The way I figure it, Cub fans have to know that that sort of thing is going to happen, don’t they? I mean, they’re Cub fans.
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The way I figure it, Cub fans have to know that that sort of thing is going to happen, don’t they? I mean, they’re Cub fans.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
You know, if only this team had that “Can-Do” Spirit… if only they had that feeling, you know, like the next guy is gonna pick them up. If only they had some kind of bond, some kind of camaraderie, that special something.. some… chutzpah… If only they had some character, then we might start winning games like yesterday’s… Shame, really.
this is a pretty early game thread, but i dig it.
what will the lineup against lhp look like? please get heyward out of the 2 hole. my lineup:
prado
infante
d.lee
diaz
mccann
gonzalez
heyward
melky
you know Bobby isnt moving heyward and the top 4 are set
Infante
Heyward
Prado
Lee
Bmac
Diaz
AAG
Melky
top 5 are set, IMO
Batting Lee above McCann is stupid.
Lineup SHOULD be:
Against righthanders
Prado
Heyward
Lee
Mc
A. Gon
Ankiel
Melky
Omar
against lefthanders:
Prado
Diaz
Lee
Mc
A gon
Ankiel (occasionally Melky)
Omar
Heyward (occasionally Melky)
reduces effectiveness of roogies and loogies and gets Heyward’s problems against lefthanders out of the prime OBP spots.
@6, R-L-R-R-L-R-R-S is not unreasonable against a lefty starter.
cliff, why would you want Omar’s .365/.390/.465/.855 against RHP batting 8th?
vs RHP
Infante
Heyward
Prado
Bmac
Lee
Ankiel
AAG
Melky
vs LHP
Infante
Prado
Lee
Diaz
Bmac
AAG
Heyward
Melky
All I know is that unless this team can figure out LHP soon, we’re not going to have to worry about the lineup for long. This feels like an important day for Lee, yes, even against the cubbies.
I agree. If Lee doesn’t get his act together today, he’s probably gone.
You know, if you’re interested in meaningless races, the battle for third between the Mets and Marlins is turning into a barnburner.
will Bobby sit Bmac today?
I was watching the game yesterday with a cubs fan and when they brought Marmol in, he talked about how Marmol will walk the bases loaded then strike out the side. He was right, minus the bases clearing triple. 🙂 He didn’t even stick around for the bottom of the ninth.
Jay Mariotti arrested in LA. For a domestic disturbance, not for being Jay Mariotti, but maybe they’ll add that charge later.
Any lineup, regardless of who’s at the top, should not have Melky in it. It’s hard to understate just how bad McLouth and Melky have been this year, combined. I’ll try anyway.
According to fangraphs, which takes its (admittedly less stable) UZR ratings into account, Nate McLouth has posted a -1.3 WAR. If he was up right now that would qualify as worst in baseball. Melky Cabrera, with his -.5 WAR, currently sits as second worst in baseball. For the most part, one of these guys has been in the lineup most games this season; it’s not a stretch to say that between them we have fielded an “everyday” player. That “everyday player” has thus cost the team almost two wins, and performed collectively as one of, if not the the worst, players in baseball. Had we fielded even a league average player in lieu of those 628 plate appearances this team would be so much better.
All of which leads me to beg that we keep Diaz/Hinske in LF and Ankiel in CF.
1. Infante 2B, 2. Heyward RF, 3. Prado 3B, 4. Lee 1B, 5. Diaz LF, 6. Gonzalez SS, 7. Ross C, 8. Ankiel CF, 9. Hanson RHP.
You know, I was kind of happy for the Red Sox when they broke their curse but Sox fans have since taught me that was a mistake. I hope the Cubs suck until long after I am dead.
ignoring heyward’s poor production against lhp and continuing to fill out the lineup with him in the #2 spot regardless of handedness is not smart baseball.
even without splits, heyward has been utterly horrible in august with a .558 ops.
heyward is awesome, but giving him a pass to suck it up in the 2 hole because he’s the savior of the franchise doesnt make sense. he’s done well hitting lower and infante and prado have done well hitting higher.
i dont get it. csg, you tell me the lineup is set. i ask why?
