SB Nation - So Taguchi

Sam Fuld's First Two Career RBI Lead Cubs To 5-2 Loss To Diamondbacks

Al — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:37:42 -0000

Sam Fuld was everywhere today. Here, he gets tagged out in a rundown.

It figures, doesn't it? In this season that has made very little sense since Opening Day?

Sam Fuld, who has actually had a fairly productive rookie season, finishing just short of .300 (29-for-97, .299) and with an OPS of .821, came within two at-bats of becoming only the fifth player in major league history with as many plate appearances as he had this year (112 coming into today) with zero RBI -- and three of those were pitchers. Here is the complete list, not including today's game.

Instead, "Little Sam Fuld", as Vin Scully called him when he made that diving catch in Dodger Stadium in August, took advantage of a west wind howling out to right field and launched a fly ball that made it into the first row of the right-field bleachers for his first major league home run and RBI. Later, Sam drove in the Cubs' second run of the day with a groundout. (The wind also blew over my Super Big Gulp, nearly full, only five minutes after the gates opened. In past years spilling this drink has been considered by us as "good luck" for a Cubs win. Silly superstition, yes -- but it didn't portend the right thing today.)

That would have made for a great story if those had been the only two runs of the game; unfortunately, Fuld wasn't the only player taking advantage of the wind. The Diamondbacks' Chris Young, who has made a career of hitting homers at Wrigley Field, hit his fifth lifetime home run at Wrigley off Ryan Dempster with two men on base in the fourth inning, and that was the difference in the Cubs' season-ending 5-2 loss to Arizona, leaving the season record at 83-78, seven and a half games behind the Cardinals, who also lost today (and who enter the postseason, ominously, on a losing note -- they lost eight of their last ten regular season games).

Curiosities abounded today -- in addition to Fuld's feats, Dempster struck out ten, tying his season high and giving him the club leadership for the 2009 season at 172, one more than Rich Harden. One of the K's allowed Gerardo Parra to reach base on a wild pitch. That allowed Dempster to register four strikeouts in the fifth inning. That's the 52nd time in baseball history that a pitcher has done that; Dempster becomes the fifth Cub to do it. Here is the complete list of those who have accomplished this feat; the last Cub to do it was Kerry Wood in the second game of a doubleheader on September 2, 2002. That one was notable because in the fourth inning of that game, when Wood registered four K's, there was an out recorded other than a strikeout; Wood wild-pitched two runners on base.

Also, apart from the delayed 2001 regular season, which ended on October 7 due to the one-week suspension after the 9/11 attacks, this is the latest regular season date ever at Wrigley Field.

Dempster finishes the year with a 3.65 ERA, higher than he would have liked, I'm sure, but still within range of the 2.96 he recorded a year ago. He did manage to post a 200-inning season, something he'd been shooting for, and overall I think he had a very good year given the problems his daughter had after she was born on April 1. Dempster might have had an easier time today and maybe gotten a win, had So Taguchi not dropped Chad Tracy's popup in short left field. While it was not an easy play with the wind, Taguchi had it in his glove and then dropped it -- 3B umpire Ed Rapuano had even signaled "out" before the other umpires realized Taguchi had dropped it. That helped lead to the first two Arizona runs and after Young's homer, Lou played spring training rules with the bullpen, using four relievers to mop up for an inning each. They did all right, giving up only two hits and striking out six.

The Cubs went down meekly in the lat two innings and that, as they say, was that. Leaving the ballpark for the final time of a season that goes no further than the regular schedule is always sad, even on a day like today when the weather was sunny and decent for most of the afternoon. Jim Hendry has much work to do and as I noted this morning, he may have already begun. As noted in eths' FanShot, Von Joshua has already been dismissed as hitting coach, no real surprise, as his work didn't seem to produce any real results, and hitting coaches are often the designated management scapegoat.

We await changes and positive developments for 2010, and we go into this offseason with hope, as ever, that "next year is THE year". BCB isn't going anywhere, of course; we'll be here all offseason with updates, fun stuff and new things, so stick around. In the meantime, I leave this season as I do every season, with this quote from the late A. Bartlett Giamatti's The Green Fields of the Mind:

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.

Diamondbacks 5, Cubs 2: There never is any end to summer

soco — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:33:05 -0000

It's the end for the 2009 Arizona Diamondbacks.

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Well, it's a win.

