Game Eighty-One: Cubs (41-39) vs. Braves (39-43)
Game Time - 7:05pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: WGN TV - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 185
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Carlos Zambrano (4-3, 3.50/1.31) vs. Javier Vazquez (5-7, 3.05/1.07)
The 2009 Cubs' season hits the halfway point tonight with game number 81 of 162. The Cubs have underachieved throughout the first half of the season but have played much better of late ... especially at home. The Cubs must continue to build on their last week and put the .500 mark permanently in their rearview mirror.
Tonight's pitching match-up was scheduled to be a rematch from the make up game in Atlanta on June 22. Ryan Dempster did his job and allowed only two runs but the Cubs' struggling offense was shutout by Javier Vazquez ... but the Cubs' placed Ryan Dempster on the DL Tuesday afternoon with a broken big tow. Dempster is expected to miss at least two starts ... and could be out longer. Dempster reportedly broke his toe jumping over the rail of the dugout in celebration of Sunday's win against the Brewers.
While the offense must do their job against Vazquez, it all starts with Carlos Zambrano ... and one win at a time.
After a horrible start against the White Sox, Carlos Zambrano bounced back nicely against the Brewers in his last start ... on a day he said he did not have his fastball. Zambrano said he pitched the way he thought Greg Maddux would and posted a decent outing. Big Z allowed just one run on five hits in seven innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
Zambrano will be pitching on short rest tonight in his first start of the year against the Braves.
Carlos Zambrano is 2-2 in 10 career starts against Atlanta with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He tossed a gem against them a year ago on June 12 in a game that Jim Edmonds tied in the bottom of the ninth ... and Reed Johnson drove in the winning run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
- Gregor Blanco - 1-for-3
- Yunel Escobar - 0-for-3 with a walk
- Jeff Francoeur - 4-for-14 with a double, 2 home runs and a walk
- Chipper Jones - 6-for-23 with a double, a home run and 4 walks
- Nate McLouth - 5-for-22 with a double, a triple and 6 walks
- Javier Vazquez - 0-for-6
Javier Vazquez has been very, very good of late. Vazquez has not allowed more than two earned runs in his last three starts ... since May 30 (seven starts) he has allowed more than two earned runs in only one outing. During that span Vazquez made the Cubs look very bad in Atlanta. Lou Piniella's crew recorded nine hits in 6 2/3 innings ... but not a single run.
Vazquez is 3-2 in seven road starts this season with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Tonight will be Vazquez's 12th career start at Wrigley. He is 2-3 in the first 11 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.
The Cubs will have opportunities and must take advantage of every scoring chance ... and not repeat their performance from a couple of weeks back in Atlanta.
- Andres Blanco - 1-for-3
- Milton Bradley - 3-for-18
- Mike Fontenot - 3-for-7 with a double and a walk
- Jake Fox - 2-for-4
- Kosuke Fukudome - 0-for-6 with 4 walks
- Micah Hoffpauir - 1-for-3
- Reed Johnson - 3-for-19
- Derrek Lee - 21-for-53 with 7 doubles, 3 home runs and 2 walks
- Aramis Ramirez - 8-for-29 with 2 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs and 2 walks
- Alfonso Soriano - 2-for-9 with a home run
- Geovany Soto - 1-for-8 with a walk
- Ryan Theriot - 5-for-13
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
Fukudome CF
Theriot SS
DLee 1B
Hoffpauir RF
Aram 3B
Soriano LF
Fontenot 2B
Hill C
Zambrano P
Thank you for posting the lineup...
I like Hill catching Z, as his batting average against is like 50 points lower than with Soto, and his OBP rate is 30 points lower, and SLG is an astounding 80 points lower than with Soto...so I dig that move.
I also dig not having the 3-for-18 Bradley in there. I just wish he would've had the common sense to put in the 2-for-4 Fox in there vs the 2-for-9 Soriano (and obviously hobbled) in there. My guess is that Hoffpauir hits a bomb, and possibly a double. I just hope that Soriano is a late scratch in favor of Fox...Piniella's an idiot if he sits Fox for longer than 2 games, as he was on fire before he was benched when ARAM came back.
In this case...just yesterday I made the comment that Micah needs a start...he's been sitting too long...wile Fox needs to play...I'll put my money with my mouth.
