This team is really not competitive against the better performing teams. Despite making the game interesting in the end, the effort tonight was futile and pretty much reflects the team's performance for most of the year. Lilly was awful for the second straight start. I have always felt Lilly was very much overrated. When he is good, he can be quite good. When he is bad, well, you get what you got tonight. Lilly is at best a 4th or 5th man in the rotation and I really don't think he has ever been much more. Whoever picks him up is not getting a game changer.
The Cubs continue to play sloppy baseball. Witness the second inning when Lilly botched up a sacrifice and Fontenot, who for some reason was playing shortstop, bungled up a double play ball. They managed to strike out 13 times and walk only 3. I know the umpire was inconsistent, but Billingslea was not a strike machine either. Something gets into these guys with men on base, and it is not good. Theriot continues to swing at the first pitch no matter where it is and continues to kill rallies. Why does Lou like him at the top of the order? Who knows? He needs to bat 8th and he needs right now to platoon with Fontenot.
On the bright side, Ramirez looks like he is rounding into form and recovering from his injury. If this trend continues, they may expect to win occasionally when they do not get a superlative start and turn the game over to Marshall and Marmol. Maybe they can even hope to play .500 ball from here on out. Of course, they are still 11 games under .500 and best case scenario they can only hope to be 9 under at the break, so this doesn't really cut it.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Back to Reality
After three straight wins against the lowly Diamondbacks, the Cubs returned to old form against a tough lefty and the competitive LA Dodgers. I know I have said this many times in this blog, but this stupid platoon lineup against left-handed pitching doesn't score runs and doesn't play good baseball. Stupid base-running in the 3rd inning when Theriot was picked off and Byrd wandered off first after a bloop hit, but that wasn't the real issue. Kershaw has walked 50 batters in a little more than 100 innings, which means an average of four or more per game, but he sailed through eight innings this evening on less than 100 pitches and struck out 12. The human rally killer Xavier Nady struck out twice and hit into a double play to help things along. Wells pitched well, made one big mistake to Furcal, and took a tough loss. For some reason, Lou believes in this awful lineup. Another reason he needs to go.
Some interesting interviews. Maddox is quoted as saying the Zambrano deal is not a big thing, blown out of proportion, that he can square things with his teammates. This rather tells me that Z is going nowhere for now. The real question is whether he can square things with Piniellla, who seems to have decided to spend most of his time humiliating the testy fellow all season long.
On the Piniella front, Lou gave an interview basically saying his days as a manager are through and he is looking forward to retirement, can't motivate modern players, doesn't understand what is going on, etc., etc. Time for someone in ownership or upper management to tell him that now is the time to quit and just pay him off. Maybe this will happen. There seem to be signs the Cubs are going to start selling and that Ricketts is going to talk about the future of the team.
Of all the rumors, I still say the only serious ones are Lee, Lilly, Nady, and maybe Theriot, the first three because they are free agents next year anyway and Theriot because some contenders need an infielder because of injuries and he might help someone with a change of scene and being dropped to a more realistic place in the order. If you are going to try to move an albatross, Soriano might be worth a shot. To the uninformed, it looks as if he is having a decent year. An AL team could carry him.
Some interesting interviews. Maddox is quoted as saying the Zambrano deal is not a big thing, blown out of proportion, that he can square things with his teammates. This rather tells me that Z is going nowhere for now. The real question is whether he can square things with Piniellla, who seems to have decided to spend most of his time humiliating the testy fellow all season long.
On the Piniella front, Lou gave an interview basically saying his days as a manager are through and he is looking forward to retirement, can't motivate modern players, doesn't understand what is going on, etc., etc. Time for someone in ownership or upper management to tell him that now is the time to quit and just pay him off. Maybe this will happen. There seem to be signs the Cubs are going to start selling and that Ricketts is going to talk about the future of the team.
Of all the rumors, I still say the only serious ones are Lee, Lilly, Nady, and maybe Theriot, the first three because they are free agents next year anyway and Theriot because some contenders need an infielder because of injuries and he might help someone with a change of scene and being dropped to a more realistic place in the order. If you are going to try to move an albatross, Soriano might be worth a shot. To the uninformed, it looks as if he is having a decent year. An AL team could carry him.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Two Straight
Though perhaps we should temper our enthusiasm somewhat in that the Cubs are playing a really bad team in the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team which is on a pace to set some sort of unbreakable record for batters striking out and which actually has at least two hitters who are on a pace to strike out more than 200 times and likely more than a third of their plate appearances. Also, their bullpen is a joke and their closer is actually the Cubs reject Aaron Heilman who was only good enough for mop up duty with the Cubs last season.
But it was good to see Ramirez break out with two home runs and also good to see Fukudome lead off and show some pop as well. The Cubs played pretty well all in all. Theriot's attempt to stretch a double into a triple was another example of how a once heady player has degenerated. Not only was it the wrong thing to be thrown out at third base with no outs in a tie game, but he made the egregious mistake of turning around and looking back to see where the throw was when he was half-way to third base and absolutely committed to the attempt. Maybe it is quibbling, but this kind of thing seems to happen every day.
Another, maybe more serious quibble. Does anyone think that Lou has the look of a guy who is managing for his baseball life? He has determined that the only two people he trusts in the bullpen are Marshall and Marmol, but he seems intent on using them to cover the final three innings nearly every day. Between them today, they three 57 pitches over three innings, compared to Silva's 74.
Speaking of Piniella's strategy, you have to question removing Silva after six innings for a pinch hitter unless there was something wrong with him, which did not seem to be the case. Similarly, one must question not pinch hitting for Marshall in the 8th and passing on a chance to plate an insurance run. Dempster had better we ready to go nine tomorrow.
But it was good to see Ramirez break out with two home runs and also good to see Fukudome lead off and show some pop as well. The Cubs played pretty well all in all. Theriot's attempt to stretch a double into a triple was another example of how a once heady player has degenerated. Not only was it the wrong thing to be thrown out at third base with no outs in a tie game, but he made the egregious mistake of turning around and looking back to see where the throw was when he was half-way to third base and absolutely committed to the attempt. Maybe it is quibbling, but this kind of thing seems to happen every day.
Another, maybe more serious quibble. Does anyone think that Lou has the look of a guy who is managing for his baseball life? He has determined that the only two people he trusts in the bullpen are Marshall and Marmol, but he seems intent on using them to cover the final three innings nearly every day. Between them today, they three 57 pitches over three innings, compared to Silva's 74.
Speaking of Piniella's strategy, you have to question removing Silva after six innings for a pinch hitter unless there was something wrong with him, which did not seem to be the case. Similarly, one must question not pinch hitting for Marshall in the 8th and passing on a chance to plate an insurance run. Dempster had better we ready to go nine tomorrow.
Monday, July 5, 2010
A Golden opportunity
I mean, the Cubs passed on a golden opportunity yesterday to fire Lou Piniella. The start of a West Coast trip leading to the All-Star break, another wretched and embarrassing loss. What more could you ask for?
As to the loss, it was, as Lou is fond of remarking, a close game until the 7th inning, actually until two outs in the 7th, and it was a winnable game for most teams playing at home, down two runs with the wind blowing out. Then the roof caved in. Apparently, no one awakened Piniella and alerted him to the fact that even though Lilly, who had incidentally pitched badly even to that point, was due to lead off the bottom of the inning, he was imploding and had to be pulled before the game got out of hand.
Four runs and several mammoth blasts later, with the score now 9-3, Lou summoned the energy to trudge to the mound and insert Stevens, who had pitched the equivalent of probably four or five innings whilst warming up all day long in the bullpen at various times. Stevens proceeded to face six Reds without retiring a single man and to allow four more runs before Lou inserted Howry to get the final out.
Now I understand that, having wrongly decided to leave Lilly in the game based on the fact he had only thrown 70 pitches or so to that point, Lou wanted to get him through the inning, but in the post-game, all he had to say was nonsense about saving the bullpen and blah, blah, blah, it is always about someone else being to blame for dumb, consistently dumb, decisions. At least be forthright and admit you screwed up. That's what really bugs people about this guy, me anyway, and one of the principal reasons he has got to go, the sooner the better. Just admit you blundered. You thought you could get through the inning with minimal use of the bullpen and as a result you screwed up and permitted the opponent to score eight runs, just as you did the same thing two days earlier and allowed them to score nine runs. To do this, however, you have to admit you are managing on auto-pilot, that you are looking at the pitch count and not actually watching the game.
Refreshingly, Brian Kush, in the Daily Herald, is calling for the firing of Lou and Jim right now and a breakup of the team. This is one of the first of the major media outlets to say this in a forthright manner. I congratulate him, even though I do not agree with all his other recommendations.