Our Arizona Diamondbacks end the season by winning the final game and the series, but the Cubs never really put up much during the afternoon. It wasn't a game that was anything but an expression of pride, with neither team going to the playoffs, and everyone on the field seemed ready to be getting on with things.

It was a display of the Three True Outcomes, with the two squads combining for 22 strike outs and each scoring at least half their runs by the long ball. Some of the calls may have been questionable at the plate, but who can blame the umps for wanting to head home, too? Not that the players argued much; it's the last day before summer vacation, and no one cares what the teacher assigns.

The first couple innings were largely quiet, with the two teams trading scoreless innings. The Cubs were the first to get a base runner with Derrek Lee getting a single in the bottom of the first with two outs. Jake Fox promptly struck out on four pitches. He might have been inspired by the D’backs’ top of the first effort: both Stephen Drew and Justin Upton struck out, the latter on his way to four strike out day.

The second inning featured more of the same, with the Diamondbacks looking inept and the Cubs stranding a single from Jeff Baker. The third inning, however, the boys in Sedona Red would strike. Chad Tracy, in perhaps his last game with the Diamondbacks, doubled to fairly shallow left. So Taguchi appeared at first to have made the catch, and that was the way it was called. Perhaps it was luck, but he didn't attempt to pretend he caught the ball and rifled it to second, where Tracy had huffed his way. After a short deliberation, the call was reversed and Tracy had a double, if perhaps a slightly unorthodox one. It didn't seem that he would be advanced, however, with Augie Ojeda, also perhaps in his last game for Arizona, flying out to center and Doug Davis striking out on a pitiful bunt attempt. Stephen Drew, however, would not be denied, and scorched a ball to left. Tracy scored easily, and Taguchi’s errant throw allowed Drew to advance to second.

It looked like so much fun Gerardo Parra decided to join in, who fouled off a couple pitches before driving Drew in with a single to center. Upton would then add to his collection of strike outs for the afternoon, but the Diamondbacks were up 2-0.

To the third. Doug Davis, yet another player that might not be here next year and who had had up to that point a solid game, began to come unglued. Sam Fuld, perhaps the poster child for the disconnect between individual offensive production and the worth of RBIs, would take one strike before hustling to second for a double to lead off the inning. He was then subsequently moved to third by a sacrifice by Ryan Dempster, who was trying to help his own cause for the day. With one out, it seemed certain he would score, and Ryan Theriot tried his best. As a napkin lazily rolled across the infield, he would peck a ball to Davis’ right, who promptly picked it up and caught Fuld in a pickle between home and third. Theriot would sneak to second during the excitement, and although he would get advanced to third on a Davis wild pitch, there he would stay as Davis Houdini shed his shackles by forcing Lee into a grounder. The Diamondbacks were out of the jam.

Miguel Montero would start things off in the top of the fourth with a single, and then be quickly moved to third with a Mark Reynolds double. The stage was set for the suddenly resurgent Chris Young, who picked out a three wood and drove a shot to left center, which would effectively be all the Diamondbacks would need for the day to be triumphant.

At this point it was strike outs and a halfhearted attempt by the Cubs to salvage the last game of 2009. They would cut the lead to 5-1 with a solo home run by Fuld, who, as noted by Jim, who has dubious distinction of going the most career plate appearances without an RBI by a non-pitcher. He trails only Gene Good, who had 135 without an RBI for the 1906 Boston Beaneaters. The second RBI was considerably easier to come by as he sacrificed Reed Johnson in to score in the bottom of the seventh. 5-2 was the score, and 5-2 it would remain.

A few notes on the remaining three innings: the Diamondbacks had no trouble with the eighth, perhaps an attempt to deny there ever was a problem this season with that inning. Eric Byrnes, one of a half a dozen or more players to be looking at the search for a new team, popped out. In perhaps the most “fuzzy feeling” moment, however, came to end the Diamondbacks’ ninth inning. Upton came to the plate with two outs and Parra standing at second., batting average sitting at .300 square. An out would bring it down to .2998, technically a .300, and the record books might never notice the difference. Parra, however, was looking out for his outfield comrade. As Upton took a ball, he would take off for first, daring the catcher to throw him out. Geovany Soto obliged, and .300, true .300, non-qualified .300 was saved. AJ Hinch may have had the bitter beer face for the act, but Upton obviously appreciated it, giving Parra a hug as the game ended.

