Well, the Social Media Night thing was cool. The Alfonso Soriano homer was cool. That was about it.

Matt Garza was just OK tonight, and is quickly entering the Steve Sax, Chuck Knoblauch conversation after two more yip throws to first. The Cubs’ offense was stifled by a guy who was previously allowing TWO base runners per inning. And the bullpen … oh, the bullpen.

My night went something like this…

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The Cubs head home to Wrigley Field for Social Media Night, which figures to be a Twitter-heavy affair (#CubsSocial is where the theoretical action will occur – but you may also want to follow Bleacher Nation on Twitter). It’s Phillies/Cubs, and I’ll be there in the RF bleachers for the game, and next door at the Captain Morgan Club before the game. If you’re around, stop by and say hello (I’ll have my old standby blue BN shirt on, together with garrish yellow and blue kicks, and plain Cubs hat).

As for the game, the Cubs catch a break in not facing Vance Worley, who’s out with a tender elbow. Kyle Kendrick takes his place, and the Cubs counter with Matt Garza. Tomorrow’s matchup is Chris Volstad versus Roy Halladay, so, like, let’s just hope the Cubs win tonight, eh?

Game Info

Philadelphia Phillies (18-19) at Chicago Cubs (15-21), 7:05pm CT on CSN.

Game Thread and Series Preview

The Game Thread lives here. You should participate in the madness. And, of course, for those who aren’t into message board-style game threads, please feel free to use the comments on this post for your in-game commentary/outbursts.

The Series Preview for this series lives here.

Starting Pitchers

Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32 ERA, 2.034 WHIP)

versus

Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56 ERA, 0.983 WHIP)

Philadelphia Phillies Lineup

(Just a guess, since, once again, the Phillies are slow on announcing the lineup. I’ll try to update when the lineup is released, but feel free to drop it in the comments.)

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Juan Pierre, LF

3. Shane Victorino, CF

4. Hunter Pence, RF

5. Placido Polanco, 3B

6. Carlos Ruiz, C

7. John Mayberry, 1B

8. Freddy Galvis, 2B

9. Kyle Kendrick, P

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. David DeJesus, RF

2. Tony Campana, CF

3. Starlin Castro, SS

4. Bryan LaHair, 1B

5. Alfonso Soriano, LF

6. Ian Stewart, 3B

7. Geovany Soto,C

8. Darwin Barney, 2B

9. Matt Garza, P

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As Ryan Dempster continues to pitch well, and as the Cubs continue to look like a team that, while plucky, probably aren’t going to seriously contend for a playoff spot come September, Dempster’s name will continue to bounce around trade rumor circles.

From Ken Rosenthal:

Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster, an obvious trade candidate, would be even more likely to be moved if the team signed righty Matt Garza to a contract extension.

Keep in mind, though, that Dempster, 35, effectively would control the process. As a player with 10 years of major-league service, five with the same club, he has the right to veto any deal.

Dempster, earning $14 million in the final year of his contract, is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. He likely would consider any proposals on a case-by-case basis, with the usual variables coming into play.

Players typically require inducements to waive their no-trade protection, either in the form of a cash bonus or contract extension. Dempster, though, already would cost nearly $5 million for two months unless the Cubs included cash in the deal to “buy” better prospects.

The Cubs might need to do just that — under the new CBA, potential free agents traded in the middle of a season no longer are eligible for draft-pick compensation. The new rule diminishes their trade value; the acquiring teams no longer can count on getting a draft pick, or picks, to replace the prospects they lost.

The CBA point is an important one, as Dempster – assuming he keeps pitching well – would have been a candidate to be made a one-year, qualifying offer (about $12.5 million) after the season ends. And, given that he’s probably looking at one last decent free agent score, he probably would have declined. That would have made him much more valuable in the trade market.

As it stands, the only team eligible to make such an offer to Dempster is the Cubs, if they keep him. The draft pick compensation would be nice, but keep in mind: whereas Dempster would likely reject such an offer from the other 29 teams, are we certain he would reject it from his adopted hometown team?

That must weigh in the calculus of the Cubs’ decision on whether or not to trade Dempster. The acquiring team is getting a true rental player – possibly a very good one, but a rental player just the same – and that value may not exceed whatever value Dempster (plus the possibility of compensation) has to the Cubs. In that scenario, the Cubs might elect to hold onto Dempster, even if they know they don’t want to re-sign him, and even if they know they have no chance at the playoffs in 2012.

