5/9: Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-1
5/10: Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-2
5/11: Chicago Cubs vs. Arizona Diamondback, 6-4
Pros:
Cubs
I have to concede that sweeping the best team in baseball is very impressive, even if the D-backs have cooled off a little.
Everything was clicking as the pitching and hitting came together in a series that warmed the hearts of Cubs fans to the point where they did not even notice the chilly temperatures in Chicago.
I do not know what to say except that after seeing them play like this I am starting to become more and more optimistic.
Ted Lilly
He's good, I'll give him that. He's good.
He is really starting to look like a No. 2 starter to me, at the very least a No. 3 starter with tons of upside.
He pitched seven innings of three-hit baseball while fanning 10 batters. He looked unhittable at times out there. But perhaps the most telling sign was that he completely shut the D-backs down after allowing a first inning shot to Chris Young.
The Cubs needed that kind of outing from Lilly, as Dan Haren was on top of his game on Friday. Thanks to Lilly, the Cubs came away with a W.
Carlos Marmol
He IS the greatest thing since sliced bread!
Marmol pitched in every game this series and looked great. He pitched one inning in every game and struck out four batters over those three innings, while allowing only one hit to Augie Ojeda.
Sure, he got a little lucky on the batter interference call on Eric Byrnes, but I don't think he would have given up the run. Even if he would have, he wouldn't have pulled a "Kerry Wood" (i.e. giving up the lead).
Easily the most dependable and most talented pitcher in the bullpen and, I dare say, on the entire Cubs roster.
Alfonso Soriano
Say what you want about him, but he is an elite hitter. When he heats up, you want him at the top of the lineup, period.
Soriano drove in the winning run on Friday and he was 4-for-5 in Saturday's game. He also scored on a heads-up, yet very risky, play when Justin Upton did not pay attention. He probably should not have tried it, but I am all for that play.
You need to jump-start this team somehow, and why not have Soriano do it after his slow start this season.
He did, however, look like Aramis Ramirez, rather than himself while scoring his second run of the day, which could cause some concern among Cubs fans and personnel. It can also be why he was not playing in Sunday's game.
Derrek Lee
His power stroke is back, which is a huge relief. However, the consecutive 1-for-4 games are still worrying me.
He is not giving the Cubs more than what Sammy Sosa gave them in the end of his Cubs career. One hit per game is not enough, even if it is a home run. If he keeps hitting a solo shot every other game and not driving in runs in other ways, we might as well just put Daryle Ward at first.
He is, however, driving that ball again, which leads me to believe that he'll start heating up again pretty soon.
Daryle Ward
Huge game-winning pinch-hit double Sunday.
He is really starting to heat up now after struggling mightily in the beginning of the season, which is really good news. He is an intricate part of the Cubs as a pinch-hitter, and when he comes up with hits like he did today it is easy to understand why.
Aramis Ramirez
Aramis Ramirez has a .413 on-base percentage this year, which I find to be one of the greatest surprises from the Cubs this year.
This is a guy who has never had an OBP higher than .373, which was in his first full year with the Cubs. It is a very good sign to see Aramis being more patient at the plate.
Cons:
No Zambrano vs. Johnson match-up
I was greatly disappointed by this. Sean Gallagher did do a decent job though, at least until the fifth inning.
I realize that the weather was less than optimal, but once the game started there were no interruptions. Now Cubs fans will have to wait until July 21-23 when the Cubs play the D-backs in Arizona until there might be a chance for the Cubs to win their first game against Randy Johnson.
Zambrano is going tomorrow though, so we do not have to wait much longer to see him pitch next.
Lou Piniella
This is sort of a potential con, since I cannot know what the state of Soriano was after Saturday's game. He did run very awkwardly when he scored his second run of the game, and that might have been the reason for why he did not start Sunday.
However, as a manager you have to know your players. Soriano is one of the streakiest hitters in the game, and barring an injury he needs to be out there Sunday after having a four-hit game on Saturday.
You cannot give this guy days off when he is hitting well. Now he is probably going to strike out four times in five at-bats tomorrow, just because.
Chad Fox
Come on, it's now time to send him down. He really has not done anything good ever since he got called up.
We might as well bring up Jeff Samardzija in Fox's place.
Too early? Comments?
Comments (10) Add a comment »
from 5 days ago
Fox definitely needs more time down in Daytona; he's NOT ready for the Big Leagues yet; he may never be. He's walking too many batters; when he doesn't walk 'em, he's getting behind in the count; all-in-all, in three outings, he's not showing much improvement at all, and Chicago isn't the place to try and improve, not with how competitive the NL Central is this year.
