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
Lukewarm Stove: Angels Still Looking at Derrek Lee
Following their trade for starter Dan Haren, the Los Angeles Angels are setting their sites on another need: a middle of the order bat, and preferably one that can play first base.
Sources said Sunday night — after the Haren trade — that the Angels haven’t halted their pursuit of a power bat.
Among the hitters they are monitoring: Garrett Jones of the Pirates and Derrek Lee of the Cubs.
Sources could not confirm if the Angels are involved in active talks for either Jones or Lee. FOX Sports on MSN.
Derrek Lee has chosen a good time to get hot. He’s riding an 8-game hitting streak, and is starting to look like the hitter he usually is.
The Chicago Cubs Are Positive
Despite falling 10 games under .500, having lost ANOTHER series to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Chicago Cubs’ players are still trying to stay positive about the season.
“There’s always time,” pitcher Tom Gorzelanny said. “There’s definitely a lot of baseball to be played. We need to get going, we need to win some games here. There’s definitely a lot of baseball to be played and there’s a lot of crazy things that have happened before and there’s no reason for us to panic or worry or believe that we could be some miracle team because we’re a good team and we can put what’s been going on behind us.”
Said Koyie Hill: “We believe in each other, big time.”
Said Alfonso Soriano: “There’s a lot of games left — there’s three months. I know the first three months have not been very good for us. I believe in this team because there’s a lot of great players and a lot of great teammates, also.” Muskat Ramblings.
That positivity is swell and all, but the Cubs are staring down a mere 1.2% chance of making the playoffs at this point. Play hard? Yes. Try to win? Sure. Enjoy yourselfs? I hope so.
But for the sake of the organization, I hope the front office does not share the players’ blind optimism. It’s time for difficult, but forward-thinking, decisions.
The Mets Are Interested In Ted Lilly
Though the Chicago Cubs managed to pull out a shocking victory last night – against the mighty Pirates, no less – there is still reason to believe this team is not built for a playoff push. If true, it’s time to start considering which players can be unloaded, and which teams are interested.
According to the New York Post, the Mets are looking for a starting pitcher, and they’ve got lefties on the brain.
[E]ven if the Mets can outbid other suitors, such as the Twins, for [Cliff] Lee, it would still be up to Mets ownership to approve giving up prospects for a rental and agree to add a nice bit of payroll. Doubts persist within the organization whether the Wilpons really will accept those terms.
So it remains possible the Mets will have to lower their rotation scope. Multiple sources tell me that despite having been tied to Houston’s Roy Oswalt and Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona, the Mets have little interest in either righty. The Cubs’ Ted Lilly, a lefty also in his walk year, is more to the Mets’ liking from the not-Lee category.
While it is not surprising that the Mets would prefer Lilly to guys like Oswalt or Carmona, it is surprising to read that they’re interested in Lilly yet think they cannot get Lee because of payroll and prospect concerns.
Both concerns will come with Lilly – Lee is making $9 million this year, Lilly is making $12 million. Lilly isn’t pitching as well as Lee (few are), but his ERA has consistently hovered around 3.00, and will certainly cost an acquiring team a nice prospect or two.
Lilly will undoubtedly come cheaper, but if payroll and prospect concerns are so damning to the Mets’ pursuit of Lee, I can’t see how they’d be willing to put together a reasonable package for Lilly, who might be the second most attractive pitcher on the market.
God’s Wrath Watch: John Grabow’s Knee is Jacked Up Again
It turns out that the mystery (convenient) knee problems that reliever John Grabow developed earlier this year when he was stinking were real problems. And they’re back. Grabow is expected to go on the disabled list today.
Grabow entered Monday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh inning and retired the first batter, then gave up an infield single to Ronny Cedeno. Paul Maholm squared to bunt on a 1-1 pitch, and Grabow finished the pitch awkwardly. Athletic trainer Mark O’Neal went to the mound and Grabow immediately headed to the clubhouse.
“It’s pretty bad,” Grabow said. “It’s something I thought I could pitch through and it got worse. I’ll go get it checked out [Tuesday].”
Grabow has received a cortisone shot already this season in the knee and was on the disabled list from May 31 to June 15 because of it. In his previous outing Thursday, he gave up one hit over two innings against the Mariners.
“I tried to pitch through it and today it felt a little different, and it kept getting worse and worse to the point where I couldn’t take it any more,” Grabow said. cubs.com.
The injury is unfortunate given that Grabow had actually started to pitch well since returning from his last stint on the disabled list (I know, bite my tongue).
The Cubs are expected to call James Russell back up to the big club, assuming they want to replace Grabow with another lefty.
Series Preview: Pirates v. Cubs, June 28 – June 30, 2010
The Chicago Cubs welcome the best team in the National League – at least according to the Cubs – the Pittsburgh Pirates. After all the weekend excitement, it will be nice to enjoy a laid back, relaxing series. Right? Amiright? 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 hot chicks, too.
Check out the Pirates series preview, after the jump
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.
Check out the Brewers series preview, after the jump
So Maybe the Cubs Aren’t Talking Trades with the Angels
Yesterday we heard that the Chicago Cubs have been talking to the Los Angeles Angels about Derrek Lee and Xavier Nady, in whom the Angels would have interest to replace recently broken first baseman Kendry Morales.
Cubs reporter Carrie Muskat says not so:
There’s no truth to the rumors that the Angels have contacted the Cubs re: possibly acquiring Derrek Lee or Xavier Nady. The Angels are looking for first base help with Kendry Morales out after freak accident at home plate. I was told the Angels have not talked to the Cubs about anyone. The Cubs still feel they are in the race in the NL Central. If that doesn’t change by late July, closer to the trading deadline, there could be some moves.
I assume Carrie meant to say, in that last sentence, that “if that does change,” i.e., if the Cubs feel they’re out of it by late July.
Here’s hoping the team doesn’t actually wait that long to start considering moves. Unless they make a considered run in the next few weeks, not only will the playoffs become an unlikely scenario as a matter of math, but we already know that this is a fundamentally flawed team – playoff teams do not struggle so mightily against a team like the Pirates.
Lastly, I always find it interesting when two Cubs reporters so unequivocally state opposite things. Dave Kaplan says he has excellent sources who say the Cubs have talked to the Angels about trades. Carrie Muskat says there’s no truth to such a rumor. The truth usually tends to be somewhere in the middle, and in how one defines “talked about trades.” Obviously some contact took place – whether it was as insignificant as a “hello, tough break about Morales,” or as significant as a “hello, we can hook you up with a player to fill that first base spot.”
As I said, it was probably somewhere in the middle – sufficiently innocuous that Muskat could say “no truth,” and sufficiently titillating that Kaplan could say “have talked.”
