Cubs Take it On The Chin
Fans cheer on their ace, Travis Wood after he clubs his two run shot
The Cubs are suffering the ,”Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” Blues this morning after a tough loss to the NY Mets 4-3 yesterday.
Again, it was the Cubs pitching staff that came through for them yesterday when Travis Wood worked his magic on both sides of the plate. Travis Wood knocked a two run home run in the fifth inning.
“We struck out twice with guys on third base and [one out], so those kinds of things come back to haunt you,” manager Dale Sveum said.
Yes, they did come back to haunt the Cubs, who were leading most of the game, but couldn’t hang on for the win.
It’s ironic though, that it was Travis Wood that would have put the Cubs in the win column, but it was Travis Wood that released that now infamous ugly pitch in the eighth inning to Juan Legares and watched the ball being crushed into the stands.
“As soon as it left the hand, I didn’t like it,” Wood said of the fat pitch Juan Lagares deposited into the left-field bleachers for a two-run homer to tie the game. “I was hoping he would pop it up or something, but he didn’t.”
Cubs catcher, Wellington Castillo had a great game going 2-4. I tell ya, the Duke is going to be around when the Cubs make it to the World Series.
So, the Cubs played extremely well yesterday, but ran out of luck towards the end.
Sure, it counts as a loss in the standings, but I think they’re coming together and are turning into a tough team to beat.
“We had a chance to break that game open in different situations,” Dale Sveum said. “From the dugout (Sweeney) looked out, and the replay … it was maybe a tie. We took some bad turns around the bases.”
That my friends, is baseball.
An off day today before the Cubs visit beautiful Pittsburgh with Matt Garza returning to the mound on Tuesday. Game time is 7:05 eastern.
It’s going to be good.
—Mark
The Fantastic Mr. Feldman
I’ve read somewhere that the Cubs rotation is pretty weak. It hasn’t been in 2013 and it certainly wasn’t bad yesterday as Scott Feldman and the Cubs proved to the New York Mets that they’re for real in an 8-2 victory.
Scott Feldman was fantastic on the mound as well as behind the plate. He knocked out a double in the fourth inning that could have been a home run.
“I got myself into some trouble in the first couple innings, but was able to right the ship at the right time and make a pitch when I needed to,” Feldman said. “After those first couple innings, guys were running down those balls in the outfield and making plays.”
Ah, Scott’s humble too.
The win yesterday improves Scott’s totals to 4-0 for the season. Way to go Scott,”Mr. Fantastic” Feldman.
Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
Meanwhile, the newly inked Anthony Rizzo, added to his totals, sending his tenth home run into the bleachers for a souvenir. Nate Schierholtz collected his fifth home run of the season.
Yup folks, the Chicago Cubs are on a roll stretching their record to 18-24. You know what the best part is?
We’re better than the Brewers.
The Cubs finish up with the Mets today, then a break tomorrow before an important three game series with the Pirates starting Tuesday.
Game Time today is at 2;20 eastern.
—Mark
Baseball: It’s Beautiful
The Chicago Cubs can be a frustrating team to follow. They can make you cringe in your seat or scream in ecstasy at a fantastic play. They can put you asleep on the couch before the fifth inning or they can leave you hanging until midnight when you know full well you have to be up early for work.
Chicago Cubs fans know that they haven’t won a World Series since 1908. That’s a long time and the longest drought between championships in professional sports. To put this into perspective, my grandfather was born in 1908 a month and two weeks after the Cubs won the series. My grandfather passed on just over twenty years.
Passionate fans swear that there is a curse. You can blame it on Goats, Cats or just about any other barnyard animal, but the true blame is just on the team. There is no curse, there is no “lovable losers” and someday, they will win it all.
Maybe I’m being too optimistic in their chances, but this is a team that gives me great pleasure watching on a lazy Weekend afternoon in the middle of a scorching July.
I’m here to tell loyal fans of the Cubs. Young and old. Purists and non purists. Baseball is a fantastic game. Families and friends can catch up on old times during the games while sharing a wobbly pop. They can play catch with their kids(I did that just yesterday) and they can share old stories of legendary players of days gone by. In a world sometimes torn by strife and hatred, baseball brings peace.
I’ve never seen the Cubs play. I’ve never been to Wrigley Field, but I hear it’s a hell of place. I’ve never seen them hoist the trophy.
Neither has my grandfather.
—Mark
Shark Attack!
It seems this year it’s all about the pitching. Last night, The Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-3. It might as well be the Shark Jeff Samardzija, doing all the damage. Check out what he did:
Popping a two run dinger of a Home Run in the second inning, almost getting a complete game but Jimmy Russell replaced the Shark in the ninth inning but Samardzija collected his first win since opening day. oh yeah, Jeff Samardzija was an all american wide reciever for Notre Dame. Bet you didn’t know that one didn’t you?
