The Injury Parade Continues: Zambrano's Back Acts Up Again, Cubs Lose 6-2

for that one, and was very disappointed at the end. :(

I’m ok with the pitching staff if healthy but the offense is just way too streaky.

Hard to believe that Sean can be the long reliever any more with his one or two-batter outings recently. Hopefully, his role changes with the influx of Pirate lefties.

But injuries like this — if it’s really true that Z hurt his back taking BP — and the previous one he suffered running the bases earlier this year, are a good argument to have it.

…is as a PITCHER?

Talk about totally screwing your team and fans for your own machismo…..

I can’t seem to find anywhere else that confirms this

Obsess much, y’all?

I really hate Zambrano as a pinch-hitter. It is amazing that he hasn’t hurt himself before with that swing. I can only imagine that he is even more extreme at times in BP.

is not fine. I don’t blame him with Z as reports are Z had been fine in all his BP sessions etc but it is the nature of players especially pitchers to say they are fine and you have to use some common sense as in the case of Gregg last Sunday.

FYI for those who think Gregg is the worst closer etc. Check out Frankie Rodriquez’s last two appearances as well as an epic meltdown by the Giants bullpen. Contrary to popular belief other bullpens screw up badly too.

Of course, that makes me think all the more that he should stay in Iowa and focus on developing himself as a starter.

I’m tempted to say that Andres Blanco is the only “accomplished bunter” on this team. But Dome has actually laid down some good ones in his time, too.

That aside, I see every reason to put your TWO HIGHEST OBP GUYS at the top of the lineup. Just because it didn’t work out last night, doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. A lineup of Dome and Bradley at the top, followed by three power hitters (four if Soto can get himself back to MLB form) is a thing of beauty, and Lou should stick with it.

Play .500 ball against good teams.

Beat the hell out of worse teams.

I think that the Cubs are capable of this, even this season. Admittedly, it has been uneven so far.

You are unwavering in your vision and your beliefs. Not even the pain of torture would convince you the Cubs might win more than 83 games this year.

Here’s BLou after a loss. Never after a victory.

If you’re going to shit with the dogs, you need to run with them sometimes, too.

my question is, the coaches know Z’s back has been a problem. Where were they while he was “reportedly” swinging for the fences in the batting cage.

He talks tough, says he will get Jake Fox in the lineup, says he will talk to Z, Soriano, whoever else. He just never does these things and if he does it sure as hell doesn’t work.

…and it was quite cutting.

Len said something like, “Soriano really didn’t run hard out of the box there.”

And Bob said dryly, “Does that surprise you?”

I won’t believe ANY of the guys that deny it in the face of strong evidence.

While Sosa and ARod were left to defend themselves. Of course the answer was BS, but at least the question was asked

And I did not find anything believable in Ortiz’s statements. I want to like the guy, but really, the whole approach to this stinks to high heaven of the sort of half truth that the players always throw out WRT steroids. No immediate statement, just a late statement, seemingly after the lawyers had examined all of the evidence that anyone could have, that he had never done any of that stuff (and you go ahead and try to prove otherwise — just like Clemens).

… are mostly from two horrific starts, one in 2001, one in 2003, when he was hurt and the Rockies had far different hitters than they have now, and IIRC that was before the balls were stored in the humidor.

In this case, past results are almost completely irrelevant.