Game One Hundred - Cubs 12 Astros 3
WP - Kevin Hart (3-1) LP - Russ Ortiz (3-6) Save - None
It is not too often that both starting pitchers in a big league game find themselves either released of traded shortly after the 27th out is recorded ... but that is exactly what happened on Thursday. Soon after Kevin Gregg struck out Kaz Matsui to end the game, the Houston Astros released Russ Ortiz, then the Cubs dealt Kevin Hart along with Jose Ascanio and Josh Harrison to the Pirates for John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny.
Kevin Hart put together a solid start and earned his third win of the year and his last as a Chicago Cub. While Randy Wells was the story on Wednesday, the offense led the way on Thursday.
For the second day in a row the Cubs put a 12-spot on the board on 13 hits with six walks. Kosuke Fukudome had one of his better games in the Major Leagues. Fukudome finished the day 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored and 4 RBI. Fukudome was a home run short of a cycle. Ryan Theriot drove in four runs as well and the top two hitters in Lou Piniella's lineup were a combined 4-for-7 with two walks, two runs scored and 8 RBI.
Kosuke Fukudome drove in the game winner with his two-out single in the second. Fukudome and Theriot's first four RBI came on two-out hits in the second inning and gave Kevin Hart a little breathing room.
Jake Fox and Milton Bradley went back-to-back in the third inning ... the fourth time this season Cubs' batters hit home runs in consecutive at bats. After plating four runs in the second inning, Kevin Hart gave back a pair in the third and the Astros cut the Cubs lead to 4-3. Fox and Bradley started the five-run third inning that helped put the game away.
Derrek Lee was the only starter that did not reach base on Thursday against the Astros ... but his defensive changed the game in the second inning. Milton Bradley, Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot, Koyie Hill and even Kevin Hart participated in the hit parade and the entire team contributed to finishing off the homestand with a commanding win against the Houston Astros.
In his last appearance at Wrigley in a Cubs' uniform, Kevin Hart picked up his third win in a row. Hart gave up three runs, all three on home runs by Carlos Lee and Kaz Matsui. Hart surrendered a total of six hits, walked two, hit two batters and struck out four ... his first career quality start. Sean Marshall, Mitch Atkins and Kevin Gregg pitched the final three innings without allowing a run.
With the 13 hits on Thursday, the Cubs improved to 12-0 in July when they collect ten or more hits. For the series, the Cubs scored a total of 34 runs and the offense has begun performing the way most thought it would back in April. With Thursday's victory, the Cubs finished the seven-game homestand with a 6-1 record ... and Lou Piniella's crew improved to eight games over .500 for the first time this season.
The Cubs won the season series against the Astros with the 12-3 thumping on Thursday. With three games left against Houston at the end of August (August 31 - September 2), the Cubs are 9-5 against the Astros this season.
Kevin Hart retired the Astros in order in the first. Carlos Lee led off the second with his second homer of the series. Lee's 17th of the year gave the Astros a 1-0 lead. Carlos Lee has hit 19 home runs in career at Wrigley, third among active players (Adam Dunn, 23 and Albert Pujols, 20). Lee's dinger against Hart was the 30th of his career against Cubs' pitching.
Geoff Blum followed with a single then Kevin Hart hit Hunter Pence on a 1-1 offering. Jeff Keppinger sacrificed both runners to second and third. Humberto Quintero was hit on a 2-2 pitch to load the bases ... with one out.
Russ Ortiz grounded into a 6-4-3 inning ending double play ... thanks to Derrek Lee. Mike Fontenot's throw was high, Lee caught the ball and tagged Ortiz to end the inning and preserve the 1-0 deficit.
Michael Bourn led off the third with a double to center. Kaz Matsui followed with an ugly swing that resulted in a two-run homer to right center. Matsui' s fourth of the year cut the Cubs' lead to 4-3 ... but it ended up being their last runs of the game.
Milton Bradley led off the four-run second inning with a walk. Alfonso Soriano stepped in and doubled down the left field line. With runners on second and third with no outs, Mike Fontenot swung at the first pitch and popped out to third. Russ Ortiz intentionally walked Koyie Hill.
