The Sun is Shining

August 2nd, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; 2:20 PM ET; vs. Phillies; Sean Marshall, 5-4, 3.10 ERA, vs. Lohse, 6-12, 4.58 ERA

Ah, yes, the sun is shining. Well, actually, it is a quite overcast day. But that was sort of a metaphorical comment any how. I meant the sun is shining on the Cubs, who yesterday, finally tied the Brewers in first place, and are technically 1st place due to winning percentage. The Brewers have a .537 WP and the Cubs have a .538 WP, placing them in 1st place if the season ended today.

The good thing is that right now the Brewers are playing the Mets. If they lose and the Cubs win, hello sole-possesion of 1st place. Nothing could ruin my mood. Except seeing the Cubs get mutilated by the Phillies in game 4 of the set. As long as we don't fall behind 7-1 in the 3rd I'll be OK (Just Kidding, that's so unlikely).

Thanks,

Ryan

The Brewers won. The Mets lost. The Cubs remain.

August 1st, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 8:05 PM ET; vs. Phillies; Moyer, 9-8, 4.75 ERA vs. Hill, 6-6, 3.59 ERA

Yeah, the Brewers won 4-2 in 13 innings, and the Cubs remain 1 behind the Brew Crew. Today is another chance to win a game and hope they lose one. Today, the former Pirate Oliver Perez takes on Claudio Vargas, who's ERA is almost 1.50 points higher (Ollie's is 2.84, Claudio's is 4.30).

If the Brewers lose, and the Cubs win, it means a universe in complete serenity. The stupid "Cubs suck" jokes will stop. Instead the "it's just luck" talk will kick in. That's what you get for being a Cub fan, though, I guess. I'm fine with it. I love the Cubbies. I've been a fan since I was 5 and the Cubs still sucked then, and now I'm older and it looks like the Cubs can do some good here.

Thanks,

Ryan

This Might Be the Cubs Big Break

July 31st, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; August 1st, 8:05 PM ET; vs. Phillies; Moyer, 9-8, 4.75 ERA vs. Hill, 6-6, 3.59 ERA

It is July 31st, the day of the deadline deals, and the free-agents-to-be being traded. In 2007 some big deals were Mark Teixeira going to the Braves, Eric Gagne to the Red Sox, and, surprisngly, Matt Morris went to the Pirates.

Jim Hendry lay silent until 4 PM ET yesterday, the date and time that the trade deadline passed. The fact the Carlos Zambrano remains a Cub still tells me 2 things: a) They are going to try to re-sign him come the offseason, and b) He will help the Cubs come October, and he's been the biggest help to this point as it is.

Carlos has done a phenomonal job this year, not counting the season before June 3rd. Imagine that he had played as well then as he is now. Give the Cubs 4 or 5 more wins, lower his ERA to about 2.20, and Give him a 17-4 record instead of 14-7. I think his chance of a Cy Young are still good, with a 3.47 ERA and leading a playoff contending team to the playoffs with the most wins in the Major Leagues. He is ahead of 6 players who have 13 wins, none of whom start tomorrow, and none won today. His next start is Friday, August 3rd, against the New York Mets' Orlando Hernandez. Then, Ted Lilly faces off against John Maine, and Jason Marquis faces what is presumed to be Tom Glavine on Sunday.

The Cubs won today, 7-3, Marquis got the win as the Cubs scored 3 in the bottom of the inning he gave up his 3rd run, to give the Cubs a 5-3 lead, which was unanswered. Carlos Marmol-ade went the 7th and 8th, and Bobby Howry went the 9th to close it out, a non-save situation.

Tommy G. (Glavine) was shutting down his opponents in Milwaukee, 2 hits, 1 run. Unfortunately, no more, as Guillermo Mota blew the game in the bottom of the 8th, 2-2. The game is now going in to extras, and if the Brewers lose, the Cubs are (tied) in first place. Let's go Mets!! Well, until Friday that is, when the y come over to Chicago.

Thanks,

Ryan

ESPN, The Nationwide Leader in Sports

July 30th, 2007

Cubs; ESPN; 7:05 PM ET; vs. Phillies; Hamels, 11-5, 3.63 ERA vs. Lilly, 11-4, 3.46 ERA

Today, in game 1 of the 7-game home stand, Ted Lilly faces off against the hot Cole Hamels. Hamels has pitched well all year, and while some what inconsistent, Lilly has been very good lately.