The weird thing is White Sox fans. Cubs fans were famous for all the curse crap, and still are, while White Sox fans are harder to find than Clippers or Islanders fans. (I haven’t seen a single hot chick wearing a pink White Sox cap.) Even after they won the World Series, as far as I can tell, White Sox fans aren’t particularly insufferable, or numerous.
I totally agree with billy-jay — Cubs fans are pretty much a mortal lock to go Sox Nation on us. But isn’t it weird that the White Sox, who have been miserable for just as long, didn’t really change at all?
#20 – because its Bobby. Same reason why Chipper wasnt moved from the 3 hole when he was hitting .210 and slg less than his OBP. He’s old school and gets stuck in his ways
I dont disagree with you at all, in fact, Id like to see Heyward hitting 6th again.
I’d just like to see the team’s three best hitters (Prado, McCann, Lee) hitting somewhere in the first 4 spots, don’t really care in what order.
Peter, over the rest of the season, how much better of a performance do you expect from Derrek Lee than from Omar Infante?
re: Cubs fans
Cubs fans are idiots
I have a friend who is a White Sox fan. I’ve never even seen or heard of another.
26
Obama
though he can’t name any of the players on the team and he isn’t a friend of yours
I can’t reply to #27 without violating the rules. So, um, next?
24,
Anywhere from a little bit to a lot depending on how much the bulging disc bothers him.
Let’s take Derrek Lee to a faith healer.
Ozzie isn’t even a fan of ChiSox…
and back to Cubs fans…Bill Murray is a fan. He gets a pass for awesomeness.
Bill Murray is cool. I still hope the Cubs suck until the Earth melts.
There are some Chisox fans in Birmingham because the Barons are one of their farm teams. But probably fewer than Cubs fans. I’d guess sixth, after Braves-Yankees-Cubs-Dodgers-Cards.
I know a guy from South Korea who’s a die-hard White Sox fan. Came over for college at Illinois, and the Sox were better at the time, so he picked them over the Cubs.
I really like Derrek Lee. Still not sure he’s much of an upgrade, but I like having him to cheer for.
Friend of mine is a ChiSox fan. About six years ago, his kids were bugging him to buy a boat.
He told them he’d buy a boat when the White Sox won the World Series.
Kid’s a helluva skier by now.
Back to worrying about next year:
How many HRs can we legitimately expect from Freeman? From Heyward?
Looking at our projected lineup, it looks like AGon and Diaz are our power bats.
Can we win with singles, doubles and walks? WIth our pitching, maybe.
I’m not worried about next year until we’re done. And that doesn’t seem to be anytime soon.
@36, I think that McCann fella hits the occasional dinger
back in the days of bo jackson and frank thomas, i was a closet white sox fan.
I miss Frank Thomas.
In the early ’90s, everyone was a White Sox fan.
I was a Black Jack fan. He was almost as badass as Venters.
One of the reasons you have Heyward in the 2-spot is because he’s the fastest guy on the team. When he’s on base and Troy Glaus and Brian McCann or Alex Gonzalez are at the plate, he gives you better options for avoiding the doubleplay. He is also your best bet to score from 1B on a double.
McDowell, Big Frank, Ventura, Bo, Ozzie. The White Sox were the shizznit in the early 90s.
44
don’t forget Lance Johnson. that MFer had wheels!
Any lineup, regardless of who’s at the top, should not have Melky in it.
This of course is the problem with having a terrible April is that it drags down your numbers for the year and means folks who aren’t paying attention will never update their talking points.
Hinske on the other hand got off to a hot start, hasn’t really hit since May but no one has really noticed so he gets a pass.
I enjoy our ‘all arm’ outfield of Melk-Ankiel-Heyward. We should see a lot of it against RHP.
I have noticed, Robert.
Hinske gets a pass because of the gigantic tattoo.
That’s my take, anyway. YMMV.
I hate Hinske because he’s got a weight problem and doesn’t even act like he’s ashamed of it.
I am thoroughly impressed with Lance Johnson’s wiki..
Led league five times in triples. Golly!
