Game Eight: Cubs (5-2) vs. Rockies (3-4)
Game Time - 1:20pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 183
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Rich Harden (0-0, 1.50/0.83) vs. Jason Marquis (1-0, 2.57/1.00)
Today is the 62nd Anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier...and every player and uniformed personnel throughout the league will wear #42 in his honor.
After spending Tuesday warming up and drying out, Lou Piniella's crew will get back to work today against a former teammate. Jason Marquis was a big part of the back-to-back Central Division Championships. Marquis, at times, frustrated not only the fan base but his manager as well...but Marquis took the ball every fifth day and did not miss a start during his time in Chicago.
Marquis was very good in his Rockies debut against the Phillies and always starts the season on a positive note (13-8 in 40 career games in April, 31 starts with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP).
Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto are expected back in the starting lineup. Soto pinch-hit in Milwaukee on Sunday but has not been behind the plate since the sixth inning of last Tuesday's game in Houston. Ramirez arrived to Wrigley on Monday with a sore back, one that he has been dealing with all spring.
Milton Bradley is expected to be out of the lineup until at least Friday.
Rich Harden was simply dominating in his first start of the year against the Brewers. He struck out 10 and walked only two. The Brewers scored two runs, one earned, in 6 innings...the lone run was a solo homer by Corey Hart.
Rich Harden quieted a lot of critics and concerns last Friday but his performance was lost by the struggles of the pen and poor defensive play. The Cubs had trouble plating runs in games started by Harden after his arrival last July...a trend that must stop today against an old teammate (70 runs in 12 starts, Cubs were 9-3 in games started by Harden last season).
Today will be Harden's first career start against the Rockies.
Jason Marquis is the only current Rockie with any career at bats against Harden...he is 1-for-2 with a 3-run double.
Jason Marquis will face his former team for the twelfth time in his career...but the first time since August 18, 2006. Marquis was 23-18 in 63 starts for the Cubs and did not spend one day on the DL. Marquis and his contract were traded to the Rockies for Luis Vizcaino over the winter...and the trade was viewed as each team dealing one bad contract for the other.
Marquis was solid as a Cub but inconsistent and frustrating. Marquis is his own worst enemy and if he ever puts it together he has a chance to be a solid number three in the Major Leagues.
The Cubs know how to beat Marquis. Lay off the sinker and make him beat himself. He eventually will...they must be patient and not allow him to get comfortable.
Marquis was excellent in his Rockies debut. He allowed only two runs on five hits in seven innings with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Marquis kept the ball down and recorded 13 groundball outs and the Rockies' defense turned three double plays behind him.
Marquis is 13-12 in 36 career starts at Wrigley with a complete game shutout. In 207 2/3 innings he has served up 25 longballs with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. Against the Cubs, 3-5 in 11 career games, 10 starts, with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.
- Milton Bradley - 0-for-6
- Joey Gathright - 0-for-3
- Derrek Lee - 14-for-30 with 2 doubles, 4 home runs and 3 walks
- Aaron Miles - 6-for-13 with a double
- Aramis Ramirez - 9-for-21 with a double, a triple, 2 home runs and 2 walks
- Alfonso Soriano - 2-for-6 with a double and 2 walks
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
Neil,
Hey there, wanted to say great job on the radio blog last night with Shaun. I enjoyed hearing you guys...I look forward to calling in next Monday if I can (I'll be in Louisville on business, but you never know!)
Great to see Soto back in today, and Aramis too. Let's hope those guys can give some run support to Harden, he *really* deserves some. Forecast today is better than Monday, but it will still be a little chilly.
I'm concerned about our DP machine....I mean DLee. I know he's got good numbers against Marquis, but that was 3 years ago.
Let's see if Sori can jack one right away and get things going!
Ramirez has been scratched from the original lineup - needs one more day.
Soto is in today.
Will post the full lineup as soon as it's available.
Scott,
Thanks man, we really appreciate that. Call in on Monday if you can, we're always interested in hearing opinions from the rest of the Faithful.
Harden V Marquis, Well Cub fans I would say our roster has improved if this is our matchup. Wait back on Marquis Boys...don't chase junk, oh wait Cubbies have done that all year...Keep it up!!! Marquis will serve Taters.
Bummer about Ramirez...Get better Buddy!
Today's lineup:
with a reminder, everyone will be wearing #42
Soriano - LF
Theriot - SS
Fukudome - RF
Lee - 1B
Fontenot - 3B
Johnson - CF
Soto - C
Miles - 2B
Harden - P
hey CCO faithful!
I was at the home opener w/ my dad and two bros. Nice ChiCity weather for a Southern Louisiana boy...loved it! I was a little disappointed that the crowed booed Marquis when he was introduced. Seems to be bad form to me...in that, though he did give a few games up, he was, as you said Neil, reliable. They also booed Gregg when he came in, as well as Fuku.
C'mon ya'll!! Don't boo your own guys! Boo the HELL out of the opponents and the umpires, but not the guys who left w/ good things to say, not the guys who have been working hard, and ESPECIALLY not the guy who's taking the mound in the 9th!
Not targeting anyone especially, but maybe that's just the way it is @ the Wrig. Still had a GREAT time, though!
