What Happened Yesterday
Cubs 10, St. Louis 3Watching the game today, I felt like I was watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the dead cart was wheeled through the street with a driver calling out “Bring out your dead!!! Bring out your dead”. Bodies were piled up, including one guy who said he wasn’t dead yet. It made me laugh because between Lee going down and Soriano getting hit in the head with a pitch, the Cubs look like a bunch of not quite dead players on the dead cart. We’re a MASH unit right now. After the game, I pull up the Yahoo box score and laugh out loud. Derrek Lee is actually on the dead cart, but not actually dead. Take a look at the box score and you’ll see his name curiously absent in the lineup, despite the fact that he had an RBI double in the first. It’s listed in the scoring summary, but he’s not listed in the lineup and he’s not listed as having a double in the box score. Poor guy. I’ve included the box for your browsing pleasure. Just click on the image to view full screen. With all the injuries, I really want to see a move to DL Milton Bradley retroactive to his last game on the field. Call up Jake Fox from AAA to fill a need on the bench with Lee having neck spasms, Ramirez having a twisted testicle (oh wait, that was someone else), and Soriano suffering from post traumatic stress disorder from a combination of being hit in the head and hit in the third spot in the order. Fox can help this team and needs to be called up.
Soriano was back in the leadoff spot, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why Lou makes these switches for such a short period of time. If you’re going to try Soriano in that spot, I’m OK with it, but don’t do it for two games and then abandon it. That’s retarded. If he’s your leadoff man, then leave him there. For me, I want him at leadoff. Case closed.
Fukudome is my homie. He’s busting out in a big way. He had a good start to last year, but not this good. This is the player we hoped we would come close to getting when we signed him. If this is the real Fukudome, I’m psyched. Happy Birthday Kosuke. We head out to the desert tomorrow, which is one of my least favorite.
Quick side note….I’m tired of hearing all this crap about how it was a mistake to deal DeRosa. Last I checked, he wasn’t hitting with Cleveland. I listened to a caller on the Score and I have read the comments that are clamouring that DeRosa would help this team. Sometimes you have to deal a guy before he sours to get something for him.
- No homerun for Jake Fox tonight, but he did continue to get on base with a walk and a single and scoring a run.
- Christopher Robinson
, who doesn’t have a best friend named Winnie the Pooh, had a nice night at the plate with three RBI from a three run home run (his first of the year).
- Esmailin Caridad worked seven scoreless innings and combined with a pair of relievers (Kevin Hart and Chad Fox) on a three-hit shutout.
- Nashville centerfielder Tony Gwynn (yes, he’s related) had his PCL-best 15-game hitting streak come to a close with an 0-for-4 afternoon.
Tennessee 4, Carolina 3 Paulie movie download
- Ty Wright
led the Smokies’ offense going 2-2 on the day and driving in the game-winning RBI.
- Marcos Mateo made his 2009 Smokies debut on Sunday and lasted 3.2 innings, giving up only one hit. He struggled to find control on the mound, walking four and hitting one, before being lifted for James Russell, who would pick up the win.
- Wait!!! What’s this?!!?! Tony Thomas didn’t get a hit? What’s wrong? Ah well, he still found a way to score a run out of the leadoff spot.
- Andrew Cashner
, who many consider one of the top prospects in the system, made his debut for the Daytona squad after an oblique injury forced him into extended spring training, and pitched 2.2 innings as the starter, giving up one hit and one earned run. He’s got some worked to get stretched out. I see his primary role for the big league Cubs as one of a setup reliever, but the little league Cubs want him to work on developing all of his pitches and the best way to do that is in the starting role. My guess is as he advances in the system a little more, which hopefully shouldn’t take long considering many thought he’d be up last year after being picked out of college, you’ll start to see him getting experience in the role he’s more suited for.
- At the plate, Jovan Rosa provided most of the offense that the team needed with a 2-for-4 day that included a double, homerun, and three RBI. Rosa was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 22nd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Lake City Community College
Peoria 8, Cedar Rapids 7- Justin Bristow made his 2009 debut and gave up two hits and two runs in two innings
- Junior Lake was 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, a run scored and an RBI. It was hit first three hit game of the year.
- Rebel Ridling now has a six game hit streak and leads the league with seven doubles
- Cliff Andersen was injured in the leg when rounding first in the first inning and was replaced by Tony Campana
- One of my favorite prospects in the system, Kyler Burke, is having a decent start to the season and picked up a pair of hits to raise his numbers to .317 / .391 / .537. In case you don’t remember, he was packaged with Rob Bowen from the Padres for Michael Barrett in 2007. He’s got a decent ceiling, but just hasn’t been able to put it together to rise through the system like the Padres had hoped.
