Soto Homers, Drives In Five; Missing Cubs Offense Found In 15-3 Win
by Al Yellon on Aug 4, 2010 5:31 PM CDT
in Chicago Cubs Recaps
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PrintThis is what a losing streak does to a writer: I had a long rant ready to post here about Jeff Baker's bad throw in the fifth inning that led to three unearned Brewers runs.
I'm still going to post that, but it can wait till after the jump, because the Cubs found their bats today -- wonder where they've been? -- and smashed out 16 hits, including four homers, and ended their seven-game losing streak with a 15-3 annihilation of the Brewers.
Here's another example of how baseball has changed: it started raining fairly hard in the second inning, but at no time did the grounds crew come anywhere near covering the field nor did the umpires give any indication of stopping play. 10 or 20 years ago, they would have. It's probably a combination of the amount of money involved in refunding tickets and rescheduling games, and the fact that modern weather radars and forecasts can give teams very accurate timing on rainfall and how hard it's going to be. It did rain lightly almost the entire game, but not really hard enough to hold it up.
Maybe Baker's error and the three runs that resulted woke the Cubs' offense up, because it was only an inning later that they teed off on Manny Parra, Todd Coffey and favorite target, former Cub LaTroy Hawkins.
One big blow was a three-run homer from Aramis Ramirez, who hit it as a pinch-hitter for Ryan Dempster. Aramis hasn't had many PH appearances in his career -- this was only his 38th PA as a PH, and he had one other pinch-homer. It happened on July 14, 2002 with the Pirates; for amusement value take a look at who he batted for that day.
Geovany Soto also hit a three-run homer, off Hawkins, and drove in five runs overall. Right after Soto's homer, LaTroy threw a ball behind Alfonso Soriano; it grazed his back so he took first base. Hawkins was ejected -- not sure if that was for throwing behind a hitter, or because the benches had been warned before the game about throwing at hitters, or both. This enraged Ken Macha; the umpires gave him a lot of rope before tossing him, which just prolonged the game. Then whoever took over on the Brewers' bench decided to delay the game even further in the eighth inning.
Seriously -- your team is losing 12-3 with two out in the bottom of the eighth and it's raining and you're going to make a pitching change? What is the point of that, other than being a jerk? So what, they brought in a lefthander (Chris Capuano) to face LH-hitting Blake DeWitt. When you're losing by nine runs, does that really matter?
DeWitt made Capuano pay by yanking his first homer as a Cub into the basket in right field. Serves 'em right.
Now, I have two complaints, although they both become minor in a big win like this. First, what on Earth was Baker doing throwing to second in that situation? It appeared that Rickie Weeks slipped and stumbled coming out of the batter's box -- there were two out, he was an easy out at first. Obviously, in hindsight it didn't matter, but really, that was a very poor choice.
Second: we now know that Carlos Zambrano will return to the rotation on Monday in San Francisco. In theory, you'd like to see him stretched out a little, right? So why not leave him in to finish the game? He only threw 17 pitches in a fairly efficient inning, and you're going to want him to go five innings, at least, on Monday, right? If Lou had left him in, he could have pushed it out to 50 or so pitches, have four days off -- and he'd have registered a save.
As I said, the complaint department should be closed after a win like this, so I'll make the above comments in muted form, not make a big deal about them. Enjoy the off day.
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Lou did give him batting practice before he took him out tho! ;)
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
True.
That’s one time I would have forgiven him for trying to hit a 900-foot HR.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Well, I was sort of upset that he left Z in to hit.
If he planned on using Z to pitch in the 8th, he would obviously have to leave him in to hit. However, Lou wanted to bring in Marshall for the 8th. Why let Z hit then? I’m sure Fontenot would’ve liked an at-bat. he hasn’t had that many over the past couple of weeks due to Lou’s (now former) love of Theriot.
Everyone's thought process with this team is that the playoffs start now. Tomorrow is going to be Day One of our run to October.
-- Marlon Byrd
Lots of "why"
But that’s just Lou.
1. Why not stretch Z out a little in a perfect opportunity?
2. Why bat Colvin (high SLG, low OBP) lead-off? (Lou likes solo HRs?) Especially now that we have Dewitt (350+ OBP, and neither guy will steal bases).
