The Daily CCO returns following a day off due to draft hangover.
After a good week at Wrigley Field, the Cubs hit the road again and will play 10 games over the next 10 days in three cities. The Cubs are in the middle of a stretch of games in which they play 20 of 26 games outside of Wrigley.
The Cubs are a different team on the road (10-21) than at home (15-14) but have been playing better of late. The Cubs are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 12-8 in their last 20. And if the team would have continued doing the little things the right way on Sunday, it would have been a happy flight to Pittsburgh riding a six-game winning streak.
As was pointed out this morning, the Cubs are playing better in June (5-2) for the third straight year just before the annual sell-off begins.
Jeff Samardzija
Now that the draft is over, the focus will soon turn to the trade season as contenders try to improve their roster while second division teams try to turn short-term assets in to long-term assets.
Bruce Levine reported this weekend there was nothing new on the Jeff Samardzija trade front and that the Blue Jays interest in Samardzija has cooled with the way Marcus Stroman is pitching. Levine added right now there is not a team that wants to give the Cubs what they are looking for in return for Samardzija (young pitching) and the front office might not be able to find the right package unless a team gets desperate.
The Cubs and Samardzija remains $25-30 million apart over five-six years of a long term contract extension.
News and Notes
Despite losing Sunday, the Cubs are feeling good about themselves according to a report from Bruce Levine.
After Sunday’s game, Rick Renteria said Neil Ramirez and Hector Rondon were not available for the finale against the Marlins. Rondon pitched Wednesday and Friday and threw 32 pitches in the ninth inning on Friday. And Ramirez threw Thursday and Friday, 29 total pitches.
John Baker is still having “a tough time talking” after taking a foul ball to his throat last week.
Jake Arrieta is starting to find his rhythm with the Cubs according to a report from Tony Andracki. And efficiency is solidifying Jake Arrieta’s status according to ESPN Chicago.
The Rays paid tribute to Don Zimmer over the weekend. The Rays hit the proverbial ball out of the park with the tribute to ‘Popeye.’ Here a link to the tribute …
Justin Ruggiano spoke fondly of his time with Don Zimmer.
And Barry Rozner dug up a rant from Don Zimmer that had never been heard before last week.
Minor News and Notes
While the Iowa Cubs wait for the arrival of Manny Ramirez, Javier Baez is heating back up again. Baez is 5-for-11 over the last three games with a double, a home run, a stolen base, a walk and four strikeouts. Over his last ten games, Baez is slashing .276/.344/.414 with a .758 OPS.
Arismendy Alcantara went 1-for-3 with a triple, a RBI and a walk on Sunday. Alcantara has hits in three of his last four games and has reached base safely in each of his last four games. Other than the four games against the Sounds, Alcantara has performed at the plate over his last 10 games.
Dan Vogelbach is hitting .371/.488/.600 with five doubles, one home run, seven walks, six strikeouts and a 1.088 OPS over his last 10 games.
Weekend Headlines
It was a busy weekend for the Chicago Cubs, with a majority of the focus being on the draft and the winning streak at the big league level. Here are the headlines in case you missed anything:
- June 5 – Cubs Announce Radio Partnership with WBBM-AM and CBS Radio
- June 5 – Cubs Selected C/OF Kyle Schwarber
- June 5 – Cubs Selected RHP Jake Stinnett
- June 6 – Cubs Minor League Roster Moves: RHP Joel Pineiro Released, Corey Black Placed on DL
- June 7 – Pitching, Pitching and More Pitching for the Cubs in the Second Day of the Draft
- June 8 – Cubs Select Pitching and Possibilities on the Third Day of the 2014 Draft
- June 8 – Cubs Notes from Down on the Farm
This Day In Cubstory
2010 – Cubs hit five home runs, including Derrek Lee’s 300th of his career in a 9-4 win over the Brewers. Geovany Soto and Marlon Byrd both hit two home runs
2009 – Cubs selected Brett Jackson in the first round (31st overall pick) of the draft
2009 – Cubs selected D.J. LeMahieu in the second round of the draft
2009 – Cubs selected Chris Rusin in the fourth round of the draft
2009 – Cubs selected Brooks Raley in the sixth round of the draft
2009 – Cubs selected Justin Bour in the 25th round of the draft
2008 – Cubs released Randy Keisler
2002 – Cubs acquired Jackson Melian from the Brewers for Robert Machado
2000 – The Cubs, Rangers and Marlins complete three-way trade. Brant Brown went from Florida to Texas for Chuck Smith. The Rangers sent Brown to the Cubs for Dave Martinez
1994 – Marlins signed free agent Mike Brumley
1988 – Zac Rosscup, born
1980 – Mike Fontenot, born
1978 – Cubs traded Woodie Fryman to the Expos for a PTBNL. Cubs received Jerry White as the PTBNL on June 23
1978 – Rookie pitcher Dennis Lamp tossed a one-hitter in a Cubs 5-0 victory over the Padres at Wrigley Field. Gene Richards collected the only hit, a single with two outs in the sixth. Dave Kingman hit a two-run home run and collected a bunt single
1963 – Ernie Banks hit three home runs, two off Sandy Koufax, in an 11-8 loss to the Dodgers at Wrigley Field
1958 – Cubs signed amateur free agent Ron Perranoski
1957 – Ernie Banks hit the 100th home run of his career with two on in the eighth inning off Robin Roberts
1954 – Ralph Kiner hit two home runs and drove in three runs and Hank Sauer hit another home run and drove in three runs as the Cubs beat the Phillies and Robin Roberts 6-5 at Wrigley Field