Rich Hill is Starting to Look Like, Well, Rich Hill

The Cubs are playing on the West Coast this week, meaning that their games will be ending somewhere in the vicinity of midnight, and I can do a write-up when I'm normally sitting at the computer anyways. Joy. Speaking of write-ups, there will be no more official Game Summary outline as their has been in the past. It was nice at first, but I got bored with it quickly and coming up with some of the items were a stretch. So I'm making an executive decision, the after game posts shall have no order at all. And I might even miss a few of them. Awesome.

So anyways, about the game. Rich Hill in May has posted a 5.87 ERA with a 1-3 record. In May of last year he had a 9.31 ERA with a 0-4 record. At least he's improving. As for tonight, he gave up 5 earned runs in 6 innings, including 4 homers. Not a pretty game. The Cubs played ugly baseball on the offensive side as well, as a Cliff Floyd RBI in the first was all they had in them.

On the upside though, Angel Guzman and Ryan Dempster both pitched, and neither gave up a run! Exciting! Even more so when you realize that Dempster is grooming Guzman to be his replacement. Dempster seems to think this will happen when he is moved to the rotation. I'm thinking it will be when Lou throws him out the door. We'll see who's right fairly soon I imagine.

Tomorrow is another late one at 9:05 PM, when Sean Marshall will make his 2007 debut. He shouldn't have too rough of a time, as the opposing pitcher is David Wells, who is but a shell of his former self. Marshall is the 7th starting pitcher the Cubs have used this year, compared to 8 they had used last year at this point. These uncanny similarities are not a good thing. Do us all a favor Sean, and keep the starting job this time around. And whatever you do, just keep Wade Miller away. Please.

BP (May 4th, 2007)

It's been a hectic week, and I started to think that the team's recent success was somehow attributed my lack of presence on this blog. But screw it.

• What is the deal with Izturis? Does Lou absolutely adore him? That's gotta be the case when this once gold-glover owns nearly half of the Cub errors this spring, yet he's still seeing plenty of time. Not to mention, his average is hovering around the .200 range. (Then again, who am I to argue when we're winning?)
• No, I'm going to argue. I'm going to make a case for Ryan Theriot to play short. I've said it before, this guy needs to be in the lineup everyday. I don't care that we already have 2 everyday shortstops on the roster (who can't hit). Heck, it really doesn't matter where he's playing, but he's shown that he deserves more than one pinch-hitting bat a game. This kid should be permanently squeezed in the 2-hole between Soriano and Lee.
• Besides that, I'm not terribly offended with how Lou is handling the outfield dilemma. It's working, and we're winning. But the Cubs are sure making him work for his paycheck. I'm curious to see what's going to happen once we get off the four man pitching rotation next week (Thank God Wade Miller is done).
  
• What happened to Michael Barrett this week? His offense disappeared. I've got him tagged for one hit in the five games, 1 for 21 to be more precise. Here's hoping he gets his swing back soon. (1 for 21 ?! I thought that's what we pay Blanco for...)
• And finally, the Annual DeRosa-Bonds Rivalry is turning out to be more of a massacre right now. DeRo is stuck on 4 while Bonds is way out in front with 9 at publication.

Go cubs. -rfs

Petition to Never Let Wade Miller Pitch Again

The Cubs have a problem, and his name is Wade Miller. Mr. Miller is not a good pitcher, which is why the team has put him on the DL with "back spasms". I want to make sure that Wade does not curse this team with his inability to pitch any longer, so I did what any 1st Amendment respecting American would do. I created a petition to achieve this lofty goal.

The full text of the petition is written below, with the permission of the petition's author. That would be me. If you would like to assist us in this noble cause, please follow the link and sign the petition yourself. We must band together to right this horrible wrong.

Petition to Never Let Wade Miller Pitch Again

To: Lou Piniella, Jim Hendry, John McDonough, and other high ranking officials of the Chicago Cubs organization.

We, the undersigned, feel that the Chicago Cubs settled for a fifth pitcher in spring training that was not up to the high standards that have been set for the team this year when Wade Miller was chosen. Even the fact that he had to seriously compete with the injury riddled Mark Prior shows that he was not the best choice for this team. While he has had a few good seasons in recent years playing for the Houston Astros, he constantly reminds us that past success does not always predict future performance.

We feel that the recent actions of relegating Mr. Miller to the disabled list with “back spasms” are a step in the right direction. However, Mr. Piniella has reiterated many times that the team needs a 12th pitcher to be successful. We desire that level of success for the team, and therefore ask that a more permanent solution be put into place. Eventually the team will need a fifth starter again, and this starter should be a young talent that can develop into someone along the lines of Rich Hill. Wasting the team’s time waiting for Mr. Miller to return to his former self is not in the team’s best interest.

Therefore, we ask that the team come up with a solution so that Wade Miller will never pitch as a starter in a Cubs uniform again. It is of no concern to us how this solution is implemented. The most optimal course of action would be to trade Mr. Miller for a young arm that can develop in the Cubs farm system. If a trade cannot be made, however, we recommend that the team prolong the current solution by placing Mr. Miller on the 60 day disabled list. With full knowledge that his aforementioned back spasms are a figment of the organization’s imagination, we recommend that his ailment be listed as a more serious sounding medical condition. These may include, but are not limited to, leprosy, flesh eating bacteria, hot dog fingers, government created killer nano robot infection, Count Choculitis, anal fissures, inverted penis, or any of the multitudes of different STDs available. We suggest that the STDs be used as a last resort, however, as that can damage a man’s ego for life.

In conclusion, we understand that Lou and the Cubs are trying their hardest to win. Sometimes the calls just don’t go your way, the weather messes up your rhythm, and you can’t string together hits to save your life. We feel that all these effects will be diminished if Wade Miller does not pitch as a starting pitcher in a Cubs uniform again this year, and we kindly ask that the organization does whatever necessary to make this dream become reality.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Season in Review: the 7/54ths Mark (Pitching)

As you probably don't know, cause there's a good chance you've never read this blog before, this was supposed to be a 1/9th season in review. That would have been after 18 games. However, I went to two Cubs games this week and didn't have time to do anything. So it's only fitting that the day when I finally have free time is the day that the Cubs have off, so it's not like there's anything else to write about anyways. I guess I could write about how my old high school principal is terrible, completely overreacts to everything, and does not deserve a job, but that wouldn't be very baseball oriented would it?

So far this year, the theme of the Cubs pitching staff has been...unpredictability. Good pitchers have been bad. Mediocre pitchers have been amazing. And bad pitchers, well they're still pretty bad. Here's a rundown of the way things have been.

Carlos Zambrano

• Current Stats: 1-2 W-L, 6.91 ERA, 27.1 IP, 23 K
  
• Projected Stats: 8-15 W-L, 6.91 ERA, 211 IP, 177 K
  
• Thoughts: It is a well documented fact that Carlos is like a freight train, he takes a little time to get going. After a very rough opening day he's settled down a bit. In his last game he left with the lead, but he left early enough that the relievers were doomed to fall apart. His numbers will improve as the season goes on. More wins, lower ERA, more IP, and definitely more strikeouts. Nowhere to go from here but up.

Ted Lilly

• Current Stats: 2-2 W-L, 2.18 ERA, 33 IP, 33 K
  
• Projected Stats: 15-15 W-L, 2.18 ERA, 255 K, 255 IP
  
• Thoughts: Lilly has been a pleasant surprise. An impressive ERA combined with a lot of strikeouts means that right now he is making a push to be the ace of the team. He has strict competition though, and right now he sits 3rd of the bunch. He probably won't keep up that frantic ERA pace, but I can see his wins staying around 15, especially if the Cubs can produce some run support.

Jason Marquis

• Current Stats: 2-1 W-L, 1.88 ERA, 24 IP, 14 K
  
• Projected Stats: 15-8 W-L, 1.88 ERA, 185 IP, 108 K
  
• Thoughts: While Marquis is posting a ridiculously low ERA, his innings pitched are low as well. He needs to go longer if this bullpen is ever going to get a break. He has been another surprise for the team, even performing well against his former team, the Cardinals. Let's hope he can keep that up tomorrow.

Rich Hill

• Current Stats: 3-1 W-L, 1.57 ERA, 28.2 IP, 23 K
• Projected Stats: 23-8 W-L, 1.57 ERA, 221 IP, 177 K
  
• Thoughts: Rich Hill is the undisputed ace of the staff at the moment. And it's no fluke, I said before the season began that he was going to be great. I'm not sure if I thought he was going to be this great, but I should have. Continuing where he left off at the end of last year, Hill has decimated the opposition in every game but one. The Brewers game was a fluke, he'll be back on track next week. On a side note, if I had done this 3 days ago like I was supposed to, I would have given Hill projected stats of a 27-0 W-L and a 0.41 ERA. Just goes to show how inaccurate these will be.

Wade Miller

• Current Stats: 0-1 W-L, 10.54 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6 K
• Projected Stats: 0-1 W-L, 10.54 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6 K
• Thoughts: Wade Miller will not pitch a game for the Cubs again. I'm in the process of writing a petition to see to that. Expect that to be up later today or sometime tomorrow.

The Relievers:

• Bob Howry: Has returned to almost last years form, posting a decent 3.65 ERA. Has already compiled 2 losses though, which means his talent is coming in spurts. Needs to regain some of that consistency and he'll be fine.
• Scott Eyre: Has pitched 7 innings, given up 10 runs, and posted a whopping 12.86 ERA. Worse than Wade Miller. We know he has talent though, but if he doesn't find it soon I don't know how much longer we can let him pitch.
• Michael Wuertz: The best reliever on this staff, has given up only one run in 12 innings of work. I call him the janitor cause he cleans up other people's crap. I don't see why he isn't the closer, or at least the setup man.
• Ryan Dempster: Hasn't blown any saves yet, which is promising. Keeping things calm with a 2.45 ERA, but I still cringe whenever he comes into a close game.
• Neal Cotts: Has been flawless so far with no runs given up in 8.2 innings pitched. I don't know why we haven't used him more often. Have him and Wuertz teaming up as the setup men and we're golden.
• Angel Guzman: Was doing much better than last year's shoddy performace until he was sent down to the minors to make room for Pie. Now that Pie is staying, and Miller is hopefully off the team, the Cubs need to find a way to bring him up as the fifth starter. I think a trade is in order, but not for any pitchers because Lou demands 12 of them, and 12 he shall have.
• Will Ohman: Another reliever who is struggling this year, Ohman needs to lock it down. The only reason that Cubs fans everywhere aren't crying out against him is that no one has any energy left after complaining about Eyre.
• Rocky Cherry: Brought up a couple days ago after Miller suffered his "back spasms", I'm still not sure what to make of Cherry. He's done fairly well so far, and I'm not even mad at him for losing the game a couple of days ago because I really wanted to go home anyways. Twelve innings is way too many for a baseball game.
  

Bill Hall Sucks! Bill Hall Sucks! Bill Hall.....well, you get the idea.

During tonight's game I discovered the true power of the left-center field bleachers. The drunk gentlemen behind me held an impassioned hatred for Bill Hall, and they did everything they could to make this known. They began with "F--- you Bill Hall! Hey Bill, your mother's a @$%*#!", and whatever else they could come up with. After the security guy who doesn't actually get to watch the game told them that profanity and insulting immediate family was not allowed, they reverted to "Bill Hall sucks!", "Hey Bill, you're a moron!", and "Hey Bill, you suck!". They couldn't come up with much else. As it turns out, a couple hundred of drunk bleacher bums chanting that you suck really has an effect on your self esteem. Mr. Hall went 0-for-6, something we reminded him of every time he came back to the outfield.

We are not only a force for evil, however. Jacque Jones spent the majority of the game in center field for some unexplained reason, and once he moved over to right field he did something remarkable. First of all, he made a great diving catch. But more importantly, he threw the ball on the was to 3rd base on one bounce! That was unprecedented.

Once Felix Pie came into the game in center field our attention turned to him, and he churned out two hits in the late innings that ending up not helping our team win at all. It's more than he had been doing lately on offense though.

Some other highlights of the Wrigley experience:

• The college kid sitting two seats over from me caught a ball tossed to him by a Brewer outfielder, and a home run hit during batting practice. I caught nothing.
• Showing up two and a half hours early to a game that wasn't even close to sold out meant that I had a chance to get a good picture of the Harry Caray statue without anyone in the way for once.

• Showing up early also meant that front row in the bleachers was available, which allowed us to partake in the constant heckling of the aforementioned Bill Hall.
• Having beer spilled on my sweatshirt an hour before the game started. That was fun.
• Saw Ronnie Woo Woo again, didn't get a high five this time though. He didn't come down to our part of the bleachers.
• I yelled at Jacque Jones once asking how many outs there were. He flashed me the two sign, which was awesome. About an inning later I told him that he threw like my sister.

So that was my game. A lot of fun, but any 12 inning game where you lose is depressing at the end of it all.

Game Summary for April 23rd, 2007

• Score: Cubs lose to the Brew Crew, 5-4 in 12 innings.
  
• Player of the Game: Aramis Ramirez. Hit his 200th career home run, a solo shot that gave the Cubs a fairly solid lead.
• Subject of Lou's Wrath: The umpires. The last out was made on a ridiculous called third strike where the ball nearly landed in the dirt. Lou had some words for them in the tunnel after the game.

Piniella was not available to the media after the game. He and Perry exchanged some words with the umpires as everyone was headed to their respective clubhouses through the same tunnel, and Perry had to be pulled away. None of the words can be made available either. This is a family Web site.

• Comments: Zambrano failed to get a win again, continuing his April struggles. This time it was not his fault, however, as he left the game with a 4-2 lead. Scott Eyre came in and did what he does best, giving up two runs to dissolve the lead. The Cubs had trouble stringing together hits and failed to score after the third inning. Rocky Cherry made his Major League debut, giving up a solo home run to Prince Fielder and picking up the loss.
• Magic Number: 149. Can't gain any ground when you lose to the division leaders.

I will be at the game again tomorrow, and since Rich Hill is pitching I am hoping for a better outcome. On a side note, Wade Miller was placed on the disabled list with 'back spasms', which I believe is medical speak for having a 10.54 ERA. In the meantime I'm going to try and find out exactly what Lou said to those umps.

Roller Coaster Ride of Emotion

This game was ridiculous. A brief synopsis:

• Cubs score 2.
  
• Cards score 2.
  
• Cubs get 2 more.
  
• Cards strike back.
  
• Cards go up by 3.
  
• Aramis!!!
• Howry gives up 2 more.
• Soriano???
• DeRosa!
• Dempster becomes Pujols' plaything.
• Cubs fail.

Wade Miller needs to never pitch again. I'm thinking of starting a petition to this end. Maybe I'll post one up here later.

Game Summary for April 22nd, 2007

• Score: Cubs throw it away against the Cardinals, 12-9, 10 innings.
  
• Player of the Game: Aramis Ramirez. Clutch 3 run homer to put us back even with the Cardinals, only to have us throw it away later. Picking up where he left off last September.
• Subject of Lou's Wrath: Wade Miller. Needs to lay in a hole and die. Is going to give Lou an ulcer.
  
• Comments: This game was a slugfest with the wind blowing out. We score, they score, we score again, they score again, they take the lead, we tie it up, they take the lead again, we tie it up again, Dempster gives up a 3 run homer to Pujols. Game, set, match. Somewhere in there we saw the early return of Alfonso Soriano pinch hitting for Pie. He hit a double, showing that he is a better hitter when he's injured. Sad.
  
• Magic Number: 149. Oh thank heaven, we're 7-11. I hate myself for saying that.

Tomorrow will bring sweet relief in the form of the Milwaukee Brewers, the only team we have yet to win a series against. Zambrano is pitching though, which worries me. I should be at the game so I'll recap it late tomorrow night. Gotta love those college discounts.

I Would Like to Apologize...

to Cubs Nation for picking up Marky Mark last night in my fantasy league. I had no idea doing such a thing would cause him to go 0 for 4 today (with 4 strikeouts). This is completely my fault and I will shoulder the blame on this one. As I type, I'm trying to dump him off on someone in return for Albert Pujols.

That being said, I did not pick up Wade Miller and thus am completely innocent to having any part in his miserable showing today.

I hope you'll all join me in praying for Prior's arm tonight.

-rfs.

And on the third day, the Cubs died. Wait, that's not how it's supposed to happen.

Apparently Wade Miller doesn't believe in Jesus. Completely fell apart in today's game and the Cubs never recovered. I'll be at the home opener tomorrow, so I'll recap that experience sometime tomorrow night. Hopefully it's not in the 30's.

Game Summary for April 8th, 2007

• Score: Cubs lose to the Brewers, 9-4
  
• Player of the Game: Derrek Lee. Was 2-4 today with 2 RBI's, the only bright spot in the lineup today.
  
• Subject of Lou's Wrath: Wade Miller. Mr. Miller, I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you suck. A couple more starts like that and Prior is gonna be back in the rotation. I'm not sure how I feel about that, I've gotten my hopes up so many times for Prior that even mentioning his name brings thoughts of impending doom.
  
• Comments: The Cubs had one good inning today, but unlike Friday that wasn't enough. Wade Miller was horrible, and the Cubs again failed to hit any home runs. DeRosa was moved to the fifth spot today as he's been playing well, and he proceeded to go 0-4 with 4 strikeouts. Awesome. Would have been the Subject of Lou's Wrath if Miller wasn't so terrible. Also, Soriano is incapable of getting more than one hit per game. He's actually had a hit every single game this year, but only one. That's an issue.
  
• Magic Number: 158. Pirates beat the Reds. Awesome.