Summer arrived at Wrigley Field today, a couple of months late. Didn't anyone tell the weather folks that this is the weather we should have had in July?
Rich Harden apparently wanted to make summer last forever, as he threw an alarming 103 pitches in four innings before Lou had seen enough and sent Aaron Miles up to bat for him in the last of the fourth. Miles actually saw four pitches before grounding to second. (Harden probably could have done that, and then been lifted anyway.) It got so bad with Harden's lack of control that Lou actually had David Patton warming up in the first inning, despite the fact that Harden hadn't allowed a hit. Instead, Harden had walked the bases loaded and thrown 39 pitches to get the first three outs.
Thankfully, the Cubs had enough offense off Justin Lehr, who had shut them out in Cincinnati in August. Aramis Ramirez drove in three runs -- he now has 54 RBI, and with two more will move into second place on the 2009 Cub team list behind Derrek Lee. Think about that. 56 RBI is 2nd on the team, and Ramirez has about half the at-bats of the people he's passing. That's how difficult offense has been to come by at times for this team. Geovany Soto homered -- his first since August 10 -- and the Cubs hung on for a 6-4 win. Their playoff hopes with 23 games remaining and an 8.5 game deficit may be very slim (0.7% by Baseball Prospectus' estimate), but all you can do is go out there every day and win your game and see what happens.
Lou apparently decided to use the middle innings, with the Cubs leading 4-1 after Soto's homer, to audition pitchers for next year's bullpen. Perhaps we can cross Jeff Stevens off the list. Stevens gave up two singles and a three-run homer to Jonny Gomes, tying the game. For that performance, Stevens got his first major league win, because he was the pitcher of record when Kosuke Fukudome walked for the second time in the game, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Ramirez's single. This is proof positive that wins for relief pitchers are virtually meaningless. The official scorer does have the discretion to award the victory to someone other than the pitcher of record if he pitches "briefly and ineffectively", as the official rules state. Today was a perfect example of a game where that could have been the case. Aaron Heilman -- who's actually thrown better lately -- came in after Stevens and threw two shutdown innings, striking out the side in the seventh and throwing 22 strikes in his 34 pitches. Heilman deserved the win.
Also auditioning for next year was Esmailin Caridad, who has a good arm and also threw a good scoreless inning. He needs to develop a breaking pitch; perhaps the Cubs will send him to winter ball so he can work on one. Caridad, who will be 26 next month, could be an important part of the 2010 bullpen.
Carlos Marmol will definitely be the anchor of that pen -- it appears he has finally settled down now that he's been officially named closer. Despite a walk and single (which wouldn't have been a single if Andres Blanco had been inserted for defense in the 9th, as Koyie Hill was), Marmol stayed within himself and finished off the Reds for his 12th save.
As I said -- the chances are slim. But the Cubs are setting themselves up to have one of the better Septembers in recent memory; they're 7-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. Let's keep riding it. Keep the faith and go Cubs.
0 recs | 81 comments
first!
elgato - September 11, 2009
Maybe Today Will Be The Day
that the Cubs actually gain ground on St. Louis. Not that it matters, but the Cubs have not won on the same day that St. Louis lost since July 30th. That’s the entire month of August and 1/3 of September without ever having a day where the Cubs gained a game against the Cards. Unreal.
brianp88 - September 11, 2009
I said this before and I'll say it again: The Cardinals will wind up with the best record in the NL...
And the way the Rockies are playing, the Dodgers better be worried…
Zeke - September 11, 2009
makes me a little sick to read that
Seeing the Cardinals succeed makes the Cubs’ struggles this year much worse.
elgato - September 11, 2009
It makes me a little sick to type it, but hey, facts is facts...
Zeke - September 11, 2009
AND SAD TO SAY
you are right. When we left Detroit in June ( After 3 days of agony , my wife said the Cubs are going to have to play much better . They have not this is the end result.
cubs north - September 11, 2009
They've been mediocre all year. 18-18 in ST and barely above .500 during the season. You have to give them points for consistency.
No, we really don’t…
Zeke - September 12, 2009
I just love all the predictions as we play the last two weeks of the season...
please tell me more oh wise one.
Employee22 - September 11, 2009
That is just an incredible stat.
D98 - September 11, 2009
Finally!
We gained a game! The annoying streak is over!
brianp88 - September 12, 2009
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090911&content_id=6904754&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc
right…jesus christos - September 11, 2009
I thought
Lou liked Dome at the leadoff spot when he put him there before. Then for some reason put Theriot there and struggled. Goodness Lou.
Grockcubs - September 11, 2009
Yeah, "Theriot is one of our best options to leadoff..."
….just boggles the mind.
carmen_fanzone - September 11, 2009
what
you mean someone who rarely takes 3 pitches and has a .350ish OBP isnt a good lead off hitter?
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
Holy Alfonso Soriano batman
nji232 - September 11, 2009
good point
lou has a thing for putting our best power hitters in the leadoff spot…
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
Theriot is a better leadoff hitter than he is a SS.
santoswoodenlegs - September 11, 2009
That is one questionable baseball player then
nji232 - September 11, 2009
what a coincidence - SWL's been questioning him all season long... ;-)
ballhawk - September 11, 2009
If we don't have Theriot, we have no SS
Ace Venom - September 11, 2009
we have
AARON MILES
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
aaron miles
i dont know why that didnt show up
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
No love for Andy White?
Allie - September 11, 2009
almost as odd as Dusty loving Neifi Perez and Corey Patterson at leadoff
what is it with us hiring managers who can’t put an effing lineup together?
Illicat - September 11, 2009
Soriano wants surgery!
Not sure if this has been covered yet, but here you go…
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4465322
Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano said he wants to get an operation on his left knee “sooner than later,” which likely means he’s done for the season.
“I’m very disappointed, but I have to do what I have to do,” Soriano told ESPN 1000’s Bryan Dolgin on Friday. “I’m battling. Now I think I want to get an operation sooner than later … to get ready for next year. I have to play with one leg now.”
DKT - September 11, 2009
Contradiction?
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/gameflash/2009/09/11/26758_recap.html#ixzz0Qq88IyPl
carmen_fanzone - September 11, 2009
Is this an Octavio Dotel situation?
Remember when Dotel was demanding (and received) a TJ surgery, despite the fact that the team physicians said it was unnecessary?
According to the Cubs’ docs, Soriano’s knee is “inflamed”, but not seriously injured.
Soriano wants an operation immediately, and he’s going to get a second opinion. I hope that he isn’t just looking for someone to tell him that he needs an operation.
D98 - September 11, 2009
If it's inflamed
It’s because there’s some type of structural damage on the inside. More than likely, his knees just need to be scoped. It’s nothing major, but if they can clean up his cariledge (not sure if I spelled that right), he should be fine.
Craig in South Bend - September 11, 2009
Inflamed...
…does not at all mean that there is structural damage in his knee. They gave him a cortisone shot before, which coincides with inflamation (similar to tendinitis) and this would not require a scope unless he had damaged meniscus or stuff floating around loose in his knee.
The thing about knees is they are very straight forward (unlike shoulders). This whole thing still smells very fishy that they let it go this long.
MPH73 - September 11, 2009
its the same thing TRL had, and he had surgery on it too
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
Lilly had a torn meniscus
The only thing I’ve heard reported about Soriano is tendinitis.
Caledonia - September 11, 2009
i thought lilly just had inflammation
meh
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
Torn menisucs is a tear in the cartilage around the kneecap.
It’s perfectly possible to play through a torn meniscus (once you’ve recovered from the initial trauma); it’s just that there will be random cartilage flapping around in your knee, and possibly the knee will be less stable. This could easily cause tendinitis and swelling in the knee. But you don’t really know whether there’s a structural problem or not until you check. My understanding is that MRIs can sometimes determine whether there’s a tear in cartilage or ligaments and sometimes they’re inconclusive.
aldimond - September 11, 2009
This is what I'm suffering from in both knees
And I knew when my knees would always get sore at night, or if I was sitting funny. The other thing that would happen is my knee would lock up, or just give out. My doctor called it a bucket handle for the way the cartilage would flap over. I can only speak for myself, but mine was initially diagnosed by my doctor, and then confirmed via MRI.
