Game One Hundred Nineteen: Cubs (71-47) vs. Braves (55-63)
Game Time - 12:10pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 188
Location - Turner Field, Atlanta
Jason Marquis (7-7, 4.73/1.44) vs. Charlie Morton (3-5, 5.70/1.43)
Let's Play Two - Game One
Game Two Scheduled to start at 6:10pm C.T. - Rich Harden vs. Jorge Campillo
After a big win on Sunday night, a day off on Monday and rain on Tuesday night, Ernie Banks should be happy but today poses a difficult challenge for the Cubs. The Cubs and Braves are scheduled to play a day-night doubleheader with the first game scheduled for a 12:10pm C.T. start. Jason Marquis will start the first game instead of Rich Harden while Bobby Cox will send Charlie Morton to the mound in the first of two. Marquis has never beaten the organization that drafted him with a supplemental pick in the 1996 draft and has a robust ERA to prove it.
Lou Piniella's crew will face a team in Atlanta with a Braves' uniform on but a team with a much different roster from the one they swept in Chicago in the second week in June (June 10 - June 12). Mark Teixeira was traded to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and injuries have decimated the Braves this season and their record shows it. At one point in this year, the Braves had the best home record in the game.
The Braves a 5-5 in the last 10 and Piniella must keep his team focused. They will face a very hot Jorge Campillo tonight and Tom Glavine on Thursday plus every team will be looking to knock the Cubs out of first place. The Cubs struggles on the road this season are well-documented, 26-30, but have won their last 5 in a row away from Wrigley.
With the rainout on Tuesday night, the Cubs will play 6 games in the next 5 days....weather permitting. The weatherman is calling for a 60% chance of rain this morning in Atlanta and clearing out as the day progresses. The night game should go off without a hitch, but could be a little delayed. The forecast for Thursday is a cool 86 degrees and sunny. As far as Miami this weekend, chance of rain everyday with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. The Cubs difficult road trip was made even more challenging with the rainout and the Brewers picking up a game in the past two days. Milwaukee is just 3 games back of the Cubs while St. Louis is 7 behind at the beginning of play today.
In other news.... According to several reports Lou Piniella has put Kosuke Fukudome "on notice" and sent a message to his right fielder through the press that he either starts hitting or risk losing playing time to Reed Johnson and Mike Fontenot. Piniella is thinking of running Mark DeRosa out to right to get playing time for Fontenot or substituting Johnson in right for the struggling Fukudome who is just 3-for-28 this month.
Ron Santo will not be broadcasting with Pat Hughes on this road trip. Santo made the announcement on Sunday he would be taking the next week off. Santo said he felt great but with the team traveling to the always hot Atlanta and Miami, he felt it was better for him to remain in Chicago and rejoin Pat Hughes when the Cubs open a 3-game series at Wrigley against Dusty Baker and the new-look Reds on August 19th.
And finally.... A 104-year old Cubs' fan would like to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley if the Cubs make the playoffs.
Jason Marquis was scheduled to start tonight's game so he will be pitching on regular rest this afternoon....and hopefully he will be focused enough to post his first victory against the Braves and start the road trip, as well as the day, out on a positive note.
Marquis is coming off his first win since the third week in June against the Astros in the series finale last Wednesday. Marquis was the benefactor of a Mark DeRosa Grand Slam and a 3-run home run by Alfonso Soriano....an even drove in a run with a double in the 8-run 3rd inning. Marquis settled down after allowing 4 runs in the 3rd inning and picked up his 7th victory of the season. Marquis was very 'Marquis-like' for the first 4 innings of the game....inconsistent. Lou Piniella was able to leave him in after the offensive explosion and Marquis rewarded his manager's patience by eating up a few more innings in a game he appeared headed for an early shower.
Piniella needs Marquis to pitch the way he is capable today and shake the second half struggles he is starting to display.
Marquis is 3-3 in 9 road starts this season with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.
As mentioned, Jason Marquis has never beaten the Atlanta Braves. He is 0-3 in 4 starts with a 14.04 ERA (that is not a typo) and a 2.40 WHIP (again not a typo) while the Braves have hit .407 against him (for the third time, not a typo)....at Turner Field, 7-10 in 49 games, 21 starts, with a 4.99 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Last season, 0-1 in one start with a 10.80 ERA and a 4.20 WHIP. Marquis lasted just 1 2/3 innings on June 9th in Atlanta and gave up 6 runs, 2 earned, on 4 hits with a strikeout and 3 walks.
