The Chicago White Sox returned the favor to the Chicago Cubs as they south siders pulled away late to beat the Cubs 5-1 and sweep the Cubs in the three game series.  It wasn’t how I pictured the weekend going for the Cubs, but the White Sox bullpen held up all weekend and the Cubs bullpen did not.

Sunday night we say manager Lou Piniella get thrown out of the game after arguing a check swing call that went against the Cubs in the bottom of the second inning.  Piniella rushed out of the dugout towards the first base dugout and was quickly told to stop and get back in the dugout and as he was walking back was thrown out of the game by the home play umpire.  Lou got some words in with him as well.  From what I understood during the telecast last night, both the first base and home plate umpires were called up from the minor leagues for the series.

Sean Marshall pitched pretty good but took the loss and is now 0-2 on the season.  Marshall gave up two home runs, five hits, and three runs over seven innings of action.  Jose Ascanio gave up another home run (two run shot) in the eighth inning as the Jim Thome took him deep to extend the White Sox lead by 4.

The Cubs had chances to score runs in the game but once again failed to come up with the big hit with runners in scoring position.  Only one run for this Cubs offense is pretty bad.  Ronny Cedeno provided the one rbi for the Cubs when he singled in the seventh inning and Mark DeRosa scored.  Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez went a combined 0-11 in the game.

The Cubs boarded a plane right after the game and flew out to California where they will begin a series with the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. Yay more night games on the West coast.  I really hate these late games.

The Chicago Cubs lost to the Chicago White Sox for the second straight day as the White Sox outscored the Cubs 6-5 on Saturday afternoon.  A home run by Carlos Quentin off of Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol in the seventh inning won it for the White Sox.  Most times the ball wouldn’t have been a home run, but with Marmol’s fastball and the wind blowing out, the ball was able to get over the fence.

So now the Cubs have lost two in a row to the White Sox and will have to win on Sunday night to avoid the three game sweep by their crosstown rivals.  The Cubs just didn’t get that big hit late in the game like they have in the past.  Derrek Lee started off the ninth inning with a double and was moved over to third on a ground ball by Daryle Ward but Aramis Ramirez and Jim Edmonds both hit little ground balls to end the game.  Have to get better swings on those kind of pitches late in the game with a runner on third base.

Lee finished the game 5-5 at the plate and knocked in three rbi.  Mark DeRosa and Daryle Ward had the other two rbi for the Cubs.  As a team they struck out a season high 14 times as they were not patient at all.  Usually they will have more walks than strikeouts but this time they only had three walks compared to the 14 strike outs.

On the mound for the Cubs, Sean Gallagher gave up five runs over six innings of action.  Gallagher gave up two home runs and eight total hits in the game.  I was actually suprised that Lou left him in the game for as long as he did because he was really getting hit hard and the pitch count was getting up there.

Carlos Marmol ended up taking the loss as he gave up the home run to Quentin in the seventh inning.  Like I mentioned before, in most cases that ball doesn’t leave the ballpark, and it was actually a pretty decent pitch by Marmol.  Tough break for the kid and the team.

So now the Cubs will send Sean Marshall to the mound on Sunday night.  The game will be on ESPN in front of a national audience.  Hopefully Marshall and the Cubs can put on a show and pick up a win in the series.

The Chicago White Sox got the best of the Chicago Cubs in their crosstown showdown on Friday afternoon.  Cubs starting pitcher Ryan Dempster got rocked right from the beginning of the game as he gave up eight runs in only 2 1/3 innings of action.  It was not the start that Dempster and the Cubs were hoping for.

The White Sox scored seven runs in the third inning alone.  Nick Swisher hit a grand slam off Dempster for the big hit for the Sox.  Jon Lieber tossed 3 1/3 innings of relief and he gave up four hits and one run.  Michael Wuertz also gave up a run in relief.  Neal Cotts was the only reliever not to give up a run and he pitched 1 1/3 innings.

On the offensive side of the plate, Geovany Soto, Jim Edmonds, and Mike Fontenot all hit solo home runs.  Too bad there wasn’t some runners on base when the home runs were hit.  Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez both went 0-4 and had a dissapointing game.

