Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bullpen Shenanigans
I know I'm late to the party, but Bleacher Nation just told me that the Cubs are looking at Bob Howry. Really? Howry? We got rid of him for a reason, guys.
Also, apparently some switches have been made - Caridad to the DL, and a pitcher named Jeff Stevens has been recalled. I'm not surprised that they didn't bring Samardzija up - I don't trust that kid. But still, it seems like there were better options than Stevens. I'll have to research it a little more before I can have any loud opinions. But at least Lou won't be tempted to use Caridad now.
Also also, Tom Gorzelanny is a line-drive magnet. First the Astros, now the Phillies. I couldn't watch the game tonight (pesky date), but it sounds like he was lights-out. That sixth-man problem is looking tougher and tougher.
Also, apparently some switches have been made - Caridad to the DL, and a pitcher named Jeff Stevens has been recalled. I'm not surprised that they didn't bring Samardzija up - I don't trust that kid. But still, it seems like there were better options than Stevens. I'll have to research it a little more before I can have any loud opinions. But at least Lou won't be tempted to use Caridad now.
Also also, Tom Gorzelanny is a line-drive magnet. First the Astros, now the Phillies. I couldn't watch the game tonight (pesky date), but it sounds like he was lights-out. That sixth-man problem is looking tougher and tougher.
Cubs beat Rockies 6-2
The game last night was pretty spectacular. I ruined my voice screaming and shouting, just in time for a date today. (The date still went well, in case you're curious.) The Cubs seem to be getting a little more clutch - which, as we all know, is kind of a meaningless term, as it can be entirely replaced with "lucky". But it seems like we're producing more across the board, rather than in sporadic clumps throughout the lineup and throughout the game, and a more constant level of production will result in more runs. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Aramis Ramirez is getting it together.
Carlos Silva - improves to 5-0 after a combined 5-18 with the Mariners. This guy hammers the strike zone, and with the solid fielding that we showed behind him, he can get away with it. He pitched pretty predictably, inducing loads of groundouts and a couple double plays, with few strikeouts and only one walk.
Tyler Colvin - had a HUGE night, getting on base with THREE solid hits and being driven in twice. I was worried about him for a little while, especially because he doesn't seem terribly patient at the plate. He only has 7 walks on the season (which, honestly, is more than I was expecting when I looked up that number). But if he gets the bat on the ball that well, then I can't say I mind if he likes to take his hacks.
Starlin Castro - also had a pretty huge night. He made a great double play with Lee, and also (if I remember right - I don't have my scorecard in front of me) got on base quite a bit. I retain grudging respect for the kid.
Geovany Soto - had three walks. THREE! That puts him at 29 walks, with an OBP of .463, both of which lead the league. Could this season be a return to form for him? Well, maybe, but only if he swings the bat as well as he can lay off. He only has eight extra-base hits on the season, four of which are home runs.
Derrek Lee - had a nice double, but unfortunately struck out three times too, which is kind of unusual for him. Like I said before, not much to do but watch and wait.
Now for the relief pitchers:
Esmailin Caridad - Why do we still use this guy? He got up, threw four balls, and sat back down. His ERA is 11.25. Good lord. I hate seeing him warm in the pen. Send him back down to the minors for some more fine-tuning (or radical tuning, as the case may be) and bring up Casey Coleman or Jay Jackson.
James Russell - At first my hero in a shaky bullpen, Russell had a tough outing against the D-backs at the end of April. But since then, he has been solid, and last night, he was spectacular with two strikeouts (and one hard-fought at-bat against Todd Helton). I loved watching him celebrate as he left the mound. I think we need to give him more chances to shine.
Sean Marshall - <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Carlos Zambrano - How is this not "short relief"? I'm confused, Lou. But it was still good to see big Z gain back a little confidence.
In all, a good game. I still think we left a few too many on base - our team LOB was 9 - but at least we're getting hits more consistently.
