Game One Hundred Thirteen: Cubs (67-45) vs. Astros (53-57)
Game Time - 6:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WCIU, ESPN Monday Night Baseball - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 174, 183
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ryan Dempster (12-4, 2.90/1.15) vs. Brian Moehler (6-4, 4.23/1.36)
Updated - 9:59pm C.T. - A restart time of 10:20pm C.T. was Announced
Updated - 11:54pm C.T. - Game Called - It is a final - 2-0, Houston
Lou Piniella's crew opens a big 3-game series tonight against the red hot Houston Astros. The 'Stros are coming off their first 3-game sweep of the Mets since 1993 and have won 8 of their last 10, including taking two of three from the Brewers in Miller Park. Ed Wade, the Astros' GM, made two additions to his team before the trading deadline. Wade traded for Randy Wolf from the Padres and for LaTroy Hawkins after the Yankees designated him for assignment. The Astros feel they can still make the post season and enter play tonight just 4 games under .500. Cecil Cooper's team may be 13 games behind the Cubs but they are only 8 games back of the Brewers in the National League Wild Card standings with four teams ahead of them.
The Cubs have not played good ball against the Astros this season and must start showing improvement tonight. After winning 2 of 3 against Houston in April at Wrigley, the Cubs have dropped 4 of 6 to the Astros at Minute Maid and find themselves with a 4-5 record on the season with 9 left to play before the end of the year.
Derrek Lee is expected to get the night off after struggling of late at the plate. Lee is just 1-for-his-last-19 and appeared tired throughout the weekend series against the Pirates. Daryle Ward has good career numbers against Brian Moehler and Lee will receive a long break after a day game on Sunday.
Ryan Dempster will have the task of cooling off the Astros lineup and giving his skipper innings. Kerry Wood is reportedly making progress and threw off a mound on Sunday. Wood could be activated during the series against the Astros but it appears more likely that Wood will make his first appearance since July 11th against the Cardinals this weekend. With Wood out and the bullpen used quite frequently during the weekend series against the Pirates, an efficient 7-inning outing by Dempster would go a long way towards a win tonight for the Cubs.
While the Cubs have a favorable home schedule during the month of August, tonight is the last night game for the Cubs until next Sunday against the Cardinals. After Sunday, the Cubs have only three night games remaining on the schedule for August.....
Ryan Dempster is coming off a gem in his last start against the Brewers and has allowed only 2 earned runs in his last 3 games. Dempster held the Brewers offense to 1 run on 5 hits in 7 innings with only 1 walk and 9 strikeouts....and the last time he gave up more than 1 run in a single outing was in his last start of the first half against the Giants on July 13th.
Dempster last faced the Astros on the first Sunday following the All-Star break. He tossed 8 innings of shutout ball and picked up his first road win of the season. Dempster must throw strikes tonight and not give the Astros any help.
Dempster is 10-1 in 13 games at Wrigley this season with a 2.72 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.
Tonight will be Dempster's third start of the season against the Astros. Dempster lost to the 'Stros in Houston after Hunter Pence hit a grand slam back in May but picked up the win in Houston the last time he faced Carlos Lee and Company.
Dempster is 1-1 against Houston this season with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP....for his career, 4-8 in 39 games, 13 starts, with 16 saves, a 4.58 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP.
- Brad Ausmus - 6-for-25 with 3 doubles
- Lance Berkman - 12-for-40 with 4 home runs and 11 walks
- Geoff Blum - 11-for-36 with a double and 5 walks
- Michael Bourn - 0-for-3
- Darin Erstad - 0-for-4
- Carlos Lee - 5-for-15 with 2 doubles and a home run
- Mark Loretta - 4-for-14 with a double and a home run
- Kaz Matsui - 1-for-8
- Hunter Pence - 3-for-9 with a home run
- Miguel Tejada - 2-for-6 with a double
Brian Moehler mesmerized the Cubs offense in the first game back following the All-Star break. The Cubs were overly aggressive at the plate and managed only one run on 4 hits in 7 innings....with only one walk. The lone run was a solo home run by Jim Edmonds in the 5th inning.
