Cubs Masochist

HELP! is on the way, make no mistake, but I’m not convinced it will be the names currently being kicked around.  You know, the Rich Hardens, A.J. Burnetts, Greg Madduxs of the world.

Why am I not convinced?

Because Jim Hendry is a guy who doesn’t normally do what you think he’d do or, better yet, does things you’d never think of.  Evidence: trade for Nomar.  Evidence: signing Alfonso Soriano.  Evidence: trading for Aramis Ramirez.  Evidence: trading can’t-miss prospect Hee Sop Choi for Derrek Lee.

There’s no way anyone saw any of that coming.  We all woke up one day and Hendry had made the team better while we slept.  That’s not Kool Aid drinking, that’s fact.

Hendry is a guy who will surprise you.  The Brewer trade cannot be matched with something as pedestrian as getting fleeced by Billy Beane for someone as pedestrian as Rich Harden.  I have no doubt that what Hendry does will cost some talent, but if he can rope a third team into the mix, I also have no doubt that something interesting is going to happen.

Stay tuned…

Boy, lots of news today.

The Cubs will send seven to the All Star Game, which won’t include one-time slam-dunk Carlos Marmol.  Of the seven, Geovany Soto, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood appear to be legitimate while the other three might be the beneficiaries of the old Chicago idea of “vote early, vote often.”  For those keeping score at home, this marks the second time Ryan Dempster has been named an All Star as a starting pitcher.

Take last weekend’s sweep at the Cell out of the conversation and take a look at the last seven games the Cubs have played.  They’re 4-3 against NL teams including 2-1 against the Cardinals; three division games that now pulls the two even for the season that weigh much more heavily than the series loss to the Sox.  Winning game 3, particularly after the ninth-inning loss on Saturday, was huge, huge, huge.

Speaking of huge, CNNSI.com is reporting that the Milwaukee Brewers have themselves a nice rental in C.C. Sabathia.  That’s trouble, Cubs fans, big trouble.

In terms of balance of power, the Cubs need to make a move to offset the Sabathia trade.  If we weren’t afraid of Milwaukee yesterday, we need to be afraid of Milwaukee today.

Carlos Marmol has given up three-run home runs in consecutive games.  I don’t see how Lou can continue going to him; there’s too much at stake.

1. Carlos Marmol is giving me an uneasy feeling, the same uneasy feeling I get when there’s a new Star Wars movie and I know it’s going to be bad but will watch it anyway.  Star Wars The Clone Wars bombing soon in a theater near you.
2. Poor Ryan Dempster.  He pitches the first two innings with his fly open, pitches well enough to get his first road win and ends up with a no decision.  I still believe in him.
3. Gentleman Jim Edmonds is, like, totally awesome.  He might be my favorite Cub of all time.  Heck of an acquisition.
4. Gotta love wins that come via bombs from the Dandy Little Tiger Mike Fontenot.
5. I’d like to see Gentleman Jim Hendry get another starter soon.
6. Special thanks to the schedule-making wonks at MLB for scheduling three prime-time getaway days in two weeks for the Cubs the night before they have to fly to another time zone for the next day’s game.  They’ll get into St. Louis around 3 a.m. tomorrow morning for a huge series against the Birds.
7. At least Carlos Zambrano will be there in time to hit the boats and still be able to get some sleep in preparation for his big return.
8. Speaking of returns, the Cubs get Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson back today.
9. Look, MLB, if you’re going to honor veterans, do it on Memorial Day, not the Fourth of July.  And why make teams wear navy caps?  Teams like the Giants wearing navy caps?  They look awful.  And the last time I checked, the Dodgers are the sworn enemies of the Giants (my home, Elaine, my home), and the Dodgers and blue go together like Dodger Blue.  Finally, it’d be a more sincere gesture to the vets if you weren’t also selling the caps to fans dumb enough to buy them (I know they’re donating profits, but what kind of cut is MLB going to get?)
10. Bob Brenly wears his Giant heart on his sleeve; that’s okay.  The Cubs only play one series out there so it’s not like he’s a former Buc who rambles on about the mysteries of Pittsburgh four times each season.  Last night, Pat Hughes talked about his mother packing blankets for him and his siblings to take to games at old Candlestick Park when they’d go to games in July; I appreciated him sharing that with the listeners.
11. No, the last two points don’t have anything to do with anything, but 110 posts into the season has shown that nothing on Cubs Masochist has anything to do with anything.  So par for the course, Bat Fans.

Here’s how Lou typically fills the following positions:

LF - Alfonso Soriano
3B - Aramis Ramirez
SS - Ryan Theriot
2B - Mark DeRosa

Here’s the lineup he ran out for Tuesday’s game in the Bay:

LF - Daryle Ward
3B - Mark DeRosa
SS - Ronny Cedeno
2B - Mike Fontenot

I really like having guys like Ward, Cedeno and Fontenot ready to come off the bench, in game, when Lou starts to play chess.  They’re even guys who can fill in with spot starts.  They’re not guys you want to see in the starting lineup at the same time.

Having said that, it would have only required three runs to win that game.

While Jason Marquis’ final line looks respectable, outside of the three walks, I realized something last night.  Watching him pitch is not enjoyable.  He goes way too deep into counts and takes way too much time between pitches.

Ryan Dempster, he of the 0 for the season record on the road, really needs to find a way to win tonight.  I swear to George Lucas that I believe in him (I BELIEVE, RYAN) and I’m one of few who doesn’t think he’s going to implode and start showing his “true colors.”  But it’d be nice if he would help my argument with at least one road win.

The Chicago Cubs have 50 wins on July 1st.  Regardless of how bad they’ve been on the road, recent struggles, players currently on the DL or the fact that they beat Bad Barry Zito to get there, the Chicago Cubs have 50 wins on July 1st.

If that can’t be applauded I don’t know what can.

Mark DeRosa went crazy in a two-home run performance filling in for the absent Aramis Ramirez.  That performance reminds us precisely how DeRosa tangibly makes the Cubs a better team.

They beat the Giants, big deal.  A lot of people beat the Giants.  But maybe they can work out a few things to show themselves that they do indeed have the ability to win on the road.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a confident Cubs team head to St. Louis this weekend.

Here’s the first real rough patch of the season.  Not only have the Cubs lost four games in a row but they’ve lost three of their last four series including two sweeps.  Lou Piniella said upon his arrival that he wanted to introduce something called “Cubbie Swagger,” and it’s looked like the 2008 squad have it (whatever “it” is), but it’s gone into hiding.

There’s no way the Cubs team of a month ago blows an outing like Sean Marshall had last night (three runs, five hits, five Ks in seven innings).  Well, maybe they blow it, but they certainly don’t give him only one run while stranding 7.  The Seans, Marshall and Gallagher, gave you everything you needed this weekend but the bats up and disappeared.  All season long the Cubs have come up with the big hits to make monster innings but didn’t against the Sox.

The Cubs are now in San Francisco and we’ll have to hope they can get things figured out before next weekend.

This is too good a team to let the season get away.

Dear Cubs-

Please win today.

Sincerely,

Someone who works for a White Sox fan

Ryan Dempster got shelled.

The disturbing trend would be that the Cubs have allowed five or more runs in five of the previous ten games; that needs to end.  You can’t blame losses on injuries, but I do believe you can say the Cubs aren’t coping very well with the injuries they have.

And Eric Patterson is awful in left.  Like Alfonso Soriano awful.

Just don’t get swept, boys.  Get one and head out to the Bay to feast on the Giants.

Nice work, Jason Marquis.

Seven runs in four innings.

Does anything else need to be written?