Remember when Travis Wood was horrible in Spring Training and we had wondered if any good return had been received in the Sean Marshall trade? Don’t look now, but young Mr. Wood threw 7.2 scoreless innings in the Cubs’ 3-0 win yesterday.
“I got sent down in spring training and put more work in at Triple-A and got some things right,” Wood said. “When I got my chance to come up I didn’t want to waste it, so I got after it.”
(snip)
“That’s the reason we traded for him,” manager Dale Sveum said after Wood threw 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball against Houston on Sunday. “We gave up one of the best relievers in baseball for him. I knew that [talent] was somewhere in there, but since spring training he has made the adjustments. The confidence level he has now is off the charts.”
If you’re counting, that’s a current scoreless inning streak of 18.2.
If you missed the All Star Team selections, you might be surprised to discover the Cubs managed to get two All Stars this year. Starlin Castro and no-longer-first-baseman Bryan LaHair will represent the Cubs In KC.
‘‘It’s one of those things as a manager that you get that’s a special time,’’ Sveum said. ‘‘You tell a kid who’s [29] he’s an All-Star after so many years in the minors. That’s what we live for in this game, those special moments.’’
Both Castro and LaHair were selected by player balloting.
‘‘This is amazing,’’ said LaHair, who ironically has lost the first-base job to Anthony Rizzo and now plays the outfield. ‘‘Dale told us in the meeting. All the guys said they voted for me. It’s just an incredible feeling. I can’t thank [the players] enough.
‘‘It was a dream as a little boy to be an All Star, but to have it happen so fast, it’s just a dream.’’
Congrats to first-timer LaHair and hopefully this will be the second of many for Starlin.
Cubs sweep. A 1st baseman who only plays against righties and lost his job to a 22 year old minor leaguer is selected to the all-star team?
I go away for a weekend and some seriously weird shit happens.
Don’t let that happen again…:)
I think the rest of the team should wear the crooked ‘C’ on their helmet.
If the Cubs win 80 games this year I will tattoo a crooked “C” on my head
Oh…come on. Next time you make a statement like that, you should at least base it on an event that has even the most remote chance of happening.
I’m not an idiot but I do make this promise, I will tattoo it on my head when we actually win the WS
So was Jeff Baker also selected to the All-Star team to take LaHair’s at-bats against the left handed all-star pitchers?
I and the rest of the West Coast posse take credit for yesterday’s win. When the rest of LOHOland sucumbed to the vile heat, we hung on and rooted for the Cubs even though some of us had to watch the game via computer….
Well I hate to break it to you, but you failed us. We’re going for losses right now. We’re shooting for the #1 draft pick, remember?
I’m not that sold on draft picks. Too many never pan out. Plus it was great watching the Astros sulk after losing. Also had the bonus of the Carlos Lee watch, and all the LA sportsfools go nuts trying to figure out why someone would not move to LA for 3 months…
I’m with you on this one, it’s all our fault that we won this weekend, Chicago land was nowhere to be found
poor Travis, he’s never going to live that photo down. I wonder what that discussion in the dugout was like, did he notice? if he didn’t does someone tell him?
The Cubs have more All-Stars than the Red Sox, and while you could chalk this up to the AL being more competitive on that level than the NL, I think its all Theo
I think we can chalk that up to the fact that Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are no longer playing first base in the National League.
I am sending this while floating in the middle of a lake. Just FYI.
You must not be a lawyer anymore, Cause I’m pretty sure sharks do not float.
Were you dumped there, or do you chose to be in the middle of a lake?
Do you need us to send you a rescue boat?
Or how about this one…
Since she floats, she must weigh as much as a duck since ducks also float in water. Something else that’s floats is wood, since wood also floats we must conclude that she’s made out of wood, and thus….
A WITCH!!!
That is the best comment of the day…..
Julie isn’t referred to as the “redheaded witch” much anymore.
And that’s a shame.
People here these days don’t even know that story. Sad sad sad.
It is sad. Maybe that should be in the “About Aerys” section of this site.
and it was “scarlet-headed witch’
Damn…that’s right. UGH!
Cue ” Jaws” music…
Is there a game today?
not til later, its in Atlanta, but its on CSN so we don’t get to watch it
unless its on TBS
nope, SportsSouth,no Cubs game for us today
Finally, an advantage to living in the South!
TBS doesn’t do Braves games anymore.
sigh, they haven’t for a few years have they? shows how much I’m paying attention to whats on TBS
I watch TBS for one, and only one thing…playoff baseball.
Outside of that, the station could pretty much cease to exist from my point of view.
They don’t start their shows at 5 minutes after the hour/half hour any more, do they?
No.
Of course, they don’t have any shows worth watching anymore either.
That was perhaps one of the stupidest gimmicks in TV history.
Isn’t Conan on TBS? He’s funny. At least he used to be funny. Is he still funny?
If he’s on TBS, then, no, he’s not funny any more.
How do they decide who is in the “Final Vote” thingy for the all star game? And do you guys think Harper has warranted a trip there with his play so far?
no
I just got this vision of Julie floating down a river in a inner-tube with floaties on her arms an apple martini in a red cup in one hand and an Iphone in the other. Probably wearing a black one piece bikini with Nike river shoes on. I can picture her screaming “Screw you Doc! I’m at the lake bish!!!”
If she’s thinking of me while floating on the lake, then she’s got other issues.