The Brewers have an off day today, and are only 0.5 games ahead of the Cubs. If the Cubs win tonight's game against Cole Hamels, then they share possesion of 1st place in the NL Central with the Brewers, which would be a very large divisional comeback, if I may say so myself.

Thanks,

Ryan

Rubber Match

July 29th, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; 1:00 PM ET; vs. Reds; Zambrano, 13-7, 3.69 ERA vs. Belisle, 5-7, 5.28 ERA

Today the Cubs take on the Reds in game 3 of this series in Cincinnati. It is a pivotal game for the Cubs as they can gain ground on the Brewers who are at risk of losing 3 of 4 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Carlos Zambrano, who was promised an NL Cy Yound by Jim Hendry by the end of THIS season may be well on the road to get it. If he wins today he will lead the MLB in wins, and also his ERA isn't too shabby.

The Cincinnati Reds took game 1 of this series, only to have Aaron Harang leave the game after 1 inning yesterday and take the loss, his 3rd of the season, and today face a rubber match against the red-hot Cubs, who I think have a good chance, as Matt Belisle, (5-7, 5.28) takes on Carlos Zambrano (13-7, 3.69).

Thanks,

Ryan

The Cardinals Really Do Suck

July 26th, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 8:10 PM ET; vs. Cardinals; Marquis, 7-5, 3.92 ERA vs. Looper, 7-8, 5.09 ERA

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Tonight Jason Marquis, having a fair year, faces off against the Cardinals 2nd best starter? Compared to last year's Carpenter's, and Mulder's, and Suppan's, their Looper's, Reyes's, and K. Wells's suck. Their hitters aren't the best in the world either.

Not to say they can't beat Marquis. Afterall, he is the Cubs worst starting pitcher, Marshall being arguably the best, next to the flaming Carlos Zambrano, the streaking Ted Lilly and the tall Rich Hill.

Well, fans, I also have encouraging news. Yesterday the Padres lost, the Brewers, lost and, heck, throw one more loss on the pile for the Brew Crew today and you have the Cubs 1.5 back in the Central, 0.5 back in the Wildcard.

Enjoy the game and I'll post tomorrow.

Thanks,

Ryan

Lilly vs. Wainwright

July 25th, 2007

Cubs; ESPN 2; 8:10 PM ET; vs. Cardinals; Wainwright, 9-7, 4.18 ERA vs. Lilly, 10-4, 3.51 ERA

The Cubs enter play today 3 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the NL Central. They also enter 1.5 games back of the San Diego Padres in the Wildcard. Not too shabby considering how much time the Cubs have to actually overtake these teams in the standings.

There are no teams standing in the way of the Cubs in the Central, and in the Wildcard it appears that only the Braves will make a ripple through the quiet water. Not that I am begging for excitement, far from it, I want this to be as easy as possible.

With yesterday's win, Zambrano ties himself for the major league lead in wins. With 13, he is tied with 3 other pitchers. Tonight Ted Lilly aims for his 11th win, which would put him ahead in the un-official stat 'Most Wins With New Team', which just gauges how he's doing with the Cubs so far wins-wise.

Thanks,

Ryan

Wells vs. Zambrano

July 24th, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 8:10 PM ET; vs. Cardinals; Zambrano, 12-7, 3.69 ERA vs. Wells, 4-12, 5.75 ERA

Today the Cubs begin a 3-game series against the Cardinals by sending their ace, Carlos Zambrano against an ace-hole, former Pirate, Kip Wells. Last year Kip was traded from the Pirates to the Rangers, where he would spend most of his days in AAA. Over the offseason he was signed by the Pirates as pitching help for their rotation. With Mulder and Carpenter STILL out, and Carpenter not returning until after the start of '08, he's been more key than I thought he would be.

Not to say he has been good, because after his first 3 starts, all quality starts, he would've been better off shoveling coal for a ship sailing away to Norwegian territories. Zambrano, however, has been pitching awfully good this month, a 1.42 ERA, and has just been pitching above amazing since very his 3rd start in June.

The Cubs enter play today with a 1.5 game deficit of the San Diego Padres in the Wildcard, behind the Braves, also, who have play 3 more games than the Cubs. The Brewers, who lost yesterday, hold a 3 game lead against the Cubs entering play this afternoon. There are 2 double-headers today, 1 between the Tigers and White Sox, 1 between Seattle and Texas. Also, Craig Biggio announced his retirement today, making this a sad day for Major League Baseball, and ensuring that in 2013 at the latest, he will be a hall of famer. Enjoy the game.

