July 2008 Archives

Game One Hundred Nine - Cubs 11 Brewers 4
WP - Rich Harden (6-2, 1-1) LP - Dave Bush (5-9) Save - None

For the first time this season the Chicago Cubs are 21 games over .500 after their first 4-game sweep on the road since 2004. The Cubs offense hit 4 home runs on the afternoon and handed Rich Harden his first win in a Cubs' uniform. Jim Edmonds put the Cubs on the board in the 3rd inning with his 11th home run as a Cub and gave Rich Harden a lot of breathing room in the 4th. The turning point in the game however came courtesy of Aramis Ramirez.

Dave Bush retired Ryan Theriot and Derrek Lee to start the 4th but Aramis Ramirez was very patient against Dave Bush and worked a 2-out walk....the first free pass issued by Bush since June 30th. Kosuke Fukudome continued to prove he is more comfortable in the 5th spot of the lineup and followed the walk to Ramirez with a double to right. Bush then hit Mark DeRosa on a 0-2 pitch to load the bases. Jim Edmonds stepped in and cleared the bases with an opposite field Grand Slam....his 13th long ball of the year and his 12th as a Cub.

The Brewers cut the Cubs' lead to 5-1 in the 7th after a solo home run by Prince Fielder but Alfonso Soriano got the run right back in the 8th. Soriano hit his 18th of the season over the wall in left center. The Cubs kept tacking on runs despite being out hit by the Brewers, 10-9.

Ryan Theriot reached on an error by Craig Counsell following the Soriano home run and scored on a 2-out double by Aramis Ramirez. Kosuke Fukudome followed with his 8th home run of the season to the second deck in right and gave the Cubs a 9-1 lead.

Eric Gagne tried to send a message by throwing ball four behind Jim Edmonds to start the 9th. Gagne was ejected, Geovany Soto doubled and with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Mike Fontenot responded to Ned Yost with an opposite field double that plated both Edmonds and Soto with the Cubs' 10th and 11th runs of the game.

Rich Harden was nasty once again and followed three straight 10-strikeout performances with 9 more on Thursday against the Brewers. Harden did not walk a batter in 7 strong innings and gave up 1 run on 6 hits on 105 pitches.

Some of the mainstream media predicted a sweep in the 4-game series, but no one thought it would be the Cubs that would win all four.

With the win, Lou Piniella's crew won their 5th straight and created a little separation in the division on the last day of July. There is still a lot of baseball left to be played but the Cubs broke out of their offensive slump with contributions from the entire roster over the last four games....

Game One Hundred Nine: Cubs (64-44) vs. Brewers (60-48)
Game Time - 1:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 188
Location - Miller Park, Milwaukee

Rich Harden (5-2, 2.10/1.10 - 0-1, 1.04/0.92) vs. Dave Bush (5-8, 4.51/1.18)

The Cubs enter the final day of the month with a chance to sweep one of their division rivals in their park and finish July on a positive note. The past month was not too kind to the Cubs and they began play last Sunday with a sub .500 record at 10-11. But four days and four wins later, Lou Piniella's crew is 14-11 with one left to go.

Rich Harden will make his fourth start for the Cubs since coming over from Oakland earlier this month. Harden has yet to post a win in a Cubs' uniform and he will face his toughest task, so far, since coming to Chicago. On the other hand, the Cubs will face the 'new' Dave Bush in the finale of the four game series....

Game One Hundred Eight - Cubs 7 Brewers 2
WP - Ryan Dempster (12-4) LP - Manny Parra (9-4) Save - None

Lou Piniella's crew put together another impressive win behind Ryan Dempster on Wednesday night. Dempster picked up his second straight road victory with a solid 7-inning performance. The only run Dempster allowed came on a wild pitch in the 1st inning. Dempster gave up 5 hits, two to Manny Parra, walked 1 and struck out 9. Dempster did his best Carlos Zambrano imitation and started the Cubs 3-run 6th inning with a 1-out single to left....he scored the Cubs' third run of the game on Ryan Theriot's triple.

Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot reached base ten times on the night and scored 3 of the Cubs' 7 runs. Ryan Theriot had the big hit in the game, his third triple of the season drove in a pair and gave the Cubs a 4-1 lead at the time. Theriot reached base in all 5 trips to the plate with his 43rd multi hit game of the season....3 hits, 2 walks and a sacrifice bunt.

The big play in the game once again involved Reed Johnson. Johnson had a good night at the plate, 3-for-5 with a 2-out RBI, but it was his swinging strikeout in the 1st inning that gave the Cubs the lead.

Alfonso Soriano began the game with a single to left on a 0-2 pitch from Manny Parra. Ryan Theriot sacrificed him to 2nd and Soriano stole 3rd on a 3-0 pitch to Derrek Lee. With runners on 1st and 3rd and 1-out following a walk to Derrek Lee, Parra struck out Aramis Ramirez and appeared to get out of the inning when Johnson swung and missed on a ball in the dirt on a 3-2 pitch. The ball squirted between the legs of Jason Kendall and rolled all the way to the backstop. Soriano scored as Prince Fielder could not handle Kendall's throw. Lee advanced to 3rd on the play and scored on a 2-out single to center by Mark DeRosa.

Chad Gaudin retired all three batters he faced in the 8th on 11 pitches and Neal Cotts gave up a solo home run to Prince Fielder in the 9th that accounted for the Brewers' second run.

After a less than impressive start to the second half, the Cubs won their third in a row over the Brewers and their fourth consecutive road game. The difference in the last three games has been the performances by the Cubs' starters. Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster surrendered a total of 4 earned runs to the Brewers....Zambrano and Dempster a combined 1 run in 15 innings with 18 strikeouts.

On a night Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez were held hitless, the Cubs put 7 runs on the board, without a home run, on 15 hits with 8 walks. Lou Piniella's crew improved to 20 games over .500 on the year and improved their road record to 25-30 on the season....

Game One Hundred Eight: Cubs (63-44) vs. Brewers (60-47)
Game Time - 7:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast Sports Net, ESPN Wednesday Night Baseball - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 188
Location - Miller Park, Milwaukee

Ryan Dempster (11-4, 2.99/1.17) vs. Manny Parra (9-3, 3.72/1.48)

Before the 4-game series began most of the experts were predicting tonight would be the first game the Cubs had a shot of winning. But after beating the Brewers' top two pitchers to start the series, it is up to Lou Piniella to make sure his team does not lose focus tonight against one of the best young left-handers in the game.

Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano both set the tone in the first two games and Ryan Dempster must follow their example tonight. The Brewers feed off of momentum and Dempster will need to give his offense time to figure out Manny Parra. The Brewers offense should be looking to not only strike first tonight but put up a lot of runs early to get the home crowd behind them....the one that left in the 8th inning on Tuesday.

Game One Hundred Seven - Cubs 7 Brewers 1
WP - Carlos Zambrano (12-4) LP - Ben Sheets (10-4) Save - None

For the first time since June 2nd and June 3rd in San Diego, the Chicago Cubs won back-to-back games on the road after beating the Brewers for the second straight night at Miller Park. Carlos Zambrano outpitched Ben Sheets in what was a pitcher's duel until the 6th inning. Zambrano tossed 8 shutout innings and allowed only 5 hits with 2 walks and 9 strikeouts, a season high. Zambrano pitched his way out of his only jam of the night in the 2nd inning. After a lead off walk to Prince Fielder and a single by Corey Hart, Big Z struck out Russell Branyan swinging and Mike Cameron looking before Jason Kendall grounded out to Ryan Theriot to end the inning.

Mark DeRosa gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the 4th inning with a sacrifice fly and Zambrano made it hold up until the 6th inning. The Cubs offense plated 4 runs on 7 consecutive hits off Ben Sheets before the first out of the inning was recorded. The Cubs added a run on a sacrifice fly by Alfonso Soriano and if not for a great catch by Mike Cameron at the wall in center on a ball hit by Derrek Lee, it might have been more.

The Cubs sent 10 to the plate in the inning but the big hit was a triple to left by Kosuke Fukudome. Ryan Braun misplayed the ball, tried to make a diving catch on the sinking liner and missed. Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez scored to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Mark DeRosa added his second RBI of the game with a single to left and Carlos Zambrano added a RBI, his 9th of the year, with an infield single in the inning.

The 'Big Three' came through once again for their team. Alfonso Soriano finished 1-for-4 with a RBI and Derrek Lee was 1-for-5 with a run scored but it was Aramis Ramirez time to shine on Tuesday night. Ramirez hit three doubles for the third time in his career and recorded 4 straight hits after he popped out to Jason Kendall in foul ground to end the 1st inning. Ramirez became the first Cub this season to hit three doubles in the same game and he drove in a run and scored a pair.

