Big Second Inning

July 15th, 2007

Cubs; ESPN; 7:05 PM ET; vs. Giants; Lincecum, 4-2, 4.63 ERA, vs. Hill, 5-6, 3.81 ERA

Today the Cubs completed a 3 game sweep of the Astros, although I hardly think they deserved it. Jason Marquis pitched a horrific game in which the Cubs won by the grace of God. In the first 3 innings of the game he gave up 6 runs. It wasn't just 1 bad inning, either. He had a flurry of bad innings. His final inning was the 4th, the only inning he didn't give up a run.

Any other day and I think the Cubs lose the game. The reason they didn't, in case you didn't hear, was a 6 run 2nd inning. The Cubs then scored the eventual game winning run in the 4th inning, creating a 3 game winning streak that puts them 3.5 games back of the Brewers.

Good things did happen today despite the fact that Jason Marquis decided to bring his F game to the ball park today. Derrek Lee hit his 1st homerun since June 3rd today. That is his 7th of the year. In other news, Alfonso Soriano hit 5th today. He went 0-4, while Ryan Theriot who led off today went 2-5 with a dinger. Overall I believe it was a well played game and look forward to any more good baseball the Cubs want to play.

Tomorrow Rich Hill starts against San Fransisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. There are a few good things about this game.

1. The offense is red hot again, and it looks like D-Lee may have his power stick back.





2. The game is on ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.





3. Barry Bonds is stirring thing up by coming to town.

We shall see, my friends and readers, we shall see. I hope all goes well in this upcoming series vs. the Giants so the Cubs can remain contenders in the NL Central.

Thanks,

Ryan

Power Outage

July 14th, 2007

Cubs; FOX; vs. Astros; 3:55 PM ET; Roy Oswalt, 8-5, 3.53 ERA vs. Ted Lilly, 8-4, 3.67 ERA

Yesterday was a game that made me feel good about the Cubs chances. The Cubs scored 6 with out a homerun. That makes the 10th straight game the Cubs haven't homered in. They are 6 and 4 in that stretch. That's OK, but imagine what the Cubs will be able to do when they start actually hitting the ball 400 feet every now and then!

The pitching was good, too. Zambrano went 6.2 innings walking 3, giving up 3 base hits, and 0 runs. Then Carlos Marmol came on for 1.1 innings of shutout baseball. Finally, for the top of the 9th, Bobby Howry came on for a 2 hit inning, though he got out of the jam and retired the side. Cubs win, 6-0.

Tonight an established and better than ever Roy Oswalt pitches against the streaky, inconsistent Theodore Roosevelt (We call him Ted) Lilly. Ted's past 2 starts have been real great ones, and if the Cubs can get the hot bats they have to hit fly balls, then maybe Lilly can give up a few and still win.

Thanks,

Ryan

Cuban's Cubbies? 2 In A Row?

July 13th, 2007

Cubs; CSN Chicago; 2:20 PM ET; vs. Astros; Jason Jennings, 1-4, 4.07 ERA vs. Carlos Zambrano, 10-7, 4.03 ERA

This is my first and probably only doubple-post for a while, but I thought I should just to spare myself of postiong four times in the past two days. Since the first thing you saw coming here was the pitching match ups, so I'll do story one first. If you hadn't noticed already, Zambrano is starting two games in a row.

Last Sunday, on Big-Z and the Cubs' last game before the break, Zambrano had an OK start. 7 innings, 3 runs, 3 walks, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts. He had the loss though, something I didn't expect to see going to PNC Park, home of the Pirates, to watch him. The good news? His momentum wasn't ruined by the break, it was ruined by the Bucs, so the break was good for him after all. Now he can start over now as a new pitcher.

Story number two. Mark Cuban is more than just interested in buying the Cubs. He already turned in his application. With the bidding expected to go to 1 billion, I would consider him a hero to buy the Cubs. That said, he tries to buy evey team that is up for sale; the Mavericks, the Penguins, and now the Cubs.

My only fear is what if he moves us. I remember him on the hot seat on SportsCenter earlier this year and him saying he wants a team in Las Vegas. Las Vegas. Meaning that if he gets control over the field of the Cubs, he might move us, and not take Wrigley Field with him. I hae mixed feelings about this so far, and maybe it'll change, after all, no saying he'll even win the bidding.

