Four Months Too Late, Soriano Will Be Scoped: Cubs vs. Mets Preview, Saturday 9/5, 12:10 CT

by Al on Sep 5, 2009 10:30 AM CDT in Game Threads Comment 38 comments

by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Maybe if you'd been scoped in May, you would have caught this ball. Alfonso.

Finally -- more than four months after it happened -- the Cubs and Alfonso Soriano are admitting that something's wrong with his knee:

Alfonso Soriano said he will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee later this month after manager Lou Piniella shut him down Friday.

"Lou said it's not good to play on one leg," said Soriano, who had cortisone shot in the knee Sunday. "I was 80 percent, but now I'm down to 50 or 60 percent. I play with my knee on my mind, and I'm scared to get hurt. If we're out [of it], it's better to do the surgery before we go to the Dominican [for the off-season]."

The cleanup surgery would sideline Soriano for two weeks, so depending on when he undergoes the procedure, he could miss the rest of the season.

Two weeks. One stint on the DL; that could have been done in mid-May. That's when the knee injury, suffered sometime in April when Soriano ran into a wall at Wrigley chasing a fly ball, started to bother him and he stopped hitting. All of us watching him play could tell he wasn't running at full strength either on the bases or in the field, and it finally -- way too late -- became painfully obvious on Thursday when he couldn't plant his leg and dropped A.J. Pierzynski's fly ball at Wrigley, helping to blow that game open.

As Lou said in the article linked above, it's great that Soriano wants to get out there and help the team win. But if he's hurt, FIX IT! This could have been done four months ago and he'd have been out there at full strength by June.

The article also notes that Derrek Lee should return for today's game, after missing two games for the birth of his second child, a boy. Congratulations to the Lee family.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Rich Harden Cubs	vs.	Nelson Figueroa Mets

8-8	W-L	2-3
4.19	ERA	4.50
152	SO	27
58	BB	10
22	HR	4
vs. NY	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Rich Harden	8-8	24	23	0	0	0	0	129.0	108	66	60	22	58	152	4.19	1.29

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Nelson Figueroa	2-3	10	4	0	0	0	0	32.0	43	17	16	4	10	27	4.50	1.66

Go figure on Nelson Figueroa. The Cubs made him look like an All-Star last Sunday at Wrigley Field, but in general he should be eminently hittable. Aramis Ramirez is 5-for-12 with a HR lifetime off Figueroa.

Similarly, who can figure out Rich Harden? He had been outstanding since the All-Star break -- until he walked about every Astro in sight last Monday at Wrigley Field. He has no W-L record in two career appearances (one start) vs. the Mets; current Mets are hitting .180 (11-for-61) against Rich.

Today's game is cable-only in Chicago (CSN), but on broadcast TV (WPIX) in New York. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Mets site Amazin' Avenue.

Overflow comment threads will post today at 1 pm, 2 pm and 2:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

0 recs | Comment 38 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

huh...1st?

by daily2b on Sep 5, 2009 10:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Just another

fine move this season. This just makes you wonder what in the hell was going on. He was by his own accounts playing at 80% since May, then 50-60%, Wow. Someone should have told Soriano that the Cubs will provide the finest doctor, it is 2009 where knee scopes and procedures can be done with positive results, this is not getting a knee surgery in Kabul.
Just a mess.

by Grockcubs on Sep 5, 2009 10:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Someone please post the Facepalm picture

Ab\nd dedicate it to the Cubs management..

"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will

by eswan9 on Sep 5, 2009 10:46 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Done. Cubs Management, this one's for you!

"Was you ever punched in the face five hundred times a night? It stings after a while." ~Rocky Balboa

by Goodie1969 on Sep 5, 2009 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A smile spreads across BCB's Worf

The sun will shine in '69

by gaclaudy on Sep 5, 2009 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You owe me a quarter!

There is no such thing as an ugly female breast

by Worf on Sep 5, 2009 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

not happy that they’re telling us this now. It bothers me that they knew he was hurt, he wasn’t performing, and still kept trotting him out there. It makes me wonder if they had him checked out so they knew he wasn’t making it worse playing on it.

It never gets to be easy

by chitownhawkeye on Sep 5, 2009 10:49 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Of course, if the Cubs were winning, and on their way to a Division title

I assume many here would be applauding the “gutty performance” of Soriano who played most of the year on one knee.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 5, 2009 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he were performing well

and the team were winning, probably.
If the team were winning, but he was struggling, then no.

It never gets to be easy

by chitownhawkeye on Sep 5, 2009 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh please. He has been very bad almost all year.

Al is right, this should have been done long ago. This another example of decisions or nonaction that defies reasonable explanation. What is the point of your post? Just to say something negative about posters here?

Some people say the glass is half empty, some say half full. I say, are you going to drink that?

by BleedsbluinMI on Sep 5, 2009 11:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand what he is saying

that people who have been ripping Soriano, may not notice that he put the surgery off wanting to help the team, instead of shutting down. This is a perfect example of “six of one, half dozen of the other”

baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out

by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 5, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's not six to one, half dozen to another

Sori shows up with a good attitude and wants to play. As a professional, he and the coaching staff need to recognize when the trying to play through an injury hurts the team more than what the upside of him staying in is. There are 3 weeks left in the season, it took too long. There have been posters on here asking this question for a long time.

This black and white, you are either for a player or against him in bs. I can root for Sori and the team and question lineups and decisions at the same time.

Some people say the glass is half empty, some say half full. I say, are you going to drink that?

by BleedsbluinMI on Sep 5, 2009 12:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

we are losing so people will be negative about him not being selfish and wanting to help (or for some, trying to earn his contract). Knowing now that he has been playing on one wheel gives me a little more respect for him as a person.

baseball is a game of outs......pop out, ground out, line out, pitch out, strike out, fly out, and Fox and Bud's favorite black out

by Cubbie-Tim on Sep 5, 2009 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+100

Defending Lou in this space has become like trying to hold back the tide. I am awash in the futility of it.

Second-guessing is always easier than making a decision when there are no good alternatives. Second-guessing always works, because whatever was decided becomes the cause of the failure.

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Sep 5, 2009 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

typical mismanagement by Cubs management

Kevin Gregg is the Mother F'n Anti-christ!

by VegasCubFan on Sep 5, 2009 10:52 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Such a shame

This series should have mattered so much more when the schedules originally came out….

by ak123 on Sep 5, 2009 10:55 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Breaking News!

“Lou said it’s not good to play on one leg,” said Soriano.

You needed Lou to tell you that?

"Was you ever punched in the face five hundred times a night? It stings after a while." ~Rocky Balboa

by Goodie1969 on Sep 5, 2009 10:59 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Apparently Lou does need to tell hm that.

Remember Soriano was the one who said “The grass was too big” and that was the reason he missed the AJ’s pop fly.

Don't let anyone steal your Joy

by bigz38fan on Sep 5, 2009 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And give him 24 hr notice

that playing on 1 leg is bad

It never gets to be easy

by chitownhawkeye on Sep 5, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No TV today! Whoo-hoo!

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 5, 2009 11:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

For some reason, the picture of Nelson Figueroa is not showing up on my screen

so I’m offering up a picture of another Nelson that more accurately captures the mood of today’s game

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Sep 5, 2009 11:15 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

For this assessment...

"Was you ever punched in the face five hundred times a night? It stings after a while." ~Rocky Balboa

by Goodie1969 on Sep 5, 2009 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

2legit2quit!!!!!!!!!!!

COOL BEANS!

by lexmarklover on Sep 5, 2009 11:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Lou

I understand that the pitchforks-and-torches crowd wants Lou fired at this point.

If there is anyone else who still supports him, I would like to hear a shout out.

However, what I would like to hear from the “Fire Lou” crowd is who they would replace him with, and why they think that person would do a better job.

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Sep 5, 2009 11:46 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I kind of support him

I support him so far as that he isn’t totally to blame for the bad year. He has done plenty of mismanagement but the players haven’t helped him much easier. Bases loaded situations with no runs scored have been a trend for the year. Putting Miles in instead of Fox doesn’t help that situation. But two batters come up after them and they aren’t doing anything either.

by kevinbreit on Sep 5, 2009 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

a younger person with younger ideas

such as 1) making out a lineup based on quantifiable productivity instead of what side of the plate a guy bats from, 2) eschewing bullpen matchups in favor of a balanced use of relievers, 3) leaving in a reliever who’s getting the job done, and 4) continuing to teach, remind, and refine players when it comes to the value of getting on base.

by CaliCub on Sep 5, 2009 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs