Wht C.C. has accomplished up north of the Illinois border, is nothing short of impressive. I’m not so sure I’d just hand it over to him just yet though. With about six weeks of baseball left, things go go south in hurry, it’s a little presumptious to be giving out awards just yet. If, and I don’t think it’s going to happen, the Brewers take the Central from the Cubs, then I would most certainly seriously consider it. Kind of like a certain redhead the Cubs snagged back in ‘84.  What is it with the Indians?

That being said, I’d still have to look at C.C’s American League portion of the season before I went and handed him the award as well. I’m sorry but, I still think you have to look at the total resume. Granted he pitched on a underperforming Indians team, but he’s been there before. His 6-8 record was nothing to get too weepy over. Although his other numbers (WHIP, BB-K ratio, etc.) were impressive.  A dominant pitcher should still get a poor team a chance to win everytime they take the mound. It’s exactly why I don’t think Zambrano will ever win the award. the Cubs can’t count on him to shut down the opponent each and every game. He’s too inconsistent. 

I’m not sure how you can completely discount Brandon Webb, or our very own, Ryan Dempster. These two guys over the course of the entire season, have been the most consistent guys to take the bump. I guess, when I think Cy Young award, I think who was the most consistent pitcher that showed he was out classing hitters each and every game. For the whole season. Maybe I’m looking at all wrong. I just don’t think you can hand an award out to someone based off of a segment of their work. That’s like your manager giving  you a bonus based on two weeks of awesome work, while you sluff it the rest of the year. It don’t make no sense to me.

A major question that is beginning to develop regards the volatile Big Z, supposed ace, Carlos Zambrano. His last outing against the Reds now appears like an aberration in contrast to his starts of recent. Z didn’t have it again tonight as he seems to be falling into the third spot in the playoff rotation. He was wild again in the first inning and having thrown over thirty pitches the night looked long as the Cubs found themselvesin a 3-0 first inning hole. He improved for a couple innings but still gave up baserunners. The plus 3 WHIP might be something that could hurt Zambrano if it does not improve. 6 earned runs, 4 walks, and 8 hits in 4.1 innings probably is not the thing Cy Young awards, or World Series, or even getting wins are made of. Even after the Cubs erased the deficit and gave Zambrano a chance to get an undeserved win he gave up two more earned runs and was pulled from the game without even finishing the fifth. I cannot imagine how Zambrano will not be the pitcher in game one of the playoffs…but having said that I can’t imagine how he could either.

The Cubs bats were big again tonight. Geo Soto had a monster night batting 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored and 7 (count them 1,2,3,4,5,6,7…lightning flash “Ah ha ha ha ha” seven rbi). DeRosa and Soriano also had real good nights at the plate. Fukudome was 0 for 3 but did have 2 walks and he seems to be improving somewhat after receiving special attention from Lou and the gang. However, maybe by the end of the season he will be able to lay off the sweeping off speed pitch that ends up in the right handed hitter batter’s box and makes him spin like a top. Maybe if he knew how foolish he looked he would be too self conscious to swing at the pitch in the first place and let it go by more often.

The Brewers won again tonight and the Cardinals seem to be toast. Which is not surprising because it is unbelievable that they have hung in there this long. The Phillies took a small lead over the Mets in the East and the D-Backs continue to lead the West. It would be nice not to have to face Brandon Webb in the best of five in the first round and if we do I would wish we could have Harden facing him down (he almost threw a no hitter against the snakes in Arizona earlier this year) , but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Cubs and Brewers are looking more and more solid to go. I must admit that it would be fun if both of those teams made it. By the way through a few Wisconsin trips this summer I have found a delicacy in fried cheese curds, which are life Mozzarella sticks…but not at all. Pick some up for artery clogging goodness.

Instant replay enters the picture beginning Thursday. I am surprised by the opposition to it. The home run instant replays will probably arise once every four days and it will be more clear cut. I think it makes a lot of sense as long as this does not open the door for more and more replay down the road. Just home runs. The ballparks are goofy and some parks have to paint yellow lines to determine home runs because they don’t have seats for the balls to fly into. It makes sense. The home run call is black and white and all or nothing (or close to nothing). Get them right…it is ridiculous not to. But I wish that the replay calls involved the umpire needing to go under a hood of some sort in order to make the call. The bottom line is this: any reason to hear “Freeze Frame” by the J Geils Band more often is a reason that should be seriously considered and accepted. 