With the bases loaded and one-out, Kevin Hart lined out to second on the first pitch from Ortiz. Kosuke Fukudome looked at three straight out of the strike zone before taking two strikes. On a 3-2 pitch, Fukudome singled to right. Bradley and Soriano scored, 2-1 Cubs. Ryan Theriot worked the count to 3-1 then doubled down the right field line. Koyie Hill and Fukudome scored, 4-1 Cubs. Derrek Lee ended the inning with a fly out to left center.
Jake Fox led off the third with his sixth home run of the season on the first pitch from Ortiz. Milton Bradley followed with his eighth of the year, an opposite field solo shot on a 1-1 pitch.
Alfonso Soriano kept the line moving with a single to center. Mike Fontenot followed with a triple to right that plated Soriano with the Cubs' seventh run. Koyie Hill drove in Fontenot with a sacrifice fly to center ... 8-3 Cubs.
Kevin Hart helped his own cause with a single to right and scored on Fukudome's double to left center. Hart motored all the way around from first.
Cecil Cooper lifted Ortiz following the double by Fukudome and in what could have been his last big league game, Ortiz allowed nine runs on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.
Tim Byrdak replaced Ortiz. After Theriot reached on an error by Kaz Matsui, Byrdak stuck out Derrek Lee to end the inning.
Mike Fontenot led off the fifth with his second extra base hit of the game, a double to left. Koyie Hill singled to right. After Kevin Hart struck out swinging, Fukudome walked to load the bases. Ryan Theriot delivered a sac fly to left center that plated Fontenot with the Cubs' 10th run of the game.
Andres Blanco pinch-hit for Sean Marshall to start the seventh. After a wild pitch from Chris Sampson advanced Blanco to second, Kosuke Fukudome tripled to right center. Blanco scored, 11-3 Cubs. Ryan Theriot grounded out to second and Fukudome scored ... 12-3 Cubs.
Lou Piniella's crew beat the teams they were supposed to during the homestand, now it's time to hit the road ...
Rich Harden is slated to face Chris Volstad in the first of three against the Marlins on Friday night.
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The bats were impressive again today. An outstanding series for the Cubs.
At last check (6th) Cards were up 2-1 on the Dodgers behind Lohse. With the Cubs having built some momentum there's reason for optimism against the Marlins. We don't have to win 8 of 10 going ahead, but three or four six and fours groupins would keep the MO going.
You have to think the re-birth of our Big People can continue. You know that Lou is going to be playing them, and it's worked well the last couple of weeks.
Great Game...Interesting day.
Cards/Dodgers tied at 3 in the eighth at this point. My sincere hope is they go
18 innings with the Dodgers winning.
Houston released Ortiz after the game today....And now travel to St.Louis
with their staff in a shambles...so
it would be great if the Cards wear themselves out tonight.
For our part...we have to keep winning...
even on the road...the thing is...where
2 months ago...I didn't think we could...
no I know we CAN...barring anymore injuries.
Let's go Fishing and win baby win!!!
Go Cubs!!!
3 up in the loss column!
Yep!!
To put it a little more directly, Cards lose to Dodgers in 10. Cubs have 1/2 game lead in the Central. We're on top in the Central. That Agustin and Neil is the military "book" for teaching: Tell 'em what your are going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Tell 'em what you told 'em. LOL
Or even better.....
Cards Lose!!! Cards Lose!!! Cards Lose!!
Cubs back in FIRST place!!
NICE and does anyone kno y jay was ent down??
He got crushed his last outing for AA...But he completly dominated today in Dayton 9'k in 5'in...The cubs should have waited at least another start before demoting him from my point of view..
Or, it was simply a matter of trying to build up his trade value again. Perhaps this is why we had to include Ascanio, who knows?
I think the Pirates probably originally asked for Kevin Hart, Jay Jackson, and Josh Harrison, then as the clock was ticking, they saw Jackson's last start, and were unimpressed, so as a last ditch effort, he was shuttled to Daytona so they could get another look at him, but they might've had another deal on the table they had to make a decision on, so they approached Hendry, and said they couldn't wait for Jackson's start (obviously pure speculation on my part), and decided to go with Ascanio as Plan B instead.
In my mind, had we sent Hart, Jackson, and Harrison, that would've been a HORRIBLE deal for us. Ascanio is a bigger loss than many people understand. What most don't understand is he actually had Marmol-esque stuff, only he wasn't given a chance to showcase it full-time in the bigs. Hart is very under-rated as well, and I don't buy the fact that he's like Samardzija. Samardzija hasn't had near the success in the minors or majors that Hart has, and Hart has more control over his pitches that Samardzija (if you can believe that...b/c both are erratic at times).