@49:
I can’t imagine how you feel about Melky.
Very nice.
@52:
Yeah, that’s really cool.
How about the fact that Melky playes the outfield like a little leaguer. I don’t mean one of these all-star little league teams you see on TV, I am talking the kid you put in right and hope nobody hits the ball that way.
54- There’s also the fact that he ACTS like the kid who plays in Little League only because the rules say everyone has to.
something I learned in little league is that no matter where you stick that kid who can’t catch for s***, the ball always seems to find him in the bottom of the 6th and … ball game.
Pizza didn’t taste as good after the game when you’re sitting next to the little jerk who blew it.
In other news, we actually won last night. Just sayin’.
Javy Vazquez was throwing an 88 MPH fastball today.
I would argue that all of the comments on Melky’s defense mentioned above apply to Hinske.
I saw some clown arguing earlier that Vazquez’s shitty season was because he went back to the AL. I’m not denying that going from the NL to the AL is tougher for pitchers, but his dead arm was completely ignored. I wanted to crawl through my phone and punch him.
Vazquez looked absolutely lost, both on the mound and in the dugout afterwards.
Tip of the cap to you, Mr. Wren.
Nobody’s putting Hinske in center. Or bringing him in as a defensive replacement.
58- Vazquez gave up eight hits and four runs before being pulled after the first batter of the fourth inning. Only question is where and how serious the injury is.
@59:
Except Hinske also plays 1B. You don’t have to move much for that.
Also: awesome tattoo. What’s Melky got?
(I’m not entirely sure that I want to know)
Speaking of Javy Vazquez…
You gotta see this HR Russell Branyan hit off him today. Supposedly, it’s the longest one so far in the new Yankee Stadium. Top deck in RF. A blast.
In the following video, the ball goes out of the camera’s range, but you can still see how hard he hit it.
http://tinyurl.com/2f9vwev
Javy has thrown a total of 10 1/3 IP over his last 3 starts (including today), giving up 21 hits (5 HR), 7 BB and 12 ER. Ouch.
Melky actually runs a lot like Jeffy did/does — he looks like he’s running hard, but if you could take a long view you could see he’s not covering much ground.
Recap may or may not be delayed. It’ll be up some time tonight.
@62 That is true. Maybe Bobby is still fooled by the name “Melky”. He sounds like he should be a scrappy, speedy little guy, not a bowling ball with a chin strap.
Also, he physically resembles Andruw, and that might fool Bobby, too.
ububba,
That clip makes me sad. I still like Javy. I do like seeing the Yankees fail, though.
LOL -> player to be named later
88 is fast for Vasquez, he was 85-86 his last two starts
My XM doesn’t seem to want to work for some reason today, does anybody have a radio link for us non-Atlantans ?
On a related note, does anyone have any idea where there’s a stream of the Fox broadcast? I’m blacked out on MLB.tv.
Come on DLee!
so, are cubs fans pulling for the braves in the postseason? if so, that’s HUGE!
Lee’s HitZone box on gamecast is entirely shaded in red
MoronCarver on DLee: “He reeks of class.” Shut up.
dang, thought Lee had that one
i pulled a chip there. i thought that was gone off the bat.
SWING AND A DRIVE! BELTED LEFT!….and Colvin tracks it down.
Way to be prepared for your job, McCarver. So far we’ve had “Martin” (pronounced in traditional English) Prado and Matt “Dee-az.”
That ball looked really good off of Lee’s bat. I thought it was five rows deep at least.
EDIT: I muted the TV after the “reeks of class” comment.
does mccarver even try to pronouce people’s names correct? such a dick.
how in the world is that ruled a double?
MoronCarver is far too important to bother with these peons’ names.
It always kinda annoys me whenever Jon Miller overdoes it with the pronunciation. But pretty much anything McCarver does is guaranteed to annoy me.
For those missing a radio link,
mms://70.155.124.242:8080
has the game today.
McCarver just pronounced the word ‘featuring’ as ‘feeching.’
Tommy looks like the guy from Modern Family with that beard.
AAR – I don’t like McCarver, but Jon Miller’s over-enunciation obsession drives me insane.