And really, it's this type of moment that reaffirms what's great about sports. Sure, who doesn't want to be a winner? But this human element, where a friend did a selfless act for a friend, transcends home runs or stolen bases. This completely unscripted moment is free of the framing that often makes equal scenes in fiction seem saccharine and hollow. It won't be recorded in books, or compiled in any highlight reel. Many of us might forget it as the years drive forward, or never pass it on. But it will remain.

So maybe 2009 wasn't a successful season. They often aren't. The Diamondbacks built something here today, this year. We, as fans, built something here. We won't know what it is, not until long after the winter comes. But the summer will keep rolling on, long green meadows with dusty infields where heroes hit long, long home runs, make diving catches, come back to the game after seeming to lose everything, and help each other to .300.

[Click to see full graph at fangraphs.com]

Master of his domain: Doug Davis +27.9

Also present: Gerardo Parra +10.7

Well, not everyone is Babe Ruth: Doug Davis (batting) -5.6

Mr. Golden Sombrero: Justin Upton -4.7

A fairly serene and talkative GDT, with 14 users generating 500 comments. Only one broke the century mark, and I hear he's pretty much the most awesome dude ever. Also present: Azreous, unnamedDBacksfan, snakecharmer, Fiona, hotclaws, Jim McLennan, pygalgia, kishi, NASCARbernet, Wailord, 4 Corners Fan, Giannaros, Wimb.

That's it for the Diamondbacks officially. From this point on we shoot without a script, make for uncharted territory, and yada yada yada. Stay tuned for lots of off-season coverage, ranging from analysis of players or team statistical subsets, to a report from the year 1860, investigative reporting about the new Spring Training site, a lament against the worship of amateur sport, and more! Until then, I'm your host, soco, saying goodnight.

Only 133 days until pitchers report.

October Baseball Comes To Chicago: Cubs vs. Pirates Preview, Thursday 10/1, 7:05 CT

Al — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

Write your own caption. (No contest today, just for fun.)

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Not the kind of October baseball we wanted, of course, but here it is October and the Cubs are still playing baseball. As I said yesterday, enjoy it while it's here... because you know you'll miss it over the winter.

Bruce Miles has the story behind the "With Reed We Will Succeed" T-shirt that Ted Lilly wore during the post-game 1 press conference yesterday:

"The story behind the shirt is I was given that shirt from one of the flight attendants," Reed said. "I guess one of their family members...they live in the suburbs and have a Reed Johnson fan club or whatever. They gave me that shirt. I didn’t have enough guts to put it on myself or even give it to one of my family members. Ted wears anything, so I just gave it to Ted."

Johnson said he’d love to come back next year.

"Oh, yeah, for sure," he said. "It’s a great organization. It’s the best two years of my career (that) have been spent here. Hopefully, I continue to be successful here."

I'd like Reed back too -- his only trouble has been staying healthy, and the foot injury this year was unfortunate, since his back was giving him fewer problems this year than last. He sounds like he'd take a little less money to stay than to go to free agency. To coin a phrase, "GETITDONEJIM!!!!1!!!1"

Speaking of upcoming Cub free agents, Kevin Gregg says he wants to stay and close in 2010. Response from me: no thanks.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Jeff Samardzija Cubs	vs.	Paul Maholm Pirates

1-3	W-L	8-9
7.53	ERA	4.44
21	SO	119
15	BB	60
7	HR	14
vs. Pit	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Jeff Samardzija	1-3	20	2	0	0	0	0	34.2	46	29	29	7	15	21	7.53	1.76

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Paul Maholm	8-9	31	31	0	0	0	0	194.2	221	102	96	14	60	119	4.44	1.44

The Cubs beat Paul Maholm pretty good at Wrigley Field on May 25. (Goofy-looking lineup that day, too.) Both So Taguchi (7-for-17) and Reed Johnson (5-for-9) have hit Maholm well in the past. Lifetime against the Cubs he has a 7.06 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in nine career starts spanning 51 innings, but somehow has managed to post a 4-1 won-lost record.

Jeff Samardzija has four career relief appearances vs. the Pirates without allowing a run; this will be his first start against them. Current Pirates have ten AB vs. Jeff (three hits). This is an important appearance for the Shark to set a good tone for his possible inclusion in the mix for the 2010 rotation (or bullpen).

Today's game is again cable-only; CSN Chicago. There is no Pittsburgh TV, so you'll see Len & Bob on EI. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout.