On a side note, what happened after the game was pretty exciting for me. I went out to the players' parking lot to shill for autographs like I usually do - not realizing that they were all getting on a bus to head to the airport right behind me. Still, I saw a fair few players, and got several of them to wave at me. Nobody signed for me, but at least they were nice about it. I even had a verbal exchange with - you guessed it - Mike Fontenot! I also met a couple of really nice guys who are in it for the same reason I am - not to eBay the autographs or for the sake of having a piece of something famous, but because we love the Cubs players. These two had been collecting autographs a lot longer than I have, and they gave me a bunch of tips and tricks (thanks, David and Cody!). So we'll see how I do next time the Cubbies are in town! Leave any tips or tricks of your own in the comments. Go Cubs go!
Carlos Silva - improves to 5-0 after a combined 5-18 with the Mariners. This guy hammers the strike zone, and with the solid fielding that we showed behind him, he can get away with it. He pitched pretty predictably, inducing loads of groundouts and a couple double plays, with few strikeouts and only one walk.
Tyler Colvin - had a HUGE night, getting on base with THREE solid hits and being driven in twice. I was worried about him for a little while, especially because he doesn't seem terribly patient at the plate. He only has 7 walks on the season (which, honestly, is more than I was expecting when I looked up that number). But if he gets the bat on the ball that well, then I can't say I mind if he likes to take his hacks.
Starlin Castro - also had a pretty huge night. He made a great double play with Lee, and also (if I remember right - I don't have my scorecard in front of me) got on base quite a bit. I retain grudging respect for the kid.
Geovany Soto - had three walks. THREE! That puts him at 29 walks, with an OBP of .463, both of which lead the league. Could this season be a return to form for him? Well, maybe, but only if he swings the bat as well as he can lay off. He only has eight extra-base hits on the season, four of which are home runs.
Derrek Lee - had a nice double, but unfortunately struck out three times too, which is kind of unusual for him. Like I said before, not much to do but watch and wait.
Now for the relief pitchers:
Esmailin Caridad - Why do we still use this guy? He got up, threw four balls, and sat back down. His ERA is 11.25. Good lord. I hate seeing him warm in the pen. Send him back down to the minors for some more fine-tuning (or radical tuning, as the case may be) and bring up Casey Coleman or Jay Jackson.
James Russell - At first my hero in a shaky bullpen, Russell had a tough outing against the D-backs at the end of April. But since then, he has been solid, and last night, he was spectacular with two strikeouts (and one hard-fought at-bat against Todd Helton). I loved watching him celebrate as he left the mound. I think we need to give him more chances to shine.
Sean Marshall - <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Carlos Zambrano - How is this not "short relief"? I'm confused, Lou. But it was still good to see big Z gain back a little confidence.
In all, a good game. I still think we left a few too many on base - our team LOB was 9 - but at least we're getting hits more consistently.
On a side note, what happened after the game was pretty exciting for me. I went out to the players' parking lot to shill for autographs like I usually do - not realizing that they were all getting on a bus to head to the airport right behind me. Still, I saw a fair few players, and got several of them to wave at me. Nobody signed for me, but at least they were nice about it. I even had a verbal exchange with - you guessed it - Mike Fontenot! I also met a couple of really nice guys who are in it for the same reason I am - not to eBay the autographs or for the sake of having a piece of something famous, but because we love the Cubs players. These two had been collecting autographs a lot longer than I have, and they gave me a bunch of tips and tricks (thanks, David and Cody!). So we'll see how I do next time the Cubbies are in town! Leave any tips or tricks of your own in the comments. Go Cubs go!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Quick note
I just got back from the game (go Cubs!) and I'm exhausted, but I wanted to throw out there that tonight's game was excellent and loads of fun to attend. More detailed analysis manana.
Fever Dreams
So, I see that my little bloglet has not caught fire overnight. Color me disappointed. Come on, Internet.
Anyway, as the title may have hinted to you, I am ill. Last night, I had bizarre sick-person dreams which included a lot of stuff that I won't tell you about, but one thing that I will. In them, Mike Fontenot laid down an accidental two-run walk-off homer off of - of all things - a bunt attempt, during interleague play, at - of all places - new Yankee Stadium. Not that I even know what it looks like, so in my dreams it looked vaguely like the Louisiana Superdome. You know what, I'm sick, don't judge me.