3. Why play Baker at 3B when Dewitt is also in the game?
4. Why play Koyie Hill so much?
etc, etc, etc
You're spot-on with your complaints though.
I didn’t see Weeks slip out of the box, but it seemed weird at the time. And Zambrano… Sheesh.
by chilango2 on Aug 4, 2010 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
That's gotta be a communication issue
As a left-side IF, your first instinct is to go for the short throw to get the out. Someone should have been yelling at him that throwing to 1st would be a better option.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Bang on
it isn’t Baker’s fault at all that he threw to second. That’s the play. Evey time. Unless someone tells you otherwise. There is no way he could see Weeks stumble while tracking the grounder so someone has to tell him. Someone has to yell “go to one” or something along those lines.
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Why wouldn't you throw to first on an infeild grounder with two out?
Get that out and the inning is over.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The short throw is always the right play for a left sided infielder
unless it’s a full count and the runners are on the move. Now if you are playing in at third and you don’t want to throw across your body then maybe in that case you would go to one but in that situation Baker, not knowing about the runner slipping, made the sound baseball decision. The only problem was the execution of the throw.
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:09 PM CDT up reply actions
This is 100% right.
Baker is at NO fault on this play It’s bad communication from teammates.
Of course the speed of the runners plays a role too
if you have a speedster like Carl Crawford on first and a slow runner at the plate you might make the decision to go to 2 on that play. But in the situation Baker was in I think he made the right choice. Just made a bad throw or it’s a nonissue.
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions
*to go to 1
that should say
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:17 PM CDT up reply actions
That's kinda what I was thinking.
The runner on 1B has a lead and is running on contact. Throw to 1B. I understand Baker might’ve taken Weeks’ speed into consideration and thought the easy play was at 2B. Thank goodness it’s a non-issue.
Right....it was a fun game to watch too!
"Well-behaved women seldom make History"---Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Didn't they hit 4 homeruns today?
Colvin, Ramirez, Soto and Dewitt, no?
"Whenever one finds himself in the majority, it is time to step back and reflect," Mark Twain.
by WindisBlowingOut! on Aug 4, 2010 5:46 PM CDT reply actions
There's a few issues up there
The big blows were three-run homers from Aramis Ramirez…
And the rest of the paragraph is all about Rami, with the next one starting:
Geovany Soto also hit a three-run homer
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
It's a game like this that restores a SLIVER of hope
I don’t have WGN on my cable package with Comcast out here in Utah so to know whats going on with the Cubs, I have signed up to get a text message from ESPN at the conclusion of every game. I have recently thought about turning off the text notifications because I was tired of receiving texts in the middle of work telling me the Cubs lost 18-1 or something similar. Today though when I got the text, I was ecstatic! Maybe I’ll delay turning off those notifications for a few more days. GO CUBBIES!!!
For The Love!!
Rise and shout the Cougars are out!!
Feel free to join us here on the Game Threads
SJS_illini did a fine job with the play-by-play in today’s threads, and there’s usually someone willing to do PbP if someone asks. It’s better than Gameday, anyway.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Thanks
Unfortunately, I dont always have internet access either. But when I can, I will. :)
For The Love!!
Rise and shout the Cougars are out!!
Thanks props, Clutch.
Coming from you, means a lot, lol.
by Steven Schweickert on Aug 5, 2010 8:10 AM CDT up reply actions
a 'sliver of hope'
Yeah, right. Talk to me when the team’s ONLY five games under .500.
Lose 7 straight
by a combined 47 runs, then wake-up for 2 innings and win a game by 12. this is the kind of stuff that makes a wasted season even more frustrating. is it over yet?
"Anyone on our team that thinks we are cursed will be moved to a lesser-cursed team"
-Tom Ricketts
15 Runs
How many games combined will it to take for the Cubs to score another 15 runs?
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
Most runs the Cubs have scored in a game...
… since almost a full year ago, a 17-2 blowout of the Pirates on August 14, 2009.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
It was 17-2 that day after 4 innings.
Can you imagine it getting wiped out because of rain (since it wasn’t an official game yet)?
As for your conjecture about ‘playing through rain’ nowadays, I believe you are correct on both counts; money and technology.
At the minor league level, the team GM is often in direct contact wit the umpires every half inning updating them on the radar imaging. We’ve played through rain at our local minor league park that I didn’t think we would. I’d imagine similar communication at the ML level.
