Game One - Opening Day: Cubs (0-0) vs. Astros (0-0)
Game Time - 6:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet, ESPN 2 - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 175
Location - Minute Maid Park, Houston
Carlos Zambrano (0-0, -.--/-.--) vs. Roy Oswalt (0-0, -.--/-.--)
The wait and long Spring Training is over...It's Opening Day and Chicago Cubs Baseball is on the Air! Carlos Zambrano will take the mound tonight for his fifth consecutive Opening Day. Zambrano's struggles in the first game of the year have been well documented. He was very good against the Brewers at Wrigley last year...and this is a new season and hopefully a 'Brand New Z'.
The Astros have looked forward to this match-up since last September and will be out to prove a point. Houston was the only team in the Central with a winning record against the Cubs a year ago (Cubs won eight of 17 match-ups) and of all the questions Houston may have going into the season, the offense is not one of them...especially with the biggest Cub Killer of them all, Carlos Lee, right in the middle of Cecil Cooper's lineup.
According to a report from Bruce Miles, the Cubs first lineup of 2009 will be:
- Alfonso Soriano - LF
- Kosuke Fukudome - CF
- Derrek Lee - 1B
- Milton Bradley - RF
- Aramis Ramirez - 3B
- Mike Fontenot - 2B
- Geovany Soto - C
- Ryan Theriot - SS
- Carlos Zambrano - P
For the record, the Cubs are 0-2 on Opening Day under Lou Piniella.
The last time Carlos Zambrano faced the Houston Astros was in Milwaukee last September. Zambrano's No-Hitter was the Cubs' first since Milt Pappas in 1972.
The Cubs will need Big Z to improve on his 14-6 record from a year ago. He posted a 3.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP but was horribly inconsistent in the second half (4-3 in 12 starts with a 5.80 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP). Zambrano must control his emotions and use them as a positive, instead of the negative way that as marred his career.
Zambrano is 12-7 lifetime in 26 games, 24 starts, against the Astros with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP...at Minute Maid Park, 6-3 in 13 games, 11 starts, with a 3.58 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.
- Lance Berkman - 9-for-63 with 4 home runs and 14 walks
- Geoff Blum - 5-for-27 with a double and 2 walks
- Darin Erstad - 2-for-14
- Jeff Keppinger - 5-for-25 with a double
- Carlos Lee - 17-for-46 with 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 5 walks
- Kaz Matsui - 1-for-8 with 3 walks
- Hunter Pence - 4-for-16 with 2 doubles
- Ivan Rodriguez - 3-for-7
- Miguel Tejada - 5-for-12 with a double and a home run
The Cubs will face one of the best pitchers in all of baseball Roy Oswalt. The Astros' ace had a horrible first half last year (7-8 in 19 starts with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP) and many feel if he had pitched better the Astros would have made the playoffs.
The Astros surged in the second half and Oswalt led the turnaround (10-2 in 13 starts with a 2.24 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP). Oswalt was just about unhittable and for the Astros to be successful this season they will need their ace to be consistently dominant throughout the year.
Oswalt was 1-1 in 2 starts against the Cubs last season with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. For his career, 12-11 in 26 games, 25 starts, with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
- Milton Bradley - 3-for-6 with a home run and a walk
- Mike Fontenot - 2-for-8
- Kosuke Fukudome - 1-for-6
- Derrek Lee - 15-for-49 with 4 doubles, 3 home runs and 5 walks
- Aaron Miles - 3-for-17 with a double
- Aramis Ramirez - 15-for-60 with 3 doubles and 3 home runs
- Alfonso Soriano - 6-for-32 with 2 home runs
- Geovany Soto - 2-for-6 with a triple
- Ryan Theriot - 2-for-8 with a walk
- Carlos Zambrano - 1-for-12 with a home run
The Cubs will get their first look at an Astros' team with Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate.
While waiting for the first pitch, check out this Community Blog post centered on Cubs' nicknames...and Predictions for the 2009 MLB Season.
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
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In hindsight, the offseason (although too long) was very short. It feels like yesterday that I was pouting in my Coke about the sweep.
I am so excited. Bring it!
I'm expecting a big series from the Game here in the Juice Box!
Matt:
The soda kind right?
Most def =)
Play Ball!! Ah, a brand new year we are in first place and hopefully a game over five hundred in about 6 hours. Opening Day rules!
I'm hoping Fuk turns it around this year but tonight its defense I'm a little worried about. Doesn't Houston still have that rise in centerfield? I'd rather see Reed's defense in this series.