As to the loss, it was, as Lou is fond of remarking, a close game until the 7th inning, actually until two outs in the 7th, and it was a winnable game for most teams playing at home, down two runs with the wind blowing out. Then the roof caved in. Apparently, no one awakened Piniella and alerted him to the fact that even though Lilly, who had incidentally pitched badly even to that point, was due to lead off the bottom of the inning, he was imploding and had to be pulled before the game got out of hand.
Four runs and several mammoth blasts later, with the score now 9-3, Lou summoned the energy to trudge to the mound and insert Stevens, who had pitched the equivalent of probably four or five innings whilst warming up all day long in the bullpen at various times. Stevens proceeded to face six Reds without retiring a single man and to allow four more runs before Lou inserted Howry to get the final out.
Now I understand that, having wrongly decided to leave Lilly in the game based on the fact he had only thrown 70 pitches or so to that point, Lou wanted to get him through the inning, but in the post-game, all he had to say was nonsense about saving the bullpen and blah, blah, blah, it is always about someone else being to blame for dumb, consistently dumb, decisions. At least be forthright and admit you screwed up. That's what really bugs people about this guy, me anyway, and one of the principal reasons he has got to go, the sooner the better. Just admit you blundered. You thought you could get through the inning with minimal use of the bullpen and as a result you screwed up and permitted the opponent to score eight runs, just as you did the same thing two days earlier and allowed them to score nine runs. To do this, however, you have to admit you are managing on auto-pilot, that you are looking at the pitch count and not actually watching the game.
Refreshingly, Brian Kush, in the Daily Herald, is calling for the firing of Lou and Jim right now and a breakup of the team. This is one of the first of the major media outlets to say this in a forthright manner. I congratulate him, even though I do not agree with all his other recommendations.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
"We played a good baseball game"
That, astonishingly, is what Lou had to say after the game. Now, granted, they won, and it was nice to see them win, but a good game? They left 17 men on base and batted 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position. They left the bases loaded twice and left two men on base in each of the first seven innings. They were fortunate to score the first run when Soriano's popup dropped between three Reds in the 6th inning. Fortunately, Soto followed with a solid double to give Wells some breathing room.
Not to take anything away from Wells, who pitched a really good game, carrying a no-hitter into the 7th inning and lasting almost 8 innings before giving way to Carlos Marmol who picked up a four-out save. This is really the only kind of game the Cubs win anymore, one in which they get an outstanding start and manage to leave two or fewer innings for the bullpen, so that Piniella can use Marshall and Marmol to finish the game. Realistically, that happens about 1 in 3 or 2 in 5 games and that's why they are hovering around 10 games under .500.
Cueto, the Reds pitcher, walked a tightrope throughout the game, but it was interesting to see how the Reds played against the Cubs batting order. Lou always seems to pack the middle of the order with certain outs or at least with guys who never seem to drive in key runs. His lineups generally alternate dangerous hitters with certain outs, and the Reds survived as long as they did holding the Cubs scoreless because whenever he got in trouble, Cueto was able to pitch around hitters who might produce and bear down on guys who pretty nearly never produce in the clutch. It was only when Baker took Cueto out after five shaky innings that the Cubs were able to break the deadlock against a fairly shaky Reds bullpen.
So, a good game? Not really. More a typical game. I'm often surprised no one challenges Lou on these pronouncements of his. The only way we are going to get some changes for the fans is if the media really gets on Piniella and maybe he gets embarrassed or just pops off and embarrasses the organization.
Not to take anything away from Wells, who pitched a really good game, carrying a no-hitter into the 7th inning and lasting almost 8 innings before giving way to Carlos Marmol who picked up a four-out save. This is really the only kind of game the Cubs win anymore, one in which they get an outstanding start and manage to leave two or fewer innings for the bullpen, so that Piniella can use Marshall and Marmol to finish the game. Realistically, that happens about 1 in 3 or 2 in 5 games and that's why they are hovering around 10 games under .500.
Cueto, the Reds pitcher, walked a tightrope throughout the game, but it was interesting to see how the Reds played against the Cubs batting order. Lou always seems to pack the middle of the order with certain outs or at least with guys who never seem to drive in key runs. His lineups generally alternate dangerous hitters with certain outs, and the Reds survived as long as they did holding the Cubs scoreless because whenever he got in trouble, Cueto was able to pitch around hitters who might produce and bear down on guys who pretty nearly never produce in the clutch. It was only when Baker took Cueto out after five shaky innings that the Cubs were able to break the deadlock against a fairly shaky Reds bullpen.