Is that a recurring link, or does it change on a game by game basis
Goddam this fucking defense so much. He was out at home, and out at second.
LITTLE LEAGUERS!
fail!
Cue the Benny Hill theme.
There’s a reason we used to call them “Prados.”
“Excellent baserunning by Aramis” ? Are you kidding Tim? Prado had him dead to rights at 2nd with a competent throw.
spike, NO chance he was out at home
LOL
Tomas, major major props. I appreciate the link very much.
And Derrek Lee is doing his best to fit in.
that really should be the 3rd error this inning
Hey guys, we’re just following the script. Fall behind a run or two early, then come back in the last at bat.
I hope FOX is at least fulfilling a diversity requirement by letting McCarver ruin baseball.
Enjoy the gifts, Cubbies.
Braves Infielders=Keystone Cops. Wow, what atrocious fielding.
how does Tommy get charged with 2 ER there?
Diaz booted one, Prado threw one in the OF, and Infante threw one wide of 1st
If Diaz comes up with that ball in LF, they may not score this inning.
That’s unofficial. Probably one will be changed to “unearned”, though really both should.
Both of the Cubs’ runs can be traced to Diaz’s fumbling in LF. If Fukudome is held to a single, Aramis’ single sends him to 2nd and he very likely can’t score on Tyler Colvin’s infield single. I guess those are the breaks sometimes…
Looks like Hanson just doesn’t know how to win. (by win I mean get his team to play defense)
Ford Key to the Game: Braves- Keep Pretending You’re At Home.
This reminds me of Andy Van Slyke’s quote, “On the road, when you go downstairs for coffee in your underwear, they throw you out of the kitchen.”
!!! A walk in the first half of the game!
“Looks like Hanson just doesn’t know how to win. (by win I mean get his team to play defense)”
Or hit.
Wagner: “Until I don’t show up next year, nobody’s going to believe me. Brett Favre’s f—–ed it up for everybody.”
You know what this game needs? Deion.
116- Where’d you see that quote? I like it.
Wagner says he’s no Favre — he’s retiring. Period. | Atlanta Braves.
he doesnt hold back at all, I like that about him…
“Me and my family have made plans for retirement,” he said. “I don’t need it anymore. I’m tired of the expectations, tired of the criticism, tired of people who never played trying to tell me how to play.
“And I enjoy my family, unlike [some others]. So I want to be there for them. I want to get to see them play ball, and be a dad.”
“I didn’t come into this season just to play it,” Wagner it. “I’ve played at a high level for my whole career, and I expect it. I don’t expect to suck. Even if I decided to play next year, I’m still not going to say, gee, it’s alright if a suck. I couldn’t live with that.”
Chip Carey and Tim McCarver: “If you don’t get to [Tommy Hanson] in the first inning, you don’t get to him at all.”
Hanson ERA by inning:
1st: 2.16
2nd: 8.03
3rd: 2.62
4th: 3.86
5th: 4.15
I’m so glad these guys take so much pride in their jobs.
wait, are both Chip and McCarver covering this game? How has all television as we know it not imploded and ceased to exist?
Um, so who wanted to get Heyward out of the 2 spot against the lefty?
No, sorry. McCarver quoted Chip. And yes, my head almost exploded.
*sigh* new faces, same results.
Damnit Tommy… walking Castro to start the inning is a very poor idea.
fukudome started the inning and grounded out, but walking two to get to Aramis is a horrible idea.
And a second walk in front of Ramirez is an even worse one.
Dammit Tommy.
can we trade derrek lee for aramis?
Well, I stand by my “walk are bad” position regardless.
I think the Cyborg’s gonna want this one erased from his bubble memory.
They haven’t hit a ball hard, yet, I don’t think, but this is the price you pay for walks and bad defense.
Soooo…. basically nothing has gone right so far.
this is awful, might as well go cut grass
I was hoping for a good showing today, after the debacle at the dealership today. Ugh. Two Towers on DVD, here I come!
Go Nats.
after watching Diaz loaf there again, Im done
time to go buy some camouflage pants for the first time in my life.
