Once again, the series starting today has the look of one where the Cubs should win one (Wednesday’s Garza v. Westbrook tilt), should lose one (Thursday’s Coleman v. Garcia), and could win the other one (today’s Zambrano v. Carpenter). It feels like eons since the Cubs won the first game of a series, so it sure would be nice to get a win today. Ain’t that the truth every day, though?
The Mariners dumped Milton Bradley yesterday (designated for assignment); not after a fiery dugout explosion, mind you, but after a whimpering offensive start to the 2011 season. Whatever happened to him emotionally over the past few years is less interesting than what happened to him physically: he simply stopped being able to play baseball. We’ll never know why, but the Cubs sure paid him (and then Carlos Silva) handsomely for it. Hey, maybe the Cubs will pick him up! He was always good for a headline…
The conclusion to the previous bullet was a joke. Just being clear.
The Cubs have considered sending struggling fourth outfielder Tyler Colvin down to AAA to get regular starts. I get that it’s hard to justify getting Colvin regular starts when he’s hitting just .121/.203/.276 (Koyie Hill is destroying him), but I can’t help but think the extreme irregularity of his usage, combined with the frequency that he was hitting against lefties, and his placement at the bottom of the order (where he’s guaranteed to see little but junk), all conspired to do him in. At the end of the day, some time in AAA might not be a bad idea. Possible replacements include Lou Montanez and Tony Campana, neither of whom is considered a legitimate prospect, and may be better suited to fill the role Colvin is filling now. Neither is on the 40-man roster, however.
Mike Quade talks about attendance at Wrigley Field: