Game One Hundred Thirty-Six: Cubs (85-50) vs. Phillies (73-62)
Game Time - 2:55pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: FOX Saturday Baseball - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 185
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ted Lilly (13-7, 4.23/1.31) vs. Brett Myers (7-10, 4.49/1.40)
It's the last Saturday in August and happy Labor Day weekend from everyone here at the CCO.... The Cubs offense will face a tough customer today in the red hot Brett Myers. Myers has been dominant of late and has always pitched well against the Cubs....but that was without Jim Edmonds in the lineup, who has very good career numbers against the Phillies' right hander.
A win today would give the Cubs 10 straight series wins (9-0-1) of at least two games or more for the first time since they won 10 straight in 1907. Ted Lilly has been good of late as well but he must keep the ball down and in the park as much as possible against the team with the most longballs in the National League. As Mr. Robinson use to say, today's word boys and girls is "solo".....as in limit the home runs to just solo shots.
In other news.... Expect additions to the big league club starting on Monday. Reports are suggesting the Cubs could increase their active roster to 32 or 33 players over the next few weeks. According to a report from Bruce Miles, the Cubs will call up 3-4 players next week from Triple A and they will likely not pull from the Double-A Tennessee squad this September.
Jon Lieber should be activated from the DL, as well as Angel Guzman....which would require a 40-man roster move. Koyie Hill will be added to the 40-man and be recalled and Micah Hoffpauir should remain with the big club for the remainder of the season. Dave Kaplan mentioned on Friday night that if the Cubs do make the post season, Hoffpauir would likely be on the playoff roster if he continues to hit the way he has this summer for both Chicago and Iowa. Kevin Hart, Felix Pie and Michael Wuertz will also be up at some point in the upcoming month.
Fasten Those Seatbelts....
Ted Lilly is coming off his seventh quality start in his last eight games with his 13th win of the year at Pittsburgh. Lilly gave up 3 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings with all 3 runs coming off two longballs. Lilly struck out 7 for the second straight start with only 1 walk and in his last 5 outings, Lilly owns a solid strikeout to walk ratio....31 k's to only 10 free passes.
Lilly must keep the walks to a minimum today and when he serves up the longball he must make sure they are only solo shots. In 28 starts this season, Lilly has given up 29 homers. The Phillies will go deep against Lilly today, it is up to the 'Bulldog' to hold the damage to a minimum.
Lilly has pitched slightly better on the road than at Wrigley and is 6-4 in 13 starts with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with 13 home runs.
Today will mark Lilly's sixth start of the month, he is 3-1 in the first 5 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. With Piniella having to use Jeff Samardzija and Carlos Marmol for more than one inning he will probably be working with a short pen this afternoon. Coupled with the uncertainty that has become Carlos Zambrano, it is important for Lilly to turn in another quality start.
Lilly lost to the Phillies in his third start of the season back on April 12th. Cole Hamels silenced the Cubs' offense and Lilly gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in 4 2/3 innings with 4 strikeouts and no walks.
For his career, Lilly is 1-2 in 3 starts versus Philadelphia with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.
- Pat Burrell - 1-for-6 with 2 walks
- Pedro Feliz - 4-for-10 with 2 home runs
- Ryan Howard - 2-for-6 with a double and a home run
- Jimmy Rollins - 1-for-7 with a double
- Carlos Ruiz - 0-for-7
- Chase Utley - 1-for-6 with a double
- Shane Victorino - 2-for-7
- Jayson Werth - 2-for-9
Brett Myers season has not gone as planned. After spending time in the minors this season, Myers has returned to the Phillies and has been just about unhittable....or least unscored upon. Myers has not allowed a single run, earned or unearned, in his last 2 starts (16 innings) against the Dodgers and Nationals. Myers tossed a complete game shutout against the Nationals on August 20th despite giving up 9 hits.
Myers is 3-1 in his last 5 starts with a 1.47 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and only 7 walks....since his return from the minors, 4-1 in 7 games with a 1.66 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
Myers has been lights out of late, as well as dominant against the Cubs in his career, but if the Cubs can remain patient and make him work....well, a 10th series win in a row is a strong possibility. Myers has thrown a lot of pitches of late and has not faced an offense similar to the Cubs since he pitched in St. Louis on August 3rd.
Myers has won just once in 13 starts on the road this season and is 1-7 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP....nearly 5 more runs on the road than at home (2.77 home ERA). During the day, Myers struggles as well....1-3 in 6 starts with a 6.55 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP, at night 3.91 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.
Myers beat the Cubs in Philly back on April 11th, 5-3. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and no walks....all 3 runs were scored off of solo home runs by Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano.
Myers is 6-3 with a save and 2 complete games in 12 appearances, 8 starts, versus the Cubs in his career with a 2.63 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.