Thanks,

Ryan

Off Day Topics

July 23rd, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 8:10 PM ET; vs. Cardinals; Zambrano, 12-7, 3.69 ERA vs. Wells, 4-12, 5.75 ERA

Instead of doing a preview of the Cardinals vs. Cubs series, like I had originally planned, I am going to cover a lot of topics relating to the Cubs.

Carlos Zambrano in July this year is 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA, having 4 quality starts in 4 starts. His loss came against the Pirates and Shane Youman. At night, like tonight, his ERA is 2.38. On the road his ERA is 3.13, and against the Cardinals career he is 6-4 in 115 innings with a 2.43 ERA.

The Cardinals are 5-5 in their last 10, and are 21-22 at home. The Cubs are 7-3 in their last 10, and 24-22 on the road. Versus teams in the Central, the Cardinals are 21-15, the Cubs 20-18. The Cubs are 11th in the league in batting average at .269. This is 5th best in the NL and best in the NL Central. The Cardinals are 15th in the league with a .268 team batting average. The Cubs are also 4th in the MLB in team ERA at 3.86, and 2nd best in the NL, trailing the Padres. The Cardinals are 26th in the league in ERA at 4.80, giving up almost 1 more run than the Cubs a game.

The Cubs haven't faced Kip Wells this season yet. The Cardinals hitters have faced Zambrano once this year, getting 7 hits, 1 run, a homerun by Albert Pujols. Total this year, in 178 at-bats against Cubs pitchers, Cardinals hitters have a .258 batting average, 18 runs, 7 homeruns. The Cubs hitters against Cardinals pitchers this year have 181 at-bats against the Cardinals, hitting .276 with 6 homeruns and scoring 29 times.

The Brewers, who lost to the Reds 2-1 today, carry a 3 game lead into play tomorrow, in which Yovani Gollardo, 2-1, 2.34 ERA, faces off against Matt Belisle, 5-6, 5.13 ERA. The Brewers are hitting .229 with 16 runs against the Reds this year, while the Reds are hitting .297 with 18 runs off of Milwaukee pitchers this season.

Matt Murton is hitting .326 with 5 homeruns and 21 RBI in 36 games with the Iowa Cubs. Neal Cotts is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 7 games, 6 starts at AAA Iowa, as well. Since returning to AAA following the All-Star Break, Felix Pie is hitting .354 in 48 at-bats. The Iowa Cubs are 57-46 and are 2nd place, as the AA Tennessee Smokies are 14-17 and tied with the Cubs previous AA team, now belonging to the Mariners, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx.

The Cubs are 2nd in the league in WHIP behind the Padres, with a 1.27 Walks+Hits per Innings Pitched statistic. Cubs pitchers have given up 56 stolen bases, 18th most on the list. The highest is 106 by the San Diego Padres. The Cubs lead the league in batting average against at .238. They are 2nd in the league behind the Dodgers in Ks per 9 innings with 7.51 opposing hitters K'd per game. They have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.22, which is 9th in the league.

In the series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs have Carlos Zambrano going up against Kip Wells, Ted Lilly against Adam Wainwright, and then Jason Marquis vs. Braden Looper. After finishing the series at Busch Stadium, the Cubs play the Reds, and then return home to play the Phillies. Also, Derrek Lee returns from his 5 games suspension today which he didn't have a chance to appeal, although he did ask to appeal the suspension after a brawl against Padres starting Pitcher Chris Young in June.

The San Diego Padres lost to Colorado yesterday, putting themselves 2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West, and 1 game ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the Wildcard. The Cubs are 3rd place in the Wildcard at 1.5 games back.

The Cardinals enter play today against the Cubs to begin a 7 game homestand that includes facing the Cubs and Brewers. They then fly to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. Albert Pujols has heated up lately, hitting .429 in his last 10 games with 6 homeruns.

Thanks,

Ryan

We Lost 2 of 3

July 22nd, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; Tuesday, July 24th; 8:10 PM ET; vs. Cardinals; Zambrano, 12-7, 3.69 ERA vs. Wells, 4-12, 5.75 ERA

Nothing worse could've happened. We beat their ace and then get kicked in the nuts by the other 2 starters. I don't care about the game 2 loss because the Brewers, NL Central leaders, and Padres, Wildcard leaders both lost. The game 3 loss, though, the Brewers won. The Padres are losing 2-0 right now, so we might not lose a game in the Wildcard, but I'd rather win the Central than have to be the underdogs every series.

