The View From The Bleachers

It’s About Freakin’ Time….For Jeff Samardzija?

By Joe Aiello  |  Posted in General  

In case you were not aware, the Cubs have had some struggles lately with the Marlins so the series opener had me a bit worried. With the lack of offense we had been seeing I worried that perhaps those struggles would carry over into our home field, where we’ve played so well all year. Instead, we get a win out of the team and a 125 pitch outing out of Carlos. I came away from the game last night with a few thoughts.

1. Lou Piniella does not trust this bullpen right now - nor should he. Take a look at the pen of late and you are bound to get a little case of the willies. Bobby Howry can’t get outs, despite going 2/3 of an inning yesterday. People are worried that perhaps he’s insured. Kerry Wood went on the DL for the 12th time in his career with a blister that just won’t heal and Carlos Marmol is a few pitches from his right arm falling off. Those are the aces of the bullpen. Those guys struggling has Lou considering, and I believe strongly, Jeff Samardzija from AAA. To me, this is a big mistake. He hasn’t show consistency at any level. He moves up, shines, and then begins to struggle. On top of that, he’s been starting and has a future as a starter. What is this obsession with bringing guys like that into the bullpen? Let the starters come up as a starter and the relievers come up as relievers. Case closed.
2. I’m still worried about Derrek Lee - He had another rough night at the plate. Don’t give me the crap about how he hit a home run the other day. The fact is that his bat has not been clutch at any time this year. Think of a time where he has put the team on his back and carried them. Soriano has done it. Aramis has done it. Fukudome has done it. If Lee is going to be a “star” in this league, it’s about time he does it too. I wrote earlier in the year that I felt like Lee was the most overrated Cub and I stand by that.

I’ll keep you updated when the roster move happens. Let’s get another win today.

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Cubs vs. Marlins - Series Preview

By Joe Aiello  |  Posted in General  

Probable Pitches for the Series

Thursday
Scott Olson vs. Carlos Zambrano - 8:05pm EDT

Friday
Josh Johnson vs. Ryan Dempster - 2:20pm EDT

Saturday
Chris Volstad vs. Rich Harden - 1:05pm EDT

Sunday
Rick VandenHurk vs. Jason Marquis - 2:20pm EDT

No Way to Treat a Friend

By Rob Bukowski  |  Posted in General  

Joe and I are friends and we have been good friends for a long time. But when he asked me to do the recap of this game I had no idea that he could be so cruel to a close friend. The game is currently in the fourth inning. It has lasted about an hour and a half already and Doug Davis and Ted Lilly are working at a snail’s pace…a lifeless dead snail. Some of you are currently watching this and are suffering through this as well. This is a boring suckfest. So I am going to write this recap during the game to keep me interested and ensure that I do not get so bored with it that I write the game off.

To make  matters worse the Cubs again have only two hits through four innings. Alfonso Soriano who has returned tonight is hitless as are almost everyone else. The Cubs do have a run on a Derrek Lee solo shot in the first. This was his first home run since June 20. I was surprised to hear the big Lee is hitting .329 in  July. The seems like a quiet .329 but that’s subjective.

Ramirez and Soto continue to be mired in 0 for 20 somethings slumps. And the bats are asleep- although Mark DeRosa just got a hit to lead off the fifth. Maybe this blogging during the game will break us out of our slump and I will be committed to doing this for the rest of the year out of superstition. As I wrote that sentence Reed Johnson  hit a ground rule double- runners at second and third nobody out for Lilly.

In the bottom of the fourth the Cubs were leading 1-0. Chris Young hit his second double to lead off an inning in the game…maybe Lilly will learn how to pitch to him some day. Following this Tony Clark clubbed a home run to give the D-Backs the lead. Have you noticed the stupid hop Ted Lilly does  after giving up a home run. I hate that hop.

Now Ted Lilly just hit a ground ball that bounced over the head of a drawn in infield to tie the game. First and third with Soriano up. “Very  superstitious…writing on the wall (blog).”

The Brewers won again today. They have not lost since the break. C.C. Sabathia threw his third complete game since joining the Brewers. Good news- Monday night I am going to see the Cubs-Brewers and Sabathia is pitching. Bad news- I want the Cubs to win and Sabathia is pitching.

Soriano hit a ground ball and the go ahead run scores. Ted Lilly just stole third base…no joke. Lilly scores on a Theriot ground ball and the Cubs lead 4-2.

In the bottom of the inning Ojeda walks and scores on a triple by Conor Jackson. Jackson is thrown out in a run down and Chris Young, who reached during the run down, is caught trying to steal third with two outs on a real pretty play by Aramis. We dodge a bullet and still lead 4-3.

While we are in a lull in the game- this game has been a giant lull - I want to comment on what was discussed yesterday and is everybody’s favorite topic…potential trades…YES!!!! So I agree with the thinking that the Cubs do not need another infielder but could use another outfielder. The Cubs have great potential to improve in center- if there is a center fielder out there. Edmonds and Johnson have been good and I am comfortable with them, but you could improve. I know the number five starter is not a gigantic issue but I wonder what the Blue Jays want for A.J. Burnett. Supposedly, the Cubs have had scouts at his past couple games. Again I know it is the fifth starter spot, but Marquis is mediocre and I don’t like Sean Marshall at all. And you don’t have to  worry about a number five starter if you have two one’s and three three’s. A reliever might be a good add especially with Kid K’s blister issues and achy tired Marmol. It might be beneficial to go out and try to get another bat off the bench that can play the field as well. Daryle Ward is a pretty good pinch hitter- or he has been in the past- but he cannot play anywhere in the field adequately and this is a problem.

We are in the top of the seventh of this epic battle and Cedeno will bat for Lilly and the lead will be entrusted to the ‘pen.  While I am at it, why are the Cubs not putting Kerry Wood on the DL? He is days away from returning and they are a guy short for as long as this lasts. I don’t get it.

In the top of the eighth A-Ram got a single to break an 0 for 26 and put Ryan Theriot at third with one out. Soto follows and breaks out of an 0 for 21 to drive in Theriot and give the Cubs a 5-3 lead. Fukudome then took his third walk of the game to load the bases with one out for Mark DeRosa. DeRosa walks and the Cubs lead is 6-3. Johnson hits a fly ball to left that keeps carrying for a slam and the  bats have finally come through 10-3. Soriano doubles and the inning ends a batter later.

While I am here I think I must do a mea culpa about Soriano. I guess it is just you have to take the bad with the good. He is what he is and there will be times that this is not good, but he is the most explosive hitter in the line up. While I have said before that I think that signing will go down as one of the worst in team history, I think this is wrong. While I don’t know that he will ever live up to the contract,  I think it will not be an embarrassment and will give us pop for at least a couple more years.

Howry and Marmol come in and pitch a shaky eighth and ninth but the Cubs win it.

They stay a game up on the Brewers and return home with Big Z pitching tomorrow. The bats come alive but they were more patient taking five walks and working into deep counts. Hopefully, they rediscover this element.

The time of the game was like 3:20. The time seemed like three days. But we get the win. And we can sleep easier tonight.

Disgusting

By Joe Aiello  |  Posted in General  

I’m angry with this team. We can’t score. Jason Marquis is complete garbage. It’s time to move him from the rotation and give the shot to Sean Marshall. It’s time to call up Soriano for tonight’s game. I’m sick of getting swept by the Diamondbacks. It’s complete garbage.

I’ve got nothing else to say. Instead, watch a video put out by my friends Rhett & Link. I loved the crushed rosemary idea.

What is it about Arizona that makes the bats go cold?

By Joe Aiello  |  Posted in General  

We always hear the excuse that cold water shrinks a penis. We hear the excuse that cold weather curbs hitting. How do you explain not being able to hit in a hot weather environment? The Cubs wasted a gem of an outing that I really felt had the making of a no-hitter. So much, in fact that I set the Tivo in the 5th so I could record the last few innings and have them on DVD. Rich Harden was that good last night. Unfortunately, Randy Johnson got it done and the Cubs went down 2-0.

If you throw out the 9 run explosion in Houston on Sunday, the Cubs have put up the following numbers over the last few games: 0, 1, 1, 2. That’s not gonna get it done. It’s become very clear that this team, specifically this offense, sorely misses the bat of Alfonso Soriano. Now the key is to try to get some offense over the next few days in his absence and try to keep this lead in the division.

