- Seamheads breaks down the AL MVP candidates
- Bye bye Joe Torre.
- Not only is Cubs manager Mike Quade 24-12 as manager but with tonight’s win, Carlos Zambrano is 8-0 in his last 10 starts. I haven’t gotten the memo yet. Are we supposed to start liking him again?
- I know the media is drooling over the idea of a “wacky” three-way tie but let’s keep it simple. Maybe the Giants will win on Sunday.
- oh and bye bye Mike Lowell, too.
Tag: Carlos Zambrano
Zambrano placed on restricted list… NOW?
So the Cubs will place Carlos Zambrano on the restricted list so he can receive “treatment”? Pardon me for seeming a little cynical but why now?
Why not all those years before when it seems like he could have used it (read: the Barrett incident etc)? Maybe his 3-6 record and 5.66 ERA has something to do with it.
I don’t know why but it reminds me of the Crash Davis quote from Bull Durham:
Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You’ll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you’ll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press’ll think you’re colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob.
…only sort of in reverse and this has to do with attitude.
The Cubs and let’s face it, MLB in general, were willing to put up with Zambrano’s antics and eccentrics as long as he was the #1 starter and winning 10+ games. Once he stopped doing that, I guess the oddity lost it’s allure.
Have a nice break, Carlos.
Cubs News Bits
-Curt Schilling says he’s not sure he’s coming back but if does, the Cubs are on his short list.
-“I’m going to strike him out. I’m going to try. He’ll be the enemy out there.” Marmol said this with a smile about Geovany Soto. The two of them may face each other in the World Baseball Classic.
-Carlos Zambrano pitched a near perfect two innings Monday in his first appearance in 2009. Big Z only sin was giving up a walk and he struck out three. Lou Piniella is still debating the Opening Day starter issue, though. It’s ok, Lou. You still have about a month.
-Finally, Lou Piniella supports Carlos Marmol’s decision to attend the WBC.
“It’s an honor to represent your country. He’s here competing for a job, and he was a little concerned. I said, ‘Lay your fears to rest. We’ll let you compete for that job when you get back and we’ll make a decision then.’ No decision will be made without Marmol being here.”
Now, just stay healthy, Carlos.
Sluggin’ Zambrano
The Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano won the Silver slugger award.
I wrote earlier this year comparing pitchers’ hitting and it wasn’t close. The rbis tightened up but Big Z is the clear leader.
Cnt Player BA PA Year Age
+----+-----------------+-----+---+----+---+
1 Carlos Zambrano .337 85 2008 27
2 Micah Owings .304 62 2008 25
3 Brandon Backe .277 56 2008 30
4 Adam Wainwright .267 65 2008 26
5 Jake Peavy .265 58 2008 27
6 Mark Hendrickson .257 37 2008 34
7 Braden Looper .254 80 2008 33
8 C.C. Sabathia .235 53 2008 27
9 Aaron Cook .233 78 2008 29
10 Manny Parra .226 58 2008 25
Cnt Player RBI Year Age
+----+-----------------+---+----+---+
1 Carlos Zambrano 14 2008 27
2 Brandon Webb 11 2008 29
3 Jason Marquis 10 2008 29
4 C.C. Sabathia 7 2008 27
5 Manny Parra 6 2008 25
6 Danny Haren 6 2008 27
7 Jorge de la Rosa 6 2008 27
8 Bronson Arroyo 6 2008 31
9 Micah Owings 6 2008 25
10 Adam Wainwright 6 2008 26
Followup: Some trivia… Only two teams had more than one pitcher hit a homerun for them in 2008. The San Diego Padres’ Cha Seung Baek and Chris Young both hit one each. For the Chicago Cubs, Zambrano contributed four dingers while teammate Jason Marquis hit out two. Here’s the complete list for 2008:
Cnt Player HR PA Year Age
+----+-----------------+--+---+----+---+
1 Carlos Zambrano 4 85 2008 27
2 Brandon Backe 2 56 2008 30
3 C.C. Sabathia 2 53 2008 27
4 Jason Marquis 2 66 2008 29
5 Matt Cain 2 72 2008 23
6 Micah Owings 1 62 2008 25
7 Bronson Arroyo 1 74 2008 31
8 Cha Seung Baek 1 38 2008 28
9 Chris Young 1 36 2008 29
10 Adam Wainwright 1 65 2008 26
Cubs losing steam against Dodgers
On Wednesday, Jill Howe, an Elgin High School student was asked to take her FUKUDOME jersey off and replace it with her gym shirt. Apparently, school officials had not heard of Kosuke Fukudome and thought it was an obscene word.
After Fukudome’s oh for eight performance in the first two games of the playoffs (including 5 LOB), a lot of Cub fans who know very well who Kosuke is may be taking his jersey off.
Last night, before heading out with my buddy Larry to catch the Cubs-Dodgers game, I watched the first inning at home. When Big Z got the Dodgers one-two-three, I told my wife "this will be his game. I know it." I probably should have waited for the second inning before making my proclamation.
Not that Zambrano can be held totally responsible for the collapse that happened in the second inning. The fielding miscues didn’t help and only served to unravel Zambrano.
Lack of patience at the plate has been the reason for the Cubs’ woes. The Dodgers have been able to work the count and our guys haven’t. And when the Cubs have hit the ball. They’ve hit it hard. Only right to Dodger fielders.
A day of rest and Rich Harden brings his best on Saturday against LA’s Hiroki Kuroda.
As for Jill Howe, common sense and decency prevailed. The High School principal intervened and declared that as long as Fukudome was a legit name, she could wear her jersey…
…if she really wants to now.
Cubs get Ballpark envy?
After enjoying two days as the host team in another ballpark, some Cubs players are fanaticizing about a new park in Chicago especially one with state-of-the-art locker facilities. Zambrano was the most blunt about his comparison between the two parks:
"(Miller Park) is a beautiful ballpark. Gosh, I wish we could have a new ballpark."
Though Jason Marquis also enjoyed his Miller Park stay, he had more appreciation for the fan’s love of Wrigley and had a creative idea:
"You never want to see a landmark taken down, a place with so much history," Marquis said. "The fans love it. That being said, the game is changing, stadiums are getting updated. There are better facilities, not only for the players, but for the fans—better food concessions, comfortable seats, better views. …
"If I had a personal choice, I think they should knock Wrigley down and build a replica in the exact same spot to give it that same feel. The same colored seats, same ivy, same wall, and throw up a Jumbotron, but have it look like a replica of the scoreboard that’s up there now, try to give it the same feel, in the same spot. I wouldn’t be opposed to that."
I suggest to the Cubs that before they get too concerned about grandiose ideas like new parks and locker facilities that they realize that they have a division to clinch and playoffs to be more concerned about. They’ve come this far with the Friendly Confines as their home base. Their two-day stay in Milwaukee was awesome and in some ways, historic. But let’s not lose sight of why it was important to win those games.
Hint: it wasn’t for "The Locker Rooms that Zambrano Built.
Zambrano’s no-hitter: the medicine for what ails the Cubs
Mark my words, when they put out the video entitled "The Chicago Cubs’ 2008 Championship Season", Sunday’s night game will be portrayed as the "the game that turned things around" for the Cubs.
Carlos Zambrano hadn’t pitched in over 12 days due to a sore rotator cuff. In his first day back, he no-hits division rivals Houston and allows only 2 base runners. For good measure, he went 1 for 3 with a run scored. It was pretty much a Carlos Zambrano show. He even called for a pop-up that D Lee would have normally gotten. Z is like that.
It was first Cub no-no since Milt Pappas’ gem 36 years ago. It was also the first no-hitter ever in a neutral park. The only downside was that the game was not televised outside of Chicago. But 23,000+ of the faithful showed up on short notice to cheer the good guys on.
At recent Cubs Conventions, Pappas had been telling Zambrano that he would be the next.
Every year at the Cubs Convention, Milt Pappas greets Carlos Zambrano with the same statement.
"He keeps telling me, ‘You will be the next one. You will be the next one,’" Zambrano said.
For the record for anyone who might be interested/worried, Zambrano threw 110 pitches. That’s a high count for anyone let alone someone coming off a rotator cuff injury. I bet Zambrano was flying through the last few innings though.
Yes, Sunday’s game is the stuff legends are made and just what the Cubs needed. Ted Lilly got the memo that the losing ways of the past is over. He even attempted to emulate Carlos and nearly succeeded. Lilly got through six without a hit today. It didn’t matter that Mark Loretta got one through. We won 6-1 and that magic number is rapidly dissipating.
Will a day off help the Cubs?
When I was a kid and the Cubs had a day off, my family would always joke, "Hey, the Cubs didn’t lose today!".
Of course, back then in the mid 70’s, the Cubs had crap teams and the joke fit. But now in late 2008, when the Cubs are 4 1/2 up on their contender, the joke kinda loses its meaning.
That said, in the microcosm of the last 5 games of this season, they might as well be the Chicago Cubs of the 70’s. A Cubs apologist might say that they’ve won seven of their last twelve. I’ve heard that bandied about. But let’s face it, the Cubs need to turn it around.
What’s up with Big Z
With all the trouble that Carlos Zambrano is having, I have a suggestion for him. No, I can’t help him with getting him to his MRI appointment on time… he’ll have to work that out on his own. Nor with his rotator cuff tendinitis (hopefully he’ll be back by September 14th).
However, when he does come back, maybe Big Z could focus a bit less on his hitting. It’s no secret that his slugging has gotten some good press this season (I know I’m guilty of it). Watching him against Houston, I’m just getting the sense that he’s paying a little TOO much attention to his hitting exploits. When things work out at the plate, it can be good (although not always). But if they don’t, it can get to him and affect his pitching.
We pay you for your arm, Carlos, not your bat.
Go Cubs!
Top hitting pitchers
As of 8/27/08, here are the majors’ top hitting pitchers (min 25 PA):
Carlos Zambrano, Chi .365
Brandon Backe, Hou . 302
Micah Owings, Ari .288
Braden Looper, Stl .275
Adam Wainwright, Stl .267
You can see the full list I saved over at Baseball Reference’s Play Index.
Not only is Zambrano at the top of the list of hitting but his 14 rbis dwarfs second place Brandon Webb’s 7 (which ironically he got with a .138 BA and no HR).
Zambrano needs a little lovin’ after his rough August.
Go Cubs!
Zambrano bucks a trend
It was close but the Cubs beat the Reds today. It was the first time this season that the Cubs have won a game that Carlos Zambrano has hit a homer. That’s a good trend to buck. When a friend from work came into my office and informed me the Cubs were up 3-0 and Big Z hit one out, I got a little nervous.
But all ended well and the Cubs ended winning the game and the series. They are now 5 1/2 up on the Brew Crew.
Ask Lou
In other news, there’s an article on MLB.com about how the Cubs feel about the instant replay issue. The interesting thing is that didn’t ask Lou Piniella. Maybe they know how he feels about the issue.