Overflow comment threads will post again today at 8:15 and 9:15 pm CDT, although last night's were pretty sparsely attended.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Scales Scales The Wall! He Catches -- Oh, Wait. No, He Doesn't. Cubs Lose 2-1

Al — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:38:55 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Bobby Scales does his Alfonso Soriano impression.

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Today's 2-1 Cubs loss to the Cardinals, their fourth in a row, wasn't all Bobby Scales' fault, obviously. The Cubs did manage to tie the game up in the 9th inning before the Cardinals got three quick hits and the winning run off Carlos Marmol.

And I shouldn't blame Scales, either. Like LaTroy Hawkins under Dusty Baker, Scales is being asked to do a job by his manager that he isn't qualified to do. So let's say this in big, loud, bold type so maybe Lou will pay attention:

Hey, Lou. Bobby Scales isn't an outfielder. Will you please stop playing him there?

Scales did play some outfield in the minor leagues, though not very much, and it's been three years since he's spent significant time in the outfield (13 games there for Iowa this year, 10 last year). Admittedly, Jake Fox isn't really a very good outfielder, either, though the man can hit. And the Cubs haven't been hitting or scoring many runs lately. Plus, Fox might actually have a role for the 2010 Cubs. Scales will turn 32 on the last day of the regular season and he's had his proverbial 15 minutes of fame. Most likely, he won't be part of the Cubs' 25-man roster next year. And if Lou wanted an outfielder who can actually play, plus is familiar with Busch Stadium, why not So Taguchi?

Nope, it was Scales, who also overran a single by Chris Carpenter in the seventh inning, turning it into a double, although that didn't result in any runs scoring, unlike the ball that Scales had in his glove, hit by Brendan Ryan, that popped out into the bullpen for a home run.

Which was a damn shame, because it ruined yet another outstanding outing from a Cubs starting pitcher. Ryan Dempster nearly matched Carpenter, who is a Cy Young candidate, pitch for pitch over the first eight innings. Only Ryan's HR made the difference; Dempster walked one and Carpenter two. The Cubs eked out a run on a pair of singles and a sac fly by Jeff Baker off Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin in the top of the 9th. Incidentally, the Cardinals ought to worry about Franklin in the postseason. After being nearly unhittable the first five months of the season, Franklin has made seven appearances in September, in which he has thrown 6.1 innings, allowed 11 hits and six walks and seven earned runs for a 9.95 ERA.

Carlos Marmol came in and allowed a single to Ryan Ludwick, who was forced on a bunt attempt. Two more singles scored the winning run, the 20th time this year the Cubs have lost a game in their opponent's last at-bat, a testament to the inconsistency of the bullpen.

But what sums up this game, and in fact, the entire season, is this quote from Lou, which I think we've heard way too many times in 2009:

"He's trying so hard, he's playing a little out of control," Piniella said of Scales, who is in the big leagues for the first time after toiling 10-plus seasons in the Minors. "What are you going to do? This young man played the infield in the Minor Leagues all year."

What are you going to do, Lou? How about managing the team and putting someone out there who can actually play the outfield? I'm getting tired of hearing "What are you going to do?" or "What do you want me to do?" That's not the Lou Piniella who led the Cubs to two division titles. He sounds tired and defeated. Maybe it's time for him to retire.

In the meantime, the Cubs will try to salvage the final game vs. the playoff-bound Cardinals this year, tomorrow night. It's worth watching for the pitching matchup, Carlos Zambrano vs. Adam Wainwright, and to hear what misstatements (or even outright lies) Joe Morgan will say about the Cubs. Till tomorrow, and till then: go Bears.

Another Good Ted Lilly Start Wasted; Cubs Lose 3-2 To Cardinals In Walkoff

Al — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:00:58 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

You deserved better, Ted.

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When Aaron Heilman came into the game in the bottom of the ninth, I thought, "Hmmm. He's actually thrown pretty well in his last few outings."

Strange but true -- from August 12 through Thursday, Heilman had made 10 appearances covering 13 innings, with a 1.38 ERA and 11 strikeouts. And one of the reasons he'd thrown so well is the lack of walks -- only one in those 11 innings, after issuing 32 free passes in 53 innings before August 12.

It didn't take long after that thought ran through my head for Heilman to run the count on Matt Holliday to 3-1. "Okay", I thought then, "a walk isn't the end of the world."