I have to say that I agree, but the problem I’m finding is that by switching out Fukudome for someone like Mark DeRosa in RF, you’re significantly weakening your defensive ability in the outfield. It would be different if Soriano wasn’t playing the outfield like he has been this year (have you noticed that the assists are down?). Here are some splits for Fukudome coming into yesterday’s solid effort that I think help his case for staying in the lineup.

With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting: .291 / .400 / .496 with 44 RBI. That’s more than acceptable to me.

In late and close situations, he’s hitting: .291 / .326 / .380. While not overwhelming, that’s acceptable given what many feel about him on the whole.

Finally, he does have an on base % over .360, which when you think about it on the whole means that if he can shorten that stroke just a little and cut down on the strikeouts, he should see that average go up. When he puts the ball in play, he has a .318 average.

He hit a pinch hit home run Sunday and went 3-for-4 yesterday with 3 RBI. I’m hoping this is the turning point and that it’s coming at the best possible time in our run. I’m not giving up on him just yet.

A lot of the talk lately has been about the playoff rotation and who will take the ball in game 1. I’m more worried about who is going to NOT take the ball in the series. I think it’s a given that guys like Sean Marshall and Jason Marquis are not being considered for the rotation in the playoffs, apart from them you have four talented guys that probably can get the job done and yet only three spots.

Carlos Zambrano, since June 2nd is 5-4 with an ERA of 4.50, serving up 11 HR in those 12 games. It’s hard to think of him as the game 1 guy at this point but you have to factor in his ego when making your decision. Will he take the news well if someone like Ryan Dempster is out there for game 1? Would he pout and break all of Dempster’s bats over his knee in the clubhouse? I’d like to think he’s done some growing up this year, but I’m not so sure. I know one thing. If we were to give the spot to someone other Zambrano, and he did pout, he needs to be traded. We could get a ton out of a team for him. Deep down inside, I think the talk is going to drive him down the stretch and he’s going to earn that spot.

Ryan Dempster, as I mentioned earlier, has to be a lock for the rotation and should probably be the top guy. He’s outpitched everyone on this staff all season long and has been one of the biggest surprises in a season of surprises around baseball. After Dempster, you have Ted Lilly and Rich Harden. Which one do you send to the bullpen? Do you really move the guy you brought in via trade to the pen? If not, do you go with three righties when you have a good lefty that can start a game?

I want to know. What would you do if the playoffs started this Sunday?

My rotation would be…

Game 1 - Ryan Dempster

Game 2 - Carlos Zambrano

Game 3 - Rich Harden

Game 4 - Dempster or Lilly (Demp if we’re down 2-1 or Lilly if we’re up 2-1)

Game 5 - Ryan Dempster or Carlos Zambrano (depending on game 4)

Misc. Notes

• Mark Pawelek has been shut down for the rest of the season and it’s safe to say that this former 1st round pick is a bust. I had high hopes for this hard throwing lefty and he’s done nothing but dissappoint since tripping over his Playstation a few seasons ago.
• Bleed Cubbie Blue had an interview with Mike Fontenot the other day. (Source)
• Manny Corpas has been waived by Colorado. Seriously, jump on this guy. He’s young and could be huge for this pen as we try to replace an aging Bob Howry.
• Ryan Flaherty hit 2 extra-base hits
• Kyler Burke hit 2 extra-base hits
• Doug Deeds was 3-for-5
• Micah Hoffpauir was 3-for-5
• Tyler Colvin (AA Tennessee) was 2-for-5 with a home run
• Josh Kroeger (AAA Iowa) was 2-for-5 with a home run

