Results tagged ‘ Carlos Marmol ’

WAY TO GO MARMOL!

I watched a great game for 8 1/2 innings last night.  The Cubs played good baseball.  Then our closer, Carlos Marmol, came in a blew a 3 run lead.   First, he loaded the bases and then he got whiplash when he gave up a grand slam.  As effective as he can be when he’s on he’s equally disastrous when he’s off.  Last night he was off.

I understand even Mariano Rivera blows blows a save from time to time.  Yet, I would be more comfortable with Sean Marshall as our closer.  I say the Cubs should trade Marmol this off-season and see what we can get out of him.

Anyway, Ryan Dempster pitched a good game and it was wasted.  Hopefully, the Cubs will rebound this afternoon and win the series in Houston.

ANOTHER ONE SLIPS AWAY

Well, after taking a 4-3 lead in last night’s game against the Pirates, I really thought we were going to get a win.  Our bullpen has been one of our strengths this year in my opinion.  Some could blame the bullpen for being overworked, but closer Carlos Marmol didn’t make any excuses for last night’s performance.  I like that!

Still the Cubs cannot seem to put it all together.  Carlos Pena has been hitting homers left and right since the start of May.  Aramis Ramirez has been on a tear for about a month now.  Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro have been solid all season.  Our outfield has been plagued by inconsistency and injuries unfortunately and the same thing can be said for our starting rotation as well.  However, like I said earlier, our bullpen has been one of our strengths this year.  Unfortunately, they let one slip away last night.

Going into the All Star break the Cubs will be baseballs only team without a 3 game win streak this season.  That’s pretty sad.  It shows how inconsistent we have been.  Some of that inconsistency can be blamed on the large number of injuries we’ve sustained, but good teams have deep benches that pick up the slack.  However, even our bench players have seen time on the DL this year.  Both Reed Johnson and Jeff Baker have spent time on the DL this summer already and they are 2 of our better bench players when healthy.

When it’s all said and done, we just aren’t winning baseball games.  Our starting pitching is weak mainly due to injuries.  Our defense has also been a weakness, but I feel like it has improved some and we need that to continue.  Our bullpen is usually very good, but even they have bad games.  It’s everything combined together that is causing the Cubs to lose games.  Hopefully, we can turn that around after the All Star break.

DOWN ON QUADE

Well, I must admit that I am embarrassed by the Cubs performance this season and especially over the last week or so.  We’ve lost 7 in a row including being swept at home by the Astros and on the road against our Arch rivals.   Two of those losses were extra inning games ended by walk off home runs by Albert Pujols.  Anyway, we aren’t playing very good baseball as a whole and it’s obvious.

I still don’t understand Mike Quade and his lineup.  I believe that Aramis Ramirez needs to bat third.  That gives us our best chance to drive in runs in my opinion.  I know he’s not producing all the well this season, but part of that is due to having little protection in the lineup.

Quade baffled me early in the season when he platooned Fukudome and Colvin in right field.  Both are left handed batters and he let Fukudome play against right handed pitchers and Colvin against left handed pitchers.

Quade frustrated me when he kept batting Marlon Byrd in the three hole.  I think Byrd is better suited to hit 1st, 2nd or 5th in the lineup.  He’s never been known to be a great run producer.  That’s usually who you want batting third…..a run producer!

Quade has also aggravated me with the handling of our starting rotation early in the season.  There was a stretch where he kept leaving starters in too long and not trusting the bullpen setup of Wood, Marshall and Marmol.

I guess I am taking out a bit of my frustrations on our new manager and I know it’s the players who play the games.  But he’s setting the lineups, making the pitching changes and is in charge of this team.  I know that he’s competitive, but I think he’s going to have a long summer.

SOME GOOD STUFF

Wow, I’m upset that I wasn’t able to stay up for the entire game last night.  I fell asleep somewhere in the bottom of the 7th inning.  When you get up at 5:00AM everyday, those late night games are a struggle to watch.  But I did get to see Carlos Pena smash his first homer.  I hope that opens up the flood gates and he starts ripping them on a regular basis like he’s capable of. 