I don't like this deal one bit. I think Grabow is almost like a Gloo-Roo, isn't he? I know he can't start like Gloo-Roo, but they're both very similar pitchers with their deliveries, etc. He has, what...one really good year with a sub-3 ERA, and this year in the mid 3's, and he's suddenly highly sought after? No thanks, we've had PLENTY of those type pass through here without success.
Gorzelanny, while still relatively young, is actually slightly older than Hart even...So, you trade a 26 yr old starter that did a FINE job while Demp and Lilly went down. You trade a 24 yr old flame-thrower Marmol-esque pitcher, AND a 22 yr old second baseman with lead-off potential.
Yeah, I'd say we got robbed, as we got a 30 yr old loogy, and a 27 yr old lefty starter banished to the minors because he sucks. If we'd just kept the status quo, it would've been better. I'd rather have no deal, see what BJ Ryan, or even John Gaub could do, and still have Ascanio in the minors when Samardzija can't hack it (which he can't). We just hurt our depth with this trade, and it most certainly will come back to bite us.
See, what most people forget, is Hart was with Rothschild....now, he goes to Pittsburgh with an ACTUAL pitching coach that is not a bff of the GM, who is a student of the game. You watch, Ascanio and Hart will most certainly take off.
Aaron, We definitely needed a lefty reliever....no doubt about it...
I buy Hendry's assessment that given
Lou's propensity for lefty/righty
matchups that Marshall would wear down.
And Lou isn't going anywhere this season.
Arm for Arm...I don't like the trade at all. But in the context of this season, this team, the budget constraints etc.
Hendry did what he could.
(This is not a ringing endorsement).
You, being a numbers guy, please look at
the numbers for the last 2 months...not
career of these guys...(I trust you to do this...I'm not real good at it.)
Next...
I don't think anyone is sold on BJ Ryan
just yet...maybe he'll be effective, maybe he's done, maybe he's Neil Cotts.
Hard to say.
Re Gaub...If it were the beginning of the season...I'd say give him a shot...
but we are coming into the stretch and
you really don't want to depend on a guy
that hasn't even played at AAA, let alone
mlb levels during the stretch.
With the above premises...and given his manager's tendencies...Hendry HAD to make a move...and once again...we are tumbling dice...
5 components make this trade a success for us.
1)We make the playoffs...and go deep in them.
2)Marshall doesn't wear out.
3)Dr. Grabow doesn't walk a lot of guy's
and can keep his era @3.00 for the next 2 months.
4)Gorzelanny can be effective as a spot starter giving us 5 or 6 quality innings at a time....for 2 months.
5) NO More injuries to the pitching staff.
I HATE LOSING ASCANIO. He had great stuff
and is going to have a good career. I
thought he would be better than Wells at some point...definitely better than Shark....and possibly part of a nasty
trio in the pen with Guzman and Marmol.
But if my 5 components necessary for this trade to be good happen...then
I guess it was ok.
I still don't buy the whole "experience" argument. First of all, Soto, Fontenot, Hoffpauir, Theriot, Hart, and Murton weren't experienced in recent years, yet all came in down the stretch, and did a knock out job for us. Hart in 2007 had an ERA under 1. Hoffy, Theriot, Fontenot, Soto, and Murton all hit over .300 down the stretches for us when they came up. Would you rather have a more "experienced" player than those guys? Would you rather have had Rob Bowen instead of Soto? Or Jacque Jones instead of Hoffy or Murton? Or Wade Miller, Neal Cotts, or Will Ohman instead of Hart that year? Exactly my point. You wouldn't, because youth actually trumps veteran "experience" down the stretch. Why? Because they have more energy, and are less lethargic.
I'd take Waddell, Gaub, Papelbon, or BJ Ryan over Grabow anyday, and I'd even take JR Mathes over Gorzelanny anyday. Why not? Grabow and Gorzelanny have sucked up the joint in recent memory, so why not give those guys a shot if you really needed lefties?
BJ Ryan pitched 1.2 innings for Iowa Cubs yesterday giving up 1 walk and struck out 1.
Yesterday's game will live on in the annals of trivia.
Both starting pitchers were no longer with their teams after the game:
Kevin Hart traded.
Russ Ortiz released.
lol