After the game Lou said that he would once again tinker with the line up and try to get a little spark in the offense. One guy that needs to start swinging the bat better is Aramis Ramirez. If you remember back in spring training, Ramirez said he only needed ten at bats to get ready for the season and it wasn’t a big deal with him missing time due to the sore arm. Well it looks like A-Ram could have used some more at bats down in Arizona as he is swinging the bat like a girl right now.

Alfonso Soriano is another guy that needs to get on base more often. Only expect Soriano to play seven innings during close games and Lou has been pulling him late in games and inserting Tyler Colvin in for defensive purposes. I find it funny that now Soriano says he will stop the hop before catching a ball. Hmm, why did you even start that Sori?

Now the Cubs will go on a week long road trip with stops in New York City and Milwaukee. These are all in win-able games for the Cubs so hopefully we can see a 5-2 road trip or similar.

Cubs Blog

Astros spoil the Cubs homestand

Zambrano struck out eight and gave up five hits before being pulled after throwing 98 pitches. Big Z was not happy with coming out of the game and he let Lou know about it as he walked back into the dugout. As Zambrano walked back to the dugout, replays showed Lou just smiling as he waiting on the mound for John Grabow to enter the game.

Grabow, and Carlos Marmol both threw scoreless inning and Marmol picked up the save which was his 11th of the season. Marmol sure is showing the team that he wants that spot full time in 2010. One bullpen guy did not have a good game and that was Kevin Gregg again. Gregg was taken deep for a three run home run by former Cub Ronny Cedeno. Gregg, it was nice knowing you, (not really) but your time as a Cub should and will hopefully be over after this season.

Micah Hoffpauir hit a solo home run and also had a sac fly as he finished the game with two rbi. Catcher Koyie Hill also knocked in a pair of runs with a rbi single. The offense really swung the bats good in Pittsburgh. Hopefully the off day on Thursday won’t throw them off stride.

The Cubs will begin a weekend series with the Cincinatti Reds on Friday. Need to keep on winning if they want any shot at making the wildcard. I know it is a very small shot, but who knows what can happen.

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Cubs sweep Pirates but is it too late?

Lilly was dominate on the mound as he did not walk a batter and only allowed four hits on the day. A great start by the crafty left hander who had the Astros guessing at the plate the entire afternoon. In his last four games, Lilly has given up four earned runs over 27 1/3 innings, it was about time he got a victory to show for it.

Carlos Marmol pitched the ninth inning to pick up the save.

The one hit that mattered for the Cubs was Derrek Lee’s two-run home run blast in the the fourth inning off of Felipe Paulino who took the loss for the Astros. Lee now has 27 home runs and 90 rbi on the season. Just think how much worse the Cubs season would be if Lee wasn’t hitting the ball as good as he has.

Now let’s sit back this evening and hope that the Giants and Rockies lose. The Braves an Marlins continue their series so the Cubs will pick up a little ground on one of them tonight.

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Lilly goes eight strong and Lee homers in Cubs 2-0 win

“He’s had a really nice first year,” Piniella said of Wells, a converted catcher. “He needs to finish up strong. We’ve been impressed with him. He’s a serious-minded kid, who goes about his business and competes really well.”

Wells will need to have another quality start in five days as he is the best option they have to take the mound every 5th day. Yes, better than Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano at this point in the season.

The Cubs offense took advantage of two Astros errors or ths game would have been a lot closer than the 4-1 final score. In the fifth inning, Koyie Hill knocked in Alfonso Soriano as the inning was extended on a Miguel Tejada error when he attempted to turn two on a Jeff Baker hit up the middle. In the sixth inning it was Hunter Pence dropping a fly ball out in right field that allowed Milton Bradley to score one batter later when Aramis Ramirez singled to center.

Bradley got the Cubs scoring started in the fourth inning when the turned on a inside fastball and hammered it over the fence in right field. Finally Milton seen a ball early enough to put good wood on it and be able to turn through and pull the ball with authority. I really like how Bradley has been hitting the ball.

Kosuke Fukudome added an insurance run in the eighth inning when he doubled and Derrek Lee scored.

The bullpen once again had a nice outing as John Grabow and Kevin Gregg both recorded two outs before Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his seventh save of the year. Marmol struckout  three batters and gave up one hit in the final frame.

It will be an afternoon game on Wednesday so hopefully the Cubs can keep on winning and picking up ground in the wildcard!

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Wells picks up win #10 as Cubs beat Astros 4-1

There is no way you can trust Gregg out there on the mound. Something has got to change because hitters are sitting there looking for his meatball fastball and that’s it. You can’t continue to throw it right down the middle hoping hitters are going to miss it. This is the major leagues, not the minors Kevin…

“I think we are going to make some changes as far as what we’re going to do late innings,” said manager Lou Piniella, who added that he’d say more on the subject on Tuesday. “We’ll see what we do. I’m going to think about it tonight.”

The loss really hurts the team as they got a great performance out of Ted Lilly who made his return to the team. Lilly tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just four hits. He struck out four while only walking one batter. A very good start for Ted as he came back from being on the disabled list for a month.

Carlos Marmol and John Grabow both pitched well in relief of Lilly and before the meltdown by Gregg.

The one run the Cubs did get came in the eighth inning when Derrek Lee tripled to lead off the inning and then Aramis Ramirez knocked him in with a single to left field. Sure the offense didn’t do a great job, but they scored the one run that had the team in line to get the victory.

So where do the Cubs go from here? They are now six full games out of the division as the Cardinals keep on winning as the Cubs keep on losing. In the wildcard the Cubs are a full four games back. It’s not looking good for this team right now that’s for sure.

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Cubs are not a playoff team with Kevin Gregg being the closer

“I want to keep the ball in the ballpark,” Gregg said. “Obviously, it’s not happening for me. I’ve got to keep plugging away at it and figure out a way to stop it.” Gregg said after the game.

It really sucks to lose a game like this especially when it is against the Phillies. These are the type of games that Cubs need to win if they want to compete in the playoffs. If Carlos Marmol and Gregg continue to walk batters and give home runs, the Cardinals are going to run away with this division in my opinion.

The poor outing by Marmol and Gregg makes everyone forget about the good outing that starting pitcher Rich Harden had. Harden had a perfect game going until the sixth inning and he only made one mistake in the game. The first hit for the Phillies would be a two run home run off the bat of Jimmy Rollins. Other than that one mistake, Harden struck out six while only giving up two hits and the two runs.

Wednesday night it will be Jeff Samardzija getting the start against the Phillies Pedro Martinez. It will be interesting to watch this matchup. Will “The Shark” get out of the first three or four innings? Will Pedro shut down the Cubs in his return?

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Gregg gives up another home run as Cubs lose 4-3

Wells allowed just one run which came in the eighth inning when Alex Gonzalez hit a solo home run. Over 7 1/3 innings, Wells gave up just six hits and recorded his fourth victory in a row.

Carlos Marmol filled in for Kevin Gregg in the closers role and notched his fourth save of the season. Marmol did give up one run as he still isn’t throwing the ball like he is capable of doing. Gregg probably won’t pitch on Tuesday as he says he has a “sore arm”.

The little offense the Cubs had against Reds starter Aaron Harang came in the third inning when Mike Fontenot hit a three run blast to put the Cubs up 3-0. Harang struck out ten Cubs batters but took the loss and is now 5-13 on the year.

Derrek Lee would add a rbi double that scored Kosuke Fukudome in the eighth inning for a little bit of insurance.

With the two run victory, the Cubs are now tied for first with the Cardinals who had the night off.

Cubs Blog

Wells wins his eighth as Cubs beat Reds 4-2

Friday’s Notes:

• Carlos Marmol is charged with three runs in the eighth inning as the Marlins beat the Cubs 5-2.
• Rich Harden strikes out eleven batters but lasts just five innings.
• Jake Fox hits a two run home run for the teams only runs.

Saturday’s Notes:

• Cubs win 9-8 in ten innings.
• Kevin Gregg blows the save in the ninth inning by giving up three runs.
• Derrek Lee saves Gregg’s butt with a solo home run in the top of the tenth for the game winning hit.
• Carlos Zambrano left the game with a stiff back while Aramis Ramirez left the game after being dizzy and having some pain after being hit by a pitch.

Sunday’s Notes:

• Cubs lose 3-2 and lose two out of three games in the series.
• Kevin Gregg gives up back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning to blow the save and lose the game.
• Derrek Lee and Jake Fox both had one rbi each. Fox’s coming on a solo home run in the ninth inning.
• All three Marlins runs came via solo home runs.
• Thanks to a weird start time and not being local to Chicago I was unable to watch the game thanks to some awesome blackout rules and the game not being available on Extra Innings.

So overall it was an ugly series was the bullpen pitched terrible. Especially Marmol and Gregg. The offense didn’t put many runs on the board but they gave the team a chance to win which Mamol and Gregg blew. Hopefully things will turn around Monday when the team begins a series in Cincinatti.

Cubs Blog

Cubs have a bad series down in Miami

Carlos Zambrano was wild but effective through his five innings of action. Zambrano struck out six batters but walked four Nationals including a bases loaded walk in the first inning that gave the Nationals their only run of the ball game. Big Z once again helped himself out with the bat as he knocked in two runs in the top of the second inning with a two run double.

The Cubs also seen third basemen Aramis Ramirez connect for his fifth home run in the season. Ramirez’s solo home run was his first long bomb since coming off the disabled list due to a dislocated shoulder. Let’s all hope that A-Ram heats up and continues to crush the ball!

I would have to say the story of the night was the Cubs bullpen as I look over box scores and news articles though. Aaron Heilman, Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall and Kevin Gregg all did a good job out of the pen and kept the Cubs two run lead. The four combined pitchers allowed just two hits over the final four innings of the game. Great job!

Ted Lilly will not be making his start today due to a sore left knee so Randy Wells will be moved up a day and will throw against the Nationals Saturday night.

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Cubs Blog

Cubs effective enough to beat Nats 3-1

As for the game on Monday night things got started for the Cubs in the first inning once again as red hot Derrek Lee hit another two run home run which scored himself and Kosuke Fukudome. Lee has been swinging a great bat lately and making very good contact as he tries to carry this team.

The other two runs the team would get came in the second inning when Fukudome doubled to score Mike Fontenot and then pitcher Randy Wells scored on a infield single by Ryan Theriot. Every position player had a hit for the Cubs except for Milton Bradley and Ramirez. Ramirez went 0-4 in his return.

Wells was a beast on the mound as he picked up his fourth straight victory. Wells could easily have seven or so wins this year had the offense not let him down earlier in the season. He is throwing the ball great and surprising a lot of people. On Monday night he gave up seven hits and two runs over six innings as he improved to 4-3 on the year.

Sean Marshall, Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg all pitched an inning each with Gregg picking up the save. Great job by those three out of the bullpen.

Now a little bit about the sale between the Tribune Co. and the Ricketts Family:

It was reported Monday afternoon the two sides finalized a sale agreement over the weekend and have forwarded the contract to Major League Baseball. However, the deal must be approved by other baseball owners. With Tribune Co. operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the sale also will need court approval. The Tribune source said the sale price is “close” to the $900 million bid the Ricketts family offered earlier this year that won an auction for the baseball team, stadium and a 25 percent stake in Comcast SportsNet Chicago, a regional cable television sports network.

This deal won’t be done by the trade deadline so it will be interesting if the Cubs can go out and add a bat or bullpen help if they need too.

The roster moves that were made Monday as Aramis Ramirez, Reed Johnson and Angel Guzman returned to the team were pretty well liked through out Cub Nation. The team optioned Kevin Hart and Sam Fuld back to Triple-A Iowa and put David Patton on the disabled list with a right groin strain. Lol you gotta love the team coming up with a fake injurty for Patton. It’s not like he ever gets in a game anyways.

The team also sent Ryan Freel to the Kansas City Royals on Monday for a player to be named later. Freel was done in Chicago as he has been DFA’d late last week.

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Monday was a great day for Cubs Fans

There wasn’t a whole lot of offense for the Cubs but they got just enough to get the win. The offense put up single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to get the win. Andres Blanco got things started for the offense in the second inning with a rbi single that scored Jake Fox. In the third inning it was shortstop Ryan Theriot going deep for a solo home run that put the Cubs up 2-0. The final run for the offense came in the fourth inning when Milton Bradley split the gap on a rbi double that plated Geovany Soto for the third run. Fox and Bradley both led the team with two hits each.

Rich Harden got the win on the mound as he threw the ball pretty well. When Rich did get in trouble he was able to get out of the jams just like a good pitcher does. Harden gave up nine hits but only allowed one run on a rbi ground out by Jack Wilson in the fifth inning. Harden would end up throwing seven innings to improve to 5-4 on the year.

Carlos Marmol and Kevin combined to throw the eighth and ninth innings to secure the win. Both Marmol and Gregg and 1-2-3 innings as they were great out of the pen. It’s sure nice to say that!

I’m looking forward to Tuesday’s game when the Cubs will look to go up 2-0 in the series with Ted Lilly on the mound. I like their chances a lot!

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Cubs take game one in Pittsburgh 3-1

Kevin Gregg actually held the White Sox scoreless in the top of the ninth inning and then it was lead off man Alfonso Soriano delivering the game winning base hit to score Reed Johnson who led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacfrafice by Andres Blanco. Soriano then knocked a single to right center field off White Sox pitcher Matt Thornton to score the winning run.