Craig in South Bend - September 12, 2009
Sin-kissed?
I know there’s a joke here somewhere:
Is that a new brand of orange juice?
Zeke - September 11, 2009
Must have been fun in the bleachers today....
carmen_fanzone - September 11, 2009
Beer tossing good for nothing sons of...
AndrewJStone - September 11, 2009
Sin-kissed?
Hmmm. I didn’t see anyone like that. But then, maybe they were all in RF.
Al Yellon - September 11, 2009
This why signing
Harden is a tough spot. The guy can have starts like this to many times. Then can look like Koufax the next start.
With Lee and Ramy in the middle of the lineup, the importance of Sori getting healthy and making adjustments for next year is huge.
I wonder if the Nationals would trade Dunn for Bradley?
I like the red caps Al, hey its for 9-11, and I think its just fine.
Grockcubs - September 11, 2009
I like the message of the hats...
… and hate how they look.
AndrewJStone - September 11, 2009
First, Blue caps for such commerations
and holidays. Now, it’s red caos.
Obviously, white caps are in the future.
I think white caps would be much better and would cause minimal color conflict. Those Philly A’s caps that Oakland wore this year looked quite sharp. Sorry, I don’t have the time to post a pix right now….
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - September 11, 2009
A storms a'brewin!
santoswoodenlegs - September 11, 2009
These?
I agree… white would be nice, and would clash with far fewer jerseys.
AndrewJStone - September 11, 2009
Yes.
Quite nice, and the 20’s unis were clean and sharp.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - September 11, 2009
Actually, I've heard the rumor that next year they will do the white caps w/ an American Flag on the side
carmen_fanzone - September 11, 2009
That would be MUCH nicer looking.
The red caps… are just no good.
Al Yellon - September 11, 2009
I've had...
too many nightmares of players that are wearing red caps. They have to go.
montecarlo - September 12, 2009
I applaud this victory.
And I wish you all a pleasant evening.
daver - September 11, 2009
My teenage son can wear
his Marmol jersey with pride yet another day :-)
Cubbiefaithful - September 11, 2009
is this winning streak
what we needed, or too little too late?
Cubbie-Tim - September 11, 2009
It was the 10 game stretch
in LA, COL, and home to PHI…that destroyed us. If they had played even .500 during that stretch, these games would mean a lot.
Canadian Cubs Fan - September 11, 2009
thats my concern
we had so many bad stretches, we are lucky to be able to sniff post season play right now. winning now is beyond important, and cannot afford any WTF-type loses
Cubbie-Tim - September 11, 2009
I don't know man
So many teams would have to suffer a complete collapse, and the Cubs would have to get their shit straight from now until the end of the season for them to sniff the WC. Whoever it was that said we should just go down fighting is right, and maybe that’s what this is. After such a long and arduous season, if we’re going to miss the post season, than I’d rather do so winning just to give us all something to look forward to next year.
Craig in South Bend - September 11, 2009
Yeah, there isn't a realistic chance...
If we go 18-5 the rest of the way (which would be a ridiculous finish), the Rockies wouldn’t even need to play .500 ball to eliminate us.
Coolstandings has us at a 1/100 chance. That sounds about right. Technically it could happen, but it’d take a phenomenal run down the stretch AND several other things playing out just right.
It’s just frustrating to have been up a half game in the division in late July and then play sub-.500 ball from that point on. The playoffs were very obtainable, even with the poor first half.
SouthernCub - September 11, 2009
That just added insult to injury.
The season really ended in SD, on that Monday night Gregg served up 4 runs with two outs in the 9th to the Padres.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - September 11, 2009
I agree...
and i turned down tickets to the Padre game tonight (box seats with free food) because I can’t go back to PetCo this year. Too painful.
santoswoodenlegs - September 11, 2009
Free food is free food, after all.
There will only be about 20K, after all. EZ In N’ Out. Take the food.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - September 11, 2009
I never see wins in LA or SD
so, I’d have to completely stop going to ball games.
Take the food.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Man - September 11, 2009
Good God, don't remind me.
