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mrschroeder08 partyvancaptain pee_callus25 Tags 2010 Preview 5 Million Dollar Black Hole AAAA Aaron Heilman Aaron Miles Alfonso Soriano Andres Blanco Angel Guzman Aramis Ramirez Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves B.J. 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They were a combined 9-15 going into Monday. Too small a sample size? They have also combined for 0 playoff wins since 2007 despite both being in the top tier of major league baseball salaries. They are the Mets and the Cubs, and they are competing in the World Series of Underachievers. And the Cubs took game 1 (since losing is more indicative of underachieving, of course) convincingly. Marlon Byrd sure didn't help that, what with his three hits. He actually got on base in the leadoff spot, and for that he earns an Eddie Zambrano Player of the Game award. He has been good for the first couple of weeks, and for the time being, center field is not a worry for the Cubs. Ryan Theriot, however, is a concern as he earns the "Hang Your Head" award. The bullpen is clear of blame when the offense only scores once, and Theriot was a big reason why that happened. I guess the best time to be super patient is when there are two strikes on you, because that is when Ryan Theriot decided to take a pitch, only to be called out looking. The final line on him was 2 strikeouts, 1 GIDP and 1 walk (intentional, to get to Randy Wells who ironically had a much better offensive game). And Castro gets closer and closer and closer. It isn't time yet, but the more this team struggles, the better chance he has of coming up from AA, where he is raking. Jeff Baker has done a good job at 2B, so suddenly moving Theriot there is not such a forgone conclusion. History says Ryan will bounce back, but that is contingent on him changing his plate approach. His best year (2008) he walked (73) more than he struck out (58). Last year, that was not the case (93 K/51 BB). This year, he is continuing that trend. Strikeouts on their own are not indicative of bad offense. But Theriot's walks are going down, and he has no power to speak of. He needs to get his eye back, or he will be the odd man out come Castro time. And finally, remember that Soriano made $117K again last night. That triple turned double really reminds me why I don't like cheering for that man. Posted in: Marlon Byrd, Ryan Theriot After the first week in which the eighth inning was so cruel to the Cubs, today's was a nice flip of the script. The offense had its second straight good day, and while Randy Wells had issues, facing Dave Bush and LaTroy Hawkins sure helps counteract that. If only the Cubs could face those two every day. Today Ryan Theriot earns today's Curtis Goodwin Player of the Game award. Four hits and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot really helped key the offense. I do have to note however that I was not a fan of the decision to steal in the eighth. It seemed like a needless risk that could have taken the Cubs out of a golden opportunity. But this award is given for results, and Theriot got results and helped get the Cubs over the hump. As far as the four hits go, he did it all by being Ryan Theriot. He hit four solid singles, and did not try being Babe Theriot like he fell in the habit of last year. If he and Fukudome can continue to get on base like this, it will go a long way to making this team a real contender. Of course history tells us that is not necessarily the smartest bet. The "Hang Your Head" award definitely goes to a pitcher. I was thinking Randy Wells because of 10 hits and 1 bad walk to the pitcher in 6.1 innings is pretty bad. I think Jeff Gray edges him out though, because he nearly put this game well out of reach in a pitiful Cubs debut. This is also another indictment on the win stat as he got the win today simply because the offense bailed him (and Wells) out. First, Gray gave up a hit to a man who was 0-for-the year. I know, I know: it had to be somebody. But to follow that up with two triples? You simply cannot have that. The eighth continues to befall the bullpen. Fortunately, an old friend had an even worse time of it. Say what you will about LaTroy. He is a decent reliever, and he has been around long enough to prove that point. He was put in a position that was not optimal for him (closing), and he failed. I do not begrudge him as much as other Cubs fans do, but man, there is something about facing that man. Last year he had 2 blown saves and a 6.00 ERA in 6 innings against the Cubs. After today, he has a 6.46 ERA against the Cubs since being traded away in 2005. Again, I think he is pretty quality, and I wouldn't mind having him back considering the current bullpen situation. Then again, Cubbie blue seems to be his kryptonite. Also, good to see that indeed Soriano and Soto got some licks in today. Soto especially is noteworthy with two walks and a home run. His plate approach was nice today, and with Jeff Suppan going tomorrow, Soto has a good shot to continue this. As far as Soriano on defense, well let's just say he is a DH at this point, but bless his heart he is trying. Posted in: Ryan Theriot, Jeff Gray, LaTroy Hawkins, Geovany Soto Hey, Chicago, whaddaya say? It sure is nice to see a Cubs victory, even if it took three tries. It is better than the 0-14 start to the 1997 season, that's for sure. Tonight's game felt much like last night's, only without the massive home run. One wonders if Chipper Jones did not leave the game early, would we have seen a complete repeat. On to the awards: The Jerome Williams Player of the Game goes to who else but the man with six scoreless innings? Randy Wells picked up right where he left off and got the job done tonight. The offense is struggling mightily at this point, and the Cubs needed a really good start to put them in any position to win. Wells did