistic today. Alfonso Soriano's numbers in June and July are .234/.310/.468 and .225/.271/.450. In other words, he is getting paid around $18 million to put up what look a lot like Fukudome type numbers at his worst, though at least the latter gets on base more often even when he is in a funk. However, nobody seems to notice this tail off as the season wears on and he plays every day and some people think he is having a good year. It just bothers me no end to think this guy is likely to be the starting left fielder for the rest of this season and the next four years thereafter and that he was the leadoff man for his first 2 1/2 seasons with the team. It is an indication of just what a joke the Cubs front office and management has become.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
About Last Night
I think I am going to stop posting detailed analysis of each game or even pithy observations. Just too depressing. Just too much of the same thing.
Two things about last night. Zambrano looked rusty but managed to pitch out of a jam that was partly of his own making. All in all a nice performance.
Second observation. I thought the Cubs just hired a new stat guy. That being said, how come they still think they have to use a lefty against Carlos Gonzalez when it is obvious from even a cursory glance at the stats, not even going into the heavy Sabermetrics and Fangraphs stuff that this guy hits lefties as well as (actually better) than righties. He had also just rapped out a single, double, triple, and sacrifice fly against the lefty Gorzelanny.
So that being said, having warmed up Marmol, who hasn't pitched in a week or so, they chose to stick with Marshall, evidently in an effort to prove that even though he pitches two innings every day, his arm will not fall off by the end of the season.
Enough already.
Two things about last night. Zambrano looked rusty but managed to pitch out of a jam that was partly of his own making. All in all a nice performance.
Second observation. I thought the Cubs just hired a new stat guy. That being said, how come they still think they have to use a lefty against Carlos Gonzalez when it is obvious from even a cursory glance at the stats, not even going into the heavy Sabermetrics and Fangraphs stuff that this guy hits lefties as well as (actually better) than righties. He had also just rapped out a single, double, triple, and sacrifice fly against the lefty Gorzelanny.
So that being said, having warmed up Marmol, who hasn't pitched in a week or so, they chose to stick with Marshall, evidently in an effort to prove that even though he pitches two innings every day, his arm will not fall off by the end of the season.
Enough already.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)