Organizational Depth Chart – RF The Cake Eaters hd
How I Voted
Bleacher Nation is running a recurring poll on the top prospects in the system and they were kind enough to ask for my vote each month. In case you’re interested in taking a look at the first poll, here it is. I submitted my ballot for this month and it looked like this:
- Jeff Samardzija – P
- Josh Vitters – 3B
- Andrew Cashnew – P
- Ryan Flaherty – SS
- Tyler Colvin – OF
- Tony Thomas – 2B
- Jake Fox – 1B / OF
- Micah Hoffpauir – 1B / OF
- Jose Ascanio – P
- Wellington Castillo – C
- Kevin Hart – P
- Mitch Atkins – P
- Jay Jackson – P
- Jovan Rosa – 3B
- Esmailin Caridad – P
Great concept, Joe. And let’s don’t leave Neal Cotts off the cart. He’s dead (at least his pitching contribution is) and he doesn’t know it yet. But we do! Get on the cart, Neal.
And I’m all for DLing Miltie. He can motivate Kosuke from there.
Dead? How about Joey Gathright, professional pinch runner who gets picked off with the tying run at the plate. That is at least brain dead.
Joe — nice post. Anytime you can work in the Holy Grail, you’ve done good work. In fact, some of the commenters here apparently use the Spamalot theme song in their rose colored glasses view (“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”)but as usual, I digress…
Re: DeRosa. It’s not THAT Mark DeRosa was traded. I liked the guy, sure, and think he did add some intangibles to the team (although we have some on the board who don’t believe in chemistry. Or that the world is round) Where was I? Oh, yeah, DeRosa…it was that we traded the only viable option we had for a 3b backup. I think it was Hoffpauir that made DeRosa expendable, and I’m okay with that because I’d rather see him get the at bats at first base than DeRosa anyway. But our bench was stronger with DeRosa, and I don’t feel that the AAron Miles addition made up for what we lost in utility/bench strength. Your guy Fox may be the answer — but someone needs to make room for him (Jumpin Joey to the circus? Milkit to the DL?) for that to happen.
Problem is simply this: it takes two people to replace Mark DeRosa because he was so valuable as both an infielder and an outfielder. Aaron Miles and Jumpin Joey combined don’t get it done. If Bradley gets back to the lineup every day, it’ll be a moot point.
What has happened to Mike Fontenot? Did he peak in March?
Sherm
Well said Sherm. I agree that losing DeRosa hurt the bench, and that’s the fault of Hendry and his staff. Trading DeRosa, when looked at at the time was the right move because we thought it was going to yield the pieces needed to bring in Peavy. That fell through and for some reason, Hendry woke up close to spring training and realized he didn’t have a backup for Rammy. Had he addressed that need, I think the DeRosa trade could have been looked at as a pro-active move, instead it’s constantly going to be referenced until someone steps up to backup third or a move is made.
Hey wasn’t that “The Hoff” hitting another HR? Or is everyone waiting until he starts to bat his “career minor league average” before mentioning him again.
For what its worth, I don’t know of anyone around this blog that take a “rose colored glasses” view. If you are referring to me, you sure haven’t been around long enough.
Stay classy sherm.
And Joe… that Yahoo box score leaving out Lee is odd. MLB’s box score has him in it.
By the way… there is a reason that Jake Fox hasn’t really gotten an opportunity to play in the big leagues.
His defense is atrocious.
He makes Hoffpauir look like a gold glover in the OF.
I watched a minor league intrasquad game at Fitch Park in March, Fox and Fuld impressed me and were obvious the head of the class along with DuBois. Fuld has some D to him and can steal bases. We have options on the farm.
1. We didn’t lose the games over the weekend because of defense. We couldn’t score and Fox has a hot bat right now.
2. Don’t play him in the OF. Play him at 1B to give Lee a day off and put Hoffpauir or Fukudome in RF. At 1st, his defense is no worse than Ryan Howard…look at the stats.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Fox. The guy can flat out hit.
I just don’t think that there is a position for him. And what stats are you referring to? Defensive metrics for minor league players are suspect, at best.
I see no revelance to even bringing up other commentors. Are you just looking for a fight? And I’m sorry if the world doesn’t always agree with your “the Cubs are awful” attitdue after three friggin’ weeks.
Chemistry is one the most overrated fan created ideas ever.
I vote we combine Python AND lack of belief in chemistry Boy did I waste a bundle on my Kid’s college education) into Alchemy. It fits perfectly in a world of what ever colored glasses where 1 and 1 make jello.
An alchemist can take an element and transmute it into something it is not, i.e. lead to gold. So lets put Jumping Joey at 3rd base and make him a back-up. Lets make him hot hitting while we are at it. Because if you believe in something ridiculous hard enough, it might come true.
DeRo likely was moved as a prelude to a trade that may not not make since to do at all. Not all moves work, that’s life.
And do give it time, a number of us happy readers were ready to buy Kosuke a sword a month ago, Patience grasshoppers.
On an unrelated note, I understand that the Calgary Flames will be adopting a new team song after tonight’s game with the Blackhawks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3fn3MSzeoU.
Let’s go Hawks!