This, of course, all ignores Dempster’s no-trade rights, which, as Rosenthal points out, could be exercised and leveraged in any number of ways.

As I’ve said before, the ideal outcome here is that Dempster wants to go to a contender, and the Cubs can pick up a couple prospects in a deal (perhaps one in which they include some cash to incentivize the trading team to up the prospect bounty). That would remove the uncertainty attached to the decision about whether to make a qualifying offer to Dempster in the offseason, or to sign him to a new deal.

Finally, I have to disagree with Ken on the presumption that a Matt Garza extension makes trading Ryan Dempster more likely. I see it as neutral, or possibly in the other direction. As we’ve recently discussed, signing Garza to an extension may signal the Cubs’ intention to build a contender in the next two years, which could make the Cubs more willing to bring Dempster back on a short-term deal. Further, if the Cubs don’t extend Garza, and instead trade him for prospects, wouldn’t that make them more likely to trade Dempster?

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College football was a hit at Wrigley Field when Illinois and Northwestern squared off in 2010 (and by “hit,” I don’t mean when players slammed into the outfield wall on the unusually short field (that’s a joke, by the way – they went one way to avoid just such a problem)), so why not try the other kind of football?

From the Cubs’ press release:

Soccer is returning to Wrigley Field, as Italy’s AS Roma and Poland’s Zaglebie Lubin will square off for an international “Friendly at the Confines” July 22 at 2:30 p.m. CDT following the Ron Santo Hall of Fame induction ceremony and other Santo tributes for fans that day at Wrigley Field to be announced later.

Wrigley Field plays host to its first soccer game since 1984, when the Chicago Sting beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1. The match at Wrigley Field kicks off the first leg of AS Roma’s United States Tour, with additional stops scheduled for Boston and New York.

Tickets for the first-ever matchup between these two European soccer clubs go on sale Thursday, May 24, at 10 a.m. CDT at www.cubs.com/soccer. Tickets range from $25 to $110 (tax included), with the majority of seats listed at $50 or less.

Each club will feature star players and representatives from their country’s national team. AS Roma’s squad, led by team captain and forward Francesco Totti, features forward Bojan Krkic Pérez and Italian national team forwards Fabio Borini and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo and midfielder Daniele De Rossi. Zaglebie Lubin’s roster includes Polish national team forwards Szymon Pawlowski and Arkadiusz Wozniak, midfielder Maciej Malkowski and defender Marcin Kowalczyk.

There are more details and quotes in the press release.

As a big fan of Wrigley Field, I say the more the merrier when it comes to events at the Friendly Confines. Football, soccer, hockey, ice skating, movie night, concerts, etc. Not only is it a savvy way to maximize the value of a place like Wrigley, it’s a clever way to get more folks to experience its majesty.

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The Cubs head home to Chicago after a 1-1 series split in St. Louis (coulda, woulda, shoulda) to take on the Phillies for two games (and I’ll be there!).

By way of reminder, the Series Preview hooks you up with what you need to know about every series this year – streaks, broadcast information, pitchers, expected lineups, etc. That way, if you want to check only one place to get a sense about an upcoming series, or to plan ahead, you’ve got it. Oh, and there will be pictures of beautiful women, too.

We’re Going Streaking

The Cubs split in St. Louis after losing two of three in Milwaukee, and they stand at 15 and 21, six games out in the NL Central.

The Phillies have won three in a row and four of five after a nasty stretch that saw a few moments of clubhouse unrest, and saw the Phillies’ GM start talking about being sellers at the deadline.

Game Times and Broadcasts

• Wednesday, May 16 at 7:05 CT on CSN.
• Thursday, May 17 at 7:05 CT on WGN.

Expected Starters and Lineups

These lineups are likely to be pretty close to what actually gets fielded, but you’ll want to check each day’s Pre-Gamin’ post for the actual lineup.

