well that will be interesting.

Just having got home after a big b-day win, here’s my take.

Dempster does need some more strikes in some areas but he needs the put-away pitch. Whether more effective than what he has or a variant of a pitch, he needs to locate just off the plate too. Don’t know what Demuth was seeing on that ball 3 just above the knees over the middle of the plate though.

I’ll take it that Fonzie was still in the game because he was OK – slow – but not hurting. He looked like he was galloping like a gazelle coming home on that play.

I too would have sent Johnson but D-Lee has to take a pitch or two here. Riot was just hit and IMHO think the kid on the mound was a little rattled. He’s in trouble, not the batter. Make him work.

I would have left Howry in there instead of Marmol and just consider Howry the one reliever that can’t go tomorrow. Now…..if both Howry and Marmol are considered good to go tomorrow, then no harm, no foul.

Cause ive missed my first 2 games of the entire year cause of work these past 2 days, and they have been monster wins. GO CUBBIES!!!!!!!!!

Use the pitchers wisely, Lou.

Also, to further your point: Think how many more runs Soriano could have batted in with his good hitting today if he were batting lower in the order.

At last, someone else is picking up the offense while D. Lee slumps. Hopefully, Lee will snap out of it soon.

And seriously, folks, can we cut off some slack to Theriot? Yes, he’s being caught stealing too many times but he’s being aggressive. And he’s hitting. Today, he even brought his glove to make an excellent defensive play at SS. The guy is hot and deserves to be the Cubs’ everyday SS.

Finally, in a lighter note, I’m sorry that those watching on TV had to endure the replay of Mark Grace singing the 7th inning stretch, but I guess Fox had to promote their “analyst”. Since the Cubs rally in the 7th started while we heard Grace “sing”, consider it a good luck charm. ;-)

followed the game on the computer, so could not get a good feel for the game as you folks who watched or saw it live.
I just like the idea of Soriano got 4 hits, Dempster threw well except for the one inning ( yes walks kills him and the Cubs, but you have to admit he has throw well to this point) Dome is just damn good, Lou, why not Pie today you know Randy Johnson was starting on Sunday and Pie was not going to start, come on Lou play Pie. And it seems Lou has fallen in love with Marmol
Overall great game, and maybe just maybe the Soriano bashing will cease.

I thought Dempster was really good today. In fact I thought he was spectacular through the first 5 IP. He had thrown 86 pitches and 53 for strikes. I generally assume that as long as a pitcher is throwing more than 60% of his pitches for strikes, then that is acceptable, especially if he’s only allowed one hit. I agree that when Dempster gets in jams he typically has to throw alot more pitches to get out of them. I think that probably has to do with the transition he is making. He is more careful than most pitchers. His careful approach has kept him from giving up any big innings but has required more help from the bullpen. I really like the approach myself and am really feeling confident with him taking the mound.

As far as Soriano is concerned, I think with him struggling at the plate so much this year, anytime you see a player having some success at the plate in a particular game, let him go out there and keep building on that. That last hit wasn’t important to the ballgame but it may have really helped his confidence carry over to the next game.

He finally got his line back. Congrats Fonzie – may you never see the south side of .200 the rest of this season.

Oh, btw – I heard a rumor that Tuesday night’s giveaway (Soriano bobblehead) is not really a bobblehead. It’s a bobblefoot – it hops when you tap it…

Thank you thank you. You’re a wonderful audience. I’ll be here all week.

Thats barely an A!!! (I’m driving three hours to attend the game, I’m pulling at straws of optimisim…...

I wasn’t there at the game, but on TV I was not happy they sent Johnson, when to me, the ball looked like in very shallow right field. You still have big bats coming up and why tempt a momentum turn? As soon as I saw he was running, I knew he would be out at home.

Dempster should have been out of that bases loaded inning, he got squeezed on a couple. You could tell he was gassed and his pitches were straying. If the home plate ump calls that seemingly low pitch a strike, inning over, no harm done.

I think the answer could be yes – the Jays were in a massive tailspin even before now, and with Vernon Wells breaking his wrist, it seems likely that the only thing that could prevent the Jays from being sellers is the fact that J.P. Riccardi is not a good GM.

And if the Jays are sellers, A.J. Burnett should be available. He won’t be cheap.