Another good thing I’ve been seeing lately is the hitting of Geovany Soto.  The catcher is only hitting .239, but he’s hit 4 doubles in the last 3 games and is hitting the ball hard and taking it to right field.  If he keeps hitting the way he has lately I think his average and power numbers will increase greatly for the month of May.  
Finally, Ryan Dempster did not get the win last night.  Yet, he looked great!!!  He pitched 7 strong innings giving up only 1 run against Ethier, Kemp and the Dodgers.  Kerry Wood pitched a scoreless 8th inning for the win and Marmol got the save.  Niether Wood nor Marmol walked anyone or even gave up a hit.  The Cubs also played good defensively not making any errors.  That’s the perfect recipe for winning ballgames.  Let’s hope this continues!
One last thing I forgot to mention.  Jeff Samardzija is putting together a solid season.  He has 2 wins, 1 hold and a 2.45 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched.  He still needs to cut down on his walks, but he has been more than effective and hasn’t given up a run since April 12th against the Houston Astros.  
Overall, I am starting to get excited again.  We are finally starting to look like a team that can win more than we lose.

FINALLY! A WIN!

I was able to stay up late last night and watch the Cubs actually win a game.  It was nice to see.  We had good starting pitching and Quade did not leave Zambrano in too long.  He trusted his setup of Wood, Marshall and Marmol for the 7th, 8th and 9th innings.  We played good defense and had three solo homers.  Soriano was the hitter of the night blasting two bombs!  I liked the fact that Castro batted third again too.  Now, if we can repeat last nights performance I would be really happy.

Matt Garza will be pitching against Ian Kennedy tonight. Hopefully, we can play better for Garza and get him his first win of the season and as a Cub.  Even though he’s striking out a lot of batters he hasn’t had much luck.  He pitched 6 shutout innings in a no-decision against San Diego, lost to Colorado due to 4 errors and 4 unearned runs, has seen the Cubs get shutout twice during his starts and saw the bullpen blow the lead in another.  That’s five starts and little run support, bad defense and a loss to the bullpen.  Hopefully, tonight is the night the guys rally around Garza and get him a win.

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

The Cubs are finally beginning to invest some real money into player development now that the Ricketts family has taken over as owners.  This is exciting news for me as a Cubs fan.  If you don’t think player development matters take a look at the New York Yankees.  Derek Jeter was a 1st round draft pick in 1992.  Mariano Rivera was signed as an amateur free agent in 1990.  Andy Pettitte was drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 draft.  Bernie Williams was signed as an amateur free agent in 1985.  Jorge Posada was drafted in the 24th round of the 1990 draft.  Those players helped form a dynasty in the mid to late 90s. 
 
The Cincinnati Reds are another example of player development paying off without the luxury of a large payroll for expensive free agents that your big market franchises have.  All Star first baseman, Joey Votto, was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft.  Jay Bruce was drafted in the 1st round of the 2005 draft.  Drew Stubbs was a 1st round pick in 2006.  Homer Bailey was a 1st round pick in the 2004 draft.  Johnny Cueto was signed as an amateur free agent in 2004 and Aroldis Chapman was singed as an amateur free agent in 2010.  These players were instrumental in helping the Reds to the playoffs in 2010 and should provide the Reds with a bright future.  The Reds also acquired some quality players through trades in Edinson Volquez, Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen. 
 
The Cubs have done so-so in the last 10 years in the amateur draft.  In 2001, we drafted Mark Prior in the 1st round, Ryan Theriot in the 3rd round, Sergio Mitre in the 7th round and Geovany Soto in the 11th round.  2002 wasn’t as kind though, but we did manage to draft Randy Wells as a catcher in the 38th round.  In 2003 Ryan Harvey was our 1st round pick and unfortunately he never worked out for us.  We also drafted Jake Fox in the 3rd round, Sean Marshall in the 6th round, Casey McGehee in the 10th round and Tim Lincecum in the 48th round but obviously he didn’t sign with us.  In 2004 our draft didn’t work out too well.  We drafted Mark Pawelek in the 1st round in 2005, but he never panned out.  In 2006 we drafted pretty well.  Tyler Colvin in the 1st, Jeff Samardzija in the 5th, Jeremy Papelbon in the 19th (Jonathan’s brother) and a few others that are still in our system working their way up.  2008 and 2009 seem to be decent drafts for us too, but time will tell.  Most importantly we need to draft well, sign amateur free agents like Carlos Marmol (1999) and develop these players better than we have done in the past.  Combine all of that with the ability to spend a lot of money and the Cubs will hopefully start winning on a regular basis and finally bring home a World Series Championship.