Cubs

Starters: Matt Garza (2-1, 2.56), Chris Volstad (0-5, 6.92)

Lineup:

1. David DeJesus, RF
2. Tony Campana, CF
3. Starlin Castro, SS
4. Bryan LaHair, 1B
5. Alfonso Soriano, LF
6. Ian Stewart, 3B
7. Geovany Soto, C
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Pitcher

Phillies

Starters: Kyle Kendrick (0-3, 7.32), Roy Halladay (3-3, 3.20)

Lineups:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Juan Pierre, LF Pete Orr, 2B
3. Shane Victorino, CF
4. Hunter Pence, RF
5. Ty Wigginton/Placido Polanco, 3B
6. John Mayberry, 1B
7. Freddy Galvis, 2B
8. Brian Schneider/Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Pitcher

Hot or Not and Whom to Watch

Guess who’s hot? Darwin Barney! In his last seven games (before yesterday’s game), he’s got a .292/.414/.500 line. His OPS still stands below .700 at .685, though.

This is your reminder of Bryan LaHair’s season line: .356/.452/.702. His BABIP is down to .444. If that number continues to fall at a more rapid pace than LaHair’s overall numbers, we’ll have another piece of information suggesting he’s legit.

Don’t look now, but Alfonso Soriano’s May line now reads .295/.367/.477. That’s, like, good.

Carlos Ruiz continues to kill it for the Phillies (so he’ll probably be batting higher than you see in that general lineup up there), hitting .337/.379/.577 on the year.

Hunter Pence was super hot during a nine-game hitting streak, but in the seven games since then (again, before yesterday’s game), he’s hitting just .111/.226/.296.

Roy Halladay, in his four starts since facing the Cubs last month (including that start), has a 5.13 ERA.

Series She-View

The Series She-View is one beautiful woman representing the Cubs taking on another (usually) beautiful woman representing the opponent. The Cubs’ representative will change as the team’s needs change – in other words, if the Cubs are winning, the rep will stay the same. But if the Cubs’ performance calls for a change, someone new will step in. The opponent’s representative will change from series to series, at my whim. But at least she’ll probably be wearing the opponent’s colors or have some connection to the team or something like that. It is immature, and the connection to baseball is tenuous at best. These things, I know.

With yet another series non-loss under her belt, Marisa Miller is easily the most successful representative of the year. She stays for at least one more series.

As for the Phillies, how about Rihanna? There’s no Philadelphia connection of which I’m aware, but she’s pretty and she’s in that new ‘Battleship’ movie about aliens for some ridiculous reason.

versus

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I’m headed to Chicago this morning (I’m there until Friday afternoon), so my usual travelling caveat applies: you should see normal posting, but I might not be around as much in the comments or on the Message Board. Behave. If anyone is going to tonight’s or tomorrow night’s game against the Phillies, I’ll be in the right field bleachers. Before tonight’s game, the Cubs are having a “Social Media Night” even at the Captain Morgan Club next to Wrigley, so I reckon I’ll be there starting at around 5, 5:15. Stop by.

• Carlos Marmol is receiving treatment for his strained hammy in Chicago, but isn’t expected to be healthy again for another 10 to 14 days. ”He’s getting his treatment every day, and we’ll see what happens,” Sveum said before adding that Marmol will get a couple minor league innings before returning. Injuries are rarely a good thing, but they aren’t alway 100% bad. Getting Marmol some head-clearing time, and then minor league time, could really help him get his psyche in a better place. Maybe that will improve his performance.
• Dale Sveum was asked again yesterday about his decision the day before to have Starlin Castro bunt with no outs in the 8th inning of a tie game, in order to move over runners on first and second (despite knowing that “success” would lead to an intentional walk of Bryan LaHair), and he got a little more gruff this time. “You’re not going to ask certain people [to bunt] if they’re not capable of doing things,” he said, according to the Tribune. “But he’s capable. He runs good, so if it is a really good bunt he can beat it out. You can go on and on about the goods and the bads of all of these things. The bottom line is I’m the one that makes the decisions. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.” That’s probably the best response, all things consider. Don’t try to blame Castro for poor execution, don’t admit it was a mistake (even if it was). Just say it was your decision, and that’s that.
• But Sveum went on talk about the sabermetrics of bunting in that situation. Shrug: ”You wanna talk about [sabermetrics], then OK. Then you talk about the team that has more people on base during the course of the game is going to win way more games than the other teams. You want to keep intentionally walking guys and all that? Then the odds gradually come [the opposing team's] favor to win the game. If [the opposing team's] third, fourth and fifth hitters get up five times in a game, you’ve got a chance of losing that game at an alarming rate.” Dale is right that intentional walks are frequently a bad idea, but when you have to give up an out to get that intentional walk (and the guy giving up the out and the guy getting walked are your two best hitters), I just don’t think the math works out. In any event, it was a terrible decision, but we’re moving on.
• White Sox manager Robin Ventura says managing in the AL is much more difficult because, in the NL, you already know when you have to use your bench (i.e., when the pitcher’s spot comes up). We’re used to Ozzie Guillen trolling us before the Cubs/Sox series, but this is probably as outrageous as Ventura is going to get.
• Bryan LaHair confesses that it would be pretty cool to be an All-Star. So, maybe you help him out there.
• Noah at VFTB interviewed Anthony Rizzo. It’s an audio file, if you’d like to give it a listen.
• MLBullets at BCB looks at Matt Kemp’s “Iron Man” streak coming to an end.