Iowa 5, Oklahoma 8

Tennessee 4, Montgomery 6

Boise 3, Spokane 2

AZ Cubs 1, AZ Rangers 8

DSL Cubs 6, DSL Reds 1

1. Trading for Carlos Quentin in the off-season - In December, Kenny Williams made a deal for Quentin in exchange for a nobody. Quentin was coming off a rough year in which he was a part time player for the Diamondbacks and was bad at that. The Diamondbacks were fresh off rocking the Cubs world in the first round and looked to be getting better this year with age and experience. By Williams pulling Quentin from the Sox, it got a potential MVP out of the National League. If the Cubs win this division, there is a good chance they will play Arizona in the first round. Imagine how bad that could be with a guy like Carlos Quentin in the mix. Thank You Kenny!!
2. The Loss of Quentin prompted the Diamondbacks to acquire Adam Dunn - This brings us to the Reds. We face the Reds six more times this year and that will take place without Dunn, who has hit the Cubs better than any other team in the National League. The Reds offense doesn’t look anywhere near as imposing with the loss of the big slugger and that should allow us to steal some easy games down the stretch as we try to wrap this division up as soon as possible. Last year we were forced to drag it down to the wire. This year it’s going to be over and over soon for the Brewers and Cardinals. Thank You Kenny!!
3. The White Sox success has taken some of the focus away from the Cubs - All year last year, with the Sox struggling, the Cubs had the spotlight shining on them. With that pressure and the talk about the 100 year drought, we came out and laid an egg in round one. This year, with the Sox playing well, it should be a little easier for us to go in with a little less pressure and more confidence. There is always going to be that talk from ESPN and the like about the 100 year garbage, but the Sox winning this season has to take some of the pressure off us and for that I say a big, hearty, Thank You Kenny!!!

Hint # 1: One player made his debut in 1942 and the other in 1996

Hint # 2: One player was from Puerto Rico and the other from Singapore

Answer 1 / Answer 2

 Don’t forget to vote in the poll to the left of this post….please!!!

• Two members of the Cubs DSL team were suspended for 50 games due to performance enhancing drugs. Jesse Lebron - RHP and Alexander Mejia - 1B will begin serving the suspensions, which will essentially shelve then for the year. Taking a look at Lebron’s stats it appears that the PED’s were not helping much. Imagine how bad he would be without them.
• MLB is looking into a rumored gambling issue ran by Frank Falzarano, a former Washington Nationals’ scout. People thought that Tim Donaghy was the only ref to gamble on his games. When all goes down, that’s going to be false. Some think that gambling isn’t an issue in baseball after Rose was banned, but as time goes on, that’s going to prove false as well. Mike Fish of ESPN has more on the story in his column.
• Vine Line, the Cubs “news” magazine, caught up with Jeff Samardzija for a few questions recently. Unfortunately none of the questions were baseball related. I can’t say that I’m surprised that a person working for the team would shy away from tough questions, but it would still be nice to ask him something baseball related, even if it was a lob type question for him to knock out of the park. If you’d like to read the questions, they’re here.
• I’m weighing the idea of doing audio recaps of the game, beginning Sept. 1st and heading into the playoffs. Yes, I said it…the Playoffs. I’d love to get your feedback on if that would interest you. The post would have a built in media player for you to use and you would be able to get the posts via iTunes. Please take a minute to vote in the poll to the left. I’d appreciate it.
• If you had a chance to read through Fake Team Friday - Week 1, I mentioned that I would have web reports for you. Before you totally dismiss this idea of Fake Team Friday, take a look at the web reports and see how cool it is. Trust me, it’s in depth. - Web Reports

Over the next few Fridays we’re running a resim of the 2008 season using Out of the Park Baseball 9. If you’ve never played OOTP, it’s text sim baseball, but text sim really doesn’t do it justice. For more info, including screen shots of the game, visit the OOTP Homepage.

News Around the League

• Old Farts Sign New Contracts - Four big names littered the free agent pool heading into the 2009 season. After one week of play, three of the four had signed on to play baseball. Barry Bonds, desperate to play for someone in his quest for 800 homeruns, signed a one year deal with the Washington Nationals for $8.3 million. Roger Clemens was in George’s box as he returns to the Yankees for the 2009 season at roughly $8.5 million. He immediately slots at the top of the Yankee’s starting five. Kenny Lofton has agreed to a one year contract to play CF for the lowly Kansas City Royals.
• Number 2500 for Rodriguez (4/2/08) - It took quite a few years to do it, but Ivan Rodriguez finally did it. The Tigers catcher swatted hit #2500 this afternoon at Comerica Park, but still came up short in the victory column. The Kansas City Royals came away with a 5-2 win over Detroit. Rodriguez was 2-for-4 in the loss. Lifetime, Rodriguez has hit .303 with 2500 hits, 288 home runs, 1184 RBIs and scored 1210 runs.