JUST RANDOM THOUGHTS

The Chicago Cubs appear to content with the lineup we currently have.  I was kind of hoping we would trade Fukudome, but that does not seem like it will happen.  I was also a little bit interested in Michael Young to play second over the platoon of Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker, but that is not going to happen either.  Another possible “solution” for second would be Luis Castillo if the Mets were willing to part with him.  Personally, I don’t like this idea at all.  The one move I still think the Cubs could make is acquiring Chris Davis from the Rangers.  I think it would take catcher Wellington Castillo and another high minor league player.  

I keep reading that teams are scouting Carlos Silva and Braden Looper.  I would love to see with us part with Silva no doubt.  However, I am curious to see what Looper could bring to the team this season.  
Matt Garza pitched four solid innings in his last outing which has me excited.  I think our starting five will be Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza, Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner.  However, Braden Looper is making a strong case to make the rotation.  The downside of this rotation is that we do not have a lefty in there.  Ted Lilly was a great competitor during his time with the Cubs and he will be missed. Our bullpen is looking good too in my opinion.  Marshall, Wood and Marmol will anchor the pen and hopefully Samardzija and a healthy Grabow will be able to help out as well.
Scott Moore is making a good impression this spring and while I don’t think he will make the team, I believe he would be a great mid-season call up if someone were to get injured.  However, I would rather have Chris Davis as our corner infielder.  No offense to Moore, but I’ve been fixated a bit on Davis this off-season.  
That’s all I have for today.  It’s supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow and in the 70s on Thursday here in southern Illinois.  I hope the weatherman is right!

FINALLY!

This is the week many of us baseball fans have waited for all winter.  Pitchers and Catchers Report!  I love those words.  It let’s me know that baseball is back, spring is close and warm days are soon ahead of us.  Baseball is one of my passions and I am a diehard Cubs fan.  Each season brings hope.  Going into 2003 I did not think the Cubs would make it as far as they did.  In 2009 I thought we would go farther than we did.  Last year, well, I was disappointed to say the least.  Yet, winter is almost over now and that is something to be excited about.

The Cubs reached a three year extension with Carlos Marmol avoiding arbitration.  I think the deal is a fair one and both sides should be happy.  I know some believe we overpaid Marmol, but I think we may have paid even more in arbitration if he has another great season.  I guess we will find out if it was a good deal over the next three years. 

I read that C.C. Sabathia may opt out of his contract at the end of this season.  That is something that surprises me personally, but being the greedy Cub fan I am, I wouldn’t mind this happening.  As I’ve said numerous times over this winter, we have a ton of money coming off the books after 2011.  We could go on a big shopping spree and C.C. should be on our shopping list if he does opt out.  Other guys I would like to see us sign are Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez and Rickie Weeks. 

Since I mentioned Albert (again) I am surprised that he and the Cards haven’t reached an agreement yet.  If I’m the Cards I offer the 9th and 10th years that Albert wants.  I try to make them vesting options if at all possible.  Have a minimum games played option or something similar to that. 

Even though our minor league system lost several key players in the Matt Garza deal we still have some talent that could reach the majors this season in Jay Jackson, Brett Jackson (no relation to my knowledge), Chris Carpenter and Trey McNutt.  So, we still have talent available that can help our team.  We also have a few guys that I really like in the lower levels.  I think I will write a post on them soon. 

Yesterday it was in the 50s where I live.  I had the opportunity to take my son, 3, outside and pitch to him for a little bit.  He loves to play baseball and that make his daddy happy.  We played for only a short time, but it was still great to play a little baseball in February. 

Finally, I wish everyone the best this upcoming spring training.  It’s a time of hope for every team and their fans!