News & Notes

• Cubs draft corp. gets fined - According to ESPN.com, MLB has fined the Cubs for “failure to notify the League office prior to signing a player.” Seriously, if this is really that big of a deal that MLB has to fine a team, they’ve got to get out more. Why not try to figure out a better solution to the All Star game fiasco that almost turned into a complete farce. Fix things like that rather than fine teams for forgetting to let you know they signed a player. (Source)
• No DL for Kerry Wood? - I’m crossing my fingers that this is the case, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like maybe it would almost be the best scenario for Woody to go on the DL and let the blister fully heal. If you’ve ever had a blister, and who hasn’t, it’s hard to do anything without aggravating it. It might be a better idea to have him let that thing really get better and then come back around August 1st. That would give him, essentially, 2+ weeks of heal time.
• Rehab Start # 1 for Soriano - Alfonso Soriano played yesterday with the AZ Cubs and went 0-2 with a walk. The most amusing part was that he was brushed back off the plate in his first at bat. I wonder if the pitcher did that on purpose or if he really had a lack of control. You’ve got to wonder with a kid that low facing a guy that big.
• The One That Got Away? - Brian Dopirak, one of the most talked about prospects in the system over the last few years is currently playing DH in the Toronto organization in Dunedin (A+). He’s finally having the kind of breakout year in the power and overall offensive area that many believed he was capable of when he was with the Cubs. The only problem is that it’s in an area that’s lower than AA and he’s 24. It’s nice to see him doing well, but I’m not quite sure why Baseball America keeps highlighting it every time he hits a HR.

Farm Recaps

Peoria 7, Great Lakes 1 - The Peoria Chiefs won the final game of their three-game series with Great Lakes today with a score of 7-1 in front of 5,607 fans at O’Brien Field. The win puts the Chiefs at 21-10 in the second half and at 51-48 overall.

The Chiefs put up the first run of the game in the second inning off Loons starter Josh Lindblom. Lindblom walked Jovan Rosa to lead off the inning, and after Rebel Ridling flew out to left, Luis Bautista singled. Brandon Guyer doubled to left to score Rosa and put the Chiefs up 1-0.

Great Lakes matched the Chiefs with a run of their own in the fourth. With one out, Andrew Lambo hit a solo home run to right field off Jay Jackson to tie the teams 1-1.

The game didn’t stay tied for long as the Chiefs answered back in their half of the fourth with two more runs to again take the lead. Bautista singled with one down off Loons reliever Justin Miller, and Guyer reached on an error by Great Lakes third baseman Brandon Taylor. Luis Flores added a base hit to score Bautista and put the Chiefs ahead 2-1. Elvis Lara then reached on a fielders choice as Flores was thrown out, and Guyer scored to extend the lead to 3-1.

Peoria pulled even further ahead in the sixth thanks to a three-run homer from Guyer. Rosa was put into scoring position courtesy of Miller, as he walked and then moved to second on an error by the pitcher. Ridling followed with an infield single, and Bautista advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Guyer hit a three-run homer, his eighth of the season, over the left field wall and out to the street to make it 6-1.

Bautista led off the eighth inning with a solo home run, his 11th of the season, to left field off Loons reliever Miguel Ramirez to extend the Chiefs lead to 7-1.

Jose Pina started for the Chiefs and threw three innings, keeping the Loons scoreless and allowing only one hit. Jackson (2-0) came in to throw four innings and allow one run on four hits while striking out seven. Ashwood pitched one inning, giving up one hit and no runs.

Boise 9, Everett 5 - A six-run third inning helped guide the Boise Hawks to their eighth victory in nine games and their sixth-straight home win, knocking off the Everett AquaSox, 9-5, before 2,187 fans at Memorial Stadium.

Ten men came to plate in the third, as the Hawks got an RBI fielders choice from Josh Harrison, a bases loaded walk from Ryan Keedy, and RBI infield single from Carlos Perez, a Kyler Burke sacrifice fly, and a Drew Rundle RBI double to build the big lead.

Everett would make it tight late, as Welington Dotel’s second homer of the night in the ninth made it 9-2, with the Frogs closing to 9-5 on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. However, John Muller got Nate Tenbrink to ground out to first with the tying run on deck to end the game, notching his eighth save.

Harol Tolentino got the win, throwing five shutout innings, becoming the first Hawk pitcher to win as a starter this season. Marwin Gonzalez and Keedy each had three hits in the game, while Harrison drove in three. Dotel went 4-for-4 in the loss for Everett.

Game 3 of the series is tomorrow night, with James Leverton of Boise meeting Steven Hensley of Everett.

While I’m thinking about it, if you haven’t had a chance to watch the ESPY’s, which I never do, you missed this courtesy of Justin Timberlake, who I now have new respect for.