Moehler is coming off a win against the Reds in which he gave up 2 runs on 7 hits in 8 2/3 innings. Moehler has not lost posted a loss since the 4th of July and has been inconsistent at best this season. Before coming within an out of a complete game against the Reds, he gave up 6 runs, 5 earned, on 9 hits in 2 1/3 innings against the Pirates on July 23rd.
The Cubs must make him work tonight or they will struggle once again against the crafty-righty.
Moehler is 2-2 in 8 games, 6 starts, on the road this season with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP while opponents have hit more than 30 points higher against him on the road.... .293/.260. For his career, Moehler does not have a record in 2 games, 1 start, at Wrigley and the Cubs have scored 4 runs on 9 hits in 7 innings.
Moehler is 0-1 in his first two starts against the Cubs this season with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 8 career games, 5 starts, versus Chicago, Moehler is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.
- Henry Blanco - 1-for-4 with a double
- Ronny Cedeno - 1-for-4
- Mark DeRosa - 1-for-7
- Jim Edmonds - 13-for-37 with 4 doubles and 6 home runs
- Mike Fontenot - 1-for-4 with a double
- Kosuke Fukudome - 1-for-5
- Derrek Lee - 1-for-8 with a home run
- Aramis Ramirez - 5-for-17 with a double and a triple
- Alfonso Soriano - 4-for-9 with a double
- Geovany Soto - 2-for-6 with a home run
- Ryan Theriot - 1-for-6 with a double
- Daryle Ward - 6-for-14 with 3 doubles
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
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Lee. Theriot and DeRosa out of the starting lineup. Will post as soon as the entire lineup is released.
Didnt we just rest DeRo and Theriot?
I don't like this...
According to a report in the Sun-Times, Kerry Wood will be activated on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
good to see Lee get a much needed rest.
Again with Cedeno...I agree with Matt. I don't like this one bit
Tonight's lineup:
Soriano - LF
Fontenot - 2B
Ward - 1B
Ramirez - 3B
Edmonds - CF
Soto - C
Fukudome - RF
Cedeno - SS
Dempster - P
Considering there are 3 starters resting, I like tonights lineup. And I've got a good feeling about tonights double play combo both at the plate and in the field... Gotta have faith.
WOW Did you see Kosuke's throw??? Tejada was gonna be safe even it was a good throw I think.
Hey fella's
I like to see Lee getting the night off.
Time to get that run back.
Does anyone like the games on "The U"??? The sound always is off and the picture is off. Why can't they just go back to having most of thwe games on WGN. How many Cub fans are fans because they were able to watch them on WGN.
D has settled down. Time for the hitters to rise to the occasion. Everybody looks focussed to me so I'm expecting a Cubs' crooked number in the 3rd or 4th.
Good at bat by Cedeno.
Come on Dempt, lets get outta this.
Come on now Offense let's get something going.
I'm feeling a good 4th here.
Hey all,
Seems like Moehler is throwing a lot of strikes...Guys that are showing patience are falling behind 0-2, and guys that are being aggressive are grounding out....
Come on Offense, Let's Go
That ball looked outside on ARam...
well, last year, it was lefty starters that killed us, and finesse righties....this year, it's just finesse righties, so I guess it could be worse
It is amazing how bad they look against this guy....they are swinging early and often. Must make him work.
This guy is very, very hittable. What Cub wants to step up and hit the ball?
Moehler is pitching well, so it will be a little longer before we get our crooked numbers. We all have our own sense of tension which comes from supporting a championship calibre team. That's a lot better than the alternative. That would be no hope and no tension.
LET'S GO OFFENSE, LET'S GO (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)!!!!!
Horrible strike zone by the home plate ump.
Why can't we hit this dude????? Maybe this rain will last long enough so that he can't come back out....I don't like him.
Sweet the reds are winning...bummer Thom Brenaman, or whatever his stupid name is, is doing the game...I REALLY don't like him!
I just hexed Para and the Brewers. Between Cubs innings, I saw that he had a no-hitter in the 4th against the Reds. I watched. A 1 out hit, 2 walks and 2 hits followed and the Reds lead 4-O. Arroyo got a double with the bases loaded in the inning.
Now it's back to the Cubs.
I'm going to preemptively post this link up here for people...If you want the live look of Wrigley:
http://www.cubworld.com/category/a_cubworld_cam
If the Cubs can't do a better job against this outfit they will be one and done come playoff time. That is, if they make the playoffs.
Cory...I am beginning to think it is the softball mentality. They see that pitch coming in. They can see the rotation on the ball, their eyes light up and just try to kill it instead of hitting it where it is pitched.
Neil,
I DEFINITELY agree with that last comment....
at any rate...
Does anyone have info on the weather? I can see the traffic cam...(thank you Trevor), but you can't really see how hard it's coming down. Additionally, they said on the telecast before they went to the Reds game that a tornado warning was in effect. If that's the case, I wonder if they'll just call it? Any information about the weather would be great, especially you Chicago residents. Thanks
I think your right on Neil...it's frustrating for us fans though.
I'm guessing it will be up to the pens after the rain delay. Get the job done Blue!!
Severe Storms and Tornado Warning until 8:15pm C.T.
Update - Tornado Warning until 8:30pm C.T. for central Cook County.
So basically it's over, right? Don't they have some sort of rule about the tornado/lightning sort of thing? I don't think they take chances with that and it's an automatic cancellation, right?
Wow, what a light show! I am in sw suburbs (Bolingbrook) and it is really windy. Hope it settles down and they can continue the game. The kid from Houston is pitching a great game, let's hope they start up again and he loses his momentum. GO CUBS!
Aaron,
Rarely does this last more than 30 minutes to an hour. I think they will get the game going again. This is just a good old midwestern storm.
Whoa! Did you all see Fiedler go after Parra? You think this fires the team up or shows the cracks? I think they are feeling the pressure.
Speaking of tension, Para and Fielder just got into a shoving match in the Brewers' dugout. Four guys restrained Fielder--two a breast.
wow....Brew Crew fighting amongst themselves....could've seen that one coming with Fielder....he's like Manny Ramirez (only cares about himself), and I don't like his attitude at all. It'll be interesting to see what they say about it, and what caused the fracas....it looked more childish than the Z-Barrett fiasco....mostly because Fielder is just that way anyhow....a young team though, probably does not respond very well to situations like that as a veteran team would, so it'll be very interesting
Hey guys,
I stepped out for a sec during the whole Fielder fight thing. Can someone explain to me what happened?
Austin,
It appeared that him and Parra (the pitcher) were jawing at each other. it didn't really seem like Parra instigated anything, and as the announcers said, it looked like it was Fielder doing ALL of the shoving
This is another putrid offensive show against another No-Name pitcher.... They better put some runs on the board....
GRR!!!
Thanks Aaron
http://www.weather.com/outlook/events/sports/map/interactive/USIL0225?from=36hr_svrWarn_events&zoom=8&interactiveMapLayer=radar
I don't know if that link will work for you guys, but the radar doesn't exactly look good, plus Trevor's camera shows a rain splattered view, so I dunno......
Let the record show that Cordero closed out the Brewers in the 9th saving a 6-3 victory for the Reds.
hey, Trevor's cam seems to be showing a mass exodus from the park. Can anyone shed light on that? Anyone in Wrigleyville right now?
Have they announced anything?
Additionally, suppose this game is cancelled....Neil, can you remember rules regarding that? Is the game picked up where it left off (which is what I thought it changed to), or does the score stand?
Aaron, this is an official game. With the Cubs completing the bottom of the 5th.
I am not sure of all the new rules, but I think that because the Cubs completed their half of the inning it cannot be resumed.
Neil...I am not sure but isn't there something about if the home team is within 2 or 3 runs then it can resume?
The Sun-Times is reporting the ground crew is working on the warning track and they are going to try get this one in.
Another update....the grounds crew is out and on the tarp.
Duas, I am checking. All of the new rules a couple of years back is kinda confusing.
It reads...if this happens, then this will happen ad so on.
I am almost positive this is an offical game.
thanks neil continue with the updates!
awesome Neil...thanks for the update. So you think it's gonna happen?
Here is a link that explains the new rules. Start reading at Rule 4.10 to Rule 4.11
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/04_starting_ending_game.pdf
Neil...I didn't think this was an official game yet because we are the home team, losing, and the end of the 5th hasn't happened yet.. (unless Soriano was out when I left the room). 4.12?
i hate legal language...."shall", "in the event", blah blah blah...
Hello guys. I just heard on ESPN that if this game is not resumed, the game is official and we loose. The rules are very confusing and espn has shown they are far from being experts, but they might have that one right. Let's hope we can resume play and can get to their bullpen that has been VERY solid lately. It is due for a bad outing after giving up 0.00 ER in 11 innings against the mets.
Trevor....Soriano grounded out to 2B to end the 5th. The game is in the top of the 6th....
Here is a radar image....
http://www.weather.com/weather/map/interactive/USIL0225?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared
Ahhh, I missed Soriano grounding out...yep the game is official and we need it to resume!
Aaron, I make my living on "legal" language! Let the lawyer bashing commence! ;)
Hey guys.
Just saw the Brewer fight. Looked like Parra didnt even see it coming.
That Prince just tried to blindside him. Fielder is something else..
I really want this one to start back up. We've gotta a chance here.
Trevor, well...then I need to be talking to you about business language that I need written up :)
Anyone have a link to the Brewer fight?
when are they gonna announce when the game restarts or if its postponed?
Just announced a 10:20pm C.T. for the restart
It is only 8pm here...you guys will be falling asleep soon, I am sure.
Arizona rules!!!
(high-fiving Jeff from AZ)
where did u hear that?
WGN Radio
thaks neil
lol Aaron..
OK, did you all hear Yost's comments about the fight and it being like a family and how when your neighbors are fighting its rude to go ask them about it????
First, it truly may not be a big deal. These things happen in the clubhouses more often that we know I'm sure.
Second, without blowing the comments out of proportion, I think Yost's choice of words probably weren't the best. "We are a family, we fight, when your neighbors are fighting its rude to knock on the door and ask them about it". No, its not the same at all. You are professional athletes on live TV, meaning, in public. So expect some questions. And if your neighbors are fighting that loud, they should expect to be asked some questions as well, preferably by a gentlemen carrying a badge.
lol! Jason B. from AZ, thats 11:20 here in P.R. damn...I guess i'll show up sleepy @ work tommorrow.
Hey guys the game is going to resume in the next couple of minutes.
BTW..I just got home from Wrigley and it was probably the most terrifying scenes I have witnessed in a LONG time. My seats are in the grand stand and I have NEVER seen wind blow like that before. It is very hard to explain, but lets just say people were holding on to their seats and railings because the wind was so fierce. It started as people cheering for the lightening and ended to be pretty freaky. Lets just say I am pretty happy to be home safe.
I thought the same thing Trevor.
I just didnt have the time to articulate it.
But horrid choice of words. He seems kinda buffoonish..
don't worry so much about the brewers... focus on the game at hand....we can only control what we can control...... we must find a way to put runs up....
Stop being freaking Gossip columnists guys!
Shaun,
glad you got home safe.....so what was the deal? Did they tell everyone to bail over the PA or something? I saw a huge cluster of people near the gates from Trevor's cam link that he sent us, so I figured something had to be up
Still want to see Prince blow up
Fontenot needs to get on base here... One of Ward, Ramirez and Edmonds has to get a solid base hit
Ridiculous swing by Fontenot on a shoulder high 3-2 fastball..
all in favor of getting rid of daryle ward and calling up micha hoffpauir?
Ward looks hopeless at the plate... I wouldn't put him in the game in any situation
this is total BS.... stupid freaking offense... how about a couple of walks, some discipline... disgraceful
There ya go Baron
15 for 65 for Daryl Ward with 2 HR and 16 strikeouts....
This guy is no longer a major league hitter... that is pathetic from your main hitter off the bench.... Hoffpauir for Ward in a heartbeat.... Ward needs to diet and trim his enormous, Alabama Ass.
Baron....Ward needs to start hitting. I still wonder if he is hurt and not telling anyone.
After 16 hits and 7 runs in his last 10 innings, Mohler shuts out the Cubs on the road tonite..... That Flame throwing Cy young candidate Mohler.....
This team better score at least 4 runs tonight.....
Baron..
=(
Take it back!
Baron,
I completely agree about Ward....I laughed my ass off when I heard a report that he supposedly "slimmed" down significantly during his recent DL stint...it was pretty comical.
I, too, would love to see the Hoff, but I guess we'll have to wait til September
It's raining again....
Neil, I don't know about hurting... but have you seen a major league hitter with a bigger backside in your life....??
I second the Hoffpauir for Ward swap. I can not believe that Ward even gets a start.
oops, Sorry Matt Haggard.
Baron as long as he hits....I do not care.
I do question what value he has if he is not performing.
With this weather, they need to put up a 3 spot after Lenny sings the stretch....
chad gaudain is nasty fellas all in favor of him as the 5th starter next year? he pitched rly well in the milwaukee series too and has been great
Hey Neil,
I'm going to be in Chi-town the whole of Thanksgiving week... Any chance of a Drink-a-thon with CCO'ers in town? I know you don't drink BTW... and i can't understand it.
It would be close between the shark and Gaudain. Either one would be better than Marquis.
Haha, its cool.
Gaudin's awake.
It would be nice if his offense responded in kind!
I'm beginning to agree about Ward. But I do wonder if he's hurt. He's too good of a hitter when 100 percent.
Despite my scandalous Masseuse accusations of Marquis earlier in the season... the guy has battled decently, and I can't diss him so much...... He is at least keeping the team in the game --- 3,4 runs in 6 ain't bad for a 5th starter.....
but our offensive is more whimsical than my ex-girfriend... Hot and Cold like a MOFO
I wonder if they'd do that with Wood coming back, where they place either Marquis or Eyre on waivers in hopes of trading them for a low level minor leaguer, and inserting him to the rotation.....HOWEVER, as much as I'd love Gaudin in the rotation, you have to understand that his main value is to the pen with Wuertz being sent down, Howry not performing, Eyre not performing....I mean, if you have Gaudin, Cotts, Samardzija, Marmol, and Wood in the pen, and you keep Howry/Eyre, then that's tolerable, but not if you move Gaudin out to the rotation
Aaron... I gotta vote for Ward for demotion.....
Off all the guys on the roster, with Fontenot and Reed Johnson/Edmonds on the bench, I see no use for him...... He is pretty useless with a .230 avg, 2 HR and 0 defense on the season....
I would keep Howry and Eyre for losing situations
So close...
Ugh, I wanna puke...
Damn, DeRo...
That DeRosa shot was like the stripper at Admiral I spent $200 on while drinking non-alcoholic beer, who swore she was going to come to Boston to meet me....
Is That LaTroy Hawkins I see warming up.... Pretty Please.... be patient with him.... Hes gonna throw at least 5 pitches down the middle of the plate... I guarantee
Cotts pitches so slow...
who ever didnt think the one derosa hit off the bat was a homer shouldnt call themselves a cubs fan
Nice of em to hold the game up while I played softball...lol I was shocked to see the game still going...
D-Ro....DAMN!!! Close!!
I'm watching the Astros feed.....they showed the groundscrew guy who fell and got swept under the tarp and had to wait for them to roll it all the way off....Too damn funny!!
wow i got a good laugh when i saw there pitching latroy hawkins....if we dont get some runs off of him i will be embarrassed
jj,
I got sick to my stomach about that DeRosa shot...I jumped out of my seat and screamed, and woke up my wife because of it
Cmon....Latroy??? Let's get him!!
LOL they showed Berkman in the Astros dugout taking all his chains off cause of the lightning...lol
Pretty Wicked!!
hahaha thats legit
Someone needs to hit a game winning HR into the lights.
I honestly think the players are playing scared right now because of the lightning, and to be honest, I don't blame them at all. I'd cancel the game too
LaTroy Hawkins makin the team look like AA guys.....
and Lance Berkman ran off the field like a big freaking pussy..
Why didn't Lou just start Blanco while he was at it? Stupid to expect an offense to click with Ward, Fontenot, and Cedeno in the lineup, considering they are currently bench players.
I have no problem with resting Lee, but if you are going to do it, why screw up the rest of the lineup? Makes no sense.
Berkman is a wuss...he needs to go bowling with Lee Trevino some time.
