Cubs Aiming To Become Reds

Thank goodness the Cubs don’t face the Reds again this season. I’ve had my fill of Baker’s boys thumping the Cubbies, which I’m sure has tasted real sweet for the former Chicago bench boss.

POLAR OPPOSITES: We’re talking about two teams that couldn’t be more opposite. Cincinnati (90-59) is fighting for the best record in the National League after clinching a playoff spot with its 5-3 victory vs. Chicago this afternoon–completing a three-game sweep of the series. The Cubs, meanwhile, are fighting to avoid 100-losses (58-91).

The Reds are playing like a team poised to make a World series run, and they have all the parts to do it. Its starting rotation is both strong and reliable. They have one of the best bullpens in all of baseball. The lineup is solid top-to-bottom with good bench depth. They field the ball well…blah, blah, blah.

The Cubs are, well, being the Cubs and looking at a high draft pick and any help they can find…in all areas. For all intents and purposes, the Reds are exactly what the Cubs want to become, and where we hope the rebuild leads to–a World Series contender.

When that finally happens it will be a nice change of pace to the season series vs. Cincinnati, which has leaned heavily in the Reds’ favor over the past three seasons. Cincinnati is (33-15) against the Cubs, including a (17-8) mark at Wrigley Field since 2010.

In 2012 the Reds are (10-4) against Chicago and (7-2) at Wrigley. The Cardinals may still be the arch rival, but St. Louis hasn’t had nearly the success the Reds have had against the Cubs in recent memory. Ugh, painful.

IN DUSTY REDS TRUSTY: As much as Cubs fans don’t want to admit it, the Reds also have one heckuva manager in Dusty Baker, who will become just the third skipper in Reds history to lead the team to the postseason more than once joining Bill McKechnie, Sparky Anderson & Davey Johnson (yes, the same Davey Johnson skippering the Nationals (90-58)).

If Baker’s Reds do, in fact, take home the best overall record in the NL there’s a good chance Dusty wins his third Manager of the Year Award. His next victory, by the way, ties him with Pete Rose for the sixth most wins as a Reds manager in franchise history.

NOW ST. LOUIS: Next up for the Cubs are the Cardinals, winners of four-straight and leading the wild card by 2.5 games over the Dodgers and 3.0 over the pesky Brewers (at the time of this post).

It’s the last series of the season for the Cubs to really play a spoiler role in the National League. Colorado, Arizona and Houston are the final series of 2012 with basically zero playoff implications on the line.

If the Cubs don’t take two of three from the Cardinals this weekend, it probably spells the end of Milwaukee’s late charge as they head to Washington for a four-game series against the Nats.

Sori’s New Company, Barney’s Streaks, Marmol & Valbuena

Yesterday I gushed over Alfonso Soriano’s numbers this season. He homered again last night, a two-run blast onto Waveland Ave in the sixth, giving him 30 HR & 103 RBI for the year.

He now joins an elite group of Cubs players age 36 or older to hit 30-plus HR and drive in 100 or more RBI:

• Hank Sauer
• Andre Dawson
• Fred McGriff
• Moises Alou

GOLD GLOVE: Last night Darwin Barney struck out swinging in the bottom of the ninth snapping his string of 55-plate appearances without a strikeout–which was the longest in the majors.

His 0-for-5 performance also ends his career-high and team season-high 13-game hitting streak this year.

However, Barney’s National League record of consecutive games without committing a fielding error remains intact at 134-straight contests. With 12-games remaining this season Darwin still has an opportunity to break Placido Polanco’s major league record of 141-straight games without an error at second base.

MARMOL TIME: Would you believe Carlos Marmol has successfully converted his last 19 save opportunities? That’s a career-high for Marmol, whose previous mark of consecutive saves was 18-straight from August, 2010- April, 2011.

Marmol’s last blown save came on May 2, making him one of only two closers in the majors to be perfect in save chances since the second month of the season–the Padres’ Huston Street is the other (18/18).

DOWN LOOKING: I want to believe in Brett Jackson, but his glaring strikeout rate and inexperience was on full display last night when he struck out looking with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth and the game tied 5-5.

That simply can’t happen, especially on a pitch up in the zone and right over the inner half of the plate.

Bob Brenly wasn’t pleased with Jackson’s at-bat either saying “A batter has to be hungry to hit in those situations.” A lesson learned I hope.

WAKING UP LUIS: Is Josh Vitters’ lack of production making Luis Valbuena a little too comfortable at third?

It was only a month ago Valbuena was guilty of not running hard out of the box on a hit he presumably thought would leave the yard in Milwaukee. Valbuena was inexcusable picked-off second base while fiddling with his batting gloves last night.

Is Sveum too desperate to avoid a 100-loss season that he won’t sit Valbuena to send a message. What’s it going to take to keep Valbuena’s head in the game?