Thanks,

Ryan

Overload Error... Overload Error

July 12th, 2007

Well, normally I don't post twice in one day, so I thought I'd give it a try. Actually folks, I've come here today at 9:28 PM ET with a cause. It is to talk about the inevitable, the undeniable, the Pie demotion.

After I finished my blog today with the bullpen previews, I went to milb.com just to check on some of the blooming prospects the Cubbies have in their system. I checked Samardzija, Murton, Cotts, Novoa, Colvin, and Geovany Soto.

Little did I know that later in the same day would I have to start checking Felix Pie on milb.com and Geovany Soto on the mother board. For those of you who don't follow, milb.com is minor league baseball.com, run by those goons* at MLB.com.

Just thought I should let you all know.

*They aren't goons. I was kidding. Without that website my life would be in pieces. I deeply care for them all.

Thanks,

Ryan

Chicago Cubs Player Previews [Part 3 of 3]

July 12th, 2007

The 6 relievers, Rocky Cherry, and Billy Petrick is on today's menu. Petrick and Gallagher have sort of been switching back and forth with each other, so I'm doing both previews, and Cherry is on the DL, but was currently with the club when injured, so I'll do his preview, too. Also, I'm going to do Dempster's preview, as he's also injured, and most likely will be back with the Cubs in about 1 week.


Bobby Howry: After 2004, when he had a 2.74 ERA, and 2005, when he had a 2.47 ERA, and even 2006, when he had a 3.17 ERA, you had to think that Bobby would be an asset to any bullpen. Well, sort of. His ERA is 4.68 at the break. I couldn't have guessed that it'd be this high. Relievers don't log a lot of innings, Howry's longest appearance of the year is 2 innings, which he did 3 times. If you look at it, most of his ERA comes from 4 appearances in which he went 3.1 innings, surrendering 13 earned runs. Take away those innings and his ERA is 2.07. Look for his ERA to go down, and for those shaky, ERA raising innings to decrease.

Scott Eyre: Scott Eyre was never a lights out reliever. He only had 1 season at a Bob Howry-Esq ERA, which was 2005, and he had a 2.63 ERA. Then last year, Scotty had a 3.38 ERA, which came from 2 appearances at the end of the year after he had an injury. In the 2 appearances his ERA was upped from 2.85 to 3.23, and then finally 3.38. This year his ERA is 6.60. Neal Cotts was sent down when he had an ERA in the 4s, and Lou wants to add another pitcher, and with Dempster, Cherry, Gallagher and Petrick in the mix, don't look for Eyre to be.

Will Ohman: His ERA this year is 4.15 which shouldn't surprise anyone for 2 reasons. His career ERA is also 4.15. Reason #2 is that last year's ERA of his was 4.13, so almost identical. He isn't a perfect reliever, but he gets the job done. He notched his 1st career save this year against the braves, and has pitched so phenomenally During the Cubs' hot stretch of baseball, a 3.86 ERA during his last 10 games. Look for his innings to go up, as he's been a solid reliever this year, and look for his ERA to go down as he gets more comfortable being a frequently used reliever.

Michael Wuertz: As late as June 14th, Mike was a saint. His ERA was 3.03. Then it went up a lot, and by June 29th, he was at stellar status again with a 2.95 ERA. In his 3 innings since then, his ERA has gone up to 3.40. He's a little inconsistent, but with his fastball and slider the way they are, expect to see 2006's Mike Wuertz, who led the team in ERA with a 2.66 in that stat. Look for more consistency, and less runs from Michael.

Carlos Marmol: This is Marmol's 2nd year, and his 2007 ERA is 0.96. Then how is his career ERA all the way at 4.71? Last year Carlos' ERA was 6.08. When he got his chance this year he was a changed man. He hasn't thrown mistake pitches, and he has 40 strikeouts in his 28 innings. His fastball is reaching 98 mph, and walks haven't even been an issue this year for him. Look for hitters to figure him out a little bit, thus the ERA will go up, but look for him to still be the best reliever in the Cubs bullpen to years end.

Sean Gallagher: 4 games. 7 innings. 6 earned runs. 7.71 ERA. He has been very inconsistent this year to date. His game log tells me he gave up 2 in his first appearance. Then 0, then 4 runs, and then 0 in his last appearance. This is a little troubling, and I know it is going to be a problem come the playoffs, so look for Sean to go back to Iowa whether it be now or closer to the playoffs.

Rocky Cherry: 9 games. 11.1 innings. 3 earned runs. 2.38 ERA. He is the kind of reliever that the Cubs need to be in contention to win the Wild Card, or even the NL Central. He has been very consistent to this point, giving up the 3 runs in 2 appearances, 7 shutout appearances. Look for his innings to slowly inflate as he returns from an injury if he is in the mix at all.

Ryan Dempster: 16 of 18 in save opportunities is the main stat that I am looking at. Those saves are key to his confidence as last year he blew 9 games and had a 4.80 ERA. He lost the Cubs 9 games last year. This year is different. In his 2 blown saves, he came out in his next appearance and notched a save, something he failed to do last season. Look for him to get back to the closers role after the injury and look for him to be a little shaky at first, as his most recent appearance was June 22.

Billy Petrick: In 5.2 innings this year, Billy's ERA is 3.18. This is virtually just a sample, as it is the amount of innings it takes Zambrano to get to 100 pitches, which is less than 1 start. So far I've liked what I've seen so far from the kid. He hasn't allowed a run since his major league debut, and well, that is to me at least, understandable. Look for him to finish the year in AAA, due to the overload of pitchers coming back from injuries in the second half.

The Cubs have 5 starters, and want to have 7 relievers. I did the 5 starters, and 9 relievers. 2 of them will not fit in this puzzle. My choices to go would be Sean Gallagher and Scott Eyre. To me they seem inconsistent and just when they get on the right track, especially for Eyre this year, the wheels fall off. That's just my previews. I have no idea how things will turn out, I just hope I didn't jinx anybody.

Thanks,

Ryan

Chicago Cubs Player Previews [Part 2 of 3]

July 11th, 2007

Today, as promised I am going to do my 2nd half previews of the starting rotation. I'm doing them in this order: Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Hill, and Marshall. Also, remember that tomorrow, in part 3 of 3, I will be doing the 6 relievers on the 25 man roster, Billy Petrick, and Rocky Cherry. Now to the good stuff.


Carlos Zambrano: 10-7 with a 4.03 ERA at the break is good as it is. The weird part about it though is that until June 6th, we had the worst Ace in major league baseball. Since then, we have the best. On June 6th, he went 6.2 innings, yielding 2 earned. Including that game, in his last 7 starts, he has given up 10 runs in 54.1 innings. That is a 1.66 ERA. That isn't even considering that in his most recent start, he went 7 innings giving up 3 earned. Without that start, his ERA over the previous 6 starts would've been 1.33. Look for him to stay hot for most of his last 15 or so starts.


Ted Lilly: Through 18 starts in 2007, Lilly is 8-4 with a 3.67 ERA. His record shouldn't be what it is today and wouldn't if it wasn't for the untouchable offense. He should probably be 7-5, because 1 of his wins came during a 7 game winning streak, in a game where he went 6 innings and gave up 4 earned runs. His ERA on May 18th was 2.69, and then 7 starts later it was up to 4.03. The good news is that he is back to good old Ted Lilly. His last 2 starts he's gone 14 innings and given up 2 earned runs. Look for him to get a little more consistent, whether it be good or bad, and also look for him to get more wins and less losses if the Cubs offense keeps up the way it was in June.


Jason Marquis: He hadn't won since May 9th, until July 1st that is, and as late as June 4th, his ERA was 2.84. In the 6 starts after that, his ERA is up to 3.67, giving up atleast 3 runs in all but 2 of them. 1 of the 2 starts he only went 1.2 innings. The other 1 was his only quality start since May 24th. Could we be seeing the Marquis of 2006? Hopefully we aren't seeing that type of Marquis. Until now, Jason has been a great pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Look for him to stay inconsistent in ERA and quality starts.


Rich Hill: In his last 2 starts he has gone 9 innings, surrenduring 11 earned runs. His ERA on the year is 3.81. It appears to be only that low because in April his ERA was 1.77. In May it was 4.66. June was a little better at 4.32, and after 1 July start so far, he's got an ERA of 9 this month. A lot of his struggles appear to be in the 1st inning. In 17 starts and 17 first innings, he has allowed 10 earned runs, a 5.29 ERA. He is giving the other team the lead early, and I can see that as being a problem, assuming the other 4 starters don't win EVERY time out. The offense may be stronger than ever so far, but it can't come back from a 3-0 deficit in the first inning every time, and it isn't expected. Look for Hill to return to form in the 2nd half, as this was a well needed break for him. Last year in the first half he had an ERA of 9.31, and in the second half had an ERA of 2.92. Look for his ERA to go down, and his big overhand curveball to be in tip-top shape.


Sean Marshall: This year, Sean is 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA. Last year in the first half, he was 5-7 with a 4.80 ERA. It's the second half that worries me. After the break last year, Marshall went into a deep funk, going 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA. Let's hope that Rothschild tweaked something, or that Sean is just, plain and simple, more confident. There isn't a lot to base this on because this is only his second big league year, but look for him to remain consistent- for now atleast- as the splits show that he doesn't struggle much with righties, lefties, home or away so far, he's just pitched good.


Tomorrow I plan to do the relievers unless I get sick or die or something. As I've mentioned before, tomorrow is the 6 relievers, Petrick and Cherry.

Thanks,

Ryan

Chicago Cubs Player Previews [Part 1 of 3]

July 10th, 2007

Today I am going to do 14 player previews. They are going to be the 14 hitters in the major leagues, although Lou said he plans to take it down to 13 hitters. Tomorrow I'm doing the 5 starting pitchers, and then the 6 relievers, and Billy Petrick, as I see him as the top candidate to be called up to the majors, atleast until Dempster gets back. Right now, I'm going by positions, catchers, infielders, and then outfielders.


Rob Bowen: Before the 26-year old catcher came to us in a trade for Micheal Barrett, he was hitting .268, going 2-4 in his most recent game, the 17th, against the Cubs. Since then, he has gone 2 for 27, a .074 average, with 2 RBI. To explain how bad that 2 for 27 is, let me tell you this: Ted Lilly this year is 4 for 27. Bowen is weakening the lineup, and the 8 spot at the least. I'd look fir his playing time to drop, and drop, and drop in the 2nd half.


Koyie Hill: In his first playing action since 2005 with Arizona, he is hitting .148, 9 hits in 64 at bats, with 1 home run and 6 RBI. He is the "starter", although if I was the Cubs I'd shop a catcher or call up young prospect and 2006 September call-up Geovany Soto, who is hitting .341 in 226 at bats. Look for Hill or Bowen to get traded or sent down for this guy.


Derrek Lee: This year, Lee was an all-star, and he played from the 5th to the end of the game. D-Lee hasn't homered since June 3rd, but look at the bright side; Pujols hasn't homered since June 14th, so the "best hitter in baseball" has almost nothing on Lee. In the 2nd half of the season, I expect his average to go down and his homers to go up.


Daryle Ward: This year , in his first year with the Cubs, Daryle has gone 18 for 55, a .327 average. The power bat fro the bench is gone this year though, as there is a big donut in the home run column. He also has had a couple key hits this year for the Cubs, I can remember 1 or 2 game winners, at least 1 was a walk-off. He isn't going anywhere unless he gets injured, so look for more clutch at bats of the bench.


Mark DeRosa: DeRosa was hittingin the .250s earlier this year, until my birthday, June 8th, when he gave me a present. He finished June hitting .337 in the month, raising his average to .284. In July so far, he is still terrorizing pitchers, hitting .345, his average now up to .291, almost his career best 2006 number, .296. Also, did I mention that he is beating D-Lee in HR [7], and RBI [49]. Look for the average to hang around in the low .290s or high .280s in the 2nd half.


Ryan Theriot: Afer hitting .338 in 2006, his average stooped to .251 on June 23rd, when he was stirpped of his starting role. Since then, he's been on a tear, hitting in all but 2 appearances since then, both pinch hit at-bats. His average now rests at .276, which is where I expect it to stay. If he keeps getting regular at-bats, look for his average to continue to rise, as his average seems to go down when he plays off the bench.