That would have turned out to be correct. Holliday hit the next pitch for an opposite-field walkoff home run, giving the Cardinals a 3-2 win over the Cubs, yet another game in which the Cubs had plenty of chances to break it open and failed.

If anyone here has time and access to such statistics, I'd like to see a count of the number of times the Cubs had plate appearances with the bases loaded and failed to score this season -- and a comparison of that number with other teams. It seems that there have been an inordinate number of such situations; there was another last night, when the Cubs could have taken the 2-2 tie and blown the game open in the sixth. Of course, it would have then required taking out Ted Lilly, who had retired the first nine Cardinals in order and given up only three hits, including a triple to Mark DeRosa that might have been fielded cleanly by a real left fielder -- why is Bobby Scales out there? Here's what Lou said:

"Scales is learning outfield play," said Piniella, who doesn't have many options because of injuries to players. "He went into the corner. An outfielder has to wait for that ball to come out, concede the double to the hitter and that's it. What are you going to do? If the game stays that way, we go into the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead."

"Learning outfield play"? What is this, spring training? Lou, you did have another option. I'd rather have seen So Taguchi start in left field last night. Neither Taguchi nor Scales is a very good hitter, but at least Taguchi can play the outfield. He might have been able to track that ball down; he'd have had a better chance than Scales, anyway.

That, unfortunately, is the story of this team. Just not quite enough, and sometimes strange decisions made by the manager. Failure to take advantage of situations -- not only the bases-loaded situation in the sith, but the chance to perhaps pile up more than two runs off Smoltz in the first inning, when three straight doubles made the score 2-0. And taking themselves out of situations -- when Ryan Theriot was picked off in the top of the ninth, for example. The Cubs drew three walks off Smoltz, who had walked only one in 22 innings for the Cardinals since his acquisition last month. And why didn't the Cubs try to sign Smoltz, anyway?

The win by the Cardinals reduced their magic number to clinch the NL Central to six, and clinched the season series against the Cubs; they lead 9-5 with two games remaining.

Enough. They'll try it again this afternoon. The game preview thread will be up at 1 pm CDT.

At Least They Can't Clinch This Weekend: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Friday 9/18, 7:15 CT

Al — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 21:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

That about sums up the season, doesn't it?

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The Cardinals' magic number to clinch the NL Central is 8. (It's the lowest of any of the magic numbers, division or wild card, right now.) Even if they sweep the Cubs, they won't get to celebrate this weekend. Small consolation, I know.

If the Cubs can rise to the occasion and sweep the Cardinals, it may not make any difference in the final standings, but it's always nice to beat your biggest rival, and that would also even up the season series. So there's definitely something to shoot for in a series that, several months ago, looked to mean a lot more than it does right now.

It's been suggested that So Taguchi wouldn't get a good reception returning to St. Louis. I beg to differ. When Jim Edmonds made his first appearance in St. Louis last year in a Cub uniform, he got a standing ovation. Taguchi, who was a good contributor as a bench player to two Cardinals World Series teams (and another WS winner last year in Philadelphia), would probably get warmly welcomed. He's not part of the Cubs' future, obviously, but maybe he can give the slumping Kosuke Fukudome a break by playing one of these games in CF.

Here's a different take on Milton Bradley -- this one from Athletics Nation, where they discuss the deal made by the A's after the 2005 season, where they sent Andre Ethier to the Dodgers for Bradley. It's food for thought. I'd like to see the Cubs deal Bradley and maybe, just maybe, if their scouting is good enough, they can steal someone like Ethier from another team. Pipedream? Maybe. But worth discussing.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Ted Lilly Cubs	vs.	John Smoltz Cardinals

12-8	W-L	3-6
3.05	ERA	6.53
137	SO	61
34	BB	10
22	HR	10
vs. StL	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ted Lilly	12-8	25	25	0	0	0	0	162.1	141	60	55	22	34	137	3.05	1.08

Note: Smoltz's stats below are with the Cardinals only. See the pitcher box above for his full-season stats.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - John Smoltz	1-1	4	4	0	0	0	0	22.0	19	8	8	2	1	28	3.27	.91

It's really impossible to tell what John Smoltz will do against the Cubs tonight. He has started four times for St. Louis -- two really good ones and two average starts. He is 15-5 in 39 career appearances (29 starts) vs. the Cubs, but most of that was in his prime with the Braves. His last two starts for Atlanta vs. the Cubs were in 2006, and he got pounded twice by that really bad Cubs team. Aramis Ramirez is 4-for-12 with a pair of homers off Smoltz and Derrek Lee has also homered off him. Incidentally, that's not a typo above -- he really does have only one walk for St. Louis in 22 innings.

Ted Lilly is 1-1, 2.40 vs. the Cardinals this year, losing on May 19 despite pitching well, in that series where the Cubs refused to score, and holding them to one run and four hits on July 11 in a 5-2 Cubs win. Current Cardinals are hitting .200 (44-for-220) off Ted. Lifetime he's 7-3, 2.89 in 13 starts vs. St. Louis.

Today's game is cable-only, on CSN Chicago and FSN Midwest. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Cardinals site Viva el Birdos.

Once again, just two overflow threads today -- 8:15 pm and 9:30 pm CDT. If there's a need for another one, please post as a FanShot.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Finish The Homestand Strong: Cubs vs. Brewers Preview, Thursday 9/17, 1:20 CT

Al — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Write your own caption.

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With a win today, the Cubs would complete a 5-2 homestand. Yes, 6-1 or 7-0 would have been better against teams that the Cubs should beat, but 5-2 would bring the home record for this season to 45-29 with seven games remaining against the Pirates and Diamondbacks, and a real shot at winning 50 home games for only the 18th time since 1900.

So Taguchi nearly didn't make it to Chicago last night:

The 40-year-old Taguchi, who lives in St. Louis, disregarded the Cubs' phone calls Wednesday night because he said he didn't know who would be calling him from the 312 area code.

"I don't have any friends in Chicago, so I thought it was a wrong number," he said. "So I just ignored it for maybe two hours."

Taguchi's agent called him and told him the Cubs were looking for him for the rest of the season.

"Cubs?" he replied. "Why now?"

Because Reed Johnson still is out and Kosuke Fukudome was the only other center fielder on the roster.

I think he meant Tuesday night, not Wednesday night. Wednesday night, Taguchi was in Chicago. He was called out on strikes pinch-hitting last night on what looked like a borderline call (there were several of those last night, I thought). He's still a useful addition to the roster for the last two and a half weeks. That story also says that Carlos Zambrano won't waive his full no-trade clause, even though reports indicate that the Cubs are planning on shopping him. That's standard procedure for players with NTC's. We'll see what happens. I'll have more to say about this when the season ends.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Randy Wells Cubs	vs.	Dave Bush Brewers

10-8	W-L	4-7
2.96	ERA	5.85
84	SO	78
38	BB	31
12	HR	18
vs. Mil	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Randy Wells	10-8	23	23	0	0	0	0	143.0	141	56	47	12	38	84	2.96	1.25

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Dave Bush	4-7	19	18	0	0	0	0	103.0	110	69	67	18	31	78	5.85	1.37

These two pitchers faced each other on May 8 in Milwaukee. That game was notable for several reasons; first, it was Randy Wells' first major league start; second, it started a series of starts in which Wells threw well, left the game with the lead, and the team either blew the lead or someone else got the win. And finally, that was the game in which Aramis Ramirez dislocated his shoulder, resulting in two months' worth of offense-less baseball for the Cubs.

That's Wells' only career start vs. Milwaukee, though he did throw 3.1 scoreless innings in relief against them last September. Current Brewers have only five hits against him, four singles and a double by Jason Kendall.

Bush has a 3.38 ERA in two no-decision starts vs. the Cubs this year, although lifetime he's 1-7, 4.78 in 13 starts. Aramis Ramirez has three career HR off him in 29 AB, and Kosuke Fukudome is hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a HR, three doubles and four walks.

Today's game is on WGN. If you have EI, you'll get the FSN Wisconsin feed. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

Once again, just two overflow threads today -- 2:15 pm and 3:30 pm CDT. If there's a need for another one, please post as a FanShot.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Just Win, Baby: Cubs vs. Brewers Preview, Wednesday 9/16, 7:05 CT

Al — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Geo has started hitting. Keep up the good work.

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Alfonso Soriano's knee surgery was successful, and:

Soriano is expected to join the Cubs in Milwaukee next week to begin his rehab. He will spend three weeks with the team, then work out another three weeks at the Cubs' academy in the Dominican Republic when he returns home for the offseason.