So, a good game? Not really. More a typical game. I'm often surprised no one challenges Lou on these pronouncements of his. The only way we are going to get some changes for the fans is if the media really gets on Piniella and maybe he gets embarrassed or just pops off and embarrasses the organization.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Enough Already
I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this disaster of a team, let alone blog it. Thursday's game followed the usual pattern, a close game characterized by good pitching and an appalling offensive output by the Cubs. I remarked that I could not imagine how the Cubs might score that afternoon, but, unaccountably, they managed to coax two walks and execute a perfect sacrifice bunt by Fukudome to set up a game tying hit by Tyler Colvin. Not to worry, though, as Derrick Lee came up with a clutch DP to end the threat. They managed to destroy their chances with a sloppy 10th inning.
Friday's game was a new low. Three singles, three walks, no runs. Dempster forgot how to throw strikes in the 7th and Fontenot managed to botch up a DP to open the flood gates, but really, they might have gotten out of the inning if Dempster had not walked the opposing pitcher to force in a run. Lou finally seems to have noticed that the Soriano/Fukudome platoon may not be a bad idea, but he is too lazy to even switch the lineup around so that Fukudome bats leadoff. But, again, what difference does it make? Even if he were to get on base, he would soon be erased in a DP by Lee or Ramirez.
Which brings me to the main point. Lou must go. The sooner the better. So must the majority of his coaching staff. Something has got to shake this team up. Does anyone think trading Zambrano will change anything? Trading Bradley didn't, even though they got lucky and got a decent pitcher in return.
Then start fresh. You know you are not going to contend this year with these players barring a miracle. Stop fooling around talking about trading virtually immovable contracts. Begin by trading the obvious players who can be moved and almost certainly will not be around next year for pieces you can build around. That means first trading Lee, Nady, and Lilly. Then start thinking about building a versatile and balanced team that can play defense and not a team built for a ballpark that probably never existed and certainly doesn't exist now, namely, a Wrigley Field where the wind blows out at 30 mph all summer and you need to load up on RH power hitters, because that place just does not exist and the strength of your team is starting pitching.
Friday's game was a new low. Three singles, three walks, no runs. Dempster forgot how to throw strikes in the 7th and Fontenot managed to botch up a DP to open the flood gates, but really, they might have gotten out of the inning if Dempster had not walked the opposing pitcher to force in a run. Lou finally seems to have noticed that the Soriano/Fukudome platoon may not be a bad idea, but he is too lazy to even switch the lineup around so that Fukudome bats leadoff. But, again, what difference does it make? Even if he were to get on base, he would soon be erased in a DP by Lee or Ramirez.
Which brings me to the main point. Lou must go. The sooner the better. So must the majority of his coaching staff. Something has got to shake this team up. Does anyone think trading Zambrano will change anything? Trading Bradley didn't, even though they got lucky and got a decent pitcher in return.
Then start fresh. You know you are not going to contend this year with these players barring a miracle. Stop fooling around talking about trading virtually immovable contracts. Begin by trading the obvious players who can be moved and almost certainly will not be around next year for pieces you can build around. That means first trading Lee, Nady, and Lilly. Then start thinking about building a versatile and balanced team that can play defense and not a team built for a ballpark that probably never existed and certainly doesn't exist now, namely, a Wrigley Field where the wind blows out at 30 mph all summer and you need to load up on RH power hitters, because that place just does not exist and the strength of your team is starting pitching.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
More of the Same
I haven't blogged the last two games, but you haven't missed anything if you missed the games. A tightly played 3-1 rare victory over the Pirates. The only games the Cubs are in any danger of winning are the ones where they get a good long outing from a starter and are able to use the tandem of Marshall and Marmol to finish it off. In this case though the serious baseball aspect of the game was just not there. Two homers by Soriano clinched the game but you knew that if they hadn't gotten them, it might have been another tough loss, which occurred the following day when they kept trying to knock home runs and swung at everything in a futile effort to break through against mediocre Pirates pitching. The inevitable defensive miscue, this time by Ramirez, sealed their fate.
The Cubs used to be a very patient team at the plate, especially in 2008, but it is clear they have lost that attitude beginning last year, but completely so this year. They swing at everything, especially with men on base, and the consequence is they don't get hits and they don't score runs and they don't get men on base.
