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Here's another example of how false rumors get started. After Friday's loss, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Sun-Times asked Ryan Dempster if he thought he'd be traded. Response:
"I’m not an idiot. I know how things go," said Dempster, a two-time All-Star and the Cubs’ Opening Day starter the last two seasons. "I know how it goes with players in contract years and the team not necessarily doing like they’re supposed to be doing, there’s always a possibility of things. There’s a possibility of being traded anytime.
"But I don’t really think about it. I don’t really worry about it because I can just control doing my job the best I can."
Nowhere in that article did it say the Cubs are shopping Dempster now, though it does seem likely that contending teams will come calling. That article provoked -- not here, I heard this elsewhere -- the rumor that Dempster is on the trading block rightfreakingnow.
Not true, and this followup article from Saturday seems to indicate Dempster might veto a deal:
"I love being here, man," said Dempster, who has the sixth-best ERA (2.14) in the majors. "I love being a part of this organization."
The chances of Dempster, 35, returning next season if he’s traded this summer would seem remote. But the clubhouse leader and 200-inning-a-year starter likes the thought of being with the Cubs when the promised turnaround gains traction.
"I want to be here and be part of what’s going to be a bright future," he said. "Sometimes you have to endure some of the tough times in the present to get to that. We’ll just see how it goes."
Could Dempster be traded? Sure. Will he be traded in the next week or so? Doubtful. Could he veto a deal and stay here? Possible.
Just don't believe all the rumors you hear. This is why you rarely see me post about or write about trade rumors. Most of them turn out to be nothing, or misconstrued or misinterpreted.
Meanwhile:
Rafael Dolis out as #Cubs closer for now with James Russell & Shawn Camp sharing duties
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) May 27, 2012
Like it matters, since the Cubs haven't even had a save opportunity since the first game of the losing streak.
Cubs lineup:
DeJesus RF, Castro SS, Mather 3B, Soriano LF, Baker 1B, Johnson CF, Barney 2B, Hill C, Garza P
Pirates lineup:
Tabata lf, Harrison ss, McCutchen cf, Alvarez 3b, Walker 2b, Jones rf, Hague 1b, McKenry c, Bedard p
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Matt Garza started twice against the Pirates in 2011. In the first one, on April 3, he gave up 12 hits -- all singles -- and struck out 12, and the Cubs lost. In the second one, on August 3, he threw seven shutout innings and the Cubs won 1-0. Hmmm. Could we have another 1-0 game heading our way?
Erik Bedard has never faced the Cubs. The Cub he's faced the most is Reed Johnson, who is 7-for-29 against him. Interestingly, Alfonso Soriano is 5-for-6 against Bedard (two singles, two doubles and a home run), but all of those appearances were in 2004 and 2005, so they're largely irrelevant now.
Today's game is on WGN.
Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
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Today's first pitch thread will post at 12:35 p.m. CDT and the overflows at 1:35, 2:35 and 3:10 p.m. CDT. If you need more overflows due to extra innings or rain delays, post them in the fanshot section.
Discuss amongst yourselves.