It's baseball with an early lunch today as the Cubs have one of only two 11:35 am (CDT) starts this year (the other will be August 27 in Pittsburgh). And with Jon Lieber pitching, it's got a fair chance of being over before afternoon rush hour.
- Lou Piniella says changes may be coming. He's particularly unhappy with team defense:
"The state of the Cubs?" he said before Tuesday night's game with the Reds. "We've got to get better. That's really the state. We got off to a really good start, and we've given some of that back. We need to improve defensively, I can tell you that.
"That's an area, definitely, that needs improvement, and it's going to be my job to put people out there who can catch the ball. I can't do it in every, every position, but I'm going to do it in as many positions as I can."
- Scott Eyre may rejoin the Cubs on Friday. Please, Lou and Jim, please. Send a pitcher down when Eyre comes back. A 13-man staff is asking for trouble.
- Batting coach Gerald Perry might be fined after his ejection on Monday. I agree with Paul Sullivan's comment:
Unless a coach or manager is constantly chirping, the plate umpire usually just tells him to pipe down. Are some umpires trigger-happy these days when it comes to hearing a dissenting view from the dugout?
- The MLBPA is still investigating alleged collusion regarding certain free agents who were not and still are not signed for 2008. Free advice: get a life.
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Despite drawing four walks in five innings off Volquez at Wrigley Field on April 17, the Cubs could manage only four hits and a run, in the only game the Reds won in that series, and the only time Volquez has faced the Cubs. Reed Johnson had two of the four hits.
By contrast, Jon Lieber, who's been around forever (one of his teammates his rookie year in Pittsburgh was Lance Parrish), has made 26 career appearances (24 starts) vs. the Reds and is 11-8, 4.04, pretty close to his career averages against all teams. Though Adam Dunn has hit two HR off him (in 27 AB), the remarkable Lieber vs. Dunn stat is that Lieber has never walked Dunn.
Today's game is on CSN Chicago only. More info at the MLB.com Mediacenter.
MLB.com Gameday (2007 version)
MLB.com Gameday (2008 version)
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Today's overflow comment thread will post at 1:00 pm CT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.