- Mark DeRosa - 4-for-10
- Jim Edmonds - 6-for-15 with a double, a triple, a home run and 6 walks
- Kosuke Fukudome - 0-for-4
- Derrek Lee - 12-for-25 with 4 doubles, a triple and 3 home runs
- Aramis Ramirez - 7-for-24 with 2 doubles and 2 home runs
- Alfonso Soriano - 5-for-20 with 3 home runs
- Geovany Soto - 0-for-3
- Ryan Theriot - 1-for-4
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
LOL, Neil....Mr. Rogers, too, used to say "solo" so low that you could hardly hear him. And I understand that Agustin is saying the Cubs have been august in august. It will help Ted today if Tom has told the winds to blow in. Go Cubs!!!
Today's lineup:
Soriano - LF
Theriot - SS
Lee - 1B
Ramirez - 3B
Edmonds - CF
DeRosa - 2B
Fukudome - RF
Soto - C
Lilly - P
Bruce Levine replayed an interview with Piniella a short time ago. Here are a few bullet points:
- Zambrano is not hurt, arm is tired and he may receive extra rest. Piniella is toying with Marshall making a spot start in September.
- The players being called up and Piniella mentioned Lieber by name, will be used. He said they are not just being called up for being called up and will earn their paycheck.
My two cents worth.... It might be wise for Piniella to use Marshall a couple of times in the rotation down the stretch and maybe consider a 6-man rotation. Dempster and Lilly could only benefit from the extra rest as well.
With that said, there is still a lot of ball left to play and the Cubs have not won anything. Marshall has proven he can pitch and win at the major league level and if he can pick up a couple of wins as well as give the likes of Zambrano, Harden, Dempster and Lilly extra time between starts it could benefit them down the road.
Good news on Z's health, Neil. I'm with you on stretching out Marshall a couple of times to rest Z.
Tonight, the Slowey's of slow speed internet fame(as we are called by a few friends) will be taking in the last home game of the AAA Indianapolis Indians. That would be us and another couple (even older) who root for the despicable Cardinals. The guy and I were roommates in college, and we are lucky that our first wives enjoy the games too. So it's up to you younger Faithful and Gramps to keep everyone on their toes tonight.
Offense needs to make Myers throw more than 13 pitches this inning...
Hey guys. Pretty Saturday here in the south and in Chicago it seems.
SOTO!!
God, this guy rocks.
Nice inning and the 79th RBI for Soto....looked like they caught another break on a play at first.
Hey Matt!
Lee has 2 singles. Hope this means that he's starting to heat up.
They'd be smart to walk Ramierez here.
Or maybe not.
Damn, not the way Ramirez wanted to go out I'm sure.
Brett just got him there.
Get em in Hollywood.
Certainly not what I meant...
In with a roar and out with a wimper.
Lilly looks sharp.
Missed the tag.
Ted is safe and he stayed on the line.
Bullshit.
Howard missed Lilly....now the missed calls are even from yesterday.
I do worry about these LOB this series.
Dont get me wrong. I'm happy to be winning and to be leading this one, but I HATE leaving men on base. And this Phillie pitching staff work out of jams like no team we have faced this season.
Matt...did you look at the numbers Myers has put up since the break?
Hamels and Myers have been lights out.....
...and that HR is why.
I've looked at Myers numbers since coming back up from the minors. It's insane.
Goddamn..
Not cool.
Victorino took one for the team. He did not try to move.
LET'S GO OFFENSE, LET'S GO (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)!!!!!
Still have 4 innings left.
Get after it!
Man that white trash Werth just KILLS us! Plus I don't know the exact stat but it sure seems like we NEVER win on the Saturday Fox game....I can't believe Lilly hit Victorino with an 0-2 count...although that rat bastard leaned into it. Why do they even have that rule? They never enforce it. Hopefully we'll get to that wife beating A-Hole Meyers...BOOM, outta here!
Cory, how do you really feel?
Some days you just dont have it I reckon...
All things considered. Giving up four runs aint bad.
Scoring one is.
I have to feel that we're not done yet.
Nevermind..
Stupid Werth..
I feel like this game sucks!
Eric Karros just said something really funny..he said even the Cubs will have games like this but Lou should be concerned as to why Cotts gave up the HR to the lefty Howard since his role should be to get LH hitters out...the funny thing about that is that Karros totally misses the point..what Lou should be concerned about is why Cotts is on this team at all!...now that's funny folks
Let's just call the Cubs' non-clutch relievers Cowrey
Aramis with his 100th RBI and 45th after the 7th inning.
I have a question....how do the Phillies get away with all of these long conferences on the mound? I thought the umps were not allowed to let that happen. Blue needs to call it for all of the teams...
Also, no walks for the Cubs today....first time I think in 30 games.
Horrible call on the first pitch to Reed....was not a strike.
Well...Romero just made an (blank) of himself!!!
Of course I was refering to that dynamic duo of Cotts & Howry and should have read Cowry.
Let's try this again....
LET'S GO OFFENSE, LET'S GO (clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)!!!!
Z must bring his A game on Sunday....GO PIRATES!!!
That had to be a season high in strikeouts. I am sure it was a season high in called 3rd strikes.
I really hate Brad Lidge and that thing that is on his face.