The Cubs offense recorded 11 hits off of Ben Sheets, tied a season-high, and finished with 15 on the night. Each starter had at least one hit and Soriano and Soto were the only two Cubs not to score a run.

Lou Piniella's crew put together another impressive win on the road against one of the best pitchers in the National League....the Cubs improved to 19 games over .500 on the season after Tuesday's victory at Miller Park.

Game One Hundred Seven: Cubs (62-44) vs. Brewers (60-46)
Game Time - 7:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 188
Location - Miller Park, Milwaukee

Carlos Zambrano (11-4, 2.96/1.24) vs. Ben Sheets (10-3, 2.87/1.13)

Neither team left anything on the field on Monday and tonight's game figures to be more of the same, especially with Carlos Zambrano facing Ben Sheets. Two of the best pitchers in the National League, both All-Stars, both staff aces and both have a good history against the other's team....and remember, it's only July.

Lou Piniella needs a solid start from Carlos Zambrano tonight and Big Z must not allow the things he cannot control to get to him. With Kerry Wood out, Bobby Howry likely on the outs, Chad Gaudin pitching in the each of the last three games and Scott Eyre on the trading block, Piniella has a short pen that will likely start and end with Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol.

Kerry Wood's return is uncertain at best and Piniella stated on Monday, "he's not really that close." WGN Radio reported on Monday that Wood will throw a simulated game on Wednesday to check on his progress. While the Cubs have Sean Marshall and Neal Cotts in the pen, the Brewers' offense usually lights up southpaws....

As I sit back and enjoy Monday night's victory, (it's ten minutes since the "old Marmol" just closed the game) I keep coming back to the same thought. This is the fourth time in the past six years that the Cubs have been "in it" going into August. I think it is time to thank a certain individual.

Game One Hundred Six - Cubs 6 Brewers 4
WP - Chad Gaudin (7-4, 2-1) LP - Salomon Torres (5-3) Save - Carlos Marmol (5)

The Chicago Cubs waited 106 games to put together their best performance on the road this season. Many did not give Lou Piniella's crew much of a chance on Monday night against CC Sabathia and the Milwaukee Brewers....but that is why they play the game.

In arguably the biggest game of the year for the Cubs, two of their biggest names came through with two of their best games of the year....Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. Lee and Soriano had big nights at the plate and both were involved in the game's deciding plays. Alfonso Soriano is starting to warm up at the plate and barely missed a home run on the game's second pitch. Soriano ended up with a double, stole third without a throw and scored on a RBI single to right by Derrek Lee. Soriano did not miss his 17th home run of the year, and his second long ball in as many days, in his next at bat in the 3rd inning. Soriano launched Sabathia's second pitch into the upper deck in left center. The Cubs offense made Sabathia work and displayed the patience at the plate that had been missing since before the break. Sabathia threw 124 pitches in 6 2/3 innings....his highest pitch count in 5 years.

Ted Lilly was cruising right along and had a 2-hit shutout going until 1-out in the 6th inning. Lilly threw a good game and was in line for the win. He gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings with 4 strikeouts and a walk. The Brewers made two solid defensive plays that took the momentum away from the Cubs and woke up their offense in the top of the 6th.

Mike Cameron threw out Derrek Lee trying to scored on a single to center by Mark DeRosa and CC Sabathia beat Ryan Theriot to the bag to end the top of the 6th after Prince Fielder made a diving stop on a ball that appeared to be heading to right field. The Brewers offense responded with a big 3-run inning.

J.J. Hardy and Ryan Braun hit back-to-back home runs off Lilly in the 6th and added the go ahead run after a single by Prince Fielder and a double by Corey Hart.

There were three plays that figured in the outcome on Monday night and the first came in the 6th on the double by Hart. Alfonso Soriano misplayed the ball in left center, it rolled all the wall to the wall, Fielder rounded 3rd and was heading for home as the cut off throw came from Ryan Theriot. As Geovany Soto braced for the play at the plate, Lee cut off the throw from Theriot and fired a strike to Aramis Ramirez at 3rd....Lee threw out Hart and kept the Brewers from tacking on a run. Bill Hall followed with a single to center, the Brewers fifth straight hit in the inning. The cutoff by Lee allowed the Brewers to score the go ahead run but Lee's decision kept the Brewers from having a big inning.

The Cubs took the lead in the top of the 7th after two gifts from Rickie Weeks and one great take out slide at 2nd by Reed Johnson. Ronny Cedeno started the inning off of Sabathia with a bloop single to right. Kosuke Fukudome pinch hit for Ted Lilly and reached on an infield single up the middle. Weeks tried to back hand the ball but missed and both runners reached for Soriano. Sabathia struck out Soriano on a 3-2 pitch but Cedeno and Fukudome executed the double steal and Cedeno was called safe at 3rd on a very close play. Reed Johnson reached on the Cubs second walk of the night to load the bases.

Derrek Lee has made a habit of grounding into inning ending double plays this season and he appeared to once again in the 7th on Monday night. J.J. Hardy fed Weeks and with Johnson barreling down on him, threw wide of the bag at 1st, Fielder could not handle and both Ronny Cedeno and Kosuke Fukudome scored to give the Cubs the lead.

Bobby Howry blew his second save of the year in the 7th. With 2 outs and the bases empty, Howry left a 2-2 pitch up in the zone to Russell Branyan and the tied the game with his second pinch-hit home run of the year.

Chad Gaudin struck out the side in the 8th and setup the 9th for Derrek Lee and Carlos Marmol.

Derrek Lee came threw with his 11th game winning RBI of the season in the 9th inning. After Soriano and Mike Fontenot worked 1-out walks against Salomon Torres, Derrek Lee hit a double down the right field line that plated Soriano with the go ahead run. Mark DeRosa added the all-important tack on run with a bases loaded, 2-out infield single to the hole at short.

Every win is important during the course of a season but with all the hype surrounding this 4-game series in July a win in the first game with the Brewers' newest ace on the mound was a good way to start the week for the Cubs. With the victory the Cubs improved to 18 games over .500 on the season....

Game One Hundred Six: Cubs (61-44) vs. Brewers (60-45)
Game Time - 7:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast Sports Net - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 188
Location - Miller Park, Milwaukee

Ted Lilly (10-6, 4.49/1.34) vs. CC Sabathia (10-8, 3.30/1.16, 4-0, 1.36/0.85)

Updated - 6:50pm C.T. - According to a report on WGN Radio, Matt Sinatro was suspended for two games for his actions on Saturday afternoon. Sinatro will miss the first two games of the Brewers series and Ivan DeJesus will serve as Lou Piniella's first base coach.

Lou Piniella was fined an undisclosed amount for his actions on Saturday with umpire Rob Drake.

In a total scheduling snafu, it took 106 games for the Cubs to make their first trip of the year to Miller Park. The Brewers are out to make a statement over the next 4 games and many in the Milwaukee media are predicting an easy four game sweep over the hated Chicago Cubs. The Brewers have already won the first two series of the season against Chicago. They won 2 of 3 to start the season and 2 of 3 from April 29th - May 1st....both at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs will make the easy trip up I-94 but the next four days figure to be anything but easy. Lou Piniella's crew will face the best the Brewers have to offer in CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Manny Para and Dave Bush while the Cubs will counter with Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden. Most think the Brewers offense is too much for Cubs' pitching and Sabathia and Sheets will have an easy time against the Cubs' struggling offense. It is showdown time in Miller Park....

Ted Lilly will have the task of trying to start the series off on a positive note for the Cubs. He did not fare too well against the Brewers the last time he faced them on April 2nd and the Cubs' offense will face CC Sabathia for the first time in a Brewers uniform.

The Brewers are "going for it" this season and the trade for Sabathia sent the message they are not to be ignored. The Brewers have not made the playoffs since 1982 and are determined to end the drought this year. With Sabathia and Sheets at the top of their rotation, as well as Manny Para, most think they have the best 1-2 punch in the National League.

CC Sabathia removed the dots from between his two initials for those that missed the news. Sabathia made the announcement during his first press conference with the Milwaukee media. Sabathia is 4-0 with 3 straight complete games as a Brewer and it will be up to the Cubs' offense to hand Carsten Charles his first loss.

It is game on for round one of three remaining series down the stretch between the Cubs and Brewers....

(Cue the Theme from Rocky) Two of the three best teams in the National League square off tonight in Milwaukee for the first of four to close out the month of July. While the next four games will not decide the division with two months left to play in the season, both the Cubs and Brewers figure to leave nothing on the field between tonight and Thursday.

Both managers set their rotations out of the break for this series, both markets are so fired up, the Bears and the Packers first week of Training Camp has become second page news....even the little story surrounding a certain signal caller will be brushed a side for the next four days.

So while both teams try to underplay the series, here is a little for the Faithful as the clock ticks down for the first of three big match-ups between the Cubs and Brewers over the final 57 games of the season....