Originally published: 7/22/08
Updated: 7/23/08
After being swept by Arizona in the 2007 division series last year, the Cubs once again find themselves returning to the scene of the crime.
This time, the Cubs find themselves a little older, a little wiser and more talented. This year's edition actually takes walks, copying a trait that Japanese newcomer Kosuke Fukudome has brought with him.
And they have added starting pitching to the equation, with Ryan Dempster moving over from the bullpen to the starting rotation. and newcomer Rich Harden moving over from Oakland.
Behind the plate, potential Rookie of the Year candidate and first-ever rookie All-Star starter Geo Soto looms.
Of course, the D-Backs have made some moves of their own, too. Their acquisition of Oakland righty Dan Haren has paid off thus far, combining with Brandon Webb for the best one-two punch in the NL, leading the 5th best pitching staff in the NL.
Offensively, Arizona has been lousy. Eric Byrnes has slumped horribly this season. He has gone from .286/.353/.460 in 2007 to .209/.272/.369 so far this year. They rank 11th out of 16 teams in runs scored.
Yet the Snakes, at 48-50, find themselves in first place in the weak NL West division, despite being under .500 for the season. However, they face a Cubs team that is just 21-28 on the road.
Oh, and one other thing.
Arizona remembers the Cubs sweep at Wrigley in their last meeting and will be out for revenge.
All of which leads us to the first game on Monday night, with the D-Backs winning 2-0. With Randy Johnson on the mound, it was probably a foregone conclusion, given his history against the Cubs. The Big Unit has never lost to the Cubs. His record against us is now 13-0 with a sub-two ERA.
Since Johnson had not faced the Cubs since 2004, I thought the past wasn't going to be a good predictor of the future. Especially with Harden going for the Cubs. Boy, was I wrong.
Randy held us in check over seven innings, allowing only two hits. But Rich Harden was even better, allowing only one hit and striking out 10 over his seven innings of work. Unfortunately, the lone hit off of Harden was a home run to Alex Romero. It was the first homer of his career.
Harden was allowed to throw 112 pitches in the game. So much for the plan to baby him I guess.
The Cubs offense continues to struggle. The Cubs heart of the order combined to go 0-for-11, leaving seven men on base.
Even more worrisome is the Cubs fell to 21-29 on the road. With the Brewers beating the Cardinals in extra innings Monday, both teams are only two games behind the Cubs in the NL Central dogfight. Milwaukee has won five in a row.
Tonight, the Cubs roll out Jason Marquis to the mound to face chunky 23 year old Arizona righthander Yusmeiro Petit. Who? Petit is a swingman, with six appearances, five of which have been in relief. He was impressive in his only start, a six inning, one run effort against Milwaukee on July 2nd.
So far, this is looking like a repeat of last year's playoffs.
It will be interesting to see who Lou turns to in a closing situation, with Wood on the shelf. The popular guess is Marmol, though he's been very shaky since June started. Personally, I would go with Bob Howry.
As newly acquired D-Back Tony Clark said, "it should be a dogfight." Come to think of it, when a snake and a cub get together, it usually is.
4 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Sam Wenk 11 months ago
Good preview Bob, I can;t wait to watch Harden. He has this appeal to me that gets me pumped up for a game like Big Z does. The Dbacks were a threat early in the season, and ever since we swept them, they have sort of fallen off the radar. I would love another sweep, starting tonight.
Interested to see Marmol in the closer role, where everyone was begging for him prior to the season. The blister Wood has must be legendary for him to miss this much time!
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Bob Warja 11 months ago
I heard Steve Stone talking about it, and he said blisters can be a real problem if they break open, so that's what they're trying to avoid. On the one hand, he stuck up for Woody when he said that he spins the ball hard and rubs against the seams on the ball. But he also sort of took a shot at Kerry by saying he had blisters when he pitched but he didn't miss any time because he toughed through them.
I don't know, I think Kerry is a tough guy myself. Either he's also hiding a shoulder problem, which I hope he's not, or this is one hellofa blister. Maybe the time off will do him some good. He should come back strong.
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Glenn Darby 11 months ago
I know you are just trying to give a snapshot of the Dbacks, and while yes, it's true that Byrnes has sucked, he has been on the DL for months now. Maybe you should use one of our other slumping "stars" to get your point across? How about Chris Young? Mark Reynolds? Justin Upton?
Either way, classic game last night. I hope to see more.
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Bob Warja 11 months ago
I was just looking for one example of a slumping star. I think the offensive numbers speak for themselves and tell peole that it can't be just one guy's fault. But thanks for the comment, duly noted.
Of course, the way you guys held us down last night, and last year in the playoffs, it has become hard to find who is the real slumping offense.
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