Super Joe Mather is Super and Other Bullets

April 24, 2012, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

I’m headed to Chicago this morning, and will be taking in tonight’s (and tomorrow’s) game at Wrigley Field. A group of us will be getting together before the game tonight at The Sports Corner (across from Wrigley), so stop by if you’re free. I’ll be there around 5pm. There should be relatively normal posting today, but tonight’s EBS will be delayed, especially if the game ends well.

Bryan LaHair’s 12 pitch, pinch hit at bat with the bases empty and one out last night, which ended in a walk, was probably the most impressive at bat of the night, with apologies to Joe Mather’s game-winning single (in which he battled back after being down 0-2). “LaHair’s at-bat was unbelievable,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “To battle that kind of velocity and work a walk out of it, and Geo, too. They were great at-bats. They weren’t going up there just hacking. Obviously, Super Joe came through as he did in Spring Training all the time.” What I really like about LaHair’s … wait. Dale just call Joe Mather “Super Joe”? Like, for realsies? Super Joe? All right. Super Joe it is.
On beating his former team, Mather was excited. “I’d lie if I said there wasn’t [satisfaction], yeah,” Mather said about beating the Cardinals. “I have a lot of good friends over there, but it does feel good. When it comes down to it ultimately, we won a big league game and the self-satisfaction was secondary.”
Kerry Wood, who’s been on the DL, officially, since April 14, will throw off the mound soon. His shoulder fatigue/soreness/oldness/whatever is subsiding a bit, and the Cubs hope he’ll be able to return without the need for a rehab stint. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend.
The Cubs have conceded that they will likely waive recently DFA’d pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, in the hopes that he’ll clear waivers and accept an assignment to AAA Iowa. I guessed yesterday after the Cubs DFA’d Lopez that he’d be waived, would clear waivers, and then would reject the assignment, opting instead to become a free agent. Usually, a DFA situation takes 10 days to play out, but if the Cubs know they are going to waive him, we might know the resolution within a few days.
New Chicago Cubs pitcher Michael Bowden is relieved and excited to be a member of the Cubs.
Bruce Levine discusses the Cubs’ struggles on defense this year, which is legit, but he does so, in part, by contrasting it with an improved offense. Let’s be very, very clear about something: in the small 17-game sample set we’ve got to work with, one thing is clear. The offense is terrible. It is much worse than the 2011 offense, which obviously wasn’t particularly good.
Remember the other day when there was a stoppage in the game against the Reds, and the cameras did the thing that they always do (which is linger on a couple players as though they are the most interesting guys in the world)? Well, it was a fan who ran on the field, and a friend on Twitter passed along a link to the video. It isn’t the best quality, but I liked looking at it, because I wasn’t permitted to look at it when it happened. Tell me what to watch, will you?!