I agree with you. That has to be the most painful ball game I’ve ever been to.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 12, 2009
Clarification:
I agree with you that that game is when our season ended.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 12, 2009
Dodgers Fading
Looks like that’s who everyone will be chasing in the wild card race…after a strong first 2 months, they’ve been very average.
I hate Manny, and Coletti for his horrible signings, and hope the Rockies chase them down.
Canadian Cubs Fan - September 11, 2009
Always nice to watch a win
Harden really making a case to be on a different team next season. I think his arm is just dead at this point from all the starts in a row- he isn’t exactly built for that.
nji232 - September 11, 2009
heilman is putting the cubs on notice
he wants to stick around next year…
brian custer - September 11, 2009
too bad
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
hopefull the club has already put him on notice
that he wont be
Illicat - September 11, 2009
A little early to cross Stevens off the list.
He gave up two bloop singles and a homerun. It happens. He hasn’t been all that good in his first 10 big-league innings, but he was very good this year at Iowa (probably quite lucky, too: his ERA is 2.03; FIP takes out the boost from a low BABIP and high-ish strand rate and calls it 2.73; but even then his HR rate is unsustainably low) and has a good track record in the minors. That’s no guarantee of big-league success, but I wouldn’t cross him off the list just yet. He’ll have a chance to make the team next year.
aldimond - September 11, 2009
So will Aaron Miles.
santoswoodenlegs - September 11, 2009
He sure will.
He’ll have a spot unless the Cubs find some way to get rid of him. I guess they’ve cut players making more money than Miles, so if he shows absolutely nothing in Spring Training maybe they’ll just cut him.
Stevens is different; he will have a chance to make the team, but he’ll have to perform. If he continues to struggle for the rest of this year and in Spring Training he’ll probably spend most of 2010 in Iowa.
aldimond - September 11, 2009
I'll be fairly surprised if Miles is back next year...
I suspect the Cubs will eat his salary at worst. With Baker providing solid offense and Blanco providing solid defense and the possibility that the team may still go after a 2B in free agency, that roster spot will be needed.
SouthernCub - September 11, 2009
I have to agree...
They’ll eat a couple of million, and make this mistake go away.
Damen Jackson - September 11, 2009
i just like the fact that he got his first
big league win today – went harden went out and he came in I was thinking he could give up two runs and still get the win – but I was wrong – did he get the shaving cream face pie after the game???
doofus cubs guy - September 11, 2009
Stolen base
Got a kick out of Ramirez’s stolen base. It was his first this year; he was caught once.
AboutTheCubs - September 11, 2009
Sad.
Where would we be if Rami hadn’t dislocated that shoulder… Sigh.
Just hope he gets whatever he needs this offseason (therapy, surgery whatever) and comes back on fire next year.
Allie - September 11, 2009
i was thinking about that today, and got a little depressed
jesus christos - September 11, 2009
He may have fallen into a slump at some point too
but I would imagine that a slumping Ramirez batting cleanup would have earned us some runs, which would have put us close to contention given how many 1 run losses we suffered this year.
Craig in South Bend - September 12, 2009
Four in a row feels good - maybe it's happening?
Eamus Catuli from Bangkok
eths - September 11, 2009
How mant Baht for another Cubs win?
BleedsbluinMI - September 12, 2009
cubs
lets hope the cubs keep beating up the lesser teams to secure a 2nd place finish.too late for the playoffs but 2 titles and a 2nd place finish will look good on anyones resume. want a good leadoff guy???? how about akinori from the rays. this guy would look good at second for the cubs. dont know if the rays will keep him or not.the rays dont draw 40thousand a day so they do have to watch their payroll.
NOMAR - September 12, 2009
oh yeah
and what did fox do to piss pinella off? when your putting bobby scales in left something is up. if the defense issues are going to be a problem trade the guy to an a.l. team so he can dh.dont ruin the guys career
NOMAR - September 12, 2009
Bobby Scales is actually driving the ball pretty well lately...
carmen_fanzone - September 12, 2009
How's this for a birthday gift?
I never thought to get this for myself.
My aunt from Pittsburgh got me one of those street signs, and it reads “CHICAGO CUBS AVE”. I guess everyone knows where I live!
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 12, 2009
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