Trevor, yes they still have Tal's Hill.
The Astros are still upset about last September.
Will someone please tell them it was not the Cubs fault? Contact Mr. Selig and ask their owner what happened.
I don't recall the boogers having a better idea. They can't push back the playoffs just for a barely above .500 ballclub.
Tell Z to shut 'em up.
WooHoo!!!
Chant time!!!!
SO-RI-ANO (cap, clap, clap, clap, clap)!!!
SORIANO!!!!
If you can really only bat lead off once a game, I'll take that every time
For some reason ESPN 2 is not carrying the game here, Looks like I have to call the cable company this really stinks.
Woot!!!
Way to kick off the '09 season Cubbies!!!
C'mon Z, throw strikes
Milton with two good plays
Bad base running and a break!
Z is all over the place but looked better against Lee.
ARAMIS!!!!
ARAMIS!!!! Let's keep hitting these leadoff homers!
I would not be surprised if the Astros win only about 65 games this year.
Gary, be careful. Only the first game.
There's only two teams in our division that I rule out before Opening Day: Pit & Cin
Great throw by Soto!
Kegert...I just approved your account. No more delays. Welcome to the CCO!
He got back to that ball in a hurry. Great throw!!
Welcome to the CCO!!
Great pick by DLee...saved Aramis and error
If Derrek can keep putting balls into the air just like that..
This is a great ball park for the Cubs to start their season at. It'll make them feel good about their bats heading into other parks. Too cool.
I know it's early, but Fukudome still looks as lost as ever.
Z never makes it easy!!! Grrr!!
Good job by Z getting out of trouble.
Not trying to jump on Fukudome, but he has to make that catch.
My son plays t-ball, he is a lefty and he has a little fukudome in him with the bailing swing of his. I have to correct that.
If Fukudome dives and missed that catch though, this game is completely different. Just to play devil's advocate.
I know its early, but Mike Fontenot is tough not to love.
Trevor, you are exactly right.
Productive out by Soto
Great situational hitting!!!!!
Ok, time to move Fukudome out of the 2-hole. How about Theriot back there? If Fukudome hits like an 8th place batter then let him hit there.
Course..i do like the idea of him on the bench a whole lot better.
Ugh, so I'm stuck listening to the silly Astros broadcasters over the internet because MLB.com doesn't know how to work gameday audio on opening day of all days. Wish I could listen to Pat n Ron at the moment.
But what matters is our Cubs look good minus Fukudome and DLee so far. Fontenot showed up, too. Z seems to have settled down.
GO Cubs!
Soto telling Z to calm down
I don't want to speak too soon, but it looks like Z is settling in.
Man what a night, MLB.tv says I am blacked out becuase the game is on ESPN 2, but for some reason the cable company has things all screwed up so I can't watch it on ESPN 2, thank goodness I can at least listen to it. Needless to say the cable company is going to get an ear full! At least the Cubs are winning.
Call them?
You shouldnt get that. Every April they have newbies running the boards that screw everything up.
To be fair, they have a great a fair customer service squad.
Yea, I am on hold right now with MLB.tv. I should be able to watch it on ESPN 2 I am in Ohio so I shouldn't be blacked out on ESPN 2. My friend in a town about 5 minutes from here is watching the game, I think our cable company or ESPN has this one screwed up.
Fukudome in the 2 hole bombed last year, but this year it will work? Lou, stop obsessing over alternating right and left handed hitters, and let your best OBP guy bat second.
Talkin' Live....wooooohuuuu!!! Hello all. Just drinking that Fontenot KoolAid easier every day. I like our lineup a lot. Milton looks awesome in Cubbie Blue just awesome. He looks concentrated, I like it!!!
Neil, how about a ZWIN!?
Is that tinny sounding fan noise on Comcast giving anybody else a headache besides me?
Oh yeah, I have it too. It's brutal!
Time to tack on
Z should be bunting here
bullpen time is coming?
Heilman
Marmol
Gregg
Oh do we test Cotts?
Big Z doesn't look happy! Protect the coolers!
Overall good start to the season big man!! Lets see what this bullpen can do!
is anything wrong with big z neil? i saw lou had someone warm up right away
I don't think so.
The move to the pen was the right one. Especially since it looks like those Cubs' tack on runs might not be coming.
Come on Heilman, let's get outta this.
Man I do not like listening to these Astros announcers at all.
1 pitch 2 outs.
Great start Heilman.