“He used the whole four corners of the plate,” Sveum said. “He pitched up, he pitched in, he pitched away, used his slider, used his split, used a lot of cutters tonight. He used his whole repertoire tonight.
Talk about multi tasking–
Then there’s David DeJesus who started the game with a lead off home run. Way to go David, you can fill in a certain reference to the movie Big Lebowski.
You see, I think the key to the Cubs success this season is going to be getting help all around. Not just the money guys like Alfonso Soriano, Starlin Castro or Anthony Rizzo, but David Dejesus(who is so underated on both sides of the plate)Wellington Castillo and Gold Glove winner Darwin Barney.
“We’re playing great baseball and not shooting ourselves in the foot and we’re just looking to keep it going, keep the momentum going that we’ve built up in the last couple weeks,” Samardzija said. “It’s exciting now, it’s exciting in the locker room and fun to play with these guys.”
Ah but there’s the secret right there, you have to have fun with the guys in order to win. When your ace gets a home run, it helps a little bit too.
Does anyone know what the statistic is when a pitcher gets a home run. What is the ratio between wins/losses?
The Cubs have a much deserved day off after collecting their first series win this year at Wrigley before they hosting a weekend series with the New York Mets.
—Mark
Carlos”The Villan” Villanueva Hits Rockies Bottom
The Cubs/Rockies game didn’t go well last night. First off, the Cubs lost 9-4. Carlos “The Villan” Villanueva did not have a great outing, and you know what that means? once Matt Garza gets back, Well, Cubs fans can fill in the blanks.
“Obviously, I have my own opinions,” Villanueva said. “Obviously, a move will be made. A night like tonight didn’t help my cause. I’ll take the ball whenever they need me to. I’d like to contribute and to win as many ballgames as we can. In the end, it really doesn’t matter that much what I think. Whatever happens will happen and they’ll make their decisions. We’re professionals here and we’ll handle it like professionals.”
Hector Rondon came in to replace Villanueva in the sixth inning after giving up seven runs over five.
The good news is Carlos is a great pitcher and I’m sure he’ll find a home in the organization.
“You chalk it up to a bad day at the office. It’s easy when you’re out there to put your head down in a game like today, but for me, it was try to get out of it and try to stay in as long as I could. It’s just a tough day all around.”
Maybe that was just it with last night’s game. it was a tough day at the office, lick your wounds and do it again.
“There wasn’t a whole lot he had tonight,” Sveum said.
I have to give credit to Dale Sveum for keeping The Villan in the game. Sure, it was a tough outing, but it also builds character and this is the time of year to try things out and experiment. Isn’t this the season for the Cubs to do that?
There was a fantastic play by Michael Bowden to ground out Edgmer Escalona. I can’t find a video to show you, but it was an amazing grab!!
The Cubs try to salvage the series tonight at 8:05 eastern before they host the Mets on Friday.
—Mark
No Steep Mountain
The Rockies came to Chicago hoping to take an easy win from the Cubs. That didn’t happen. At all. The Chicago Cubs defeated the Colorado Rockies in a lopsided victory 9-1.
“Thank you for coming out, we hope that Wrigley Field tour was to your satisfaction, tomorrow we’ll show you where our new video board will be placed.”.
The factor that is getting the Cubs these wins and I don’t mind repeating my self is guys like Travis Wood who got the win.
“He’s doing a lot of this without secondary pitches,” Sveum said. “It’s not like he’s throwing a lot of curveballs or changeups. He’s mixing in those pitches and using them when he has to against people who are vulnerable, and able to use both sides of the plate and be aggressive and not walk people and help out with his bat, too.”
The ageless wonder and the Cubs poster boy for excessive spending Alfonso Soriano, is proving that the money is well spent dinged his fourth home run and helping the Cubs win three in a row.
You know, it all starts with Alfonso Soriano, because he is this team’s leader and he’s the one that’s going to help the guys win the World Series. If he’s doing well, it’s going to spread down to the younger guys like Starlin Castro.
“The only thing I think about is that — winning it here,” Starlin Castro said. “It’s going to be unbelievable. That’s why those people (President Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer) are signing people here for multiyear (deals), to be here when the team is competing every season.
With Anthony Rizzo’s signing, Happy Times might be here again. Just in a couple of years.
“Every time we win here and you hear that ‘Go Cubs Go’ song, for me personally I get a vision of going to the playoffs,” Rizzo said. “I think we’re going in the right direction. … We’re not far off right now. We’re going to continue to build and be a powerhouse.”
