Series Preview: Cubs v. Reds, August 27 – August 29, 2010
The Chicago Cubs head to Cincinnati to take on the (still) best team in the National League Central – best not only in record, but in the sense that they might be able to keep the Cardinals out of the playoffs. I may still have antipathy for Dusty Baker, but I can’t say I hate the Reds right now. Time for the Series Preview.
The idea is to hook you up with the bare minimum of what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of beautiful women, too.
Check out the Reds series preview, after the jump
Series Preview: Padres v. Cubs, August 16 – 19, 2010
It’s series preview time again as the Chicago Cubs welcome the best team in the National League to Wrigley Field. So bring it on Braves… er… Dodgers … er Cardinals? Giants?
Wait. San Diego Padres? Um, what?
A refresher on the series preview here at Bleacher Nation:
The idea is to hook you up with the bare minimum of what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of beautiful women, too. So there’s that.
Check out the Padres series preview, after the jump
Ryan Dempster Misses Ted Lilly
When the Chicago Cubs traded Ted Lilly to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, Ryan Dempster became the unquestioned number one in the Chicago Cubs’ rotation. But despite that nominal accolade, Ryan Dempster wishes Lilly was still around. He misses the bulldog.
”With Teddy, I always appreciated him every day for what a teammate he was and what a competitor he was, probably more than anything,” Dempster (9-8) said after six muggy innings without allowing an earned run to beat the Milwaukee Brewers and end the Cubs’ seven-game losing streak.
”I always thought I was the most competitive person out there. I never thought I’d find anybody more competitive until I met him.”
Lilly, who won his debut Tuesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, famously ran over St.Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina to score a key run in the Cubs’ stretch drive in 2008, stole a base sliding head-first in a minor-league rehab start early this season and once attacked a pit bull barehanded to rescue his wife’s dog.
”I know they got somebody pretty special over there, and hopefully someday down the road, I’ll have the chance to play with him again,” Dempster said, ”because you don’t find too many guys like that out there.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Once attacked a pit bull barehanded? For a second I thought they were describing Chuck Norris or the Dos Equis guy. Or, I thought perhaps the guys who run the Ted Lilly Fan Club had taken root with the Sun Times.
Ted Lilly will indeed be missed, but hopes that he’ll return to the Cubs after this year should probably be tempered. Given his age, likely cost, and exclusive Dodger negotiating window, a return to the Cubs is probably not in the cards.
Obsessive Lilly Trade Watch: Cubs Would Like to Deal Lilly Before Tuesday
The Chicago Cubs are now actively shopping pitcher Ted Lilly, and would like to have a deal in place before Lilly’s next start, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
With contenders struggling to find the right match for available starters Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren on the trade market, interest in Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly has stepped up dramatically and a trade could be completed by the end of the weekend, major-league sources said Friday.
Lilly’s trade value skyrocketed after he held the Houston Astros to one run in 7 1/3 innings Wednesday. His next scheduled start is Tuesday in Houston, and sources say the Cubs would like to complete a deal before that outing. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Before we get too excited, it’s worth pointing out that, if the only reason these “sources” believe a Lilly deal will get done soon is because of other teams’ struggles to acquire Oswalt or Haren, the sources may be a day or two behind the curve. Indeed, teams may not be struggling to acquire Oswalt or Haren as much as is suggested in that article. At present, the Astros have scouted and/or exchanged names with three teams – the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Phillies – so they may be getting close to finding a partner. Haren is officially on the Yankees’ radar, and the teams are reportedly getting close to a deal.
That said, it’s unlikely a traded Haren would affect the Lilly trade market, primarily because the Yankees have never been interested in Lilly. In that regard, taking Haren off the market, to a team that was never going to get Lilly, could actually help the Lilly trade market. Thus, I’m rooting strongly for the Yankees to acquire Haren – and soon.
As for Oswalt, each of the Phillies and Dodgers has been connected to Lilly, at least in small ways. Still, the two most likely Lilly destinations – Detroit and New York (Mets) – are not involved.
Zambranogate: Carlos Expected to Pitch for Iowa This Week
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano, who hasn’t pitched for the Cubs since June 25 when he exploded on his teammates after an inning of terrible work. He’s been working out in Mesa, Arizona – in conjunction with his recently-completed anger management counselling – and is expected to start throwing in games this week.
Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, on the restricted list to undergo treatment for anger issues, will throw a simulated game Monday in Mesa, Ariz., and could throw in games this week for Triple-A Iowa.
However, Zambrano was not expected to join the Cubs during this homestand, which ends next weekend with a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He’s missed a lot [of time],” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said of Zambrano. “I would think [he'll come back] sometime on the road trip.”
Zambrano has been working out since last Thursday in Mesa at the team’s facility. He threw about 25 pitches on the side in his first outing. Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild and athletic trainer Mark O’Neal are monitoring his program. cubs.com.
When Z finally does return, he’ll head to the bullpen (unless, of course, a spot in the rotation has been opened up by trade or injury). His teammates are expected to put on brave faces, and welcome Zambrano back with open arms.
Derrek Lee – the focal point of Zambrano’s original wrath – told Paul Sullivan that what happened is in the past.
“It’s going to be fine,” Lee said. “He’s going to come back and help us. Now it’s in the past. It’s over with and we’ll all be fine. You always want to get along with all your teammates. It’s not a fun situation, but it happens. You deal with it and move on.”
“The guy has been my teammate since I’ve been here in ’04. Carlos and I are friends. It’s like family. You argue with the family, and you get over it.”
Ted Lilly to the New York Mets?
Now that Cliff Lee is off the trade market, Chicago Cubs starter Ted Lilly becomes the best available lefty starting pitcher on the market, and remains one of the best two or three available overall. It seems highly likely that, if the Cubs decide to move Lilly and he’s amenable to waiving his limited no-trade clause, the Cubs will be able to find a taker for Lilly. Their first calls no doubt will go out to the losers in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, including the Yankees, Mets, White Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, and division rival Cardinals and Reds, among others.
At least one of those teams – the Mets – have already been attached to Lilly for a couple of weeks now. And according to Joel Sherman, the Mets are expected to “turn strongly” to Lilly, now that Lee is off the market.
When it comes to moving Lilly, there are, of course, some hurdles. There is the aforementioned limited no-trade clause, though Lilly has never indicated a desire to remain in Chicago no matter what. There is also the matter of the $5.5ish million remaining on his deal this year, though the Cubs would be willing to eat some of that, depending on the return.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle to trading Lilly, however, is his recent performance. Back-to-back terrible outings in July have seen his ERA climb from 3.12 all the way to 4.08. He gave up five homers in those two starts, and 18 hits in just over 10 innings. They were about as bad as it gets.
Still, he had a 2.53 ERA in June, and sports an excellent 1.15 WHIP. The last two starts notwithstanding, Lilly is generally a durable, consistent starter. He’s also likely to be a Type A free agent, which could further enhance his attractiveness to a team willing to offer him arbitration after the season.
We’re All Screwed: The Cardinals Call Up Aaron Miles
I’ll level with you: the Cubs’ chances in the NL Central were already looking terrible. But after the Cardinals’ most recent move to shore up their bench, the Cubs have almost no chance.
The Cardinals have called up Aaron Miles.
The 33-year-old Miles was one of the final players cut by the Reds this spring and signed a minor league contract with St. Louis on April 30. He batted .279 with 13 RBIs in 16 games.
Miles previously played with the Cardinals from 2006-08 and was a member of the World Series title team in ’06. He was in uniform for Tuesday night’s game against the Reds, although he wasn’t in the starting lineup and manager Tony La Russa said he wouldn’t start Wednesday, either. ESPN.
Aaron Miles was the John Grabow of 2009, having signed a 2 year, $5 million deal before the season, and then, following hilariously awful performance, fell victim to “injuries” before being dealt this past offseason.
He bounced around and found his way back to the Cardinals, where he’s almost certain to have a resurgent half-season.
Carlos Zambrano Available Out of the Pen
Though Carlos Zambrano is being moved back to the Chicago Cubs’ rotation, he’ll be available out of the bullpen until at least this Saturday – the second game of a critical series against the Cardinals.
Carlos Zambrano will be back in the Cubs bullpen Thursday through Saturday before he is inserted into the rotation again. Who gets bumped has yet to be revealed.
“We have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to do,” Lou Piniella said. “We’ll use Carlos in the bullpen in the St. Louis series [this weekend] and then we’ll insert him into the rotation.” Muskat Ramblings.
This is a very good decision by the Cubs – Zambrano threw 73 pitches in a simulated game on Monday, saying he felt great. He doesn’t need to sit around all week in order to be ready to go next week. And since he was told he was heading back to the rotation, he’s been nails out of the bullpen – might as well get some mileage out of the phenomenon.
Interestingly, if Zambrano pitches on Saturday, would he be ready to go by Monday in order to replace Tom Gorzelanny in the rotation? Ted Lilly is slated to go on Tuesday, and then Randy Wells on Wednesday. With no off-day in between, there can be little rotational shuffling.