that, and hopefully he is showing that 2009 was no fluke. Once Ted Lilly comes back, the rotation looks pretty good one through four. Our third recipient of the "Hang Your Head" award goes to Ryan Theriot. The first two games also go into this decision, as he was hitless the entire series. Do not get me wrong, the entire offense minus maybe Marlon Byrd, Aramis Ramirez and tonight Tyler Colvin is struggling. Theriot though has a lot to prove as the leadoff hitter and as a man who has a 20-year-old phenom breathing down his neck. While I do not expect Starlin Castro to be up here in the next week, Theriot needs to not force management's hand on this. He needs to get back to hitting those liners and grounders between first and second. That is how he can be most effective. By the way, I understand and even agree with the move to bring in John Grabow to face Brian McCann. While 5 at bats is a small sample size, McCann has not done a thing against Grabow. With that said, I hope Piniella does not keep bringing Grabow in to face every lefty in the late innings. Caridad looks like a reliever that can throw strikes, and he could be the best option for the eighth. Getting too cute with lefty-righty matchups can cause you to take out an effective reliever and replace him with an ineffective one. Tonight that almost bit the Cubs in the butt. Again. On a final note, Marmol showed me what I already feel about him. He is one of the best pitchers in the league when he has two strikes on a hitter. Heyward and Cabrera looked plain stupid at the plate against him. Now if only he could find a consistent release point. By the way, I hope you like the banner above. I am hoping to fill in some of the empty area on the right 75% of it. Anyways, I'll try and be back tomorrow for the first against Cincinnati. Posted in: Randy Wells, Ryan Theriot Been a bit since I've posted. Since we have a quick two-gamer against San Francisco, and I live in that area, I figure I'll give you a bit of knowledge as to what I know/heard about them. San Francisco is definitely a sleeper-type team. They have really good pitching. The man going tonight (and currently having trouble) is Jonathan Sanchez. He is a bit of a Sean Marshall type. Pretty serviceable lefty. Tomorrow's starter, Tim Lincecum, is in a couple words, a freak. The dude is about my size, but can really throw heat. He won the Cy Young last year, and deservedly so. You have to wonder how he gets that much power without killing his arm. Some out here wonder, too, but people have said it is the use of his hips and lower body that take the pressure off his arm. He uses his lower body as good as any pitcher in the game. Time will tell if that is enough to not destroy his arm. Offensively, San Francisco is a work in progress. They have a pretty veteran outfield, with nothing to fear too much. Aaron Rowand is coming off a down year after (you guessed it) a contract year. Randy Winn is decent, and Fred Lewis is one of those guys who could be a good leadoff man if he took more walks. The infield is still finding their way. Emmanuel Burriss beat out another youngster, Kevin Frandsen, for the second base job, and has yet to find his stroke. Travis Ishikawa is also trying to find his stroke. A man to look out for is Pablo Sandoval (nicknamed Panda by some). He is a very aggressive hitter, but people are talking up this man's hitting stroke. He had good numbers at the end of last season. He appears to be a switch-hitting Randall Simon. He won't walk much (4 walks so far, 3 intentional) but he can be dangerous. Benji Molina is their best hitter, but may be slower than Brad Miller speed-wise. Meanwhile the Cubs have found a new power source: Ryan friggin' Theriot. Let me set the scene for you. More home runs than Soto and Bradley combined. As many home runs as Lee and Ramirez. For a couple innings there, he was outslugging Mr. Lee. It is nice to see Ryan showing some power. Seriously though, Derrek Lee has me wondering what is going on with him. He hit two home runs, including one grand slam, against his old team, the Florida Marlins. The thing about those home runs, though, is that neither one were cheap. One overshot the bleachers. So what is the deal with Derrek Lee? Since July '08, he has shown mostly warning track power, and now all of a sudden he has shown that he has a lot more than just that. Maybe some nagging injuries are clearing up. Maybe he has heard Dan's pleas. But more than anything, it looks like he hit the ball where it was pitched. He finally pulled a ball that he should pull, and he went to center with a ball he should have hit to center. It is clear the dude still has power. If he can stay on this path, and Milton Bradley can get to form, the Cubs have a video game lineup. One can only hope. Finally, Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs have finally been informed of the magical DL so many of these kids are using these days. Unfortunately, Carlos has to be the one to go. The Cubs lose thier most durable pitcher, and maybe their best pinch hitter, all in one swipe. I can't fault him for doing what he did. Look, he's an athlete. He should be able to run out a bunt ground ball, especially one that well placed, without injury. Bottom line, the team shouldn't need to rely on him to do something like that. The slumps of Soto, Bradley, Lee and Miles forced us to rely on some offense from our scary pitcher man. We are paying the price now, but he will be back shortly. And maybe by then, our video game lineup will live up to its billing and live will be peaches again. Because, let's face it, the Cardinals are *not* that good. They will realize it, and it will be on the Cubs to get straight and reclaim what they should have. As I post this, Sandoval hits a double. Told you to watch out for him. Posted in: San Francisco Giants, Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano | ||