Tag: White Sox

Game 74: Cubs 3 – White Sox 0

Cubs 35-39 White Sox 29-41 POTG: LF Soriano (HR, 3 H) Runner Up: 2B Mike Fontenot (2 H, SB), 3B A Ram (2 H, 2B, R), LF Uncle Cliffy (2 H), SP Sean Marshall (6.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 K, W [4/10] The White Sox are an awful team. It STILL would be nice … Continue reading “Game 74: Cubs 3 – White Sox 0”

Cubs 35-39
White Sox 29-41

POTG: LF Soriano (HR, 3 H)
Runner Up: 2B Mike Fontenot (2 H, SB), 3B A Ram (2 H, 2B, R), LF Uncle Cliffy (2 H), SP Sean Marshall (6.1 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 K, W [4/10]

The White Sox are an awful team.

It STILL would be nice for Soriano to get a home run with a man on base. Soriano has 15 home runs now, and only ONE with runners on base. (A three run shot on June 4th.) 4 are leadoff home runs, so that’s 10 homeruns with no runners on and a possibility to do so. To be fair, he’s had twice as many plate appearances with no runners than men on, but compare these numbers…

Men On: 103 PA, 239/340/341
None On: 211 PA, 342/370/663

Something’s off. Weird how he takes so many more walks with men on; if you factor out the IBB, it’s 300, but he’s still walking twice as often. The power is none existent with men on. Perhaps we DO want Soriano leading off!

For his career, Soriano loses 22 points off his average and 66 off slugging with men on, but the different in on base is tiny compared this year. It’s a thing with him.

How did Ryan Dempster hurt his oblique? We’ve never found out, and it seems a bit important. If Mamrol wasn’t hot and Howry wasn’t solid, they’d be in trouble right now. Well, as much as trouble as team already 7.5 games out could be.

After hearing so much about it, I’m kinda sad I missed Hawk losing his mind about the obstruction call and being totally incorrect about it the whole way. WGN totally kicked Comcast on production for this play and this game, and it wasn’t close. They’re the real winners here.

Stalled out on writing this, because it sure sounds like a move is coming down today, and there’s gotta be a 5% chance it’ll be JJ day. Lou wants to add another pitcher. Ward, Fontenot, Pagan and whichever is the backup catcher today aren’t going down. That leaves Jacque and the Riot, and while it makes sense to send down the guy who’s 0 for his last 19, it’d be an awful lefthanded bench.

Even though there’s potential to be a firestorm is Ryan goes down while Jacque stays, I think sending down Theriot is the right move. Releasing Jacque while still paying all of his salary for the 1 2/3rd more seasons for nothing isn’t the right move. Just not certian they’ll make it.

Game 73: Cubs 2 – White Sox 1

Cubs 34-39, 8.5 GB White Sox 29-41, 13.5 GB POTG: 3B The Riot (SQUEEZE) Runner Up: SS Cesar Izturis (3 H, SB, E), LF Soriano (HR), Bullpen as a whole (3.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K) I think some of the pitching success this series is do to Cubs pitcher, but … Continue reading “Game 73: Cubs 2 – White Sox 1”

Cubs 34-39, 8.5 GB
White Sox 29-41, 13.5 GB

POTG: 3B The Riot (SQUEEZE)
Runner Up: SS Cesar Izturis (3 H, SB, E), LF Soriano (HR), Bullpen as a whole (3.1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 K)

I think some of the pitching success this series is do to Cubs pitcher, but a lot of it has to do with the White Sox being absolutely terrible. I don’t think I really understood how bad they were till now. I’ve been thinking they were just an average team in a tough division, but I think that may be an overstaetment. They seem plain bad, to the point where today’s ESPN scroll – “White Sox will trade Mark Burhele” – seems way too obvious to be news. Outside of trades, their season is pretty much over on Sunday regardless of who wins. There’s not much left to play for.

The Cubs lack of offense worried me, but at least they’re executing well. Even with Brenly pointing it out many many times during the broadcast, it’s tough to accept that they’re actually playing good fundamental baseball. I didn’t think such a thing was possible.

Marmol’s really taken to his role in the bullpen. I’m kinda okay if they don’t ever start saving him for saves, because he’s by far the best guy to have in tough situations.

Game 72: Cubs 5 – White Sox 1

Cubs 33-39, 8 1/2 GB White Sox 29-40, 12 1/2 GB POTG: Z! (8 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 12 K) Runner Up: LF Soriano (2 H, HR), 3B A Ram (2 H, HR, 2 RBI), CF Felix Pie (H, 2 RBI) Carlos Zambrano is the awesomest thing ever. Brian Kendrick should change his finisher … Continue reading “Game 72: Cubs 5 – White Sox 1”

Cubs 33-39, 8 1/2 GB
White Sox 29-40, 12 1/2 GB

POTG: Z! (8 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 12 K)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (2 H, HR), 3B A Ram (2 H, HR, 2 RBI), CF Felix Pie (H, 2 RBI)

Carlos Zambrano is the awesomest thing ever. Brian Kendrick should change his finisher name from Sliced Bread #2 to Carlos Zambramo, because he clearly is the greatest thing since. If the team sale means Z doesn’t get resigned, I may have to buy Extra Innings, change the name of the website and throw out half my t-shirts. You MUST pay this man.

I was driving and eating a pretzel dog when the game was going on. I figured I was going to be too late to the Chicago area to hear this game live on WGN (and I was right), so I just turned my iPod on for the trip and waited till I got home to find out any of this (though I did get a phone call indicating it was going to be worth my time.) This was a great call.

Interesting but not particularly surprising they put Bowen behind the plate for the first Z start they could. I don’t think they want Carlos to be attached to Koyie (and to be fair, he probably is only attached to non-Barrett pitchers), but Bowen didn’t seem to be the different maker here. You’re not going to look good the first time you catch Z’s stuff, and Bowen sure looked like he was catching Z for the first time. It worked, so no complaints.

He’s like 2 more of these away from an All Star Birth, right? 10 wins, ERA may be under 4…

Some of those Soriano home runs would look really nice with runners in front of him.