Man that was a cheap run...let's end this rally right now.
Man that was tough. Heilman did the right thing with holding on to that ball.
Please focus Cotts....
Gotta throw strikes
Good job by Theriot and Lee
Phew...
Nice play riot!!!
Liked everything I saw other than Cotts first three pitches but he faught back.
Overall pretty good inning! Tough way to lose a run.
That ankle turn did NOT look good.
No, no, no...
Milton...
Not good, did you see Bradley's ankle?
That did not look good. I am surprised he's still in there.
There was a reason Japan benched Fukudome for the last two games of the WBC
Come on Senoir Nasty!
Bradley's fine, he's back out there in right.
Two out walks?!?!?!
Wow, these astros announcers are really bad. I wouldn't even wish this upon a sox fan.
C'mon Marmol!!! Get Lee!
nasty strike 2....good play Aram!
Good catch Aramis...
Come on, let's get a run or two here.
Well, that was silly. =)
Hoff-Power!
Hoffpauir with a big 2-out single
I've got an idea for Fukudome. Send him down to the minors to work out his problems and sign Edmonds in the meantime to platoon with Reed in CF. There. Done. Solved.
Shut em down Gogglehead!
Wished we could have moved the Kosuke to right..
Milton looked like a pin ball.
Why is Kosuke not in right? I thought that was the plan.
Milton tried, had the ball.
Soriano did not get a hit there, but he still looks like a completely different hitter. Going opposite field, pulling the ball for the homer, and I don't think he even had a swing and a miss tonight. If he stays healthy he could have a monster year.....like the one he's getting paid to have.
Thanks Milton, you made me scare the dog.
Come on Gregg! Let's get a double play here!
NATION REPRESENT!
CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!
Gregg didn't make anybody swing and miss, but a win is a win.
1st Win of the Year! Go Cubs!!!
What're we singin'?
"Go Cubs Go!"
Good game. Great way to start the season.
long time Jim! nice words to read!!!
Neil,
This is a great site. Real Cubs fans, and everyone is a nice polite person. Great going!
Feels good to get that first win!
Ripsnorter...thank you!
Neil..you do an excellent job of recap, so I won't go much in depth, but I have a few observations:
1)Z is still a mental midget, and lacks the focus of a true Ace, but he's still as dominating of a pitcher that we've seen in a long time in Cubdom without regressing/injuring hardly at all
2)Fukudome is the weakest and suckiest link on this team. I wish he'd just go back to Japan and save us and Hendry all the grief. He's flat out terrible, and even got benched in the WBC
3)Gregg is going to get lit up this year as he has pretty much his entire career unless he figures out how to hide the ball better. When I was pitching in college, our pitching coach had an excellent suggestion: why not enlist the help of our position players to determine the effectiveness of a pitcher? He'd have us all throw simulated games, and after the AB was over, he'd stop the simulation, and ask the batter if he saw the ball really well. If they did, he'd ask what tipped them off, etc., and he'd try to correct it for us. Now, I'm not at the games, but on tv, I can see how long he holds that ball out there, almost Keith Foulke-like, and sooner or later, they catch on. The longer a batter sees the ball, the worse off the pitcher is. I mean, when he was with the Marlins, we torched him for the same reason. I still can't figure out how the dude got so lucky as to not even give up a run in ST...but, hey, if Vizcaino makes the team, I guess anything is possible
4)Does Cotts make you squirm or what?
5)Lee still doesn't have what it takes to be in the 3 hole
6)Reed Johnson NEEDS to start, and Gathright should be his back-up, and Fukudome should be the bat boy
7)...still upset that Fukudome still sucks
8)Did you hold your breath like I did when Bradley turned his ankle and tumbled after that sinking liner?
9)Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir...your tables are ready!
10)I bitched and moaned and waffled like most of you about Soriano in lead-off...but you have to agree that he puts strain on an opposing pitcher to be at the top of his game immediately, or he'll put you in the hole in the blink of an eye. While it doesn't make for great rallies, it sure gives the team confidence, and they feed of that energy...the problem is when he strikes out to start the game...but, hey, you can't have everything, right?
Aaron, yes I held my breath on Bradley. I am still wondering what happened to replacing him late in games defensively.
On Gregg, it will not be perfect. But as long as he gets the job done.
He's got to keep the leadoff man from reaching. Without that strikeout weapon, teams can manufacture runs on him.
Neal Cotts...throw strikes!!
And don't worry if Kosuke keeps playing the way he did tonight, Reed will be in there.