Carlos Silva Has Successfully Unsuccessful Rehab Start
Carlos Silva started his second game for the Single A Peoria Chiefs last night, and successfully threw in the 5th inning. Successful, that is, in the sense that his heart held up. In all other respects, however, the outing was a disaster – he gave up five earned runs in just 4.1 innings on five hits and two walks. At least he struck out five.
Where he goes from here is uncertain. If the Cubs feel he’s ready to return, they could bump Casey Coleman from the rotation as soon as early next week – unless Tom Gorzelanny misses time with his hand injury, in which case Silva might just take his spot in the rotation. The Cubs may decide to let Silva have another rehab start before committing a spot in the rotation to Silva. Either way, we should know soon.
Tom Gorzelanny May Have to Write With His Other Hand For a While
Chicago Cubs pitcher Tom Gorzelanny took a comebacker off his left (pitching) hand today. After trying to make a play on the Jose Tabata ball, Gorzelanny went to the dirt, and was pulled from the game. X-rays haven’t shown much yet.
X-rays of Tom Gorzelanny’s left hand were inconclusive Wednesday but did show there was no displacement and the Cubs pitcher will have a CT scan on Thursday. Gorzelanny was hit by a line drive by Pittsburgh’s Jose Tabata in the third inning Wednesday. The pitcher will undergo more tests on Thursday once the swelling has subsided. Muskat Ramblings.
Inconclusive does not necessarily mean his hand is jacked; it could just be incredibly swollen. If Gorzelanny is out for an appreciable period of time, Casey Coleman may get a reprieve to stay in the rotation when Carlos Silva returns next week.
September Call-Ups to Be Delayed for AAA Playoffs
Rosters expand today from 25 to 40, and the Chicago Cubs are expected to call up a number of the young players – most of whom we’ve seen already this year – in the next couple of weeks. In general, though, the Cubs will wait until Iowa’s season, including the playoffs, which run through September 19. Iowa currently holds a half-game lead in their division.
Among the players the Cubs are expected to call up are pitchers Mitch Atkins, Justin Berg, and Jeff Stevens, each of whom recently spent time in the Cubs’ pen. The team is also expected to call up Jeff Samardzija, who has been refining himself as a pitcher at Iowa since being sent down in April. Outfielders Sam Fuld and Brad Snyder will probably also join the Cubs at some point.
The one player the Cubs could really use, catcher Welington Castillo, is not eligible to return to the Cubs until 10 days after he was most recently sent back down to Iowa. That pegs his return on Thursday, unless Geovany Soto goes on the disabled list in the next day and a half.
Ryne Sandberg Officially Interviews for Chicago Cubs’ Managerial Opening
While he manages the Iowa Cubs to a hopeful playoff berth, you’ll forgive Ryne Sandberg if he’s got bigger things on his mind. Yesterday, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry came to interview Sandberg for the Cubs’ open managerial gig. Of course, the concept of an “interview” for a job that the candidate knows all too well, and of a candidate that the potential employer knows all too well is a little silly, but hey, whatever works.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry was in Albuquerque on Tuesday, and it wasn’t only to watch the Cubs’ Class AAA Iowa team as they try to make the playoffs.
Hendry also was there to talk with Iowa manager Ryne Sandberg about the Cubs’ managerial job….
Hendry may have a tough decision to make. Sandberg has not been shy about saying he’s ready to manage in the big leagues as he completes his fourth year as a minor-league manager in the Cubs’ system….
It’s unknown whether Sandberg would accept a major-league coaching job instead of the manager’s position even if Hendry tries to sell him on that option. Daily Herald.
With apologies to Sandberg, it’s hard not to see him emerging as the team’s primary fall-back candidate. The team knows what they’d be getting with Sandberg, so the mere fact that they’re interviewing so extensively suggests that they aren’t sold on Sandberg as a big league manager yet. At least not while the possibility of a perfect fit might be out there. And it would be unlikely that Sandberg would ditch the Cubs for another job before the Cubs actually make a decision.
Thus, the Cubs remain interested in the possibility of Sandberg if they can’t get into Harvard, so to speak.
The Chicago Cubs Love Andre Dawson
Yesterday was Andre Dawson Day, both at Wrigley Field and in the city of Chicago. The Chicago Cubs held a ceremony for the recent Hall of Fame inductee and former Cub great, and for a few moments it was easy to forget how miserable the 2010 season has been.
Dawson, inducted into the Hall of Fame in July, was honored in pregame ceremonies at Wrigley Field. The outfielder known as “The Hawk” was given a No. 8 from the Wrigley Field scoreboard as well as a copy of Mayor Richard Daley’s proclamation that Monday, Aug. 30, is “Andre Dawson Day” in Chicago.
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said he and his family used to live behind the right-field bleachers and came to games to cheer Dawson when he played for the team from 1987-92. Dawson said Cubs fans convinced him to keep playing.
“I’ve addressed these fans on numerous occasions over the years, and they, I think, were the ones who made the difference,” Dawson said. “I wouldn’t say the organization, but the fans — I was driven off their energy.
“I was looking at leaving the game because of the history of the knee problems,” he said. “[The fans] fueled me to the point where the game was fun. I wanted to go out there and make the most of what my blessing and my ability was. Had it been in another city, it probably would’ve been a lot more difficult.” cubs.com.
The Hawk will always be thought of by Cubs fans as among the greats, particularly in this generation of folks who remember watching a guy who was not only excellent, but played the game the right way; the way we envision we’d play the game if we were blessed with a physical ability beyond the ping pong table. He played hard and grateful, and it showed.
Geovany Soto’s Knee is a Little Banged Up
The Chicago Cubs today sent catcher Geovany Soto for an MRI on his right knee, which was sore when he woke up this morning. Fortunately the results showed no tears and just minor swelling.
Soto apparently injured the knee Sunday while sliding into second base on an eighth inning double, and was limping Monday.
“I’m a little concerned about his knee,” manager Mike Quade said. “No effects during the game whatsoever. He goes home last night, goes to bed and wakes up and has some problems. We’re going to be real careful with him.”
Koyie Hill will catch Monday night against Pittsburgh. Soto is listed as day-to-day, and the Cubs don’t have any plans yet to call up a catcher, such as Welington Castillo, from Triple-A Iowa. Chicago Breaking Sports.
Rosters expand on Wednesday, so the Cubs will have a third catcher soon enough regardless of Soto’s prognosis.
Carlos Zambrano Pretty Much Confirms that Lou Piniella Was Checked Out
As Chicago Cubs fans, it seemed clear to us all that former manager Lou Piniella had lost his fire – indeed, he’d lost it as many as two years ago.
But of course, how much do we really know about that kind of stuff? Sure, we see Lou during the games and in post-game press conferences, but maybe behind closed doors he was as spitfire as ever?
Small news, maybe, but nah.
Even veteran Carlos Zambrano, tonight’s starting pitcher, is embracing Quade and the idea of a fresh start.
”It is,” Zambrano said. ”I think Q is more hyper than Lou. He has more energy. But we need to do our job anyway, whether with Lou or Q or [Alan] Trammell. We need to play for our team, we need to play for us and whatever we need to do we have to do it.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Does a manager’s energy translate to player performance on the field? Ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 answers. But the fact that a player is noting Quade’s energy specifically as higher than Piniella’s suggests that Lou was checked out and the players knew it.
EDIT: To clarify – I read Z’s quote as saying Piniella was not particularly fiery or enthusiastic in recent weeks/months, because, to suggest that the new guy has more energy than Piniella is to say that Piniella is no longer the top dog when it comes to his hallmark. Combined with what we all saw in Piniella’s press conferences, it sounds to me like managing the Cubs simply didn’t hold the same excitement for Lou as it once did – that’s what I mean by checked out, and I don’t think it’s a particularly shocking conclusion.
Randy Wells Wants Mike Quade
The Chicago Cubs aren’t going to settle on a manager for 2011 for a little while, but interim manager Mike Quade is having success so far – at least in terms of his 4-1 record. And at least one player says Quade’s already won him over.
“You guys asked me if it’s an audition for me,” said Quade, now 4-1 since taking over for Lou Piniella on Monday. “Absolutely. Any time you show up here, it’s an audition. Whether or not you pitch your way into this or that or the other thing is determined by your performance. … Every one of these kids is absolutely auditioning. It’s a great opportunity but you’re being watched and evaluted daily as am I.”
[Randy] Wells cast his ballot for Quade for 2011.
“Lou was great and obviously he had some stuff to deal with and Quade stepping in, I think he’s the right guy for the job,” Wells said. “He’s seen a lot of us, we’ve played for him in Triple A [Iowa]. He’s a personable guy. I’m sure he’s auditioning, too.” Muskat Ramblings.
Quade could win out for the rest of the season and the Cubs would still likely take their time deciding on their next manager. But he’s got at least one player on his side already.