However the #1 reason (IMO) is MONEY.
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
And inexplicacusable
WWOZ.org - New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Station
by Gibbon Jockey on Aug 4, 2010 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions
That depends on how much throwing he has done on the side
or how much they want him to throw on the side in the next two days. I am sure the coaches have a plan for how best to stretch Z out and were sticking to that plan. Don’t ask me what the plan is or if it is the right plan but I am sure they have one. Well, reasonably sure anyway.
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Here's one time they could have saved Marshall, who didn't need to be in the game.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
a big lead is the perfect time to use your best setup man!
by jesus christos on Aug 4, 2010 6:19 PM CDT up reply actions
someone has paid attention
to the Lou School of Bullpen Management!
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
Seems quite a few posters here have contracted TJitis.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 6:42 PM CDT up reply actions
that's messed up
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Aug 6, 2010 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions
This is very true
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:20 PM CDT up reply actions
And why did Lou have Z hit - and make the 3rd out - just to bring in Marshall?
Get 'em on, Get 'em over, Get 'em in!
by DKT on Aug 4, 2010 6:27 PM CDT up reply actions
This is also an excellent question
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 4, 2010 6:28 PM CDT up reply actions
He likes doing it
In theory, it saves a bench bat. In practice, especially in a blowout like this, it just seems foolish.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Disagree
Given that Marshall’s last two outings in Colorado were both disasters, this was a good opportunity to allow him to regain some confidence.
So let him pitch the ninth.
Z could have used at least two innings.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Lou had no faith that he could pitch 2 good innings
If he gets rocked in the 9th, people will ask why he is going back to the rotation. It seems that Z is dead to the people here, so I suppose defending him (or even supporting him) is a waste of time.
Steve Swisher - 1976 NL All-Star Catcher
If he's going back to the rotation....
…. then Lou has to trust him to pitch more than an inning at a time.
Otherwise why bother?
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
based on Lou's performance this year ...
I am not at all convinced that he had a plan.
I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt
"We love them, We mourn for them, Unlucky boys of Red" - Morrissey
"Giggs gets past Viera, past Dixon, who comes back at him, it's a wonderful run from GIGGS!!!" - Martin Tyler
"He's got a man deep..wait, no that IS Mandeep!!" - Don Taylor
by Section 312 on Aug 5, 2010 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions
You think he got schooled by his room mate?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Any win makes it a good day,
Or it is supposed to. However, work today was so bad that even the Cubs winning couldn’t make me feel good.
Sigh.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 6:23 PM CDT reply actions
However, there was some interesting news.
A bed in the OR almost caught fire during an operation today. No joke.
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Everyone was fine.
They caught the culprit and unplugged the bed before fire broke out. It was an electrical fire caused by a faulty motor.
“Bovie”?
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 11:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Small typo Al
When discussing Sori being hit, he took first base – not “bast.”
And I don’t think the ball went behind him, it hit the front of his jersey. I immediately rewinded the DVR and watched the Brewers catcher. You could totally see it was coming. He just kinda sat there with his glove positioned right over the plate. When the ball went sailing inside, he barely moved his arm to try to catch the ball.
Get 'em on, Get 'em over, Get 'em in!
Whoops.
I really did have typing problems today. I’ll fix it.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
You apparently got so used to losses
That you couldn’t put a recap together when the Cubs actually won! ;-)
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 6:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice to have a win
going into an off day.
Things work out best for those that make the best out of the way things work out - Coach Wooden
Castro is hitting .318, if he had enough at bats, he would be 2nd in the NL
right behind the man we all love to hate: Joey Votto. Question. How many more at bats does he need before qualifying for a batting title?
Also, whoever mentioned ROY for Castro in the overflow, and I scoffed at it. I apologize. I looked at numbers for Castro vs Posey, Heyward, and even our own Colvin. He is hitting better for avg. than all of them(minus Posey), by a wide margin. His slugging is stronger than Heyward’s and Colvin, and by quite a bit.
"It was a perfect situation for the Brewers," Hill said. "They had a guy up there at the plate [in Counsell] who takes a lot of pride in what he does and he practices those situations, so when it does come up, he gets the bunt down to the right side of the field. They have the perfect guy on first base [in Gomez], who is one of the fastest guys in the league, and they had one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
No, he needs 502 PA for the season to qualify
he’s currently at 298, so he’d need 204 more PA to qualify. If he plays every day and bats second, he’ll come pretty close.
