Video is Paul Maholm’s (7-13) bullpen before his start Monday night.
Cubs slapped the lefty around pretty well–3.1 IP, 8-R, 9-H.
Look closely in the background and you’ll see Andre Dawson throwing out the first pitch!
Video is of the Pirates taking BP Monday evening at Wrigley Field.
Didn’t seem to help much against Big Z!
Peg Legs scored just two runs on six hits.
Zambrano (6-6) went 5.1 giving up 1-run (unearned) on 4-hits.
Has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 starts.
During this streak he’s batting .296.
Went 9-for-22 on the recent road trip.
But batted .136 for the month of July.
Has started at three different positions this season.
Name that Cub!
Derrek Lee has struggled offensively since joining the Braves last Friday.
He’s 4-for-30 (.133) with 5 RBI, 3 walks, 3 doubles and 2 runs scored.
To make matters worse, he left Saturday’s game against Florida in the third inning with a mild strain in his right side. Lee was hitless in his lone at-bat, flying out to left field with two men aboard to end the first inning.
Bobby Cox says Lee’s injury is not serious, but may need to rest his first baseman for one or two games.
Although Atlanta still leads the NL East by 2.0 games, they’ve lost five of its last seven and stand just 3-5 with Lee in the lineup.
Here’s a comparison of part of the Cubs’ July 31 trade that sent Ryan Theriot to L.A. for Blake Dewitt.
As early returns go, it’s been a respectful draw–their numbers as similar as their mug shots!
Ryan Theriot
24 games with L.A.
Batting .301 (28-for-93)
16 runs scored, 5 RBI, 4 doubles and 1 home run.
Has eight multi-hit efforts, including a current seven-game hitting streak.
Blake DeWitt
25 games with Chicago
Batting .301 (25-for-83)
11 runs scored, 12 RBI, 3 doubles and 3 home runs.
Has hit safely in 18 of 21 starts, including six of his last eight games.
Jim Hendry kick-started the interview process for the Cubs open manager position by speaking face-to-face with former Cleveland skipper, Eric Wedge, on Thursday.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Wedge ends up a finalist for the job. Not only did he quickly mold the the young Indians team he inherited into contenders, but also represents a much needed change from the old guard. He’s young by managing standards, 42, and far from the glits and glamor of a Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella.
Now the short version on Wedge’s qualifications:
Alfonso Soriano is quietly putting together a decent season–.261, 21 HR & 66 RBI.
Avoiding major injuries, of course, has been key. His 118 games played is already one more than all of last season, and equals 92-percent of the Cubs’ season thus far.
In May he led the club with six homers, nine doubles and 16 RBI while batting .308. He reached 15 home runs by the All Star break for the third time in four years while swatting five homers and 17 RBI through July.
Over his last 50 games Soriano has 31 RBI, and more than half (12) of his 21 home runs have come with men on base. He’s been hot of late too, hitting safely in 17 of his last 22 contests.
No question Soriano’s production was hampered by the prolonged slumps of Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, as well. He’s had little, if any, protection in the lineup for most of the season.
It’s been an admirable campagne for Soriano given the circumstances, but hardly worthy of his $18M per-year contract–a contract that’s likely to keep Soriano a Cub for the remainder of his career, whether he plays up to snuff or not!
Since joining the Giants via trade on August 11, Mike Fontenot is 6-for-21 at the plate (.285) with three runs scored and zero RBI. He’s played seven games, starting five–3 at second base and 2 at shortstop.
All totaled between Chicago and San Francisco, Fontenot has played 82 games making 45 starts–32 at second base, 9 at shortstop and 4 at third base–batting .284 with 1 home run and 20 RBI.
In exchange for Fontenot the Cubs received speedy Single-A center fielder Evan Crawford, who’s currently projected as a back-up major league outfielder in the coming years.
Fontenot, the 19th overall pick in the 2001 draft, spent six seasons with the Cubs after joining the club as part of the Sammy Sosa deal with Baltimore in 2005.
The Cubs say Mike Quade is a candidate for the open managerial position, but my gut says otherwise.
It’s unlikely Jim Hendry could withstand the backlash of hiring Quade. Not with Ryno waiting in the wings, Joe Girardi as free agent and Bob Brenly’s availability, just to name a few.
Hiring Quade would raise an already unstable intensity in Wrigleyville to dangerous heights.
The first sign of strife in 2011 would put Quade under immense pressure, more so than the norm, and culture an environment that prevents winning and breeds more unpleasantries.
Such a scenario would certainly spell the end for Hendry too, and especially if the other managerial candidates find success on the field elsewhere.
The way I see it, Hendry is rewarding Quade for toeing the company line for eight years, and his ‘audition’ in 2010 isn’t for the Cubs’ managerial hunt, but rather, serves as a resume builder for Quade to skipper elsewhere in the bigs.
It’s a nice gesture from Hendry, and also the most politically correct move considering bench coach Alan Trammel is no longer a candidate.
Nothing against Quade, either. The man’s earned an opportunity to skipper in the bigs. But his timing to do so with Chicago couldn’t be worse.
Went 8-for-19 during recent seven game homestand, including three doubles.
Has hit six doubles in his last 15 games.
Is batting .311 since the All Star break.
His on-base percentage is roughly 100-points higher than his average.
Made 19 appearances as a pinch hitter, collecting seven hits.
Has seven infield singles and one grand slam in 2010.
Name that Cub!
