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Game Eighty-Three: Cubs (49-33) vs. Giants (36-46)
Game Time - 9:15pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 189
Location - AT & T Park, San Francisco
Ted Lilly (8-5, 4.74/1.32) vs. Barry Zito (3-11, 5.91/1.82)
If there is such a thing as a must win for a team 16 games over .500 on the last day of June....tonight's game fits the bill. Lou Piniella's crew opens a 4-game series in San Francisco in need of a victory and will face a Giants' team for the first time without Barry Bonds. Ted Lilly will have the task of ending the Cubs longest losing streak of the season....without one of the Cubs' biggest bats. Aramis Ramirez will miss the first 3 games and a club already missing one big bat will find itself even shorter for the next three nights. This is an important week for the Cubs after posting just one win in their last 6 games....
Ted Lilly picked up the only win in the 3-game series against the Orioles in his last start. Lilly did his job but gave up 2 more home runs and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits in 7 innings of work with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks....two 2-run homers by Jay Payton. Lilly must start keeping the ball in the park....18 home runs in 17 starts (98 2/3 innings) is not a good combination. While the Giants' struggle offensively, they can hit balls left up in the zone with the best of them.
Lilly has benefited from a lot of support from the Cubs offense. While Lilly has not lost a game since June 4th (2-1 to Greg Maddux in San Diego), the Cubs have scored a total of 44 runs in his last 7 starts (6.29 runs per start). Lou Piniella needs innings and the Cubs' offense needs time to plate runs against Barry Zito.
Lilly is 3-3 in 8 road starts this season with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.
'The Bulldog' is 2-1 in 4 career starts against the Giants with a 6.08 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP....0-1 at AT & T Park with a 6.75 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Last season, 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Lilly beat the Giants at Wrigley on July 19th, 9-8. He allowed 3 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings and gave up a home run to Barry Bonds (#752) in his chase of Hank Aaron....Bonds hit #753 in the 7th off of Will Ohman.
- Rich Aurilia - 4-for-12 with a double and a home run
- Ray Durham - 3-for-12 with a triple
- Bengie Molina - 4-for-14 with a double
- Aaron Rowand - 6-for-16 with a home run
- Omar Vizquel - 2-for-18 with a double
- Randy Winn - 9-for-30 with 2 doubles and a home run
During the long baseball season sometimes it is not how a team plays against another....but when. With that said, the Cubs might be facing Barry Zito at the wrong time. Zito has been horrible this season for the Giants but is coming off of one of his best starts of the year. Zito held the Indians to just a run on 4 hits in 6 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and no walks....the first time Zito has not walked a batter this season.
To say Zito has not lived up to the huge contract he signed before the 2007 season would be an understatement. Zito did not win his first game until May 23rd after spending time in the Giants' bullpen.
Zito has been very successful in the past against the Cubs and turned in one of his best outings as a Giant last year at Wrigley against Lou Piniella's crew. Zito beat the Cubs 4-2 on July 17th and held the Cubs to 2 runs, 1 earned, on 5 hits in 7 innings with 8 strikeouts and no walks....Zito received a no decision in San Francisco against the Cubs on August 22nd. The Cubs won the game 4-2 but Zito tossed a gem....2 runs on 5 hits with 4 strikeouts and no walks.
Zito has struggled at home this season and has yet to post a win. He is 0-7 in 8 starts with a 7.34 ERA and a 2.13 WHIP while opponents have hit .370 against him.
The Cubs are 1-1 in the other 3 times they have faced Zito with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Last season, 1-0 in 2 starts with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP.
- Mark DeRosa - 6-for-26 with 2 home runs
- Jim Edmonds - 1-for-1
- Derrek Lee - 5-for-8 with a double and a home run
- Aramis Ramirez - 3-for-8 with a double
- Ryan Theriot - 1-for-7 with a double
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
Trips to the Northside
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The Cubs are awesome
As long as we are careful pitching to Barry, oh wait....don't have to worry about that any more!!
