Not Found

Harden hit hard in 5-3 Cubs loss

Rich Harden took the mound on Monday night hoping to help out the club pick up some ground in the wild card as the Rockies and Giants were both off while the Marlins and Braves were playing each other. Things didn’t turn out the way he had hoped however as control issues and the Astros bats knocked him out of the game after just five innings.

All five of the Astros runs were charged to Harden and six walks that he gave up sure didn’t help out his cause. Earlier in the day, Harden was told that he would be staying with the club and not be traded to the Minnesota Twins who had claimed him off waivers late last week. I wonder if that had any affect on his performance Monday night? Harden says no:

“You can’t just ignore [the rumors],” Harden said, “but the whole thing was ridiculous and had nothing to do with my performance today. I won’t make excuses. I still knew I was starting on Monday and I had to prepare myself, and I got prepared and I just didn’t get it done.”

The Cubs bats had their own problem as they couldn’t seem to figure out Roy Oswalt this time around. Oswalt threw seven innings and allowed just six hits and two runs on Monday night. Both of the runs given up by Oswalt came in the fifth inning when Koyie HIll and Ryan Theriot knocked in runs.

Derrek Lee would take LaTroy Hawkins deep in the eighth inning as he smashed a 398 foot home run to center field to draw the Cubs within two runs. That would be as close as they got however as Jose Valverde shut the Cubs down in the ninth inning with a 1-2-3 inning.

The Cubs will now look to Randy Wells to get them back on track against the Astros Tuesday night. Wells did not have a good start his last time out and hopefully he has figured out his mechanical issues and can throw a good game and the team in the win column tonight. Every game is a huge one and the Cubs need as many wins as they can get.

- Cliff

Cubs take two of three against the Mets

Hope everyone had a good weekend and was able to watch some Cubs baseball as I was unable to. I’m finally done with our water problem in the basement and pouring new cement so hopefully my weekends will be opened back up. It was a decent weekend for the Cubs as they took two out of three games against the Mets.

Despite winnings two out of three games, the Cubs find themselves ten games out in the division as the Cardinals just continue to pile up the wins. In the wild card, the Cubs are 5.5 games back with four teams ahead of them in the standings.

I would not expect to see Alfonso Soriano play a whole lot the remainder of the season. Soriano received a cortisone shot to help out with some inflamation around his knee and has not played the past couple of days. I would rather just see Soriano take it easy and get Jake Fox some more playing time in left field.

Win will Carlos Zambrano have another dominating performance? He has stunk it up since coming back from the disabled list. Eleven hits in 3 1/3 innings simply is not earning your pay check Carlos!

Milton Bradley had a great weekend and has been swinging the bat like Cubs fans had hoped for when he signed a three year free agent contract in the off season. I’ll give Milton some good press even though the media is all over him for what he says in his interview. I’m one fan that would like to see Bradley in a Cubs uniform next season. I think he is still capable of being a very good baseball player and he can do that for the Cubs in my opinion.

- Cliff

The Cubs have yet another bad series

Well Cubs fans, things sure didn’t go the way we had all hoped against the Washington Nationals as they Nats took two out of three games against the Cubs. I really thought the Cubs would take the series after a convincing win on Wednesday night but on Thursday afternoon things turned from good to bad as the Nats started strong and won the game by the score of 5-4. Just goes to show you how bad this Cubs team is right now…

Randy Wells got tagged early as the Nationals scored in the first three innings of the game. Three runs in the first inning and then single runs in the second and third innings put the Cubs down 5-0 before Aramis Ramirez tried to get the team back in it with a two run home run. The five early runs were enough to get the win however and give Wells his seventh loss of the season. Randy is now 9-7 in his rookie season.

The Cubs had a good shot to tie the game in the eighth inning however Derrek Lee was called out at home plate when he attempted to scored on a wild pitch. Lee was actually safe because Nationals reliever Sean Burnett did not tag him with the ball and instead his glove which did not have the ball. Blown call that went against the Cubs. It would have been the third run scored of the game for Lee as he also scored on Ramirez’s homerun and also hit a solo home run. Overall a good game for Lee.

One player that did not have a good game was Milton Bradley. Bradley went 0-4 and has got the entire city of Chicago yelling at him it seems like. Milton needs to takes Alfonso Soriano’s advice and just try to block everything out. And fans, lay off him when he is out in the city or grabbing a bite to eat with family. Keep it at the ballpark.

The Cubs have gone 6-15 since Aug. 5 to fall nine games behind St. Louis in the NL Central. Before that skid, they had won 14 of 19 and were tied for first place. Terrible way to close out the season like they are doing right now.

***Also during the game it was announced that Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were claimed off waivers by a team. The Cubs now have this weekend to work out a deal with the teams involved if they choose.***

- Cliff

Cubs get embarrassed by the Nationals 15-6

Carlos Zambrano made his return to the mound for the Cubs on Tuesday night but the outcome was not what he was looking for. Zambrano lasted just 4 1/3 innings as the Cubs were embarrassed by the visiting Nationals 15-6. It sure isn’t the way the team was hoping to start off a ten game home stand where they had hoped to get back in the wild card or division race. Sure doesn’t look like that will be happening now.

Zambrano wasn’t the only Cubs pitcher to struggle even though he did give up eight runs. Aaron Heilman allowed a grand slam to Elijah Dukes while Sean Marshall and Tom Gorzelanny were both charged with three runs each. Just not a good night to be a Cubs pitcher.

Milton Bradley had the hot bat for the Cubs as he went 4-4 but it doesn’t matter when your pitching staff struggles. Bradley, Zambrano and Jeff Baker all hit solo home runs in the game but the solo shots did little damage to the Nationals pitching staff. Geovany Soto had a rbi double in the game as well as he looks to get out of his season long slump.

Oh yeah, why the hell was Aaron Miles in the game again even it was in a pitch hitters role?

Things sure don’t look for this ball team right now.

- Cliff