 

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

I am still having trouble with my internet provider which is beginning to tick me off.  I live out in the country and have limited options for “high-speed” internet without having to spend over $80 a month for service.  It sucks!!!!  So, while I have been able to read other blogs, I have not been able to post comments, nor have I had much success at writing posts myself.  I started a couple only to lose them after not being able to stay connected.  Anyway, enough crying about that. 

The Cubs look like they are going to sign Carlos Marmol to a 3 year extension from what I’ve read.  Great move!  The guy hasn’t been a pitcher that long and continues to get better every year.  Let’s hope this continues. 

Pitchers and Catchers are close to reporting, but several Cubs are already in Arizona.  Jeff Samardzija has been there for a while now and I am expecting a great spring from him.  I anticipate he will make a strong case to be in the rotation for the Cubs in 2011. 

I always like to think of trade ideas for the Cubs along with potential free agent signings.  I’ve already mentioned several times in other posts that we should trade for Chris Davis, Darren O’Day and possibly Michael Young from the Rangers.  I still want us to get Davis and O’Day, but I have a few knew trade ideas.

First player I have in mind is Justin Upton of the D’Backs.  This kid, he’s young folks, is a good player that oozes talent when he sweats.  I would love to see him added to our outfield of the future. 

Another player I would like to get is Kevin Kouzmanoff.  He’s got a great glove and I believe his bat would play well in Wrigley Field.  I know Aramis is getting older and I’m not sold on Josh Vitters as our future at third at this point.  I must point out though, that I am hopeful that Vitters turns the corner this season and breaks out with his bat. 

I wanted us to trade for Adrian Gonzalez this winter, but the Red Sox beat us out.  I guess we can sign Albert if he miraculously doesn’t stay with the redbirds.  While I am trying to be optimistic about the Carlos Pena signing this offseason I am also thinking of ways to upgrade for 2012. 

Finally, it’s almost Valentine’s Day.  I’m not big into holidays like this.  I don’t get holiday pay or off work and I end up having to spend a bunch of money on flowers and such.  Not that I mind it.  My wife is great!  But even before I met my wife, I’ve never been fond of this holiday.  The middle of February has always been about pitchers and catchers reporting!  That should be a holiday!!!!

WHO’S PITCHING?

Going into Spring Training I am confused by the overload of pitchers the Cubs have to choose from.  I know that may sound odd to say, but I do have my own biased reason behind these words.  We’ve invited several pitchers as non-roster invitees that we are trying to catch “lightning in a bottle” with, but I would rather see us let our younger pitchers compete for a spot on the team’s pitching staff over these guys.  Braden Looper, Todd Wellemeyer and Scott Rice are three pitchers that I don’t think will make the team nor should they.  Looper and Wellemeyer are veterans trying to land with a team and Rice is a career minor leauger trying to do the same.  Rice is a lefty and younger than both Looper and Wellemeyer and is the only one of these guys I would like the Cubs to hold on to.  Let him start the year at AA or AAA and see what he can do as a lefty reliever. 

We also have Carlos Silva, Randy Wells, Andrew Cashner, Jeff Samardzija, Casey Coleman, James Russell and Thomas Diamond that will be competing for the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation.  Obviously, Dempster, Garza and Zambrano will be the top three starters for us.  I expect the competition for those two spots in the rotation to be fierce.  And any of these guys that doesn’t make the rotation will be competing for a spot in the bullpen as well.   

Arms out of the bullpen will be Sean Marshall, Kerry Wood and Carlos Marmol for certain.  However, we have several players trying to land a spot in the pen as well such as,  Justin Berg, John Gaub, John Grabow, Scott Maine and Jeff Stevens.  I think our bullpen may be really young in 2011. 

We also have a few of our minor league pitchers that are non-roster invitees this spring as well.  This includes Chris Carpenter, Trey McNutt and Jay Jackson.  I think Jay Jackson is the closest to being ready for the big leauges of these three.  I imagine he will start the season in Iowa though. 

I know there is a handful of pitchers that I have not mentioned.  But the bottom line, is that we have a lot of guys competing for a limited amount of spots.  I know this happens every year, but I wish the Cubs would let the young guys fight it out and not worry about Silva, Looper or Wellemeyer.  I believe the talent is there with some of our minor league pitchers is we would just give them the chance to play in the big leagues. 

 

 

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