Suzy, Micah will be a bit under the microscope tonight to break out of that prolonged June slump he had. Really do hope he can garner a hit or two and boost his confidence. I know he's been pressing and that doesn't help things at all. In the back of his mind, he must be thinking a trip back to Iowa might be on the horizon if he can't pick it up a bit.
Charles, I agree...but he has too much
talent...and should just relax and let it come to him.
Vasquez has been a 5 inning pitcher most of his career...if the Cubs are patient...they'l get to him.
A few thoughts...
* At least Dempster will be saving his arm for the final 2 months of the regular season.
* Nice to see Hoffpauir get a start.
* I would like to see Fox get a start in LF although he will be at 3B for Wednesday's game most likely.
This is Soriano's coming out party...Honestly the guy has my respect because I see he cares and has said all the right words on a dificult time in his carreer.
He likes being the lead off[and that is fair] ,he was promissed to be just that by JH when he signed him. Lou[being stubborn] never forced the issue to move him down because the media or fans won't make his lineup and now that he has, Soriano has accepted to go lower for the well being of the team. [I buy that]So, From today on, I'm on his bandwagon and we could use a hot soriano to kick some ass. PERIOD
I second all of that. I think Sori knows that he's not the only big bat on this team, and he seems to be willing to share the spotlight with some of the other bats, as he MUST know that he's hitting like crap right now. Lou's faith in him, though, has got to be sending a good message, as well as the "we've got to get Soriano's bat hot"...to me it seems like Lou is depending on him, and trusts him to be one of the big hitters
I'm sorry, but Soriano is making $14m a year. He doesn't get brownie points for "good sportsmanship". How about he either work with Von Joshua on developing some plate discipline (for once in his life) or admit (being the good sport that he is) that he sucks big-time now, and is willing to sit in favor of guys like Fox or Fuld.
agreed, but by sheer guts alone, it won't help the team. His leg is BAD, and he needs to go on the DL until it's right, otherwise he's not helping the team. It almost reminds me of Kirk Gibson, where he was relegated to pinch hit duty because he could barely move. Soriano can barely move in the field...and hardly at all on the bases...and you're absolutely right, we NEED his bat in the lineup...but not at 50% when we have Fox at 100%
Even at 100% Soriano is always "all or nothing". We need Fox's bat in the lineup daily, and Soriano does need to go on the DL (whether legitimately or thru any type of mystery illness). I hope I'm wrong, but he's not going to turn it around this season, unless the season becomes a lost cause.
Wa to go Micah!!!
I would play Fox too instead of Soriano at this point but since its not happening...I'll be Soriano's personal cheerleader.
Ridiculous baseball contracts screw teams up but we all know benching a guy with such a contract its just not happening. It should but it wont.
When we originally got Soriano I thought it was a great move[not the contract but even though JH overpaid, that was the market at the time]if he was going to bat 4th or 5th. If he heats up, which he should, our season might end up good.
Does Sori has options to AAA? lol
What a surprise...Soriano strikes out on another breaking ball out of the zone....and with men on base. Can we PLEASE get him out of the lineup!!!
Oh well..he might finish the night 3-4. Let's go Soriiiiiiiii
Soriano continues to show he definitely knows how to mess up a promising inning....can' even move the runners along. Isn't it funny that most of us posters know he shouldn't be in there right now, but Piniella is as stubborn as the proverbial mule. I absolutely don't understand his reluctance to bench Soriano, at least until after the break. UGH!
Pitch count up to 40 through 2 innings isn't bad at all. Wasn't patience supposed to be the thing that helped us get so far last year?
Soriano's dumb ass alost ruined that inning. Try hitting to the right side. Instead heswings for the fence and misses.
Nice AB Koye Hill!!!!
Jim...he's a $14m dumb-ass. Even worse!
Uhhm no, he is an 18 million one.
Thank you Agustin. Even better!
I agree, good at bat by Hill.
there you go! Wait for your pitch Koyie!!
Who is this Conrad guy?
Vazquez is making the Cubs look bad again ... Solid single for Soriano.
Here is my latest blog post. I thought I would just post it here instead of making you go to the website.
Who's At Second?
With the trade deadline approaching I was wondering to myself what the Cubs should do. We have an abundance of outfielders, our starting rotation is great, and the bullpen has been very solid. The only place where I feel like we could use an upgrade is 2nd base. Let's face it, Fontenot has not been the "little Babe Ruth" as one announcer likes to call him.