Just want to see the boys exercise patience with Zito....and please Fukudome....cut with the "wail and bale" against lefties....I can't take it anymore!!
I'm hoping the next few games are smooth....I'm having vocal cord surgery Wednesday AM and won't be able to talk (i.e. yell at the TV) for a few days....(nothing major, just a minor outpatient thing)
Tonight's lineup:
Fukudome - RF
Theriot - SS
Lee - 1B
Soto - C
DeRosa - 3B
Edmonds - CF
Murton - LF
Cedeno - 2B
Lilly - P
Joe....I send my best for a speedy recovery
Joe S:
I also wish you a fast recovery and say hello to Mark Prior from everyone of us here at the CCO.
Thanks for the wishes guys......will be painless minus not being able to talk for a few days to let it heal. BTW Jim, Tinley Park is my hometown....went to TPHS back in the 80's.....
Is it just me, or do others feel Fukudome needs to go back to the middle of the line up. I havent looked at numbers, but it seems our line up has seemed off not only with injuries but with him hitting leadoff.....
Tonight's game has some interesting inuendos and outuendos. With our guys in a rough patch and having endured a late flight last night, with our right handed power badly lacking in the absence of Soriano and Rameriz, with Edmonds still iffy vs. lefties, and with a recent Cy Young Award winning lefty on the mound for the Giants, we have to be the underdogs. The Giants have a poor record and have been terrible at home--but they have seldom been blown out in a game. Their hitting has improved lately. If Zito reverts to early season form (bad), our chances improve. If Lilly pitches well, and he should, our chances improve quite a bit. I'm looking for Lee, Soto and DeRo to carry us to victory tonight. But if Lilly and the pen give up 4 or more runs, we likely lose.
More I's and O's. If Zito pitches anything like his Cy Young self, the Giants can claim 4 top of the rotation guys: Lincecum, Sanchez, Cain and Zito. And their system is deep in pitching. The Giants are ancient and fading at SS, 2b, and 1b with Vizquel, Durham and Aurilia, and that's where I've been saying we could help them.
I've given up on Sanchez because his reputation grows every outing. Cain could be a possibility. If Zito is very good in his next (after tonight) couple of outings, a wild deal would the Giants paying $10 mil or so of his $18-20 mil a year for the next 5 years in a trade for Hoffpauir and Cedeno or Epat. It's a little scary to think about, but the Giants might like to move Zito--given their pitching depth.
Hey guys, I just want to make it clear that Aramis' decision to go home to be with his wife for the birth of their second child is absolutely the right thing to do.
When it was announced it was very ambiguous and so that's why I made the remark I did.
Obviously, this is WAY bigger than baseball and I wish nothing but the best for Aramis and his family.
Scott...well said, and I agree.
Fukudome's "wail and bail"...does anyone know what Fukudome's stats were in Japan against LHP?
he seems clueless at the plate against LHP here in MLB.
Fukudome hit very well against southpaws in Japan. I will find the numbers.
Let Zito off the hook....
Hey Joe,
Get well soon man,
Man, we really need to jump out to a good start to let Lilly and this whole team relax a little bit
Fukudome's numbers against lefties in 2007:
.282/.406/.538/.944 - 33 hits in 117 at bats with 6 doubles and 8 home runs, 32 strikeouts and 22 walks
Like I said in my first post tonight....he's driving me crazy with the wail and bail against lefties...and the word is spreading through the league cause they are all pitching him the same now.
Amazingly his average against leftioes is .286, although his home road split is the worst of the bunch...hitting .373 at home and .219 on the road.
Zito is struggling with his comand we need to be patient tonight.
Thanks Nick!
did you see that pop up to right by Murton?..that was impressive...do we have to keep him around?..really?..do we?...i'm ready to move on..i can do without him..i don't think he'd come back to really hurt us
The missed bunt attempt is one of the many reasons for the bad road record....poor or no execution away from Wrigley.