Ok, it’s a tradition up here to take a jab at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Last night, the Leafs got ousted from the NHL playoffs and because I’m a tried and true Ottawa Senators fan, here goes,
Q: What do the Maple Leafs, Argonauts and Blue Jays all have in common besides being based in Toronto?
A: None of them can play hockey.
Actually, it was a heartbreaking loss. I feel for them, I really do.
The Cubs continue their dominating ways tonight against the Rockies, game time is 8:05 eastern.
—Mark
Happy Mother’s Day it is!
Alfonso Soriano taps home. The Cubs beat the Nationals 2-1
It was a happy Mother’s Day for the Cubs as they came from behind yesterday and defeated the Washington Nationals in a close game 2-1. By the way, chalk that up to another one run game.
“That showed a lot about the players,” Sveum said of his team. “The first night, having [Jeff] Samardzija on the mound and things falling apart, and to come back and win both games against two of the best pitchers in baseball showed me a lot about these guys to do something like that.”
It wasn’t a pretty game, but they’ll take it, moving their record to 15-22.
James Russell got the win and Kevin Gregg earned another save.
The team is winning these ball games with their supporting staff and getting unlikely help with their superstars like Alfonso Soriano who isn’t known for his base stealing, but there he was in the ninth stealing.
“That bullpen with (Rafael) Soriano, he’s a great pitcher,” Alfonso Soriano said. “But we got that break. We’ll take it. It’s important we got that win.”
Yup, it is important to get those wins especially by these great teams. The Cubs could be in the hunt. Just saying…
“It’s going to hopefully translate into some more wins,” starter Scott Feldman said. “We can start believing in each other a little more and know we can compete on a high level with a great team over there and come out here and get a series win.”
Speaking of great players(I really wasn’t but I thought I’d add this) Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs are locked up for the next 7 years. The wily first baseman and the Cubs agreed to the $41 million dollar deal providing a hopeful contingent to the Cubs World Series hunt.
Well done, Tony R!
The Cubs host the red hot Rockies tonight. Game time is 8:05 eastern
—Mark
Edwin Jackson Earns His Keep
Sometimes you can never go home. Edwin Jackson’s return to Washington turned out to be an outstanding win for the Cubs 8-2 over Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.
That’s right, 8 to freakin’ 2 for the Cubs. Edwin Jackson pitching!
“It felt like the same size as me, that I was carrying double,” Jackson said about that certain primate stuck on his back. “When things are going bad, you can either fold and collapse or you can continue to work hard and climb your way out of a hole.”
He got that double witch contributed two runs to help them Cubs to an enormous win!!!
For anyone just joining us, the Cubs have had an up/down season. An exciting one for sure, but a learning one too. This victory helps the team chip away at the NL Central, but most importantly proves to the rest of the league that the Chicago Cubs are for real.
“He just needs to be Edwin Jackson and not worry about how much money he’s making,” manager Dale Sveum said.
This was Jackson’s first win this season and folks, let me tell you; this could be a major turning point for the team. Just wait and see.
Cubs finish off the series today at 1:35pm eastern. It’s also Mother’s Day so bring out the pink bat for breast cancer and ask her for a catch.
Happy Mother’s Day Mom and Debbie and Debbie and my most amazing, beautiful wife Mary Beth.
—Mark
Shark Attacked & Other Weird Tales
It wasn’t the best night for Jeff Samardzija. It wasn’t a good night for the Cubs either. April Fool’s Day was the last win for the Shark. I hope it wasn’t a sign, but baseball is a game of superstitions. Awe C’mon, we’re talking about the Cubs here. Black Cats, Billie Goats, April Fool’s Day?
Last night, the Washington Nationals walloped the Cubs 7-3
“I thought I had good stuff today, fastball location was good,” Samardzija said. “There’s a couple pitches I’d like to have back, like the hanging slider to Desmond [on his homer in the fourth], and a couple here and there. It’s a tough one.”
Jeff Samardzija hit a double. That’s crazy! You know Jeff, it was a bad game. put it away and concentrate on today.
An interesting note: the Cubs had five doubles in the first five innings. Only scoring two? Weird man.
I want to talk about Starlin Castro. Yeah, he’s a little wild sometimes, but when he’s on his game, he’s one of the best. Apparently when he hits lead off, he’s even better. I want to show you something:
This is from one of my earlier posts.
http://mlblogscubden.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/final-countdown/
Please notice the part where I said I might be crazy, but I did say Starlin Castro should hit Lead Off.
“He’s one of those hitters,” Sveum said. “He’s going to be the same hitter no matter where he’s hitting in the lineup.”
Cubs are seeking to rebound today at 4:05
—Mark
The Cub Den
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