Soriano was placed on the 15-day DL. Can anyone explain why a team would bother to do that after the rosters expand on September 1? There's no need to make room for another player, so why put him on the DL? Also from that link:

[Sam] Fuld showed up at Wrigley Field wearing a protective brace after he injured his wrist making a diving catch of Frank Catalanotto's fly ball to end the Brewers' fifth inning in the Cubs' 2-0 win Monday night.

Fuld may be out for a while, or, as he says later in the article:

"I could be ready to play in a couple days," Fuld said. "We'll just wait to see what happens. I'm not ready to give up on the season by any means."

If he can't come back:

[Lou] Piniella said if Fuld is going to be sidelined for an extended period of time, the club will call up another outfielder. However, the only Minor League team still playing is Double-A Tennessee, which is in the Southern League playoffs. Two possibilities are Tyler Colvin, the Cubs' No. 1 pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, and James Adduci.

Thankfully, the Cubs didn't listen to Carrie. As first posted in dat cub fan daver's FanShot earlier this afternoon, the Cubs have called up So Taguchi and he'll be in town in time for tonight's game. Taguchi is no superstar, and he hit only .248 this year at Iowa, and he's 40. But he can still play the field and pinch-hit. He'll be helpful.

Per Twittermyer, same lineup as yesterday:

Theriot, ss; Fukudome, cf; Lee, 1b; Ramirez, 3b; Soto, c; Bradley, rf; Fontenot, 2b; Scales, lf; Harden, p

Oh, and this is fun.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Rich Harden Cubs	vs.	Braden Looper Brewers

9-8	W-L	12-6
4.04	ERA	4.77
168	SO	90
64	BB	58
23	HR	34
vs. Mil	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Rich Harden	9-8	26	25	0	0	0	0	138.0	117	69	62	23	64	168	4.04	1.31

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Braden Looper	12-6	30	30	0	0	0	0	173.2	190	100	92	34	58	90	4.77	1.43

Braden Looper has had a strange year. He's 12-6, but with a high 4.77 ERA. That's because the Brewers have given him 5.6 runs of support per start, which is fourth-most in the National League. He's pitched well twice against the Cubs this year, both times facing Rich Harden, with a win and a no-decision, but has also allowed 34 home runs, which is the most in the major leagues (by four). Only two of those HR were hit by a Cub -- both by Milton Bradley. So, step up tonight, Milton, and hit Looper hard again. Kosuke Fukudome, Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto have also homered off Looper.

Rich Harden has also had an odd season -- we have discussed his extreme home/road and day/night splits here on several occasions. He's done best in home games and night games, so you'd think tonight would be a good chance for him to redeem his last start, since it's a home night game. Harden beat the Brewers in a matchup with Looper on April 10 in Milwaukee (link above), but got hit hard in the rematch with him on July 4 at Wrigley (link above). Current Brewers hitters are hitting only .195 (17-for-87) against Rich.

Today's game is on WCIU, which means if you aren't in metro Chicago, you probably won't see it, unless you have MLB.TV or EI, in which case you'll get the FSN Wisconsin feed. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Brewers site Brew Crew Ball.

Once again, just two overflow threads today -- 8:15 and 9:15 pm CDT. If there's a need for another one, please post as a FanShot.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Cubs Minor League Wrap -- September 7

Josh77 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:36:36 -0000

All the races are decided, and we've only got three teams playing their final game of the regular season.

There will be no wrap tomorrow because there aren't any games. Peoria's playoffs start on Wednesday and I'll be here with coverage of their game with Cedar Rapids. Tennessee's quest for the title starts on Thursday at Huntsville.

Iowa Cubs (72-72)

The Iowa Cubs finished out their year with a 7-2 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Starter Jeff Samardzija took the loss today, going only 4.2 innings and allowing 5 runs on seven hits. That will give a lot of ammo to his critics, but on the good side, the Shark only walked one and struck out five.

Third baseman Matt Camp was 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. He also scored once and stole his 18th base. If only Camp had even a little power . . .Left fielder So Taguchi went 2 for 4.

Tennessee Smokies (39-31)

The Smokies finished off the season by taking the final four games against their arch-rival, including today's 5-4 victory over the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx.

Ryno got work in for four pitchers today, including starter Casey Coleman, who allowed two runs over three innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out two.

Marco Carillo got the win. He relieved Coleman and pitched two innings, allowing one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out three. David Cales got his second save in AA with two perfect innings. Cales had one strikeout.