- Yunel Escobar - no official at bat, 1 walk
- Jeff Francoeur - 1-for-5
- Kelly Johnson - 1-for-5
- Chipper Jones - 4-for-6 with 3 home runs
- Brian McCann - 1-for-5 with a walk
Charlie Morton will make his first career start against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon. Morton has performed adequately thus far in his first go around through the majors....but the Cubs might be picking the wrong time to face him for the first time. The Cubs have struggled in recent memory facing pitchers they had little to no history against. While Morton struggled early on, he has been very good of late.
Morton was 1-3 in 5 starts in July with a 9.53 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP but in his last 2 starts he was 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP while holding opponents to a .180 average....a huge improvement from the .309 average the opposition hit against him in July.
Morton has yet to win at Turner Field and is 0-4 in 5 starts with a 8.39 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. He held the Brewers to 2 runs on 4 hits in 7 innings with a walk and 4 strikeouts on August 2nd but CC Sabathia beat him 4-2.
In his last start in Arizona, Morton tossed 7 innings of shutout ball and surrendered just 5 hits with a walk and 4 strikeouts....
If Morton gets comfortable on the mound....it could be a long afternoon for the Cubs' offense.
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
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I will be the first to say to the 104 year old Cubs fan.
Yes, Yes, Yes.
That would be excellent if he could throw out the first pitch.
What has CC Sabathia done? He's shut out a bunch of really really lousy teams (which is to be expected from a good pitcher) and struggled against the one good team he did face (the Cubs), nearly even taking the loss. When Sabathia shuts out the Cardnials or the Dodgers or Phillies, or no hits a team that isn't the Nationals, then maybe we can talk about the Cy Young. But so far? He's done what you'd expect from a pitcher that's good but not great.
sabthia went cg shutout vs the cards i live in milwaukee im a cubs fan the guy has just been lights out man idc who hes facing
Lets not kid ourselves.
CC is BA. Bottom line.
But the Brewers have to go to the west coast. Staying as hot as they have been lately will be a tough task even against the wacky west.
Lets hope San Diego and LA show them a 'good time' while the Cub take care of business in Atlanta.
Light this jobber up!
Raining in Atlanta.....
Tonight's lineup:
Soriano - LF
Fukudome - RF
Lee - 1B
Ramirez - 3B
Edmonds - CF
DeRosa - 2B
Soto - C
Theriot - SS
Harden - P
Rained out. DH tomorrow.
Olympics for two days in a row? I don't know if I can take it any longer...
GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...........
Well, to say the least our boys should be nice and rested!
How about we start the day off right and win the first of two.
Lineup for Game 1:
Soriano - LF
Fukudome - RF
Lee - 1B
Ramirez - 3B
Edmonds - CF
DeRosa - 2B
Soto - C
Theriot - SS
Marquis - P
Are we sure that this game is on WGN? My fios guide says its just gonna be the news.
The game is not on mlb.tv or radio
bummer
Cubbies look like they're swinging away...don't like what I'm seeing...
scratch that... i found the mlb.tv link through yahoo
mlb.com doesnt have an icon for it today, weird
baron...yeah, I had to "backdoor" it as well...that is weird.
back to back walks...maybe they heard me?
Nice Job SOTO!!
SOTO!!!! YESSSSS
Marquis' at bat changed that inning.
He needed to get that bunt down.
EDMONDS!!!!
What is the deal with those two little girls? Is it just me, or do the voices of little girls pierce through EVERYTHING? I can't even hear the game...all I hear is little girl! GET A JOB LITTLE GIRL! If you're going to be missing school, make something useful of yourself, rather than spoiling my viewing pleasure!!
Being aggressive on the base paths.
Mario you made me laugh aloud.
I love how wrong I have been about Edmonds.
yeah...especially after the series against the goddam Cardinals.
Edmonds!!!
Fukudome is not helping himself out at all.
What was the on field delay?
Fukudome is 2 for his last 28 AB's, with a ~.280 OBP in the past 34 games Since July 1... BIG problems there....
Nick, the lights had been turned on, but the rules say that they can only be turned on to start an inning so they had to wait 'til they were shut back off.
Jimmy again!
HOLLYWOOD... Dude is just Rakin!!
Edmonds comes through again!
Thanks Jim.
Sorry all, but all I have today is gameday. Can anyone say why Cox was ejected?
Thatta boy DeRo, keep the line movin!
DeRo! Let's keep tacking on the runs so Marquis can give us a nice long outing.
Eric, arguing with Joe West about the lights.
Thanks Neil.
Big double play!
Great game so far. Been listening on the radio. Hollywood is so cool!
Think Lou should start sitting starter in hope that some of them can start game two. (See Soto, Geovany)
Even if he sits him now, I think that Geo should get a rest tonight. I mean with Rich throwing against an unproven young pitcher hopefully we won't need Geo's bat. He could use the rest to keep his bat hot.