Rob: I agree, but whole else wants a poor fielding, slow, singles hitting corner outfielder? At best, hes a throw-in for a bigger trade. Im sure the Cubs are hoping he does well to up his trade value...
Good job by Kosuke!
I'm blacked out of MBTV, but Pat and Ron are indicating that Zito is all over the place with his pitches. We just need to get a few key hits. Vizquel and Durham are out with knee issues. (Old age ain't for sissys.)
Hey hey, there you go Murt.
About time Murton...... Nice wave Quade...and nice hustel D-Ro......keep it up boys!!!
Not many of us would have predicted a 2 run double from Murton. THANK YOU MATT!
Murton with the big 2-out hit....
Whoa... I've been away from the site for a few days and I come back to half of the forum standing on the ledge. Take it easy faithful. I believe we are in the middle of a 4-8 stretch over the last 12. The 2001 Seattle Mariners lost 7 of 11 from June 17th through June 28th... the reason I bring this up is because that team went on to win 116 games (MLB record). While I don't believe we are headed for a record breaking season in Wins I do know that the Cubs are going to be fine. They are obviously banged up and some of the guys that are not hurt (to our knowledge) look to have lost some focus. Louie P will have these guys prepared and JH has a couple moves in his back pocket. My point is... take a breath and appreciate every minute of this. Before we know it November will be here.
*also... I wanted to post before the game that my "pick to click" was Matt Murton. I'm not a Murt fan by any stretch but he was due and has good splits versus lefties.
Jim (from TP),
Nice Prior reference.
Here is how I envision Joe's hospital stay:
Nurse: you will have to share this recovery suite with Mark P.
Joe S: there are 3 beds, can I take the middle one?
Nurse: no, Mark sleeps on the bed by the window, and the bed in the middle is for his calves.
(Mark Prior walks in, looking pissed, as usual)
Joe S: wow...Mark Prior! Big Cubs fan, can I get an autograph.
Mark Prior: sorry, guy, no paper to write on. (he says this with a "jerk" accent)
(Joe S. hands him a hand towel from the bathroom)
Joe S: Sign this, then. Just make it out to "Larry"? Perfect, thanks...
Of course, something to do with Just Ducky boxer shorts would fit into this whole scenario, but I haven't quite got that figured out yet.
Nice Job Soto!!
SOTO with the best strike of the game!
Jason...priceless!
Funny Stuff Jason!!! Leave my Ducky boxers out of it though lol
No hospital stay will be required....In at 1, surgery at 3 home in time to watch the first picth of the Cubs game.....just have to remember not to cheer suddenly or cuss out loud....lol
Maybe I'll invite Mark to come by and share his thoughts on CCO.....
DERO!!!!! This is more like it.
DeRosa with #9!
Thats awesome: making Zito pay!
Cliff...I'll attest to Murton as your pick to click, if you let me sub him for Lee in my "Lee, Soto and DeRosa carry us to victory tonight"--assuming that our pen does well too. Lilly has thrown a lot of pitches so the pen will have a job to do.
It aint over yet, but Lilly has looked solid. This is a very important game.
Nice Rebound from Lilly tonight... Boy do we need him to step up the next few weeks...
DERO WITH A GRANNY!!!!
DERO ROCKS. Grand Slam!!!
remember when Dero went off on the Reds last year? If he could go off like that until the all-star break that would be huge.
JimK - fair enough.
WOW! DeRo coming through!!! 6 Rib Eyes!!!
Murton with his 2nd double of the year....and of the night.
Wasn't it Tony Bennett in SF who sang, "What a Difference A Day Makes"? The Vibes are positive for us all tonight.
Lilly gets to savor his splendid outing from the bench in the 9th. We needed those 8 shutout innings, Ted!!! Wrap it up K. Wood!
This is the night watchman reporting that K Wood gave up a 2 run double, and the final score was Cubs 9 SF 2. As Buffet sings, "It's Happy Hour Somewhere." I'm going to have a Miller Lite!!!
Thanks JimK....good win!