Mike Fontenot: In 2005, he was 0 for 2 in September as a call-up, and last year was completely overlooked. Maybe the year away from the heat of the MLB was good. So far in 104 MLB at-bats this year, Fontenot is hitting .356, with 3 home runs, 16 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Lately, he has been starting at 2B, Theriot at SS, and DeRosa in RF. For the Cubs to stay hot, look for that to stay the same, and expect Fontenot's average to drop a lot and land somewhere in the .280s.


Cesar Izturis: Used sparingly since June 25th, only making 1 start since then, he's hitting .242, pretty much what we've been seeing him put up his whole career. He is a defensive asset, but can be easily replaced by a solid SS like Theriot, and is so much worse offensively. The best role for him is to be on the bench, and expect him to stay there, at least until Fontenot cools off.


Aramis Ramirez: This year so far, Aramis is hitting .312 with 15 homers and 51 RBI. In my eyes, he was the key component to the Cubs hot streak in June. He hit .375 in June, 14 for 48, had a walk-off home run against the Brewers that eventually sent us to a rubber match, which the Cubs won, and still missed 15 days of the month. If he's that good playing half a month, I'd like to see him play like that in a full month. Expect the average to drop off a little bit, maybe into the .290s, but expect him to start hitting more homers now that he is back to full strength.


Alfonso Soriano: Hitting .309 with 15 dingers and 33 RBI is just the beginning. He also has 24 doubles, and 13 stolen bases this year. He has definitely been a key part of the Cubs success, and signing him for 8 years help the Cubs chances in the future years as well, but for now expect a few things. Expect his home runs to pick up, as he is known for the long ball. Also expect for more stolen base attempts in the 2nd half, as Lou is finally comfortable with all that Soriano can do. Finally, look for his average to dip a lot, as he is a career .282 hitter, and the past 2 years he has hit .268 and .270.


Felix Pie: Hitting .216 this year, when he first came up, he was hitting better, playing more comfortably. Pagan is getting most of the time in center, and with good reason. Pie is dynamite in the field, but in the box he just isn't ready at the MLB level. Look for his average to go up as he get s more at-bats at the major league level.


Angel Pagan: In 47 games this year, he is hitting .267, better than his .247 average last year in 77 games with the Cubs. He is good defensively in center, he has good speed, and is clearly the choice over Pie for now. Look for him to lock up a starting role in center for at least the rest of the year, as the only others who can do it are Pie and Jones, both of which might get sent down to Iowa when Lou calls up the 12 pitcher, which he said he definitely will do.


Cliff Floyd: This year Cliff is hitting .292 with 4 home runs and 30 RBI. While lately DeRosa has been getting more playing time in right, Cliff has played solid this year, but is definitely not much to boast about defensively. A lot of his recent at-bats came when Aramis was injured and DeRosa played 3rd. Look for his time to go up if Fontenot or Theriot cool down. Until then, he is mostly valuable bench, with an occasional start in line for him.


Jacque Jones: The career .277 hitter is hitting an uncharacteristic .233 in 215 at-bats. Lou has been rooting for him, but he has had a price tag on him since last year. He is always getting criticized and over-analyzed by people that think the Cubs are wasting their time on him. GM Jim Hendry is big on the future, so look for him to deal Jacque away for a few prospects, as he's been already in some talks this year.

Those are my previews for the 14 hitters currently on the Cubs 25 man roster. Although Lou said there would soon be 13 hitters, I did all 14. I told you my guesses on how people would do, who'd be dealt, and who could be sent down for a pitcher like Billy Petrick. Tomorrow is for the starting rotation, Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Hill, and Marshall. Wait for it, it's coming soon.

Thanks,

Ryan

My 2nd Half Predictions [Teams]

July 9th, 2007

No need for me to put a game time and station for you today, as the Cubs don't play until their 10 game homestand against the Astros, Giants, and Diamondbacks. The homestand begins on Friday, and starting tomorrow, excluding Tuesday due to my All-Star-Game coverage, I will analyze the Cubs 25 man roster and predict the 2nd half. Today, like I said, is my 2nd half preview.