This was exactly the type of win the team needed. A come from behind rally where it got their emotions going and to come out on top was just the icing on top in my opinion. This will hopefully give them a little spring to their step and they will start playing better baseball.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano pitched a pretty good game until he ran into trouble in the seventh inning when Alexei Ramirez hit a two run home run to put the White Sox on top by the score of 3-1. Zambrano gave up six hits and three runs in seven innings of action on the mound.

Way to go guys! The bats woke up and finally did some damage! Now will it continue over into the weekend series with the Cleveland Indians who will be in town for a three game series. Welcome back Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood!

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Late inning rally wins it for the Cubs!

Once again, just like on Wednesday, the Cubs only run in the game came from a solo home run. It was Derrek Lee going deep in the ninth inning to tie the game up but it wouldn’t matter in the end. The players had plenty of chances to knock in runs but they could just not come up with the big hit to score a run or two. This offense could really use Aramis Ramirez in the lineup.

Ryan Dempster allowed just one run over his seven innings. Besides a rbi sac fly off the bat of Carlos Lee in the first inning, Dempster was great on the mound. It’s too bad he had to settle for a no decision because the offense is sticking it up. Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg both threw two innings without allowing a run. With you get a starting performance and four shutout innings from you bullpen late in the game, you need to win the game no matter what.

The Cubs couldn’t take advantage of a Brewers loss and will not move up in the standings. They will fly back to Chicago where they will have a weekend series with the Minnesota Twins. I will be out of town the next three days so won’t be able to blog or watch much of the games. I will be in attendance at the Rockies vs Mariners game tomorrow night however so atleast I will be watching some baseball. Hopefully the Cubs can win the series against the Twins while I’m away!

- Cliff

Cubs Blog

Cubs lose 2-1 again

Once again the Cubs got a great performance out of their starting pitcher as Ted Lilly tossed seven strong innings. Lilly was pretty dominate as he struck out seven Braves and only walked one while giving up seven hits and one earned run. Even though Ted didn’t get the win, he pitched great and kept the team in the game as the offense struggled.

I know we all bagged on the bullpen after blowing the lead on Tuesday night but on Wednesday they actually got the job done. Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman and Kevin Gregg pitched a combined four innings and they only allowed one total hit. Guzman pitched the ninth and tenth innings to earn the win while Gregg actually picked up the save which was his ninth of the season.

Mike Fontenot had the only other runs batted in besides the Hoffpauir game winning RBI. Fontenot delivered in the fourth inning with the bases loaded. Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome scored on a double by Mike that was hit to deep center field. Fontenot came up big with his bat and without that hit, the Cubs would have lost this game without a doubt.

So now the series is tied up a one game each and the rubber match is set to be played Thursday night. Carlos Zambrano finally made it to Atlanta after missing the teams chartered flight before the series started and will will be making the start tonight. He will face off against Jair Jurrjens who is 5-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Should be a fun game to watch tonight!

AP Photo/John Bazemore

Cubs Blog

Cubs actually win in extra innings!

Wells through a great game as he lasted seven innings and only gave up two hits in the game. Lou pulled him out of the game which I thought was the right move at the time but then all hell broke lose in the eighth inning when Carlos Marmol came into the game. Marmol quickly gave up a walk, hit a batter, gave up a hit, forced in a run with another walk and allowed another run to score via a sac fly as the Braves drew within two runs and made the score 5-3 heading into the ninth inning.

Kevin f’ing Gregg than came into the game to record what would be the final three outs of the game. Gregg actually had three outs in the inning without the Braves scoring however Anderson reached base on strike three when the ball went back to the back stop. Anderson would end up scoring two batters later when Jeff Francoeur homered to left center to tie the game up at 5-5.

Yes, once again Marmol and Gregg completly sucked it up out of the pen. This team is going to go no where this season if Marmol and Gregg cannot finish out games when they are given a lead. Marmol can’t throw a strike to the first batter he sees and is constantly in trouble. Gregg just sucks plain and simple. I don’t even want to blog about the entire game because I’m so pissed off at the the bullpen. It would have been awesome to start the road trip off with a win because the next two nights are going to be tough for the Cubs. I’m betting that the Cubs will be swept in Atlanta…

Hope they can pull it out tonight, but I really doubt it happens with the way the offense has been swinging the bats and the way the pen has been throwing the ball.

Cliff

Cubs Blog

It’s official, the Cubs bullpen SUCKS