Anthony Rizzo is Awesome and Other Bullets

Jul 30, 2012

The first of two sets of Bullets which will come during the BNBlogathon …

Given his walk-off, two-run homer in the 10th, you can understand that almost everything written about yesterday’s win over the Cardinals is a lovefest for Anthony Rizzo. And that’s fine with me. Here’s a good example from Doug Padilla, in which you get a good sense of Rizzo’s youthful enthusiasm, which is awesome. “This is the best,” Rizzo said. “This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing since I was a little kid. I’ve never done it before. Not in the minors, not in Little League, not ever …. This is awesome.”

Bryan LaHair knows he’s been struggling for quite some time, and obviously he’s not too thrilled about it. “It gets frustrating,” LaHair told reporters. “You try to tell yourself over and over again that (you’re better). Sometimes you try to do too much. It’s not a good feeling, but at the same time I know the kind of hitter I am and it takes time. I feel like I’m starting to see the ball a little better.” Here’s hoping.

Dale Sveum on closer Carlos Marmol’s ugly success over the past few months – strictly speaking, he hasn’t blown a save since April 24: “Look, he’s done the job. You look at every closer, you look at every night no matter if a guy is throwing more strikes or whatever, the winning run is going to get to the plate no matter how it is. One-two-three innings in the last couple of innings, they’re very, very difficult to find. I don’t care if the guy on the mound never throws balls at all. He will give up a hit. It’s just the way it is.”

A Matt Holliday quote that will, at first, piss you off, and then will make you smile: “We can’t be playing well and come in here and lose to the Cubs,” Holliday said. “We can’t lose this series. But we did. The only way to get better is to play better. We didn’t get the result we were looking for.”

A few Iowa moves: Blake DeWitt (back) and Rafael Dolis (sore knee) have been placed on the disabled list at AAA Iowa. The Cubs picked up former Tigers outfielder Jeff Frazier to make some time in Iowa.

The MLBullets at BCB are, surprise, surprise, trade focused.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Adbert Alzolay Update: Imaging Results, Timeline, and a Sprinkle of (Unexpected) Optimism

I had the weirdest reaction to what is objectively bad injury news on Adbert Alzolay just now. According to Meghan Montemurro, medical imaging confirmed that Adbert Alzolay has a right flexor strain. While I should have been upset to learn...

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Lineup: A Very Different Cubs Group vs Chris Sale

CUBS LINEUP — The Cubs were shutout in the opener against the Braves last night. And it doesn't figure to get any easier against a resurgent Chris Sale tonight. Here's how Craig Counsell will line 'em up against the 35-year-old...

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Jed Hoyer Speaks: New Reliever, Bullpen Issues, Imanaga, Morel, Swanson, Bat Data, More

The Chicago Cubs' President of Baseball Operations just hopped on 670 The Score On the Bernstein & Holmes Show, discussing a number of Cubs-related items. He led things off with a discussion of newly-acquired reliever, Tyson Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hes1lI-8ZCI So, then,...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Shota Imanaga Favored for NL Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP, Nobel Peace Prize, and an Oscar

There is nothing Shota Imanaga can't do. Going up against one of the best teams in baseball — and best overall offenses versus LHP — on the road, without his best stuff, Shota Imanaga tossed 5.0 scoreless innings in Atlanta, with...

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Shōta and ReyLo Duel, New MLB Pipeline Top 100, Investigating the New Statcast Swing Metrics, More

Baseball's top two pitchers in the ERA department squared off last night and did not disappoint—that and more in today's MLB Notes. Shōta Imanaga Was Awesome (Again), But So Was Reynaldo Lopez I've watched a lot of Reynaldo López, given...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | May 14, 2024: Top 25 Prospect Stock Report

The Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates were off on Monday, so it's time to take stock of some recent hot (and not-so-hot) performers inside the Cubs Top 25 prospects down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm...

Patrick K. Flowers

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Did You Ever Wonder What Happened to Frank Schwindel?

I've gotten back into baseball cards, which, among other things, sends me down a lot of Memory Lanes. You pull a particular card, you think about that player, and you have various memories. It's part of the fun. The other...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Shotamania, Counsell Boot, Rotation, Wesneski, Happ, and Other Cubs Bullets

I hope your Tuesday is treating you well. So far so good on my end ... Shota Imanaga dealt with more traffic last night than he has thus far in his debut MLB season, but hey, that's a ridiculous Braves...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Roster Moves: Lovelady DFA’d, Miller Acquired, Slaughter Sent Out

The Tyson Miller trade is now official, with the Chicago Cubs sending minor league utility man Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for Miller, who figures to be mostly a match-up righty/middle reliever in the bullpen. More on the trade...

Brett Taylor

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Luckiest Dude at the Ballpark

I have been to more Cubs and MLB games than I could realistically remember. And not ONCE — not even once — have I caught a ball. No homers, no foul balls, no outfielders chucking it to me. Nothing. And...

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

MLB

How to Watch Phillies Games: Full 2024 Schedule, Live Stream and More

If you are a Philadelphia Phillies fan and looking to catch their games, you can watch most of them on TV with a cable subscription or via streaming with one of the many different apps. Let’s break down the cable...

Brian Twining

May 14, 2024

Chicago Blackhawks

Connor Bedard Scored Again for Canada

Oh hey! Blackhawks' star Connor Bedard scored his fifth goal of the World Championships for Canada on Tuesday afternoon. https://twitter.com/BN_Blackhawks/status/1790468565675483262 Bedard helped Canada sprint to a 6-1 lead... which evaporated as Austria scored five unanswered goals in the third period...

Tab Bamford

May 14, 2024

MLB

How to Watch Yankees Games: Full 2024 Schedule, Live Stream and More

The Bronx is booming! Yankee Stadium crackles with energy as the New York Yankees chase another World Series title. Whether you're a die-hard Yankees fan bleeding pinstripes or a baseball enthusiast captivated by the American League East race, their remaining...

Brian Twining

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Adbert Alzolay Update: Imaging Results, Timeline, and a Sprinkle of (Unexpected) Optimism

Michael Cerami

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bears

Kiran Amegadjie Reportedly Signed His Rookie Deal

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie is reportedly signing his rookie deal. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson has details on the contract, which includes: A $1.121 million signing bonus Annual workout bonus of $50,000 per year from 2025-27 Total deal worth...

Luis C. Medina

May 14, 2024

News

2024 PGA Championship Prize Purse and Payout Breakdown: How Much Money Does the Winner Make?

The countdown has begun for the highly anticipated PGA Championship. As the second major of the 2024 calendar, this prestigious event will grace the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. This year marks the 106th edition of the championship,...

Ryan Noonan

May 14, 2024

Chicago Bulls

Lonzo Ball Shares a Very Optimistic (Nearly Unbelievable) Update on His Rehab

Lonzo Ball's new podcast "What an Experience" didn't avoid the elephant in the room. Within the first few seconds of the inaugural episode, Ball addressed his current health status and provided an update on his return to play. To be...

Elias Schuster

May 14, 2024

News

2024 PGA Championship Odds & Field: Scottie Scheffler & Rory McIlroy Favored Over defending champ Brooks Koepka at Valhalla

2024 PGA Championship Odds & Field- The second major tournament of the 2024 season is taking place this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. The PGA Championship will run from Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19. Defending...

Ryan Noonan

May 14, 2024

Chicago Cubs