The Cubs are hosting "Social Media Night" tonight at Wrigley Field. It's likely too late to get tickets to this event, but I have been invited, along with Brett Taylor and some other Cubs bloggers, to participate. I'll have a full writeup as part of the game recap Thursday morning. They're going to be doing this again on September 17.
If you're going, here's some info on who else will be there:
Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould (@RobbieGould09), Cubs.com beat writer Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) and Cubs Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Kevin Saghy (@Cubs)
This second of two brief two-game series will conclude the season series between the Phillies and Cubs, 38 games -- less than one-quarter of the way -- through the season. I'm hoping that next year's realignment and year-round interleague play will make scheduling not only more fair, but spread these non-division matchups throughout the year. Not only are the Cubs done with the Phillies after tomorrow, they have yet to play two divisional rivals (the Astros and Pirates), though they do go to both those cities next week. They played the Nationals for the season's first three games at home, but don't visit Washington until September.
There has to be a better way.
Cubs lineup:
DeJesus RF, Campana CF, Castro SS, LaHair 1B, Soriano LF, Stewart 3B, Soto C, Barney 2B, Garza P
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Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs were cut by the Sacramento River Cats (Athletics), 9-4.
Randy Wells pitched the first five innings and took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits. Wells walked three and struck out six.
Mike MacDougal's Cub debut could have been better, as he allowed two runs on one hit and four walks over two-thirds of an inning.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo continued to roll through California like Sherman through Georgia. Today he was 3 for 4 with a triple and his 13th home run of the season, a two-run home run in the top of the first inning.
Alfredo Amezaga provided the rest of the Cubs scoring with a two-run home run in the eighth. It was his second home run of the year and came after Gioskar Amaya got his first Triple-A hit, a pinch-hit double. Amezaga was 1 for 3 with a walk. He scored twice.
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennessee Smokies outmaneuvered the Jackson Generals (Mariners), 10-8.
Starter Dae-Eun Rhee was staked to a five-run lead in the second inning, but gave it away during a five-run fifth inning that included two errors of his own trying to field bunts. He exited after his second error in the fifth. Rhee pitched four-plus innings and allowed six runs on two hits and two walks. Rhee also hit one batter. Besides the two errors he made, errors by Junior Lake and Matt Cerda in earlier innings meant that only two of the six runs he allowed were earned. Rhee struck out one.
Casey Weathers got the win after pitching two perfect frames in the seventh and eighth innings. He did not strike anyone out.
Alberto Cabrera pitched a perfect ninth inning for his second save. Cabrera struck out one batter.
Shortstop Junior Lake was 3 for 5 with a double and three RBI. He also scored once. In the nine games that Lake has played since coming off the disabled list, he has eleven hits, eight walks and six errors.
DH Justin Bour tied the game back up in the sixth inning with his sixth home run of the season. Bour went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. He had two runs batted in and scored just the one time.
Left fielder Jim Adduci had two doubles and three RBI in a 3 for 3 game. He also walked once and scored twice. Third baseman Matt Cerda was 2 for 5 and scored twice.
For as many complaints as we have all had about Alfonso Soriano continuing to play on what is obviously a bad leg -- and it hurt the Cubs again defensively Tuesday -- I'm sure every Cubs fan was happy he was in the lineup in the ninth inning, when he hit his first home run of the season.
Yes, at last, Soriano has as many home runs as Albert Pujols!
It didn't matter, as Rafael Dolis couldn't hold the tie score in the ninth inning and the Cubs lost to the Cardinals 7-6; they could have had a winning road trip had they managed to win this game, and moved to within four games of first place.
Instead, they come home six games under .500 and six games out.
The Cubs had a lead of 3-0 after a half inning; Paul Maholm couldn't hold it. It was 3-3 after two, but then Maholm settled down and had a decent outing, finishing six innings. Bryan LaHair had tied the game at 4 with his 10th home run, and Maholm left the game; he had earlier given up a home run to Matt Holliday that had put St. Louis ahead 4-3. Pinch-hitter Reed Johnson, batting for Maholm in the seventh, gave the Cubs the lead back and Maholm a chance for a "win".
Keep up the good work, Paul.
One thing I'd have liked to see this afternoon is Alfonso Soriano NOT in the lineup. Unfortunately, I'm not getting my wish:
Cubs lineup:
DeJesus RF, Campana CF, Castro SS, LaHair 1B, Soriano LF, Stewart 3B, Castillo C, Barney 2B, Maholm P
This would have been a perfect time to give Soriano a day off -- day game after night game. Unfortunately, Dale Sveum doesn't agree. Perhaps Sveum might agree that his bunting fetish has gone a little too far. Maybe the Cubs could actually get a decent lead, as they had last night, and hold it? Too much to ask?
Cardinals lineup:
Furcal ss, Schumaker cf, Holliday lf, Craig rf, Berkman 1b, Molina c, Carpenter 3b, Greene 2b, Lohse p
The Cardinals will be without Carlos Beltran again today, and are giving David Freese the day off. Sounds like a good time to take advantage of a less-than-100% St. Louis lineup.
Players hate two-game series. Because of the current divisional setup, every year we have one week's worth of the schedule with these series; perhaps next year, with realignment, these could be eliminated. In the meantime, let's hope for the sweep today; then the Cubs have more than 24 hours until the next game, Wednesday night at Wrigley Field against the Phillies.
For once, I get to write about another team making errors and mistakes and the Cubs jumping on those to score runs and win.
How refreshing, right?
The Cubs blew a 4-0 lead Monday night, but then the Cardinals started doing things that we have expected from Cubs teams in the past; the result was a 6-4 Cubs victory. That's the fourth win for the Cubs in seven meetings with St. Louis so far this season, with the second and final game of this brief two-game set to take place in just a few hours, on Tuesday afternoon. (Then the two clubs won't meet again until late July, when they'll play six more times in nine days. Love this scheduling!)
At last the Cubs have a win in a 2012 Ryan Dempster start, the first time they've done that, even though Dempster personally didn't get the "win". The game went scoreless into the fifth inning, when the Cubs raked Jake Westbrook for four runs, highlighted by Bryan LaHair's ninth home run of the season. LaHair came out of an 0-for-15 slump by going 3-for-4, and probably should have been 4-for-4; the ball he hit in the second inning was ruled an error on Matt Holliday. LaHair's .702 slugging percentage leads all MLB regular first basemen... by a lot. Second is Joey Votto at .583.
Iowa Cubs pitcher Chris Rusin was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week. Daytona Cubs pitcher Eric Joksich won the same award for the Florida State League.
Everyone wins today. OK, the Smokies did drop game two of a double-header. But they won game one.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs pelted the Sacramento River Cats (Athletics), 3-1.
Rodrigo Lopez started tonight and won his first game for Iowa, allowing but one run on three hits over five innings. Lopez walked one and struck out four.
Scott Maine had been hit hard in his last two appearances, but tonight he had an easy 1-2-3 inning for his second save. Maine did not have a strike out.
Iowa got on the board in the first inning with a solo home run by (who else?) first baseman Anthony Rizzo. The solo home run was his twelfth this year. Rizzo was 1 for 4.
Catcher Blake Lalli popped his third home run of the year in the fifth inning. Lalli was 1 for 4 with the one run batted in.
Shortstop Luis Valbuena went 2 for 4.