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I can’t figure Randy Wells out. He pitched pretty well for the Chicago Cubs in several games, so we know he can pitch. He says mostly the right things when he talks about being sent to Iowa, so I’m pretty well convinced he knows what he needs to do in order to return to the majors. And then, despite that, he completely fails to get the job done. At this point I think Wells has effectively buried himself on the Cubs pitching depth chart. At the end of spring training he was the Cubs’ sixth starter. Now, I think he’s more likely the tenth.

On the other hand Gerardo Concepcion is looking very much like a solid pitching prospect. After a rough start to his professional career many impatient Cub fans had written him off entirely, but those assumptions were enormously premature. Concepcion has been improving steadily, and on Tuesday he served notice to us all that we should not give up on him so easily. He still has a lot of work to do, but it is good to see very clear signs of progress.

AAA – Iowa Cubs. 17 – 21
After an extended stay in California, the Iowa Cubs can finally look forward to a game in their own ballpark. Their West Coast tour ended with a 9-4 loss.

Randy Wells picked up his second loss of the season by allowing seven runs in his five innings of work. As you can see from his line (7R, 8H, 3BB, 6K), he just did not pitch well. Manny Corpas, Esmailin Caridad, and Jeff Beliveau were all very good in relief, but Mike McDougal struggled badly in his Iowa Cubs debut.

Gioskar Amaya made his 2012 debut as a pinch hitter in this game, and he made the most of it. He hit a double in his one at bat, came around to score when the next batter homered, and finished the game playing at second base. He’s still very likely to be sent down in a day or two, but he has to feel good about leaving Triple A with a slash line of 1.000/1.000/2.000.

In what is starting to feel like a daily occurrence, Anthony Rizzo homered yet again (his thirteenth, if you’re still counting) as part of a 3 for 4 day. Alfredo Amezaga also homered (his second).

AA – Tennesse Smokies. 17 – 23
Two more pitchers whose stocks are rapidly rising featured prominently in this game. The Smokies overcame their errors and rallied for a 10-8 win.

If Dae-Eun Rhee felt frustrated after this game, no one would blame him. On the one hand, Rhee gave up just two hits and two walks in his four innings of work. On the other hand, thanks to a stack of Tennessee errors, he allowed six runs to score (two earned). Jeffry Antigua allowed two more runs in his inning of work, and then the bullpen shut Jacksonville down.

Marcus Hately had another good appearance, but the real eye opener was Casey Weathers. Weathers has great stuff, but he has never been able to control it. Typically he walks about as many as he strikes out. On Tuesday Weathers picked up his second win of the season by not allowing a base runner at all. He faced six batters across two innings and let his defense retire all six. That’s a very encouraging sign from a guy who has walked 14 batters in 11 innings this year.

The other pitcher who is improving his stock is Alberto Cabrera, who picked up his second save in this game. As a starting pitcher, Cabrera had not enjoyed very much consistent success in the Cubs’ system. The Cubs responded by moving him into the bullpen full time, and he is thriving there. What Cabrera is doing in Double A now reminds me of what Rafael Dolis did at the same level last year. Don’t be surprised if the Cubs leave spring training in 2013 with both Dolis and Cabrera pitching in the back of the bullpen.

High A – Daytona Cubs. 14 – 22
Daytona was rained out. This is a regular occurrence in the Florida State League.

Low A – Peoria Chiefs. 18 – 21
The Chiefs are creeping ever closer to .500. Thanks to some good work by the pitching, they won again, 2-0.

Gerardo Concepcion picked up his first win of the season by throwing six innings of shutout baseball. He walked three, allowed three hits, and struck out three. First inning troubles have been the hallmark of Concepcion’s starts, but in this game he breezed through the opening frame without incident. All in all, it was a very encouraging outing for a badly beleaguered pitcher. Even better, a recent scouting report claims that his fastball has been clocked in the low nineties in a recent game.

Ben Wells finished off the game with a three strikeout performance of his own, and collected his first save.

Zeke DeVoss was two for two with two walks, two runs scored, and an amazing four stolen bases. Taylor Davis also had two hits, including a triple.

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Well, the Cubs walked off twice against the Cardinals at Wrigley, so I suppose this was fair.

The Cubs got to Kyle Lohse early and tacked on a couple more after that, but – wait for it – the bullpen blew the game late. Kerry Wood let in the tying run in the 7th(after the usual bout of control problems), and James Russell gave up a solo homer in the 8th. He also gave up a triple, which was one of the more interesting discussiong pieces in the game. The “triple” was an easy double down the line to left, that Alfonso Soriano jogged casually to – not because he’s lazy, but because his legs are obviously bothering him. It seemed criminal at that moment to keep Soriano in the lineup. What possible reason could there be to suffer his obvious injury? It’s not like he’s hitting dingers at the plate or anything.

And then he hit a game-tying homer the very next inning.

Unfortunately, all it did was extend our pain, because Rafael Dolis gave up a couple ground ball singles in the 9th, well-placed and well-timed, which won the game for the Cardinals. Eff.

Paul Maholm wasn’t at his best, but he kept the Cubs in the game long enough to give them a chance (which tends to be a thing you say about a pitcher’s performance when the offense scored about as many as he gave up (“Garza was wild today, but kept the Cubs in the game by holding the Giants to seven runs. Coincidentally, the Cubs scored eight runs.”)).

But Soriano was the story, even in the loss…

No related posts.

Picture via tjperr/Flickr

Mid-game, substantive post? Why not?

The Chicago Cubs just announced that they’ve received lefty pitching prospect Hunter Cervenka from the Boston Red Sox to complete the Marlon Byrd/Michael Bowden trade. Recall, when the Cubs sent Byrd to the Red Sox last month for Bowden, they were also due a player to be named later. Well, the Cubs have apparently scouted the list of players, and selected Cervenka.

We’ll have a bit more substance on Cervenka later, but, for now, know that he’s 22, is in A-ball, was a 27th rounder in 2008, and has mostly struggled in the low minors. Something may have clicked this year, though, as he’s striking out 13.8 per 9. Then again, he’s walking 6.9 per 9, and he’s a 22-year-old in A-ball. In other words, there may not be a whole lot here.

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Paul Maholm will try to give the Cubs a chance to keep their hotness rolling (with a win today, the series loss in Milwaukee feels more like a blip than a regression). I choose not think about the word “sweep” right now.

Welington Castillo gets another start today, and it will be interesting to see what his receiving skills look like today. Dollars to donuts he looks overly conscious of how he’s holding his glove.

Game Info

Chicago Cubs (15-20) at St. Louis Cardinals (20-15), 12:45pm CT on CSN.

Game Thread and Series Preview

The Game Thread lives here. You should participate in the madness. And, of course, for those who aren’t into message board-style game threads, please feel free to use the comments on this post for your in-game commentary/outbursts.

The Series Preview for this series lives here.

Starting Pitchers

Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.05 ERA, 93 ERA+)

versus

Khloe Lohse (5-1, 2.08 ERA, 175 ERA+)

St. Louis Cardinals Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal, SS

2. “My Dog” Skip Schumaker, CF

3. Matt Holliday, LF

4. Allen Craig, RF

5. Lance Berkman, 1B

6. Yadier Molina, C

7. Matt Carpenter, 3B

8. Tyler Greene, 2B

9. Kyle Lohse, P

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. David DeJesus, RF

2. Tony Campana, CF

3. Starlin Castro, SS

4. Bryan LaHair, 1B

5. Alfonso Soriano, LF

6. Ian Stewart, 3B

7. Welington Castillo,C

8. Darwin Barney, 2B

9. Paul Maholm, P

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