Funny story...the security guard at O'Hare was about to confiscate my Cubs hat...he seriously sat me and my bro down, and said "I can either take it from you and break the bill...you can tear the "C" off it in front of me, or I can take you and him in the back for some further 'searches'...but I don't have lube for Cubs fans. But you guys are probably used to that sort of thing anyway, right?" Thought it was funny, but he took it too far for my sense of humor.
Nevertheless...had a GREAT time in ChiCity. Now back to the humidity...my gills had stopped working except on Monday
What up Mario,
I am not a big fan of booing our own players either.
That is pretty funny story with the security gaurd, glad to here you had a good time at opening day.
With Bradley ailing, thought we'd see Hoffpauir by now. I like Reed, and I like what I see from Fuk thus far, but we gotta get Hoff in there sooner rather than later. I'm not one of the guys calling for Hoff to supplant Lee . . .yet, but I do want to see Hoff get some opportunities. If he were to put up some good numbers, he could be traded for pitching help this summer.
You'd be a fool to trade Hoff at this point. Lee's the one we should be shopping around. He's past his prime. Hoff is just getting started. Plenty of other trade-bait possibilities.
I agree. I think Hoff should be in there today. Especially because Ramy is out too. We are lacking power in the middle.
Sounds like Harden is on top of his game, nice start!
Wow... Harden looks sharp as hell today... struck out the side!
How did Hoff get in Lou's dog house? By leading all of baseball in RBIs this spring?
Based on the numbers, you would have to consider Harden to be the staff ace.
Wow, Lee even stikes out into double plays now.
That 14 pitch at-bat looks like it has taken its toll on Rich.
Yeah, I was just going to comment on the pitch count. Its getting up there for the second inning.
Harden's gotta suck it up and get out of this inning...
Looks like we're gonna have the bullpen in by the 6th inning here.
Go figure marquis drives in the runs. Time to get those back.
Looked like Reed played that off his face... glad he's OK.
i was disappointed to see marquis getting booed.. i mean i wouldn't expect roaring applause, but seriously to boo him??
i'm glad he's gone as much as the next guy, but he did have 11 wins which definitely does not warrant booing.. it would be like booing daryle ward; he wasn't great, but he had some moments
I agree. You'd think he re-joined the Cards. For alot of people maybe it was a light-hearted kidding of boo... just kind of a razz thing. Nobody who was paying attention last year could HATE Marquis.
Man, my staff ace just turned into a number 2.
Umm... hello Mr. Hyde. Calling Dr. Jeckyl...
I don't remember any other Cub whose popularity with the fans fluctuated as much as Soriano. He's like Alfonso Grossman.
We've seen bad Alf. Where's good Alf?
Come on Harden, let's get outta this before any more damage is done.
Nearly 90 pitches with 2 outs in the 2nd inning
Well this explains it all....I'm not watching the game and when I checked the box score I see we're losing 4-0. Then I see Harden only went 3 innings and gave up 4 walks and 5 hits. Yet he struck out all of the outs but one. (8 K's) How are you that dominating with outs yet walk 4 and get tagged for 5 hits? That pitch count is crazy to have in the second inning. I think Harden must focus less on his K's...much like they told Big Z to do a couple years ago....save the bullets...just pitch effectively.
Hm. If this were last week and Marshall was still in the 'pen, I'd say bring him in just for the contrast in pitching style. Hm...I doubt Harden's going much longer.
Hey fellas, I'm new here, I'm a cubs fan sitting in New Jersey, surrounded by Yankee and Met's fans. It's brutal. Nice to know I can communicate with the faithful on a day to day basis. Now to the game....what is up with Harden..I'm watching via Gameday...so I can't really see what's going on..? How does he look..? Is he hurt?
Steven, welcome to the CCO!
I do not think Harden was or is hurt. I think he had a bad game. Several reports after the game indicated he 'lost it' after Atkins' 14-pitch at bat.
Keep coming back, sorry I missed your post during the game...
WTF? Why did Rich bat for himself?
The bench is short two players...
Good job by Patton
Can Lee hit the ball anywhere besides straight to the SS?
Patton has really looked good so far. Now let's get some dang runs!!
Patton looks great. First time getting to see him. Like his stuff. Very surprised since his highest level before this was A Ball.
Hoff Power!!! That a boy!
Lou, make sure you keep him on the bench for another week. Who needs a bat like that?
LBR is due!!
Wrigley sure does look much better in the sunshine. The crowd is happier already... let's hope that spills over onto the field!
I just got my monitor back and now have a computer--after a couple of days off. It looks like my adopted son, Seth Smith, has found his stroke against us--after a poor start to the season. (He's now out of the will.) We've been playing ugly and winning. Maybe we get to the Rockies pen today in a comeback win.
Jackie Robinson, as many of you know, was an acquaitnance of mine--and "his day" wells me up some. What many don't know is that he lettered in 4 sports at UCLA--where he played after attending a junior college. I'm only recalling these stats but they are close. He averaged close to 10 yards a carry as a tailback. He averaged 15 points a game or so as a point guard, and he was a track winner in the NCAA national track championships. And, he played baseball with something like a .400 + BA. He also had to drop out during the second semester of his senior year because the scholarship assistance he received wasn't enough to cover the costs of going to UCLA. He really valued education, and he was equally harsh in criticising poor effort and irresponsible behavior--black or white.