The good news? Jason Kendall had his first hit as a Cub today. Also, Derrek Lee comes back from his 5 game suspension Tuesday to face the Cards. Honestly, he chose the best time ever to take his suspension. The Brewers lost just as many times as we did, so we are now 3.5 games back again, but hey, it's only 3.5 games. That's all I have to write today, so have a good day and enjoy the 1 day break, as tomorrow I will do an in depth preview of the Cardinals-Cubs series.

Thanks,

Ryan

For One Night, Everything Clicked

July 21st, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; 1:05 PM ET; vs. Diamondbacks; Owings, 5-5, 4.92 ERA vs. Hill, 6-6, 3.70 ERA

Today I will lay back on my fuzzy couch with my Ernie Banks jersey on, watching the Cubs play on channel 19, Superstation WGN. I will relax, knowing that everything that I had wanted to happen in baseball world happened. Every team that needed to lose to make the Cubs better in the NL Central and the Wildcard lost.

Yesterday, the Cubs won 6-2 after getting down 2-1 on a Chris Young homerun off of Marquis, who had a great start by the way. The Cub game yesterday was at 2:20 PM ET, and there were no other games until 7:05. This gave me plenty of time to check standings, probable starters, stories, and still have time to play with my kitten.

I wanted the Padres or Dodgers to lose. If 1 of them wins, the NL West has 1 sole possessor, and so does the Wildcard. Well, by sheer luck, both of them lost, letting the Cubs be 2 back in the Wildcard. I wanted the Braves to lose also. They lost 4-2 to the Cardinals, a team that hardly matters at all at this point.

Finally, the most important of them all, the Brewers lost, pulling the Cubs to withing 2.5 games of the NL Central lead. The Cubs are 51-44, and have a 3 game win streak, winning 7 of 8 sinc the all-star break. So, back to the title, for one night everything clicked.

Thanks,

Ryan

Shiver Me Timbers, It's the Pirates! [Part 4 of 4]

July 8th, 2007

Cubs; Friday, July 13th; 2:20 PM ET; Starters unkown

I'm befuzzled. I went to the Cubs game today, expecting a win, as it's been automatic these days when Big Z takes the hill. Well, not so much today. He pitched a good game. Quality start if you ask me. In fact, 3 runs, 3 walks, 4 hits over 7 innings is the stats. I was there, and I watched him leave in the 8th inning down 3-2.

With Bobby [Howry]coming on for the 8th, I thought our chances were good. Unfortunately the unexplainable happened. A good reliever- our best a year ago- couldn't fool the hitters he faced. Single. Single. Single. Then Jason Bay comes to the plate with the bases chucked, and Bobby said to himself, "Only 3 in a row? Hey, let's make it 4!" So he tosses a pitch in there, and much to the delight of Bucco fans at PNC, Bay had himself a 2 RBI single, 1st and 3rd, 0 outs.


Then, he got a sacrifice fly to take place, 1 more run. 6-2 Pirates. He then got out of the inning, pitching like 2007 Scott Eyre, or April version of Howry. The thing that caught me though was this: Big Z: 7 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, Howry: 1 inning, 4 hits, 3 runs. 6-2 final. The good news? The Brewers lost 7-2, and 2 out of 3 to the Washington Nationals.


That leads me to my next point. While it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the Brewers have no chance at the division title, the Pirates do. The Cardinals, Astros, and Reds just don't seem to have it this year. The Cardinals are not the jubilant team that had pitchers with actual talent. The Astros and Reds seem to have fallen off the face of the Earth.


The Pirates though, get better, and better and, well, better. If the Cubs want to win this division, they'd better watch out for the Pirates. That is the only thing keeping the Cubs and Brewers at a disadvantage. The Pirates can beat anyone in this division. That'll help them in the long run.

Thanks,

Ryan

Shiver Me Timbers, It's the Pirates! [Part 3 of 4]

July 7th, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 1:35 PM ET; Carlos Zambrano, 10-6, 4.04 ERA, vs. Shane Youman, 1-0, 3.00 ERA

Well, today Ted Lilly had another strong outing, pitching 7.1 innings, surrendering just 1 run, in a 7-1 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tomorrow is the rubber match, and it should be an interesting game.