MLB Leaders

Game Recaps

• Game 1 - Loss vs. Milwaukee (2-5) - Carlos Zambrano made his opening day debut and served up the long ball, to Ben Sheets no less. Sheets took Z deep in the 2nd inning on a solo shot and the Brewers were off and running. At the end of the day, Zambrano had gone a non-impressive six innings, giving up five earned runs in the process as the Cubs lost 5-2. On a positive note, the bullpen closed the door in the back three innings thanks to two scoreless by Bob Howry and a scoreless 9th by Michael Wuertz. At the plate, Ryan Theriot was the star of the game with a 4-5 day that featured a run, an RBI and four doubles.
• Game 2 - Win vs. Milwaukee (6-2) - Rich Hill made the start and pitched a gem, going seven strong innings, giving up one run and striking out seven to get the win. Carlos Marmol and Neal Cotts pitched uneventful 8th and 9th innings as the Cubs cruise to an easy 6-2 win. New Cub Kosuke Fukudome is held hitless in the second straight game to begin his major league career.
• Game 3 - Win vs. Milwaukee (5-2) - Ryan Dempster takes the mound and the Cubs get another great outing from the rotation as he goes seven and allows only two runs. The bullpen continued to be dominant as Marmol and Kerry Wood both pitch scoreless innings, earning a hold and save respectively. Ryan Theriot continued his hot start by going 3-4 and is hitting .615 on the young season.
• Game 4 - Win vs. Houston (11-3) - With Mark DeRosa struggling at the plate, Mike Fontenot works his way into the lineup and does not disappoint thanks to a two run home run and a 2-5 day that featured three RBI. Theriot was moved into the leadoff spot to replace the struggling Felix Pie with Fontenot hitting # 2 to bring the R/L/R package to the top of the order. On the mound, Ted Lilly was serviceable, throwing a quality start in 6 innings with Jon Lieber coming on for a three inning save to close it out.
• Game 5 - Win vs. Houston (9-3) - After rumors that Jason Marquis would be shipped out of town to Florida before making his start for hard throwing MR Matt Lindstrom fell through, Marquis come out and tossed seven strong innings to continue the trend set from the rotation. No word on if he is still on the trade block. Michael Wuertz closed out the win with two scoreless to bring the bullpen to a streak of five straight scoreless games to begin the season. Mike Fontenot picked up a second straight start for Mark DeRosa and picked up another hit. Matt Murton also got the start in RF, spelling the struggling Fukudome who has begun the year hitting just .083. Murton was, by far, the player of the night as he hit a pair of home runs and a double while driving in five runs and walking once. If his bat can be that hot, Fukudome may get a few extra days off to begin this season.

MLB Standings

If you enjoyed this first edition of Fake Team Friday, please let me know. Also, you’re encouraged to ask question about the season, not just Cubs related. I’d love to check on players you’re curious about.

Game 1
Hitting 2nd in the lineup, which makes no sense to me when he’s been struggling the way he has, Fukudome put up a beautiful 0-4. He moved the count to 2-1 in the first inning but flew out to CF. In the 2nd, he came up with two men on and a chance to come up with some runs. He saw seven pitches, but was only able to ground out to leave the runners on base as the inning came to a close. At bat # 3 was a disaster. Three pitches and a ground out to the pitcher. In the 6th, a liner to left failed to move Soriano into scoring position after he led off the inning with an opposite field single. His best at bat of the game came in the 8th as he coaxed a 5 pitch walk. Game over.

Game 2
For some reason, Lou marched him out there again in game two instead of shifting DeRosa to right and getting Fontenot or Cedeno some at bats. He delivered in the first with an opposite field dink to drive in two runs. It was the kind of hit that helps the self esteem when a guy is struggling and maybe that was what he needs. At this point, something has got to help. In the 4th, he lined out to CF, but hit the ball hard. The 6th inning saw another single and a 2-3 night with two RBI. He capped the night off with a ground out into a fielder’s choice and a fly out to CF.

Overall, an under whelming day at 2-9 with two RBI and 6 left on base. At this point, if Lou is going to bench him, it needs to be tonight against the lefty, Tom Glavine. Give him the night off. I’d love to see Lou even tell him to not even come to the park. Stay in the hotel, call your wife and relax. Watch some Olympics and prepare to head into the Florida series.