Coming into the 2007 season, the Cubs catching staff consisted of Michael Barrett and Henry Blanco. Fast forward to July 17th and it’s now Jason Kendall and Koyie Hill. If there has been one spot that has lacked solidity, it is the man behind the plate. Barrett got off to a cold start in 2007 that climaxed with his dugout fight with Carlos Zambrano. At the point of his trade to San Diego, Koyie Hill was already the back-up as Henry Blanco went on the DL. Rob Bowen came over as a platoon type player along with Hill to split the catching duties. After both struggled at the dish, enter Geovany Soto in early July. Just yesterday, Bowen was shipped out west and Jason Kendall is on his way to Chicago to be the starter. Soto was sent back to Iowa. Is Kendall the answer? We’ll see…

2007 catcher combos:

Barrett-Blanco
Barrett-Hill
Bowen-Hill
Bowen-Hill-Soto
Hill-Soto
Kendall-Hill

-Mike

In a pitching battle between Rich Hill and Tim Linecum, the Chicago Cubs got past the San Francisco Giants 3-2 at Wrigley Field as the two teams began a four game series.

With the Cubs down 1-2 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Ryan Theriot got on base with a broken bat single and then Derrek Lee moved him to third during a hit and run that put runners on at the corners.  Red hot hitting Aramis Ramirez then came to the plate and hit a two-run double off the left field wall to give the Cubs the 3-2 lead.

Bob Howry then came in to close out the game in the ninth inning.  Howry picked up his sixth save of the season as he is filling in for Ryan Dempster.

Hill pitched eight strong innings for the Cubs tonight.  It was Hill’s first game in the past 12 days as he took an extended break including the all-star break.  He was really mixing the curveball and fastball tonight.  The Giants were only able to get four hits on the night off Hill.  Anytime that happens, you will more then likely win the ballgame!

The Cubs and Giants will battle it out tomorrow again at 6:05.  Make sure to tune in and watch as the Cubs will try for their fifth win in a row!

Buy and Sell Cubs Tickets with StubHub!  It’s where fans buy and sell tickets!

The Cubs have once again made a trade for a catcher hoping to get some offensive productivity from the catchers spot.  According to ESPN, the A’s will receive Rob Bowen and Jerry Blevins from the Cubs for Jason Kendall.

Kendall was only hitting .226 in 80 games for the A’s this year.  I don’t like him at all. Give Soto a real chance before you go trading for Kendall.  Atleast they only had to give up Bowen and a Blevins to get this deal done. 

What do you all think of this trade?  Is Kendall the answer behind the plate for the Chicago Cubs in 2007?

After snapping a 10 game homer-less drought on Saturday, the Cubs hit 3 long balls on Sunday afternoon to complete the sweep of the Astros at Wrigley Field. After trailing 5-0, the Cubs scored 6 in a big 2nd as Angel Pagan hit a 2 run homer and Derrek Lee hit a three run shot, his first since early June. Ryan Theriot added a solo homer in the 3rd to put the Cubs back up 7-6.

The rest was up to the bullpens for each team. Scott Eyre, Carlos Marmol, Will Ohman, Michael Wuertz, and Bob Howry combined for 5 scoreless innings of relief to secure the win. Wuertz got the win and Howry, his 5th save.

The Cubs will continue their 10 game homestand as Barry Bonds and the Giants come in for 4 games starting Monday night at 6:05 CT.

The Cubs continued to roll along Saturday afternoon with a 9-3 win over the Astros at Wrigley. Houston actually scored first when Chris Burke’s first inning triple lead to an injury to Cliff Floyd, who is day-to-day. Burke scored on a Hunter Pence groundout. Some controversy came in the bottom of the fourth when Cesar Izturis check swing on a 2-2 pitch was ruled a foul ball. Replay showed it was clearly strike 3. Izturis singled on the next pitch and then back to back doubles by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead. Ramirez scored on a throwing error by Brad Ausmus later in the inning. Ramirez added two more RBIs with a bases-loaded single in the 5th. Ted Lilly even helped his own cause with a 6th inning RBI single. Alfonso Soriano ended the homerless drought for the Cubs with a 3 run shot, ending Oswalt’s outing. The Astros got two runs of Michael Wuertz in the 9th but fell 9-3 as Ted Lilly improved to 9-4. Oswalt fell to 8-6. The Cubs remain 3.5 games back of first place as the Brewers won in extra innings Saturday. Sunday’s matchup at 1:20 CT features Jason Marquis vs. Wandy Rodriguez.

Believe it or not, it’s been 10 games since the last Cubs homerun. Aramis Ramirez’s walkoff homer on June 29th to beat the Brewers was the last time the ball left the yard off a Cubs bat. Although the All-Star game “counts” due to it’s determining home field advantage in the Fall Classic, Alfonso Soriano’s 9th inning blast doesn’t count as an end to the drought. Derrek Lee has been struggling with the long ball the whole year. Despite his All-Star selection and impressive batting average, Lee has merely 6 homers. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano have carried the load for the most part this season, each with 15 homers. Mark DeRosa has 7, and that’s mostly it. Jacque Jones only has 2 and Cliff Floyd only 4. The trading of Michael Barrett took away some power from the team as well but the HRs just haven’t happened consistently. With Felix Pie back in Iowa, Jacque Jones will get more playing time and Cliff Floyd should play everyday. Those two should start to add some homers hopefully along with Lee. Geovany Soto, who was just called up will hopefully help the offense as well as the Cub catchers have been an offensive liability. Despite the lack of homers for the Cubs, they have hit 3 grandslams. Ramirez in New York and Lee and DeRosa at Wrigley.

-Mike

Another great win for the Chicago Cubs yesterday as they defeated the Houston Astros 6-0 at Wrigley Field.  Starting off the second half of the season with a win is great.  Especially since the Cubs have to face the Astros “Ace” Roy Oswalt this afternoon.  Tune into FOX to check out the game!

Carlos Zambrano threw 6 2/3 innings, giving up three hits while striking out seven.  He also helped out at the plate as he had a RBI single in the game as well.  With the win yesterday, Zambrano improved his record to 11-7.

The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the fourth, thanks in part to the Astros committing two errors on the same play. Cliff Floyd led off with a single, advanced to third on Mark DeRosa’s single, and scored on Jacque Jones’ sacrifice fly to left.

Then came the wackiness. With DeRosa at second, Geovany Soto, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, hit a hard grounder to third baseman Mike Lamb. Lamb’s throw to first got by Lance Berkman, and DeRosa advanced 90 feet. Berkman then tried to pick off DeRosa, who had overrun third, but his throw sailed into the stands, which allowed DeRosa to score and advanced Soto to third. Soto scored the next at-bat on one of Zambrano’s two singles.

Aramis Ramirez walked with the bases loaded in the sixth inning to make the score 4-0.

The Cubs added two runs in the eighth off reliever Matt Albers, who gave up a single to Alfonso Soriano, a walk to Ryan Theriot and a two-run double to Lee. Chicago then loaded the bases as Floyd took an intentional walk and DeRosa reached on shortstop Loretta’s second error of the game before reliever Trever Miller got the final two outs.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban who has been rumored for the past year that he was interested in buying the Cubs has said he did submit the paperwork to make a bid on the team and Wrigley Field last week.  Cuban is the #1 guy for a lot of Cubs Fans because of the way he treats his players and the money and love he puts into his team.  You gotta love an owner like that.

Don’t get your hopes up though.  I really doubt that the other baseball owners will approve the sale of the Cubs to Cuban just because of his emotion and the way he has been with the Mavericks.  These old owners prefer not being in the spotlight, sitting in the suites, sipping their Dt. Cokes.  I think Cuban would sit in the dugout if he was able to lol!  He is my #1 choice but I really doubt it will happen.

Another interested buyer for the Chicago Cubs is stepping up their effors and filing out paper work with the MLB to properly make a bid for the Chicago Cubs.  The Ricketts family based out of Omaha, Nebraska is being led by Thomas Ricketts, the 41-year-old founder and chief executive of Chicago-based Incapital Holdings LLC, an investment banking firm.

The Ricketts family comes from a billionaire family, one that started up TD Ameritrade among other things.  Would they be a good fit for the Chicago Cubs?  Only if they are ready to open up that billionaire checkbook and do what it takes to have the Cubs contend every year.

Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano both represented the Chicago Cubs in the All Star game last night in SanFrancisco and both players did pretty well.

Soriano went 1-3 with a two-run homerun in the ninth inning to bring the National League within 1 run.  Shortly after Sorianos homerun, Lee came up and had a very good at bat agains the Angels Francisco Rodriguez and came up with a walk.  Lee did go 1-2 as well at the plate.

The National League came up one run short in the end.  They had the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth inning but for some reason Tony LaRussa kept his own player Albert Pujols on the bench instead of pitch hitting him for Aaron Rowland.  Hmm what the hell are you thinking LaRussa?  Pujols is pissed at you know, and I hope it messes with your whole clubhouse.  You give some of the other players three at bats, and yet Pujols, one of the best players on the team doesn’t even get one at bat.  Shameless selfish manager.