Youman, career 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA faces off against the ace, Zambrano, who has a career 3.37 ERA. The good news? The Cubs, after winning tonight, are once again just 4.5 games back of the Brewers, who could not be any more in shambles at this point, virtually handing the Cubs the division lead as of late. I'll have more tomorrow.

Thanks,

Ryan

Shiver Me Timbers, It's the Pirates! [Part 2 of 4]

July 6th, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; 7:05 PM ET; vs. Pirates; Ted Lilly,7-4, 3.84 ERA, vs. John Van Benschoten, 0-2, 4.35 ERA

The Pirates beat us today. I can't understand it, and you shouldn't be able to, you're still learning, it's OK. It's their 4th win in a row, and now we are ONLY 8-3 in our last 11. If you can't figure out the loss, let me break down the for you.


Maholm, after giving up 2 in the 2nd to tie the game, threw the sinker, and then the sinker, and then a couple more sinkers. The Cubs response? Let me just hit that into the ground for you. Man, was it bad. We didn't score again until the top of the 8th, when we were down 7-2. Bases loaded, nobody out. Shawn Chacon leaves a fat fastball hanging with A-Ram up, and A-Ram just swings and hits 1 into the river.


Actually he hit a sacrifice fly. And then, so did DeRosa. And then the Cubs managed to get out of a bases loaded nobody out situation with only 2 runs. So top 9th comes, and to end the game, Theriot is doubled off second base. Ouchies! 8-4 Final. Cubs now 5.5 back of the Brewers, who won 6-2.


That isn't the worst part yet though. It was Marquis. He goes 4.2 innings, gives up 6. Holy crap. If he has a quality start, the Cubs win. And his ERA is still under 4! It looks like he is having a great year. No he isn't. The ERA lies in this case. I can only remember mediocare starts from he and Ted Lilly for the longest time, except for Lilly's previous start.


I think that the Cubs pitching has to improve, the hitting has to remain hot, and hot as can be, and Lilly better win tomorrow so we can win the rubber match on Sunday. Also, I hope to see Big Z win on Sunday because, well, I'm going to be in PNC on that day, watching the game with my nachos and soft drink, wearing my Alfonso Soriano jersey and Cubs cap, which will hopefully be loaded with autographs from the greatest team in the world, the Cubs.

Thanks,

Ryan

Shiver Me Timbers, It's the Pirates! [Part 1 of 4]

July 5th, 2007

Cubs; WCIU; vs. Pirates; Jason Marquis vs. Paul Maholm

Honestly, I'm a little nervous about this series against the Pirates. They just won 3 out of against the Brewers, and the streaky Marquis starts tomorrow. The Cubs did win 3 out of 4 also, and 2 out of 3 vs. the Brewers just before that, but I feel like while the Pirates don't win a lot of games, they win the games that crucify the contenders. We're 4.5 back now, the Brewers have lost 3 in a row, and the world is at peace.

Maholm is 4-11. He gets no run support. If he did, the Pirates would have a 15 game winnner. That's not the scary part. Marquis should be a 10 game winner as it is right now. Also gets not a lot of run support. That's just game 1. Game 2 I feel like our chances are good, Lilly vs. Van Benschoten, and Sunday Zambrano starts. What more can you ask for to atleast not get swept? We're winning (43-41)and it feels so good!

I'll post more tomorrow, have a good day cub fans!

Thanks,

Ryan

Happy Holidays

July 4th, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 7:05 PM ET; Sean Marshall, 4-3, 3.50 ERA, vs. Jason Bergmann, 1-5, 3.47 ERA

Well, happy 4th of July. Only 2 things ruined my holiday: rain and the Cubs losing. It wasn't a particularly bad loss, 6-0. Well, it isn't as bad as it looks. Hill was having a good outing until the 5th inning, when I stopped watching. I believe I left with 1 out and runners on the corners, 1-0 Nats. Next thing I know, I'm watching highlights of Dmitri Young hit a grand slam. Other than that, I have no complaints about the game. The offense was tired. That was there pass, but only because the Brew Crew lost, even though I would've LOVED to gain a game on them.




So the story stands, Cubs 42-41, looking to win the series vs. the Nats and take momentum into Pittsburgh. I am seeing Sunday's game,where Big Z is a porbable pitcher. The Cubs remain 6.5 games out of first in the division, and 5 out of the wild card.