But the way Posey is playing, I think it’ll be very hard for Castro to win it. Posey is killing Castro in AVG, OBP, and SLG, and is only 20 games (63 PA) behind Castro. At the rate things are going, Posey will pass him. And Heyward has the advantage of playing on a contender, which will boost his chances.
Also, I’m not sure where louslovechild got the idea that Castro’s slugging is "quite a bit stronger than Colvin or Heyward. Heyward has a .445 SLG despite a .264 AVG. That’s only 13 points behind Colvin (.458). Colvin, on the other hand, is WAY ahead of both in SLG (.535). Note as well that both Colvin and Heyward are currently ahead of Castro in OPS (Heyward is just oh-so-slightly ahead, but Colvin is a good bit a head). And all three trail Posey by a wide margin.
I would definetly have Castro as my pick for ROY.
But in my opinion, the BBWAA probably wouldn’t pick him.
Everyone's thought process with this team is that the playoffs start now. Tomorrow is going to be Day One of our run to October.
-- Marlon Byrd
I don't know about that
If he won a batting title? He is .006 from Votto, as we speak. He had more 2 has more 2+ hit games since the ASB than anyone in MLB.
"It was a perfect situation for the Brewers," Hill said. "They had a guy up there at the plate [in Counsell] who takes a lot of pride in what he does and he practices those situations, so when it does come up, he gets the bunt down to the right side of the field. They have the perfect guy on first base [in Gomez], who is one of the fastest guys in the league, and they had one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
by louslovechild on Aug 4, 2010 7:37 PM CDT up reply actions
I meant I didn't know about the skepticism regarding the BBWAA. I agree with you.
"It was a perfect situation for the Brewers," Hill said. "They had a guy up there at the plate [in Counsell] who takes a lot of pride in what he does and he practices those situations, so when it does come up, he gets the bunt down to the right side of the field. They have the perfect guy on first base [in Gomez], who is one of the fastest guys in the league, and they had one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
by louslovechild on Aug 4, 2010 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions
heyward and strasburg were the ROY in their eyes before the season began
by jesus christos on Aug 4, 2010 7:40 PM CDT up reply actions
Heyward has played in 30+ more games and 50 points lower, and Castro has the same number of 2B's.
At least I have created something to follow the remainder of the year. Castro for the Batting TItle and ROY. Who is the last Cubs to win a batting title? Did Grace win one/two?
"It was a perfect situation for the Brewers," Hill said. "They had a guy up there at the plate [in Counsell] who takes a lot of pride in what he does and he practices those situations, so when it does come up, he gets the bunt down to the right side of the field. They have the perfect guy on first base [in Gomez], who is one of the fastest guys in the league, and they had one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
by louslovechild on Aug 4, 2010 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Grace never did win won
DLee actually won the BA title in 2005.
The last before that was Buckner in 1980.
Shut up Joe Morgan.
Strasburg's injury knocked him out of the running.
"It was a perfect situation for the Brewers," Hill said. "They had a guy up there at the plate [in Counsell] who takes a lot of pride in what he does and he practices those situations, so when it does come up, he gets the bunt down to the right side of the field. They have the perfect guy on first base [in Gomez], who is one of the fastest guys in the league, and they had one of the worst fundamental teams on the field, so it was a perfect situation for them."
by louslovechild on Aug 4, 2010 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Open question: Is there anybody who knows a possible link....
….to a website showing who is currently leading each post-season award race?
Everyone's thought process with this team is that the playoffs start now. Tomorrow is going to be Day One of our run to October.
-- Marlon Byrd
There's no such link...
… because there is no such “race”. How would you do that? Voting happens at the end of the season.
You can make some educated guesses right now about various awards. If Joey Votto wins the Triple Crown — possible, as he is 1st in avg, 1st in HR, and 5th in RBI (with the leader, Ryan Howard, now on the DL) — he’ll definitely win the MVP.
Miguel Cabrera has a pretty good shot at AL MVP at this point. Josh Johnson, Roy Halladay, Ubaldo Jimenez, all contenders for NL Cy Young.
But no one does preliminary “voting” for those at this stage of the season, at least not to my knowledge.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I guess not then.
Everyone's thought process with this team is that the playoffs start now. Tomorrow is going to be Day One of our run to October.
-- Marlon Byrd
Buster Posey
has probably shot to the front of the ROY race. But its just a guess.
by Josh Timmers on Aug 5, 2010 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions
Not over Buster Posey
right now.
Castro has played 20 more games than Posey. Posey had more RBI and more runs scored. He only has ten fewer hits.
In a different year, both Castro and Colvin would be ROY candidates. But the competition is too tough this season.
by Josh Timmers on Aug 4, 2010 11:59 PM CDT up reply actions
The possibility of Castro winning the batting title
That would make this dismal season a little more tolerable. If he could win the batting title, it would almost be impossible for Castro to not be NL ROY.
RIP Ronnie James Dio (July 10, 1942 - May 16, 2010).
I would love to see Castro win ROY but...
I think it will be Buster Posey
Oops, couldn't participate in the game threads,
So I missed posting this:
I didn't believe it last August, but it turns out that love survives.
Mount Washington conquered July 5, 2010
State high point count: 3/50
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Aug 4, 2010 7:40 PM CDT reply actions
I think DeWitt
can be a very serviceable secondbaseman, a trade that could be a good one. The more I watch Castro the better appreciation I get on how good the kid is. For the most part at his age, his awareness of the strike zone is good. He really should be a 850 OPS player with some good power.
Lets beat the Reds this weekend.
I always wondered what happened to DeRosa's little 'E'...
We have met the enemy and they are us! ~ Walt Kelly, Pogo, 1971
Glad we won today
and maybe I can come back to the boards now
"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will
Avatar provided courtesy of AndrewJStone.
Castro goes 4-5
And no mention of it in the recap?
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
by SackMan on Aug 4, 2010 11:35 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Yeah, should have mentioned those.
The recap must have gotten wet from the rain.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
2 things...
Al, when Hawkins threw at Soriano, it wasn’t behind his back, it was up and in near his chest and grazed the front of his jersey.
From the replays, Baker didn’t notice that Weeks fell out of the batter’s box, he was going to second from the start.
Good win! Soto needs to be moved up in the lineup, Lee down.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
Baker's error
was only made possible by Ryan Dempster walking the opposing pitching on 4 straight bad ones. That was a major fail. When that came back to haunt them, I was sure they were on their way to their 8th straight.
I know hope is a dangerous thing, but Colvin and Castro give me lots of it for the future of the organization.
Scott Bora$ is satan.
by Canadian Cubs Fan on Aug 5, 2010 8:52 AM CDT reply actions
Good point about Demp walking the pitcher,
that’s ridiculous.
Castro appears to be the real deal, I’m still cautiously optimistic about Colvin. He needs to learn the strike zone and improve his plate discipline. He’s still too much of a free swinger. Hopefully, he’ll improve with time. But he’s shown some power and plays a solid RF, he certainly deserves a shot at being the starting RF next season.
"You've got to get your damn shirts rolled up and go out and kick somebody's ass. That's what you've got to do. Period." -- Lou Piniella
Stats
I know a lot of you guys on this site are very good with stats and numbers. I was wondering is anyone could get 2 stats this year for me.
1) How many times have the Cubs walked an opposing pitcher? and compare that to the rest of the NL
2) What are teams hitting against the Cubs with 2 strikes? and compare that to the rest of baseball.
Maybe I am wrong but it just seems like we walk the opposing pitcher at a fairly alarming rate, and we also give up a lot of 2 strike hits as well. Thanks
Those are difficult using the tools I know about
I can probably get the percentages for just the Cubs with a bit of work – doing the extra legwork for the other teams makes it a scary proposition.
Anybody got anything better than B-R for these types of questions? Or an in with STATS, Inc?
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
It looked like Zambrano had very little movement on his pitches
even though he didn’t give up any runs
Colvin's play in the outfield is a little concerning
he absolutely butchered a play on a hit by Escobar that I thought for sure would be an inside the park HR. It turned out to only be a triple though.
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- Ask Alex: Will Julio Teheran or Matt Moore win rookie of the year?
- Ku Klux Klan, umpires and bowling: Why the minor leagues tossed out Jim Evans academy
- The Cardinals Hall of Fame can now be found at Bill Clinton’s library in Arkansas (Huh?)
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