Neil,
Can they call the game now? I wouldn't think so since the Cubbies did not complete the inning.
Berkman just HAULED ass of the field with that lightning strike...lol Funniest thing I have seen!!
I agree with you 95 percent Jason.
Just not the Berkman part. Im terrified of lightning.
You have a better chance of winning the lottery than being struck by lightning.
Berkman is a pussy! I loved that Reed was dogging him!
Jason, I actually did not have a problem with Lou trying a different lineup against Moehler. The 'A' team did not fare too well the last time.
I think they will call this....second delay and heavy downpour.
Now would be a great time to send out Howry to throw a simulated game in the mound with Ward catching...just kidding! It looked scary out there, at least this way it cannot be suspended and the last innings would have to be resumed today or tommorrow.
Matt Haggard,
You have less statistical chance of being hit by lightning than I do of winning the World Series of Poker and never having to sweat this gut-wrenching team for 162 games again
Agustin... nice to have you on...
dude -- what do you think of Pacquiao - De La Hoya... a total BS farce if you ask me...... Oscar needs to man up and take on Margarito..
Agustin...great point. But for some reason the Astros' staff has the Cubs number right now. I would rather them face Roy O tomorrow than Wandy Rodriguez.
any updates neil?
Trust me Baron, I know the stats.
But, believe you me, when I see that flash I jump a mile hile. I look so silly and pussed out. Won't deny it.
Its psychological. Can't overide it with reason.
Its my one fear.
I like to go storm chasing with classmates, and I love hurricanes. But when I'm outside of cover and it is lightning - I freak, haha.
That said. I REALLY want to finish this game and bury the Brewers. And LaTroy is pitching. We can spank him!!!
Even though I thought Berkman running off was funny....I sure dont think he is a wuss or a pussy as described.... I know I would have ran my ass off with that lightening shot....ESPN had a great view of it looked like it was gonna jolt the scorboard.
I agree that the players looked like they were playing a bit scared....
I also agree....HOFFPAUIR for WARD....what does the kid have to do to get s spot? And he needs to be on the roster by the end of the month for a playoff spot...
Hoping for a Fontenot double, followed by a Ward double, followed by a Ramirez 3-run Homer, to give us a 3-2 lead, followed by loads and loads of rain, if necessary, for a win.
Hoping for a Fontenot double, followed by a Ward double, followed by a Ramirez 3-run Homer, to give us a 3-2 lead, followed by loads and loads of rain, if necessary, for a win.
BTW. Roy Halladay is a beast.... He may not have as good of stuff as AJ Burnett, but he is 10 times the pitcher... Just pitched out his 175th inning ALREADY, for his 13th win -- 7 complete games on the year... this guy never ceases to amaze me
To think about it, I'll take 2 walks and a 3-run shot.
Hey Chicago guys... is this game gonna re-start soon or can I hit the sack??? I'm out in beantown and its well past midnite here... the man has come a-callin
Neil yes and like you mentioned...this is a red hot Astros team. They have lacked pitching all season but when they pitch well they are extremely tough. True they have had our number but we have no excuse to not performing against their bullpen. That is why we need this one to be resumed today...to have a better shot[hopefully]. Please 6 up on the Brewers would be sweet!
baron, I think DelaHoya is a clown and Margarito would eat him alive any day. Oscar is done the same way Tito Trinidad is. My choice would be Margarito/Mayweather after the Cotto rematch!
JJ...nothing. It does not look good.
Agustin,
I think you might have held Cotto in too high a regard as a welterweight... His biggest 147 wins were against Zab Judah and Alfonoso Gomez... a couple of big clowns....
His dominance really was at 140.... Margarito showed Cotto's biggest weakeness.... that left hook to the body doesnt really affect big 147 pounders, and even guys like De La Hoya and Trinidad... I think Cotto would have his hands full with Paul Williams/Joshua Clottey -- even Oscar(Ugghh)
Margarito is an animal man.... he gets me goin big time.... There's talk about him fighting Kelly Pavlik at a 155 catch-weight... that would be very interesting... Leonard-Hearns II....
BTW... Wilfredo Benitez and Tito still outshine Cotot as far as PR fighters for me, hands down... Tito at 147 was a crunching puncher
how long could they possibly wait this out?
Here is a link to the Fielder-Para scuffle....
http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?categoryId=2521705&brand=null&videoId=3519633&n8pe6c=1
err... by Leonard - Hearns II I meant Leonard-Hagler II, but my continuous consumption of Rye Whiskey is making me type funny
Neil, Oh NO!!! not you too!!!
It's this Britney Spears influence.... guys are becoming more obsessed with moronic fights in other clubhouses....
The game was just called. It is a final, 2-0 Houston.
::sigh::
baron, remember this name. Juan Manuel Lopez. I see him taking Pacman if guiven the chance. He is the best I have ever seen. Trust me.
Sorry CCO for all the boxing talk. It was ignited by Fielder-Parra and the thunder!
A pathetic offensive show ----- and the team needs to pick it up.... given our brutal september schedule, Milwaukee's loss tonight, and their Dr. Phil moment, this was a MUST-WIN... Harden has to simply CRUSH Wandy Rodriguez tomorrow... no question... that is most definitely a MUST-WIn
Baron...not spreading rumors or anything. This is news and I felt it was worth posting. I am not saying anything about it in a negative way.
This is the same as Barrett-Zambrano last year in my opinion.
Why? the rules say it has to be played. Or maybe not because the winning runs were scored earlier than the Astros 8th? Damn.
this sucks just wait it out
Whatever...Brewers lost and Cards didnt play...get em tomorrow
Neil,
I don't have a problem with a different lineup, but Ward in the #3 spot? What is the rationale there...just because he is playing for Lee at 1B? He is, arguably, the worst hitter in the lineup today...so put him #8 at least.
To me, experimenting would have been Fontenot at 2B, DeRosa at 1B. with Ramirez sliding down to the #3 spot, followed by Edmonds, Soto, and DeRosa. Then we still have some punch in the lineup.
I just don't care how hot a team is...we are the best team in the NL right now, and have been practically all year. Teams need to fear us, and not the other way around.
Oh well...go get 'em tomorrow!
Jason B... you are spot on... why would you put a .230 hitter with 2 HR in the 3 hole???
Its an ass clown move by Piniella that most ass-kissing people can't see for its stupidity.
If Soriano hadn't returned, this team's offensive woes would have continued. When the multi-million dollar signing that is Fukudome is playing MUCH MUCH more like Kaz Matsui than Ichirio or Hideki Matusi, something is up with the offense......
Soriano HAS made a significant difference the past few days, not just cause of his power but because of his ability to hit bad pitchs..... Everyone else on the team has to have it hanging, or straight down the middle.... Soriano is the only guy that has the Vlad Guerrero, Nomar quality to hit pitchers out of the zone......
We suck against this Astro team...thank goodness we don't play them more. Seriously Lee kills us.... Hunter Pence has like a .250BA but KILLS US!!! Tejada creams us and I know 1st hand...because I've had him on my fantasy team....he saves his best for us...Moehler...he's like frik'n Mad Dog in his prime everytime he faces us! Throw in S##tty weather and here's what you get!
It sucks but you deal with it!
I really hate that we ALWAYS get everyone's best shot but I know that it eventually will be worth it when we finally win it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason...I agree on all points and my thoughts exactly when I saw the lineup.
Baron....see 1969. Piniella has to give his regulars time off.....Period. This team has appeared tired for most of the second half and they are on the back side of 20 straight without a day off.
Soriano being out for as long as he was had bigger effects on this team than we realize. Not only did they miss his production but Piniella could not rotate guys and get them time off like he had planned.
You can call that statement whatever you would like, but those are the facts. With all of the day games at Wrigley, Piniella must treat his team differently than managers that play a majority of their home games at night.
While the Cubs are home for most of this month, as I pointed out in the game preview, most of the games are during the day. That is not a break or a benefit to the team.
The entire roster must perform and for the most part it has. But players like Ward, Cedeno and Blanco must contribute when called upon.
When Mike Fontenot has become the big left-handed bat off the bench, it might be time to find out what is wrong with the guy that is being paid to do 'nothing' but hit the ball.
Here's hoping the Astros hit Rush Street hard tonight and we get the next two games!