Also, I'd like to advertise for my mini series analyzing the Cubs roster 1 by 1, career stats, season stats, splits, and game by game. I hope you will read over the break.

Thanks,

Ryan

Cubs vs. Brewers: Series Preview

June 28th, 2007

Cubs; WGN 9; June 29th, 2:20 PM ET; Rich Hill, 5-5, 3.13 ERA, vs. Yovani Gollardo, 1-0, 2.70 ERA

Life of Luxury, people. Get used to it. Now that the Cubs have won 6 in a row, we have the mometum on our side to possibly win a series against the Milwaukee Brewers. They have momentum, too, winning 3 in a row (a sweep). That puts them 7.5 games ahead of us in the NL Central. Wildcard you ask? 6 games out. It looks a little grim, until you realize that our pitching sucks, sure, but in this series, just 3 games, we scored 24 runs. That, people, is 8 runs a game. If we can score 8 runs a game I don't care if we give up 6 over 9 innings and have the worst team ERA in MLB history, we'll win ballgames. An 8-6 win is still a win right?

Back to the point though, which is a side by side comparison of the Cubs and Brewers. I'll most likely be wrong, you know that surely if you read my Cubs vs. Rockies preview. I said statistically, the Rockies win the series 2 games to 1. The actual outcome was that the Cubs sweep. I choose to do this either way so you, my loyal viewers, don't have to think. You don't have to look on MLB.com and tire your arthritis riddled bones. I'm doing it for you. Enjoy!

Pitchers Preview:

Game 1: Rich Hill vs. Yovani Gollardo. Gollardo has 2 starts this year. He has gone 13.1 innings this year, averaging 6.2 per start. He has 4 earned runs. If he goes 6.2 against us and gives up 2, like the averages say, it'll be a tough game to win. Hill had 5 starts in April. His ERA for that month was 1.77! In June he had 5 starts again. His ERA for May was 4.66, raising his ERA to 3.06. This Month, June, he has had 5 starts, tomorrow is 6, and his ERA is 3.26 for this month. He's gone into the 6th inning all but once, against San Diego on the 17th, giving up 5 earned in 3 innings. Overall though, Hill has had 15 starts, 10 quality starts, 3.13 2007 ERA, which leads me to believe 1 thing: Advantage Cubs.

Game 2: Ben Sheets vs. Sean Marshall. Sheets is 9-3 with a 3.09 ERA. If the year ended today, I'd give him Cy Young. He is a talented pitcher, the anchor of the Brewers staff, and he is going to be a key to the further success of the Brewers this year. Marshall last year had 24 starts, and a 5+ ERA. Every start I ask myself, "Today will we see old Sean or new Sean?" This year, all but 1 quality starts in 7 total starts. That game he gave up 4 runs over 4 innings. Other than that, he has given up 2 at most in every start this year. This game's outcome? Too close to call.

Game 3: My guess is as good as yours. Marquis vs. To be determined. Marquis has been amazing this year, well, early at least. I think we are starting to see shades of his '06 season, and I hate it. He and Ted Lilly need to just settle down and give up fewer runs. Lilly's ERA is up to 4.03, Marquis' is up to 3.46, both were in the low 2's.

Sorry I ran out of time to do the hitters comparison right now. It's 10 o'clock now, and I just don't have time, but I promise on my next Series Preview edition, which I do on off-days, like I did against the Rockies, with hitters, will have hitters.

Thanks,

Ryan

Sweep.. again!

June 27, 2007

Cubs; Off Day; upcoming series vs. Brewers

Today the Cubs completed a sweep of the Rockies, what looked like an impossible feat to me. I credit our pitching, and congratulate Billy Petrick for a 1.2 inning, 2 run debut. That's better than I'd do any day.

Tomorrow I plan to do a scouting report on the Cubs vs. Brewers series. Right now the "Cubs Win Streak Pedometer is up to 6, hopefully we can get it up to, ohi don't know, maybe 8? 9? Right now the 6 game win streak the Cubs have puts them at 38-39. The last time they were this close to .500 was when the played the White Sox in game 42! At that point, they were 20-21. Now they have played 77 games. The bad news, friends, is that the Cubs haven't won in this situation all year. They always loose.

If I had a nickel for every time...

If I had a quarter for every time the Cubs lost last year, I'd have $24. This year it looks like I might only have 2/3 of that. Let's hope for the best, Cub fans.

Thanks,

Ryan