True that.
I just want to create some division within the division if ya get what I'm saying.
But it will be nice to rest some guys with the always tough Florida looming. Thankfully we have such an incredible bench.
I think Lou took out Marquis too early...
MATT DAAMON!!
Duas, I was thinking the same thing, but they just mentioned on the radio broadcast that because last night's game was cancelled Jason may come back on Sunday, on three day's rest because they won't bring Rich back on three day's rest.
Matt I was thinking the same thing. That and keep Marquis in their to keep our bullpen fresh.
My response was a little late for Marquis.
If the Cubs win game 1 (they better), that will be 6 wins in a row on the road. Now THAT'S the kind of sign I am looking for from a team with designs on a World Series.
Since they are playing a double header, I am surprised Lou pulled Marquis so soon. Especially since Harden, who usually only goes 6, is pitching tonight. I think Lou has been burned too many times lately, by keeping his starters in longer than he should have and had the game get out of hand very quickly.
There has to be a reason fukudome is in this slump. Is he homesick? Tired? Something mechanical? Can someone ask the interpreter to ask him.
Geo is out now.
Wow, Sori just got thrown at and whoever the guy is for ATL (he was making his Major Leauge debut) gets run.
SOTO!!!
Another On Field Delay?
I never condone (sp?) throwing at somebody's head but Soriano asked for that one.
greg, I think his stratagy is that he when for the hitting in the first game and plans to win with pitching the second. While the backups are in there.
Not a bad stratagy. Seems to have worked so far.
As far as Fukodome, if its mechanical, nobody will be able to help him. His style is so unorthadox, there is nobody on in Cubs management that can help him, except him. I would think at least.
Soriano 'admired' his long single his last time up and the Braves did not like it. They threw over his head.
What happened, I'm stuck at work, somebody please explain.
Maybe Howry should always fall like that.
Maybe it'll help?
Just kidding.
Anybody think Chipper Jones is going to get hit by a pitch in the night cap?
First at bat.
That is if what happeded is what I think happened
Yeah...I just hope Harden doesn't get ejected in the first or second inning....like Lilly did last year
The Cubs should not risk injury, ejections, fines, or suspensions with a payback pitch. We are in a divisional race and the Brewers are going to continue to win.
The best thing to do is move on. If we were not in contention I'd be all for sticking it in Chipper's ear, but we can't afford it and the cowardly Braves know that.
The ball did not leave the park so I'm not sure why the Braves decided to throw at Sori. Sori is the one who looked stupid, not Atlanta.
25 GAMES OVER .500. WOULD NEED TO GO 28-15 THE REST OF THE WAY TO FINISH 100-62.
I SAW THAT THE CUBS RANKED 1ST IN ON-BASE PERCENTAGE FOR OVER A MONTH NOW, BUT BOSTON'S 19-17 WIN OVER THE RANGERS, PUT THEM .000007 AHEAD. I THINK WE JUST REPASEED THEM WITH THAT WIN OVER ATLANTA. BUT I ONLY WANT 1 THING, A WORLD SERIES OF...
2008 WORLD SERIES CUBS WIN SERIES 4-1
GAME 1 CUBS 6 RED SOX 3
GAME 2 RED SOX 7 CUBS 4
GAME 3 CUBS 10 RED SOX 6
GAME 4 CUBS 4 RED SOX 2
GAME 5 CUBS 2 RED SOX 0
THESE 2 FRANCHISES ARE ON THE RISE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE RECKONED WITH AND FEARED BY MANY OVER THE NEXT 10-13 YEARS. I ONLY KIDDING ABOUT THAT WORLD SERIES PREDICTION, BUT I WOULDN'T MIND IT HAPPENING!
GOD BLESS YOU!
MATT DAAMON!!
Neil,
I believe they threw at Soriano because he tried to steal second when the Cubs had a 6 or 7 run lead.
Maybe it was combination of both.
I too hope the Cubs don't retaliate.
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080813&content_id=3300941&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc
Samardzija could start Sunday!!!
I would much rather Marshall start Sunday. Samardzija is still young and getting accustomned to his role in the bullpen. I know he said he's be up for it, but what's he gonna say, no? The worst idea to me is to bring back Jason on 3 days rest, that's just playing with fire. Marshall is more then capable of starting and pitching well, I hope we see him Sunday.
Filling in for Jim in Tinley....
NATION REPRESENT!
CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!
Roland....Soriano hit a ball he thought was a home run. He admired it, it hit off the top of the wall.
In his next at bat, they threw over his head. Reports are indicating he is sorry for what he did but is upset.