The Cubs have now lost four straight road games, and six of their last ten games.  Sean Gallagher will take the mound on Saturday for the Cubs as they try to get back on the winning track.

You are probably feeling like I am right now after watching that Cubs-Orioles game.  Can we just forget that the game even happened? The Cubs should I say Jason Marquis were rocked by the Orioles as they lost 11-4.  Marquis was hammered early and often as he only lasted four innings after giving up seven runs.

It was just Marquis however, three Cubs relievers gave up runs as they pitched in relief of Marquis.  Jon Lieber and Michael Wuertz both gave up one run while Scott Eyre gave up two runs.  I sure hope that todays game was just a one game fluke because they pitched badly.

Eric Patterson led the Cubs with two rbi at the plate.  Patterson has really been swinging the bat well since being called up.  Henry Blanco and Daryle Ward both had rbi’s as well for the Cubs.  Mike Fontenot and Ryan Theriot both finished the game with two hits.

Hopefully the players will go enjoy a nice meal with their families this evening and then get ready to play the White Sox Friday afternoon down on the south side.

The Chicago Cubs got right back in the win column on Wednesday night as they defeated the Baltimore Orioles by the score of 7-4.  The Cubs jumped out to a 6-2 lead after the second inning and never looked back.  The wind was blowing out but the Cubs didn’t take advantage of it with any moster home runs like the Orioles did.

Ted Lilly picked up the victory even though he didn’t pitch that great.  I will give Lilly credit as he battled all seven innings that he pitched.  Lilly gave up two two-run home runs to Jay Payton who has always hit Lilly hard.  Lilly is now 8-5 on the season and has been pitching well enough to get wins and that is all we can ask for out of the crafty left hander.

Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood were lights out in the eighth and ninth innings.  They struck out the final five batters of the game.  Wood fanned all three batters he seen with swinging strike outs to close out the game.  Wood now has 20 saves on the season.

Geovany Soto had a good game at the plate for the Cubs as he led the team with three rbi.  Soto had a two run single in the first inning and then a rbi single in the second inning.  Jim Edmonds stayed hot as he had a solo home run and then another rbi on a groundout.  Aramis Ramirez and Mark DeRosa both had a rbi in the game as well.

It was a weird lineup for the Cubs as it was changed around a couple of times before the game started.  Kosuke Fukudome was scratched due to a calf strain so Mark DeRosa moved around on the scorecard and finally settled in right field.  Eric Patterson started in left field and led of while Mike Fontenot got the start at second base.  Fukudome is day-to-day and I wouldn’t be suprised if he takes off Thursday’s game as well.

Well it was another win for the Cubs so all we can say is Go Cubs Go!

The Chicago Cubs were not able to extend their 14 home winning streak to game as the Baltimore Orioles got the better of them on Tuesday night.  The Cubs had their chances in the ninth inning as they loaded the bases with no outs but then it seemed the next three batters swung at everything in site and ended the came with three straigh strikeouts.

Ronny Cedeno, Kosuke Fukudome, and Henry Blanco all struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.  I don’t know why all three of them went up there swinging the bat like they were considering how George Sherrill was throwing the ball.  Make him throw some strikes before you go up there hacking like that.

Sean Marshall who was just called up from Triple A pitched 4 2/3 innings as he gave up seven hits and four runs in his return to the big league team.  Marshall started the game off strong but then started to fade in the fourth and fifth innings.  I don’t know if it was fatigue or what but he really lost control over the game in the fourth and fifth innings.

Michael Wuertz pitched one inning after Marshall left the game and he didn’t fare to good.  Wuertz gave up two hits and three runs in only one inning of action.  Neal Cotts, Jon Lieber, and Carlos Marmol pitched the rest of the game for the Cubs without allowing another run to score.  Marmol still didn’t look that good out there, hopefully get can figure out what is wrong and get it fixed soon.

