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.
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.
The Problem with an Interim Manager Like Mike Quade: Tyler Colvin to Remain in the Outfield
Being the manager of the Chicago Cubs – even in a mere interim capacity – brings with it certain indelicacies. Most notably? The microscope. Every move you make is scrutinized by a rabid pack of irrational freaks.
Today, I am but one of those freaks.
Cubs interim manager Mike Quade took the reigns yesterday, and in his first lineup, there were more than a few surprises: Alfonso Soriano had been dropped to 7th (good move), Geovany Soto was back to 8th (bad move), and Blake DeWitt was batting leadoff (more on that in a bit). But the most surprising move was a guy that didn’t move: Tyler Colvin was back in right field, not at first base, where we’d been told for days he would be playing this series.
And it wasn’t just a one-game aberration, either. Quade says he doesn’t expect to put Colvin at first any time soon.
“Nothing imminent for me there. We’ll pick a spot,” Quade said. “Maybe see him over there in a late-inning game, where maybe it makes sense to do that. It’s something that we’ll look at, but sparingly, probably.”
Colvin, who started in right field, has been working out at first since the Cubs traded three-time Gold Glove Award winner Derrek Lee to the Braves on Wednesday. The rookie hasn’t played first since his sophomore year in college at Clemson. He had his most intense workout Sunday under the tutelage of bench and infield coach Alan Trammell.
“It’ll hold off. I guess I’m not quite ready,” Colvin said. “It’s good to work over there and I’ll do the work on the side and I’ll be ready for it. It’s fine taking fungos the whole time, but game speed, that’s different. Once I get some balls hit hard at me, I’ll see what I do with those.” cubs.com.
Here we see the clear problem with having an interim manager like Mike Quade. Do I mean that Quade is, himself, a problematic manager? Of course not. I’m sure his managerial style is just fine.
The problem is: he’s up for the Cubs full-time gig in 2011. So when it comes to making choices on a game-to-game basis, Quade is going to make the choices that help the team win today – even if the choice is at the expense of the future of the organization. Quade has himself called his interim job an “audition.” Does anyone really believe he’s going to do anything that lessens the chance he’ll win during his audition? More on the conflicting incentives the Cubs have created, after the jump.
Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto Out, Micah Hoffpauir and Welington Castillo In
Just like that, two Chicago Cubs starters are out of the picture for a stretch. Catcher Geovany Soto, battling a right shoulder strain, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, and first baseman Derrek Lee has been placed on the bereavement list while he attends to his ailing grandfather.
Soto has not played since Friday because of a mild ligament sprain in his right shoulder. He was in Monday’s lineup against the Giants but scratched after feeling some discomfort in batting practice.
Lee left the team Monday to drive to Sacramento to be with his grandfather, who was ill.
Castillo was batting .251 in 65 games at Triple-A Iowa with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Hoffpauir was hitting .273 with 20 homers, 32 doubles and 87 RBIs in 107 games. cubs.com.
Soto will likely return as soon as his DL stint is up, and Lee will be back much sooner.
But I’ll tell you the one thing I’m not going to say: if Lee had accepted a trade to California, he would be able to visit his family much more easily in any circumstance. Nope. Not going to say that, because that would be heartless and evil. Not going to say it.
Series Preview: Brewers v. Cubs, August 2 – August 4, 2010
It’s Series Preview time again, as the Chicago Cubs welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to Wrigley Field – still the one team, outside of Arizona, against whom the Cubs have played well this year. The Brewers didn’t conduct a sell-off, so they’ll be at full-strength.
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.
Check out the Brewers series preview, after the jump
Series Preview: Cubs v. Rockies, July 30 – August 1, 2010
The Chicago Cubs head out to Denver to take on a team nearly as disappointing (recently) as the Cubs, the Colorado Rockies. At least it’s really pretty out there. Shrug.
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 streaks, lineups, game times, broadcast schedule, etc. 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 Rockies series preview, after the jump
God’s Wrath Watch: Not Geovany Soto!
Of all the personnel the Chicago Cubs could lose to injury, catcher Geovany Soto might be the hardest to stomach. He leads all catchers in several offensive categories, and he’s been the most consistently good batter the Cubs have had all year.
But we’re going to get a steady diet of Koyie Hill for at least a couple days after Soto went down last night.
Cubs catcher Geovany Soto is day-to-day after fouling a ball off his left foot in the third inning of Monday night’s 5-2 win over the Astros.
Soto had another at-bat in the sixth and was then lifted on defense. He tried to stay in the game, but his foot stiffened up, and the Cubs athletic trainers decided treatment was a better option. The ball hit him in the arch of his foot.
What about Tuesday?
“Let’s see,” Soto said. “It’s not the bone, it’s not a major thing. It’s in a tough area. If I’m putting some weight on it now after ice, it’s not a big thing.”
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he felt Soto would definitely be available Friday, when the team opens a weekend series in Colorado. cubs.com.
The injury didn’t look terribly serious, and it’s good to hear that it wasn’t. It’s still a crummy time to lose Soto for even a couple games, as the Cubs try to prove they can make a miracle comeback over the last couple of months before having to make difficult trade decisions leading up to Saturday’s trade deadline.
Series Preview: Cubs v. Brewers, June 8 – June 10, 2010
It’s Series Preview time again, as the Chicago Cubs head out to face the Milwaukee Brewers – the one team against whom the Cubs have played well this year. And Miller Park usually plays like Wrigley North, so it should be a fine reception for the Cubs.
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 hot chicks, too.