SSS, but this Lee thing is troubling.
Good lord. It’s like they are trying to screw stuff up now.
The Braves are now “credited” with two errors where they really should have four or five.
Tim McCarver getting the Braves franchise names wrong. 1898 was the beaneaters, doofus.
Nice hit Alex.
/And now McCarver corrects himself.
Diory of an AAAA hitter, so to speak.
spike, that made me laugh. Perfect name for a book.
Will the Cubs give another game away? And if so, will the Braves be willing to accept it?
You know who I trust with the bases loaded? Melky Cabrera.
Just turned on the game for the Aramis Ramirez single off O’Flaherty. Was Hanson’s command bad today?
resilient? or silent?
Melky really takes some terrible swings at some terrible pitches.
Thanks a bunch for proving me right, Melky.
Well, no DP, so better than we expected from the Melkiest Man in the World.
Now it’s the Folk Hero’s time to shine!
i just can’t like melky…i’m sorry. i know its reactionary, but i cant help it.
That 3-0 pitch was not a strike.
Edit: Fine with me, though!
He is unbelievable.
FOLK HERO!
BROOKS!!
Wow. Brooks is incredible.
Intentionally walking Omar to get to Jason Heyward…
C’mon, rook.
walking infante to get to heyward. time to shine again j-hey!
IBB to get to Heyward. This strikes me as… unwise.
Folk Hero is unbelievable.
I think I’ll get my guitar and write a Brooks Conrad folk song and put it on youtube.
Brooks Conrad: great Atlanta Brave, or greatest Atlanta Brave?
can someone please tell me when the last time jason swung at a first pitch.
Bases loaded for Marrrrrteeeeen!
LOL Heyward didn’t try to get out of the way
Hanson’s command was a little off, but not horrible. He got to nibbling and that killed him in the inning where he walked the first two guys.
They got some dunkers and the defense has been embarrassing.
Jeez, are we gonna win this game, too?
Good acting job by Jason.
Heyward didn’t try to get out of the way, but he was considering swinging, so that’s not all that surprising.
Aw shoot.
I sure wish Martin had been looking for that first-pitch curve.
DAMMIT, PRADO
DAMMIT, PRADO
Hey, uh… was Kyle Farnsworth actually good today?
Alex, he was pitching in a seemingly meaningless four run ballgame at the time. Of course he pitched a perfect inning.
Brooks with runners in scoring position this year (counting today): 361/ 465/ 667. All three of those averages would lead the National League by at least 40 points.
I wonder how much of Jonny Venters’ awesomeness is Wagner’s doing.
So, does Marmol come in again?
With the bases loaded this year, Brooks Conrad is 4-9, with a single, a double, two homers, and 11 RBI.
Like I said, I’m nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Derrek Lee reaches for the first time as a Brave. Woo hoo.
Don’t swing, Hinske!
That’s his second walk tonight, Brian.
Manny’s return could complicate Dodgers’ roster: Torre literally admits that they don’t want to call up Manny because they don’t want to take anyone off the roster. Get it done, Wren!
Think he walked in his last AB.
Don’t swing, AAG!
This guy hasn’t thrown a strike yet.
Oops.
How dare Marmol throw strikes to AAG!
Damn.
Can’t win them all, I guess.
This is all Brooks’ fault. He should have hit a grand slam.
Strasburg against Kendrick in the Phillies game. Go Strasburg!
Still not sure why Wren hasn’t gotten someone more useful than McCann. He sucks!
Marmol now has 105 Ks in 57.2 innings. That’s good for a K/9 of 16.4.
Melky getting back in the doghouse
Kendrick walks in a run in the top of the 1st. He seems to be getting squeezed. Fine by me.
And I-Rod singles in two more.
Well….. uh… Go nats
Edit: Kendrick’s given up 3 in the top of the first.
Ivan Rodriguez with an RBI single, 3-0 Nats.
Natinals up 3-0 still in the first inning.
Recapped. Someone whack Aramis Ramirez for me.
Ace Chutley with a terrific diving stop, throws out Willie Harris at first, so the Nats only get 3 runs.