Jim Edmonds had a three run home run in the seventh inning that made the score 7-4.  Edmonds led the team with three rbi.  In the eighth inning the Cubs scored two runs on a Aramis Ramirez single.  Fukudome also had a solo home run in the game as he scored the Cubs first run.

Hopefully the Cubbies can start a new home winning streak on Wednesday night as they will send Ted Lilly to the mound against the Baltimore Orioles.  GO CUBS GO, lets get back on the winning track!

I should also mention that Daryle Ward is back with the big league club and Micah Hoffpauir was sent back to Triple A.  Ward is expected to be the DH this weekend against the White Sox.

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The Cubs seem unbeatable at home. Victories over the cross town White Sox finished off the 3 game sweep and marked the Cubs 14th straight home win. Saturday’s game was all about the 4th inning. The Cubs got 9 runs to turn a 4-1 defecit into a 10-4 lead. Jim Edmonds was the front end of a back to back homerun coupling with Mike Fontenot and then the back end of one with Aramis Ramirez later in the 4th. Jason Marquis didn’t pitch great, but the offense got him the win. Jose Contreras picked up the loss and Kerry Wood nailed down the save in the 11-7 victory.

Sunday night was all about Aramis Ramirez once again. He went 2-4 with a solo homerun and an RBI double. Eric Patterson also hit his first major league homerun, a 2 run blast in the 5th. Derrek Lee added a couple of RBI as Ryan Dempster went 8 strong for his 9th straight home victory in a 7-1 win. Next up for the Cubs, a 3 game set at Wrigley with the Baltimore Orioles, starting Tuesday night.

Wow, what an ending to the first game of the series against the cross town rivals Chicago White Sox!  The Cubs battled back with back to back home runs by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the seventh inning off of Octavio Dotel and then Ramirez came right back with another solo home run in the bottom of the ninth off of White Sox reliever Scott Linebrink.  Ramirez came up huge after having a very bad series down in Tampa Bay.

Whew, I’m not sure what to blog about lol I’m still excited about the ending to the game.  Ted Lilly pitched decent and kept the team in the game.  Lilly lasted 6 2/3 innings while giving up all three runs to the White Sox.  All three runs came via two home runs that were hit off of Lilly.

Kerry Wood picked up the win as he pitched the top of the ninth inning. Woody is now 4-1 on the season.  Bob Howry tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings between Lilly and Wood.  Great job by the pitchers as they kept the team in it until the bats finally woke up.

Now that that Cubs have won the first game of the series, how do you see the second game going on Saturday afternoon?  It will be Jason Marquis taking the mound against White Sox starter Jose Contreras.  Leave us a comment Cubs fans and let us know what you think!

GO CUBS!

What a sour way to lose on Thursday night as Carlos Marmol and Scott Eyre pitched terribly in the seventh inning and the Chicago Cubs lost 8-3.  Yeah, the Cubs were ahead 3-1 heading in to the bottom of the seventh but two walks and two hit batters for Marmol led to Scott Eyre giving up a grand slam, triple, double, and sac fly before the inning was over.

It sucks to see both of them throw the ball so bad.  Was it because Marmol hadn’t been used for four days?  Was it just one of those nights where the Cubs weren’t meant to win?  Who knows but it sure sucked seeing them pitch like that and not be able to hold down the lead so Sean Gallagher could win.  Gallagher tossed six innings of four hit and one run baseball.  Great job by Gallagher, hopefully next time he will be able to get the win.

Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Theriot, and Mike Fontenot all had a rbi for the Cubs.  Derrek Lee went 3-4 but struck out with runners in scoring position one time.  The Cubs really struggled at the plate in this series with the Rays.  Hopefully they can bounce back out of it as they taked on the White Sox Friday afternoon.

And what is up with the Cubs playing a night game in Tampa and then having to fly all the way back to Chicago and play an afternoon game against their rivals?  Shouldn’t the Cubs and Rays been playing in the afternoon so the Cubs would have had more time to get back to Chicago?  Talk about some weird scheduling.

Well we will be back this afternoon to blog about the Cubs and White Sox game.  I hope we can kick some white sox ass!

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