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.

The Cubs are a very talented team, one that just had a bunch of guys slump at the same time. It happens - every team goes through team slumps once or twice a year. They have also stood toe-to-toe with the best team in the NL (at least record-wise) the last two days, and they are the ones standing. It’s a good sign when they are able to right the ship just when the going gets tough. We just need to relax and take the same view as the players - it’s a long season, and each day brings a new game and a new chance to succeed.

Sorry I haven’t been joining you guys on the game threads, but my computer just can’t handle it. I’m not sure how much is SB Nation’s fault, and how much is my box’s fault. Hopefully, I’ll get the problem solved before October.

Sweep dreams for tomorrow???

I think otherwise

Couple of bullet points i want to discuss..

. Felix needs to be given a chance or send him to AAA. There is no excuse for him to be sitting on righties that Reed cant hit.

. How does Reed get hit so much? Seriously. Hes now Scrappy 2.0 to me

ENough complaining

Positivesv :)

. While i agree with you Al that Demp has to throw more strikes i think he pitched well.

. Soriano might be coming out of it. Would be a huge lift to the team.

. Good to see DOme hit the ball with authority

;A-Ram way to go…

. Carlos Marmol your all-star ebrth is ready

But saw on the D-Backs board, this was the first game the D-backs haven’t had an extra base hit.

I heard there was some good D and obviously. Credit the pitching and D. Not bad for doing that to “the best offense and all around team in the MLB”.

Hopefully BigZ can get us 7 strong tomorrow and have Marmol and Wood close it out…

But saw on the D-Backs board, this was the first game the D-backs haven’t had an extra base hit.

I heard there was some good D and obviously. Credit the pitching and D. Not bad for doing that to “the best offense and all around team in the MLB”.

Hopefully BigZ can get us 7 strong tomorrow and have Marmol and Wood close it out…

first of all—quick update on Samardijza.. he’s struggling in tonights game. Struggling is an understatement. 2.2 IP, 7 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. He really needs to cut down on the walks. He’s going in the wrong direction ..

Dempster reminds me of Matt Clement. He is an excellent #3/4 starter, but right now he’s basically our #2—or maybe #3 behind Lilly and Zambrano. It would be nice to pick up a ace to compliment Zambrano to fill that void. I think Zambrano is truly a #2, even though he’s finally learning how to pitch, which could turn him into an #1. A couple of names to look out for A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, and Rich Harden. Other names I’m really looking out for is Roy Halladay, and I wonder if the Giants would trade Matt Cain for the right deal.

Felix Pie is being mishandled. He can’t learn if he can’t play. Yes, he’s overmatched at times, yes, he does look lost at times, but if you’re 23, and your not playing on a everyday basis, their is only so much you will figure out. I don’t get him being up here if he isn’t going to be played everyday.

Me - I only think Pie will be a .270/.330 type guy, while hitting 10-15 HR, and driving in 60 RBI’s a season - but this guy could steal at least 20 a year. But he has the potential to be a 20/20 guy, but he’s gotta learn to swing with 2 strikes and work counts, and fight of those pitches that he is always swinging and missing on, or just staring at. He has to figure out that he has “his” pitch on the first and second pitches, and alot of the times (lately) he has taken those pitches because he has heard how “impatient” he is. But I think he needs to be Felix Pie, he needs to be patiently aggressive, and re-invent himself, and if not here with the Cubs, then maybe in Iowa, or just completely with another team.

Frankly I’m fairly surprised at the overall tenor in regards to Dempster. I thought he pitched extremely well today. The 6th inning saw a few seeing-eye singles as well as a plate umpire who had a tremendously inconsistent strike zone. Dempster had Upton struck out and the Fox announcers could not believe that a pretty clear strike three went for a ball, and ultimately led to a walk. Demp was pissed and I can’t blame him. Dempster now has a 2.76 ERA. He’s had one outing where he’s given up more than 3 earned runs. I’d like to see him go a little big longer in games but to me, Dempster has been perhaps the unsung hero of this season.

DmL

of all of Sori’s hits from Saturday. All were up and either center cut or a bit in. Is he that much of a guess hitter to swing at the slider a foot off the plate and 6” off the ground? Or is he just going through his streak of seeing the ball very well like every hitter goes through? When D Lee was struggling earlier this week and last week he took a LOT of pitches he normally crushes and was swinging at garbage. I guess that’s the life of a Major League hitter.