NL

NL EAST FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION


METS 48-39 43-32 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: INJURIES


BRAVES 47-42 42-31 STRENGTH: BULLPEN

WEAKNESS: PITCHING INJURIES


PHILLIES 44-44 40-34 STRENGTH: POWER HITTERS

WEAKNESS: BATTING AVERAGE


MARLINS 42-47 33-40 STRENGTH: YOUNG TALENT

WEAKNESS: INCONSISTENT PITCHING


NATIONALS 36-52 28-46 STRENGTH: BULLPEN

WEAKNESS: INJURIES

NL CENTRAL FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION


BREWERS 49-39 38-36 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: YOUNG HITTERS


CUBS 44-43 43-32 STRENGTH: BATTING AVERAGE

WEAKNESS: INCONSISTENT PITCHING


CARDINALS 40-45 41-36 STRENGTH: CARPENTER/MULDER BACK
WEAKNESS: PUJOLS/ROLEN SLUMPS


PIRATES 40-48 39-35 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHERS

WEAKNESS: JASON BAY .256 AVG/13 HR


ASTROS 39-50 30-43 STRENGTH: POWER HITTERS

WEAKNESS: BULLPEN


REDS 36-52 25-49 STRENGTH: FEW INJURIES
WEAKNESS: POWER HITTERS


NL WEST FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION


PADRES 49-38 50-25 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: INCONSISTENT HITTING


DODGERS 49-40 43-30 STRENGTH: BATTING AVERAGE

WEAKNESS: PITCHING INJURIES


DIAMONDBACKS 47-43 36-36 STRENGTH: BULLPEN

WEAKNESS: UNEXPERIENCED


ROCKIES 44-44 39-35 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: BATTING AVERAGE


GIANTS 38-48 30-46 STRENGTH: BATTING AVERAGE

WEAKNESS: FOCUS ON 756/ ZITO BUST

AL

AL EAST FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION


RED SOX 53-34 49-26 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: SCHILLING ON DL


BLUE JAYS 43-44 35-40 STRENGTH: BULLPEN

WEAKNESS: STARTING PITCHING


YANKEES 42-43 43-44 STRENGTH: MIDDLE OF THE ORDER

WEAKNESS: STARTING PITCHING


ORIOLES 38-49 35-42 STRENGTH: 2006-2007 FREE AGENT SIGNINGS

WEAKNESS: TEJADA/TRACHSEL ON DL


DEVIL RAYS 34-53 26-48 STRENGTH: OUTFIELDERS BATTING AVERAGES

WEAKNESS: UPTON/BALDELLI ON DL


AL CENTRAL FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION


DETROIT 52-34 42-34 STRENGTH: STARTING PITHERS

WEAKNESS: ZUMAYA/RODNEY ON DL


INDIANS 52-36 40-34 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: POWER HITTING


TWINS 45-43 40-34 STRENGTH: JOHAN SANTANA

WEAKNESS: 8 OUT ALREADY


WHITE SOX 39-47 34-42 STRENGTH: BUERHLE EXTENSION

WEAKNESS: REST OF ROTATION


ROYALS 38-50 30-44 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHERS

WEAKNESS: POWER HITTING


AL WEST FIRST HALF SECOND HALF PREDICTION

ANGELS 53-35 48-26 STRENGTH: OUTFIELD HITTERS

WEAKNESS: COLON/SANTANA STRUGGLES


MARINERS 49-36 40-37 STRENGTH: STRONG PITCHING/ HITTING

WEAKNESS: MORE ROAD GAMES THAN HOME


ATHLETICS 44-44 40-34 STRENGTH: STARTING PITCHING

WEAKNESS: MAJORITY OF SCHEDULE VS. WEST


RANGERS 38-50 41-33 STRENGTH: MORE HOME THAN ROAD GAMES

WEAKNESS: LACK OF PITCHING/ AVG.


NL EAST DIVISION WINNER: METS


NL CENTRAL DIVISION WINNER: CUBS*


NL WEST DIVISON WINNER: PADRES


NL WILD CARD WINNER: DODGERS


*Cubs have advantage in one game playoff (7-5 vs Brewers this season)


AL EAST DIVISION WINNER: RED SOX


AL CENTRAL DIVISION WINNER: TIGERS


AL WEST DIVISION WINNER: ANGELS


AL WILD CARD WINNER: INDIANS

Those are just my predictions, not any baseball analyst's. Comment if you feel any differently or have any other opinions.

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