I thought I heard somewhere that Jackie's best sport was swimming.
JimK...good to have you back. And your 'son' treated Harden awful. You really need to do something about that kid of yours.
As much as I love the Cubs...I kinda love seeing Marquis stick it to us a little. Sure, it's without Ramirez or Bradley...but he's still doing it. He never got enough credit when he was here. As Neil pointed out in the notes...the guy never missed a start. he was everything a number 5 starter should be...and more.
I was just getting ready to say how our bullpe has looked pretty good today, then Guzman gives up two hits and a run.
He was also way too reliant on the offense to get wins. I think I can recall all of one start by Marquis where he actually won because of his pitching, but the majority of the time it was him getting beaten up and hoping the offense would help him.
Of course, I'd like getting rid of him a bit more if we actually got Peavy to make for a solid 5 man rotation.
And what's the point on Aaron Miles? He can switch hit (minus the hitting part) and play the infield, but there's plenty of better internal options than Miles who'd probably perform, and he still doesn't justify the DeRosa trade.
I would rather win of course, but good for Marquis. The Cubs were 36-25 over two years in games he started, yet gets booed by the fans? He isn't cy young, but he took the ball every 5th day and kept us in most games, there is value in that, look no further than that W-L record.
Those who boo know nothing about baseball.
Sorry Joe, but Marquis blows, and he stunk for the Cubs. He got lit up when the Cubs needed him most, that's why he's left of post season rosters. Sure he did OK when the wind was blowing in during April and May, but he did not earn his 7 mil per.
Man, if I saw today's line-up in a mall, I would swear I was playing Dead Rising.
Excellent sign... DLEE with his first homer
Jim C (TP), As a poor kid who's mom moved the family from rural GA to CA, becoming a great swimmer was Jackie's greatest athletic achievement--if that is true. There weren't a lot of pools where the black kids lived back then. Maybe there was a beech in the L.A. area.
Maybe there's hope today for the Blue. Lee homers. I do think Lou will move him out of the 3 hole--if he doesn't turn highly productive. Don't give up on the Gas Man. Angel is a hot weather pitcher.
That was a stupid thing that Fontenot did.
really... he waited to long to see where the passed ball went. I don't know what he saw, but the ball only got about 10 feet away. With Geo at the plate, we needed both of those runners on in case he knocked one out. That forced Geo to change his approach at the plate because then he just needed to get on, but Miles was on deck... no real HR power, and we already used Hoff off the bench. Totally ruined our chances at the end there.
well that was a kick-in-the-nuts ending to a game
Neil
Do you know how to become a baseball analyst.
Please excuse this...but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are asking.
Could you please elaborate?
Like what Jon Heyman, Peter Gammons, Steve Phillips Does. Or How to be a Gm for Baseball?
A degree in journalism is a must. Then you just need to have an extreme opinion about a team, start doing sports editorials for a decent sized paper, hope said team does something newsworthy, and then hope ESPN calls on you to give local insight. From there, you just need to impress with personality so that you can become a regular.
What do you mean about a sports editorials and of what team and how do I give it to espn?
Waldo, as mentioned by others school. That is the big thing. As for Heyman and Gammons, you mentioned giants.
If you want to see how special the game of baseball is, find Peter Gammons' Hall of Fame induction speech...
If that is what you truly want to do, make a plan, stick to it, work hard and do not let anyone get in your way.
I have a blog on the Cubs and if you click on waldo723917 it has it there, if you want to see it.
countless spelling and grammar mistakes (even of cubs players' names) make this blog very difficult to read.. nobody will ever take your opinion seriously if you don't care enough to proofread what you write
you also provide no analysis for each game.. what a "baseball analyst" does.. you only give info that i could easily find in the boxscore
next your blog title should not be your username.blogspot.. it should be something about the cubs dot blogspot
if your blog profile info is correct and you are 17 years old, you have a long way to go guy
what do you mean you also provide no analysis for each game. my blog is called Cubs Update.
okay then rename your blog to "cubsupdate.blogspot.com" not "waldo7239117.blogspot.com"
in the simplest terms, analysis can mean, what did you think of the ballgame that the cubs played today? what were YOUR observations?
you said in your blog "Derek Lee for going 3 for 4 with 2 singles, run, rbi and a homerun"
ignoring the fact that you spelled his name wrong, that info really doesn't tell me anything new.. tell where he hit the ball, how he hit it, was he patient or aggressive at the plate.. what did the cubs do good/what did they struggle with? anything other than 2 singles and a hr..
i can go to cubs.com and see those facts
I fixed it, if you want to go check it and see how it is now.
Don't get offended, Waldo. 09shine is only giving you constructive criticism and isn'trying to put you or your respective blog down.
If you are serious about trying to become an analyst, take what he says as truth and try to improve upon your work.
No I know that but Im confuse of some stuff he said.
how can I change my blog to make it better?