So far as Lou goes, Soriano not starting Sunday wasn't the worst decision he could have made--I was more concerned about the decision to start Gallagher, to be honest. Maybe Lou is starting to slip a little--but ultimately, there's not really a whole lot to be done about it.
from 4 days ago
I'll take Gallagher over Lieber... Gallagher has good stuff and can get away with more mistakes because of that stuff. And I think for now Gallagher is staying in the rotation.
from 4 days ago
I have been wanting to see Samardzjia for a while, but I think right now, in May, is too early. He would be a fantastic September call-up, but with established guys like Lieber and Hill, as well as new 5th starter Sea Gallagher, Samardzjia's time is not quite yet.
This 5th starter issue has become very controversial. If Hill dominates in AAA while Gallagher shows promise while pitching in the Majors, who deserves the spot? What does everyone think?
And how much does a sweep of the D'Backs mean to this Cubs team?
from 4 days ago
Hill probably will not dominate AAA, since his biggest weakness just got weaker (referring to his mental approach to the game). I like Gallagher, but I wouldn't put too much into him since he is still young. For now, I'd go with Lieber though.
I think the sweep means a lot for this team. After all, the D-backs had the best record in baseball coming in to Wrigley. The Cubs beat them through pitching and offense. It was very encouraging to see.
from 2 days ago
Actually, with Marquis really struggling, I hope Hill and Gallagher both start doing well, and our rotation looks like this: Zambrano, Lilly, Dempster, Hill, Gallager. I like Lieber as the long man/spot starter... Hill has a 1.69 E.R.A in the minors but is still struggling with command... once he gets that command back, he will be back and he will do well for the cubs.. he's a good pitcher and he will be fine.
The most encouraging signs are big z dominating, Lilly dominating in his last 5 starts, and dempster staying consistent... if those 3 keep it up, i'd be just fine with 2 promising young starters as the 4/5 guys.
from 2 days ago
Well, we already know that Rich Hill is a good minor league pitcher. The question is whether he is a good major league pitcher. And in addition to looking like he is 16 years old out there, his mental approach is that of an actual 16 year old. He needs Lilly's attitude and not be afraid to go inside. And unless Hill comes back up and does well, I wouldn't predict anything.
from 4 days ago
I have to say that after Sundays game, management is the last thing I'm worried about. Bringing Ward back in the dug-out and letting Arizona walk Soriano and subsequently having to pitch to Ward who then blasted a double revealed to me that I can sleep like a baby at night knowing Lou Piniella is at the helm.
Lou knows what he is doing and my hat is off to him for his patience with Soriano. Something I probably couldn't do.
One thing I noticed in past Cub managers was the lack of stones to yank a pitcher out of a game before it
was to late. Piniella, aside from Lieber's beating at Cincinnati, isn't afraid to hurt feelings with a walk to the mound. And as far as Cincinnati goes I think Lou was enjoying the fire works to much to yank Lieber. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Side note: Great timely hitting all weekend long. Now let's go pound San Diego to oblivion.
from 4 days ago
I think you are right on the money with Lou. That's why we have him as a manager. But I think he can do more when it comes to doing what it takes to win. Sure, he's not afraid to hurt player's feelings, but he's also shown overreaction and had premature calls. Remember Game 1 of the NLDS last year? He should have left Zambrano in. And I personally believe that he should not have demoted Rich Hill so soon and after just one outing.
We all know what he is capable of, the problem is that he just seems to be inconsistent just like his team. Furthermore, if you ask Mariners fans (which I do since I go to school near Seattle) they will tell you that Lou did not really manage much his last years here, instead he let his bench coaches and pitching coaches handle the work. That to me tells me that he is getting older and older. So, we do know that he is a great manager with the right attitude, but we just don't know how much longer that will last.
from 4 days ago
Lilly and Dempster have sure pitched like number 2 starters in the last 3 weeks or so atleast, but everyone keeps talking about how the Cubs don't have a number 2 starter... well if lilly and demp aren't pitching like 2 starters, i don't know who is.
I agree about Soriano... he's heating up, and he will probably shut up a lot of people who were bashing him. Him not playing Sunday was just because of the weather, just like Big Z.
And yes, it is an absolute joke that Chad Fox is on this team.
Great sweep though, and now 13 games against sub par teams... things could get real good for the cubbies.
from 4 days ago
I think anybody can go on a nice little streak, but if you look at what they've done in their careers and their lack of playoff experience I am not so sure about their capabilities. Sure, they've been good, but Lilly sucked in last year's NLDS.
I don't doubt for a second that the Cubs can win the division with their current staff, but I also doubt strongly that they can break the World Series drought with the same rotation.
Trust me when I say this, Dempster will not have an ERA under 4.20 this year. That's not going to happen. Lilly might if he keeps it up, but that's a long shot at best.
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