Ron Santo made an interesting comment about Carlos Zambrano on the national coverage of Saturday's game against the White Sox. Basically, he observed that you could just tell that Z had lost confidence in himself by the way he carried himself on the mound. The same applies to the entire team. When they come up with men in scoring position, for example, it seems as if they bat with the idea that they are in trouble, that they are under pressure, not the pitcher.
The question you have to ask is why this is the case. Some people think it is the old Cubs curse, or just the notion that things always seem to go wrong for this franchise and that there is a buildup of collective pressure each year. There is something to this, but usually these mass chokes happen in the playoffs. They have been able to put together winning seasons when they play solid ball, and quite recently in fact with the same core players. So what is the answer?
Buzz Bissinger, who I must confess I have never heard of until today, has some interesting posts on Lou Piniella, really Twitter comments. The gist of his tweets is that Lou Piniella is a lazy, incompetent, obnoxious blockhead well past his prime as a manager, sentiments with which I and anybody who has watched this team will, if they are honest with themselves, share.
I think most people will have had the experience of working with such a boss, especially a guy who just seems to sit around glowering at the world and blaming everyone else for the shortcomings of his unit. It is a poisonous atmosphere to live in and sooner or later it gets to you, especially when you come to the realization there is nothing you can really do about it. That's got to be part of the problem here, and is one, just one, of the reasons Piniella must go.
Yesterday, after the game, Piniella came out and said basically that the game that had just ended was a microcosm of the season. It sure was, and so was Lou's commentary. That's the sad part, and Lou doesn't seem to realize it, and why this arrogant bully has got to go. Just coming out and saying your team stinks, but it's not your fault, doesn't really cut it, does it, and it doesn't explain anything at all besides demonstrating you haven't got a clue.
I'm writing this post while watching today's game. It's the 5th inning. It took the Reds rookie, Wood, six pitches to retire the side. He is making his first major league start and has the reputation of being a little wild. The wind is blowing in, but that has not stopped the Cubs from swinging for the fences on the first pitch all day long. Well, anyway, Dusty's boys are hackers too, so at least it will be a fast game. I cannot imagine the possibility of this team scoring a run today.
The Cubs used to be a very patient team at the plate, especially in 2008, but it is clear they have lost that attitude beginning last year, but completely so this year. They swing at everything, especially with men on base, and the consequence is they don't get hits and they don't score runs and they don't get men on base.
Ron Santo made an interesting comment about Carlos Zambrano on the national coverage of Saturday's game against the White Sox. Basically, he observed that you could just tell that Z had lost confidence in himself by the way he carried himself on the mound. The same applies to the entire team. When they come up with men in scoring position, for example, it seems as if they bat with the idea that they are in trouble, that they are under pressure, not the pitcher.
The question you have to ask is why this is the case. Some people think it is the old Cubs curse, or just the notion that things always seem to go wrong for this franchise and that there is a buildup of collective pressure each year. There is something to this, but usually these mass chokes happen in the playoffs. They have been able to put together winning seasons when they play solid ball, and quite recently in fact with the same core players. So what is the answer?
Buzz Bissinger, who I must confess I have never heard of until today, has some interesting posts on Lou Piniella, really Twitter comments. The gist of his tweets is that Lou Piniella is a lazy, incompetent, obnoxious blockhead well past his prime as a manager, sentiments with which I and anybody who has watched this team will, if they are honest with themselves, share.
I think most people will have had the experience of working with such a boss, especially a guy who just seems to sit around glowering at the world and blaming everyone else for the shortcomings of his unit. It is a poisonous atmosphere to live in and sooner or later it gets to you, especially when you come to the realization there is nothing you can really do about it. That's got to be part of the problem here, and is one, just one, of the reasons Piniella must go.
Yesterday, after the game, Piniella came out and said basically that the game that had just ended was a microcosm of the season. It sure was, and so was Lou's commentary. That's the sad part, and Lou doesn't seem to realize it, and why this arrogant bully has got to go. Just coming out and saying your team stinks, but it's not your fault, doesn't really cut it, does it, and it doesn't explain anything at all besides demonstrating you haven't got a clue.
I'm writing this post while watching today's game. It's the 5th inning. It took the Reds rookie, Wood, six pitches to retire the side. He is making his first major league start and has the reputation of being a little wild. The wind is blowing in, but that has not stopped the Cubs from swinging for the fences on the first pitch all day long. Well, anyway, Dusty's boys are hackers too, so at least it will be a fast game. I cannot imagine the possibility of this team scoring a run today.
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