DH Welington Castillo was 2 for 2 with a double.

Peoria Chiefs (43-26)

The Chiefs ended their regular season by chopping down the Clinton LumberKings, 4-3.

Starter Alberto Cabrera went five innings. He allowed two runs on four hits. Cabrera walked one and struck out seven.

Manolin DeLeon only threw one inning of relief, but that was enough to get the win. He gave up one run on no hits, but two walks and a hit batsman. DeLeon did not have a strikeout.

Jeff Beliveau pitched the final two innings for his third save. He did not allow a run or a hit. Beliveau walked one and struck out four.

Center fielder Jose Valdez had another three steals today, which gives him eight in the eight games he's played in Peoria. Valdez was 2 for 5 with a double. He scored once and knocked one in.

Third baseman Junior Lake had two steals in a 3 for 4 game. Lake also scored once and had one RBI.

First baseman Michael Brenly was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Cubs Minor League Wrap--August 10

Josh77 — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:04:14 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Esmalin Caridad has been waiting for the Cubs to call him up to the majors all season.

Browse more photos »

Boy, I'm glad I didn't hang around for much of the Cubs game tonight.

Congratulations to Esmailin Caridad, who had to make his major league debut under some tough circumstances and didn't do terribly, all things considered. For those who don't know or who didn't read my post in the Caridad story, Caridad actually got into two games with the Hiroshima Carp in 2007, as he was signed out of the same Dominican baseball academy that Alfonso Soriano came out of. You got a good sense of his stuff tonight and his biggest problem--leaving pitches up.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good news to report tonight either. Chicago native David Cales was promoted to Iowa from Daytona. Congratulations, David, although . . .

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were abducted and probed by the Las Vegas 51's, 16-8.

Casey Lambert got the start because it was Caridad's turn to pitch, and he lasted three innings, allowing three runs on five hits. One of the runs was unearned. Lambert walked one and struck out three.

David Cales AAA debut didn't go well, as he gave up two home runs and five runs total in the 1.2 innings he pitched. However, only one of the five runs was earned as the Cub defense made four errors tonight. Backup infielder Matt Matulia came off the DL yesterday and got into his first game in a month (and only his second since Memorial Day) by pitching two innings. He allowed three runs too.

DH Matt Craig had a good game though. He was 2 for 5 with a grand slam and five RBI. The home run was his sixth of the year. Right fielder Brad Snyder also homered and doubled in a 2 for 5 effort. Snyder's home run was a sixth inning solo shot and he had two RBI total.

Left fielder So Taguchi was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. Catcher Chris Robinson was 2 for 5 with a double. Shortstop Darwin Barney went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Tennessee Smokies

The only good news today came from the Smokies, as they blitzed the Birmingham Barons, 11-4.

Casey Coleman got the win tonight, improving his record to 12-5. This was despite having allowed four runs on seven hits in only five plus innings. Coleman walked two and struck out two.

Brian Schlitter managed to notch a save in a game the Smokies won by seven runs. He retired all four batters he faced, two by the strikeout.

Right fielder Tyler Colvin was 2 for 4 with a walk and two runs scored. Center fielder James Adduci was 3 for 5 with a stolen base, and RBI and a run scored.

DH Blake Lalli had a double and two RBI in a 2 for 4 game. He also walked and scored three times. First baseman Russ Canzler also had a double and two RBI, although he went 3 for 4. Canzler also scored three times.

Daytona Cubs

The Cubs lost to the Dunedin Blue Jays, 2-1.

Starter Jay Jackson continues to serve his penance by blowing away the Florida State League. Jackson threw seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and one walk. Jackson struck out four.

Dan McDaniel walked a man and allowed a two-run home run in the one inning he pitched to take the loss. He did strike out the other three batters he faced, though.

Center fielder Brandon Guyer was 3 for 4 with two doubles. Third baseman Josh Vitters got in two at-bats tonight, going 0 for 2.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs were snakebit by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, 1-0.

Aaron Shafer took the hard-luck loss tonight. He went six innings and allowed the one run on five hits. Shafer walked one and struck out three.

Center fielder Brett Jackson was 2 for 4 with a double. Right fielder Kyler Burke was 2 for 4.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks were mauled by the Yakima Bears, 5-0.

Starter Robert Whitenack allowed all five runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one.

The Hawk hitters had two hits and 12 strikeouts tonight.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 10-3.