Fontenot's line so far: .236/.314/.369 with 6 HR's 28 RBI's 27 BB's and 55 SO's.
So what are our options? The best one to me is to move Soriano to second base, live with his horrible defense at 2nd instead of in left, and allow Fox and Hoffpauir to share time in left field. This would not require any finagling on Hendry's part and we would have a much better bat in the lineup. As likely as this would probably work, it's equally likely that Lou Piniella would never even consider it.
That brings us to our next, more difficult option. Trade for a 2nd baseman. However, this brings up the problem with the Cubs expanding payroll with the ownership in Limbo. Fontenot is only making $430,000 and is only signed for this year. Aaron Miles is making $2.2 million this year and $2.7 million next year. Good luck moving that contract.
Let's just say for argument's sake that we were able to trade Aaron Miles away for some prospects and we could free up $4.9 million. Who could we go after?
Earlier in the year I read a rumor that Dan Uggla was possibly available. He has had a slightly under-performing first half and even though the Marlins are playing well, I have to believe they are thinking about getting rid of him because there is no way he is signing with them this off season. He is only making $5.35 million this year and had to scratch and claw through arbitration to get that.
We have done deals with them before and they have worked out pretty good so I can't rule out a possible trade for Freddy Sanchez with the Pirates. This would bring up a financial problem. Sanchez is making $6.1 million this year with an $8 million club option in 2010.
A more likely candidate to land in a trade would be Felipe Lopez (.305/.363/.408) from the Diamondbacks. Lopez is putting up better numbers than Fontenot and is just signed for this year making $3.5 million. Did I mention he is a switch hitter?
The only other player I can think of is...Mark Derosa? Sorry, I had to.
http://gear-grindings.blogspot.com/
The Vasquez I remember threw lights out for four innings and imploded either the fifth or sixth.
I have the same memory, just waiting for that to happen. With that bullpen, the Cubs have only one ... maybe two to tie it up.
This is a grand example of actually having to beat the other team: just beating Vasquez isn't going to do it, cause this Braves defense has showed up to play and then some.
Excellent point...
Ok...this is the inning we have to score...preferably 3 or more.
So much for that thought...Vasquez is still dealing...and yes Boseph...Atlanta is playing well.
Man that 1-2 pitch to Anderson barely missed.
get rid of guzman now.. a 10 pitch at-bat to anderson.. no put-away pitch whatsoever
????
it was a sarcastic response to someone's post yesterday
I told myself some jerk off would comment like that, and you sure didn't disappoint did you. It's laughable to say that based on one AB....but you are the stereotypical kool-aid drinker aren't you?
a little worked up aren't we? have some juice and go to bed.. it'll be a better day tomorrow
With his slow, deliberate (almost stalling) style tonight, Vasquez has effectively lulled the Cubs to sleep. It will take some tough at bats in these last two innings for the Cubs to come out of this slumber.
I really cannot stand this guy. I do not understand how that delivery is legal ... I've seen that on the softball field.
gonzalez looks like he's making love to the ball out there
It's not looking good guys...
Great play by Fontenot ... needed that one.
LET'S GO OFFENSE! LET'S GO!!!
nice play Fontenot, nice play.
Need 2 runs NOW...Cards are beating up Milwaukee.
Walk off...ANYONE?
Wen your top 3 in the order go 1-12 then you can count on a pretty lackluster performance and outcome.
Soriano beats Soriano?
I thought Piniella would've pinch hit for Fontenot with Fox...but oh well
BOOO.
Zambrano is now 4-4. almost at the All-Star break. He'll be lucky to win 10 games. No offensive support.
Where is Fox?
Fox not hitting for Fontenot aside, that was just one of those games where the other team brought a game above their A game. That defense had at least two or three ESPN Webgems in those nine innings of play and at least ten other good defensive stops (and even on the Fontenot vs Fox front, Fontenot did hit the ball in a way that would've netted him a hit any other day, so can't fault him). All you can really do after something like this is come back tommorow and win.
Good effort by Zambrano on short rest.
Offense did squat...but I think Vasquez and Atlanta beat us more than we lost it.
They played well...a tip o the cap to the Braves.
Question mark tomorrow with Hart on the mound...not a good feeling with St Louis looming.
Hart has pitched 5 IP this year . . . walked 5, K'd only 1. Gotta do better tomorrow than that or he won't last.