Provided I don't die or hack up my own lung before then, I'm headed to the game tonight. Theriot should be back in the starting line-up - he pinch hit and substituted into the game late last night, so there's no reason to think he'll be benched again today. Carlos Silva is starting - I feel like he's the man everyone's waiting on to fail, but I sure as hell hope it doesn't happen tonight. He's been pitching to contact, but his BABIP is not unsustainable, and with the increase in range that Starlin Castro gives our infield he might be in pretty good shape. A buddy of mine has opined that if the other shoe is going to drop in our starting pitching, it will drop on Silva and not Gorzelanny. He thinks that Gorzelanny is young enough that perhaps he has just figured it out. I think Silva isn't too old to have figured it out either, especially coming off a slow and injured year, and I'm just waiting for bad habits to creep back into Gorzelanny's pitching. But then again, we could both be wrong, and the Cubs may just end up with a sixth man in Zambrano, which is not a bad problem to have. What are your thoughts?
Anyway, as the title may have hinted to you, I am ill. Last night, I had bizarre sick-person dreams which included a lot of stuff that I won't tell you about, but one thing that I will. In them, Mike Fontenot laid down an accidental two-run walk-off homer off of - of all things - a bunt attempt, during interleague play, at - of all places - new Yankee Stadium. Not that I even know what it looks like, so in my dreams it looked vaguely like the Louisiana Superdome. You know what, I'm sick, don't judge me.
Provided I don't die or hack up my own lung before then, I'm headed to the game tonight. Theriot should be back in the starting line-up - he pinch hit and substituted into the game late last night, so there's no reason to think he'll be benched again today. Carlos Silva is starting - I feel like he's the man everyone's waiting on to fail, but I sure as hell hope it doesn't happen tonight. He's been pitching to contact, but his BABIP is not unsustainable, and with the increase in range that Starlin Castro gives our infield he might be in pretty good shape. A buddy of mine has opined that if the other shoe is going to drop in our starting pitching, it will drop on Silva and not Gorzelanny. He thinks that Gorzelanny is young enough that perhaps he has just figured it out. I think Silva isn't too old to have figured it out either, especially coming off a slow and injured year, and I'm just waiting for bad habits to creep back into Gorzelanny's pitching. But then again, we could both be wrong, and the Cubs may just end up with a sixth man in Zambrano, which is not a bad problem to have. What are your thoughts?
Monday, May 17, 2010
FIRST!!!!11!1`~
So, nobody as of yet knows about this blog. I'm starting it as an outlet for - well, what the bad pun in my title states: my progressively more unhealthy obsession with the Chicago Cubs. That, and feeling like there just aren't enough female voices in baseball (or sports in general, for that matter). So congratulations, Internet! Because nobody else wants to hear it, you get to listen to me talk baseball.
Let me get a few things out of the way first - quirks, charming idiosyncrasies, really. I will list them here. Note them well, and be prepared to be stonewalled if you question me.
God, what a game tonight, eh? That's what you like to see. I had a feeling Ramirez was going to be turning things around pretty soon - his at-bats had been steadily improving, and he crushed a lot of balls to the warning track. It's good to see him come through for us twice in one game - and in awfully dramatic fashion.
Starlin Castro - I have to say, I really disliked that they brought this kid up. It struck me as too early, a panic move after we got swept by the Pirates. And then he made three errors in his first home game. But he has settled in well. He's turned some great double plays, and he got on base quite a bit this game. He even stole a bag. And I can't help but respect that.
Derrek Lee - continues slumping. Ouch. Really, ouch. He's overdue for a hit now - all I can hope is that tomorrow he'll tear it up. He's been struggling less than Rami, but that doesn't say much. Still, not a whole lot to do but wait it out.
Randy Wells - I used to trust him, as a pitcher, but after a couple rough outings this year it makes me a little nervous when he takes the mound. Still, he had a quality start today, and he only walked one. He got behind in a lot of counts, but he got the job done for 6 2/3.
Sean Marshall - is the real star of the show tonight, in my humble opinion. Two solid innings of relief, a boatload of strikes, and that mighty mighty curveball. Let this guy pitch the 8th inning, please, Lou - John Grabow is regularly pretty worthless.
On a slightly different note, did anyone catch Lou's comments about "changing Zambrano's role" in the bullpen? Raise your hand if you thought we needed more long relief.
...
That's what I thought.
I can't say for sure, but I'm betting this move is mostly to satisfy Zambrano. What we need more than anything is an eighth-inning setup man, and Zambrano (much as I hate to say it) didn't do so hot in that role. Grooming him for long relief will make him feel better about being in the 'pen, and maybe we can... er... platoon him? With... Silva? Hell, I don't know what Lou's thinking on this one.
If you have any thoughts, weigh in below. Go, Cubs, go.
Let me get a few things out of the way first - quirks, charming idiosyncrasies, really. I will list them here. Note them well, and be prepared to be stonewalled if you question me.
- Michael Eugene "Mike" Fontenot: This one is the Big One. I love Mike Fontenot. I know he's an average second-baseman at best, and although he's been on a few hot streaks in his time, he's not exactly a slugger. I've even heard him described as "scrappy" (see below). But I love watching him play, and he's the jersey I wear when I go to the ballpark. Deal.
- Sabermetrics: I won't call myself an accomplished sabermetrician by any stretch of the term. I don't know statistics and I'm not a practiced seamhead. I don't play fantasy baseball or rotary baseball or pit imaginary teams against one another in all their numerical glory. But I do know what xFIP and BABIP and VORP are, and I trust sabermetric analysis. Expect to see plenty of references. If you like "intangibles" and/or "scrappy" players, please go read Fire Joe Morgan. Then stop commenting on baseball. (Note: much like the Three Laws of Robotics, my faith in sabermetrics does not extend as far as Mike Fontenot. Deal.)
- "Scrappy": Scrappy players are often short, wiry, and white. They tend to play infield positions. They may also be referred to as "gamers." They're the guys who, according to the established baseball wisdom, may not get a lot of hits or do anything spectacular (or much of anything at all), but dammit, they come to the ballpark and they do their jobs and they've got Intangibles. We like them because we see ourselves in them. But frankly, we see ourselves in them because they suck. See Eckstein, David or Counsell, Craig.
God, what a game tonight, eh? That's what you like to see. I had a feeling Ramirez was going to be turning things around pretty soon - his at-bats had been steadily improving, and he crushed a lot of balls to the warning track. It's good to see him come through for us twice in one game - and in awfully dramatic fashion.
Starlin Castro - I have to say, I really disliked that they brought this kid up. It struck me as too early, a panic move after we got swept by the Pirates. And then he made three errors in his first home game. But he has settled in well. He's turned some great double plays, and he got on base quite a bit this game. He even stole a bag. And I can't help but respect that.
Derrek Lee - continues slumping. Ouch. Really, ouch. He's overdue for a hit now - all I can hope is that tomorrow he'll tear it up. He's been struggling less than Rami, but that doesn't say much. Still, not a whole lot to do but wait it out.
Randy Wells - I used to trust him, as a pitcher, but after a couple rough outings this year it makes me a little nervous when he takes the mound. Still, he had a quality start today, and he only walked one. He got behind in a lot of counts, but he got the job done for 6 2/3.
Sean Marshall - is the real star of the show tonight, in my humble opinion. Two solid innings of relief, a boatload of strikes, and that mighty mighty curveball. Let this guy pitch the 8th inning, please, Lou - John Grabow is regularly pretty worthless.
On a slightly different note, did anyone catch Lou's comments about "changing Zambrano's role" in the bullpen? Raise your hand if you thought we needed more long relief.
...
That's what I thought.
I can't say for sure, but I'm betting this move is mostly to satisfy Zambrano. What we need more than anything is an eighth-inning setup man, and Zambrano (much as I hate to say it) didn't do so hot in that role. Grooming him for long relief will make him feel better about being in the 'pen, and maybe we can... er... platoon him? With... Silva? Hell, I don't know what Lou's thinking on this one.
If you have any thoughts, weigh in below. Go, Cubs, go.
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