Remember the glory days of the ‘Aughts when the Cubs were loaded with power pitchers and leading the league in strikeouts nearly every year (2001-2008)? This last road trip made the 2012 Cubs feel like they were facing those Cubs. 71 Strikeouts in 7 games will generally not lead to good things, and the 37 in the three games in Milwaukee were especially bad. Dale Sveum, any comment?
“Like we talked about earlier, we have to start grinding at-bats and learn how to foul balls off and get to another pitch,” manager Dale Sveum said. “There are just too many uncontested strikeouts where we’re not battling and fouling balls of. We have to get much, much better at that.”
And even though the Cubs hit two home runs yesterday, they’re still not hitting enough to make the strikeouts easier to digest.
“They go hand in hand, but you have to have both hands,” Sveum said. “You can’t have no home runs and a bunch of strikeouts. If you’re going to strike out you had better have slugging percentage otherwise you’re not going to score runs.”
And on the frustrations of having a AAA team:
‘‘There’s a lot of young things
going on right now that are starting to be glaring things. We’re
going down looking. We’re swinging at pitches way out of the zone early, and then we get good pitches to hit and take them.‘‘What’s going on right now mentally is kind of strange from a hitting standpoint. We’re aggressive when we shouldn’t be, and we’re passive when we should be aggres-
sive. . . . We’ve got to address all these problems in the winter to produce some runs.’’
I think by “address all these problems” he means “get a new roster”.
I mentioned the two home runs hit yesterday, one of which was hit by Bryan LaHair. It was his first since July 4.
“Well, it’s been a while, I know that,” he said. “I’m just battling right now and working hard behind the scenes and trying to get things figured out. I’ve been having good at-bats and I’m starting to hit the ball hard again.”
Has it been tough on LaHair having to ride the pine since Brett Jackson got called up?
“It’s definitely tough,” he said. “It’s not something that I’m used to and it’s definitely not something I like. I have a role now and I’m just trying to do the best job I can possibly do and learn that role. It’s a role I haven’t learned before so I’m trying to learn that role.”
LaHair no longer looks to be a good fit with the Cubs and it remains uncertain where he might end up next season. Being accepting of his current role is his only option now.
“I’m trying to show people every day what I can do,” he said. “I go out every day and I work hard to get back on track. I’m just trying to do the best job I can.”
The floors of the front office ran red yesterday, as the Cubs fired 6 scouts.
The pro scouts terminated were Tom Bourque, Joe Housey, Tom Shafer and Richie Zisk, a two-time American League All-Star outfielder. The Cubs listed 16 scouts on the pro side when the season began.
On the amateur scouting side, regional crosschecker Charlie Aliano was released of his duties, as was area scout Rick Schroeder, who was responsible for seven states, all of them in the Midwest. The Cubs had 26 amateur scouts listed at the beginning of the season.
Vaya con Dios, scouts we’ve never heard of.
I’m kinda hungover so maybe I’m just not comprehending, but is Svuem saying the answer to the team’s hitting woes is to hit more foul balls?
Yep.
I never wanted him as manager.
Obviously we can’t blame this shitastic season on him… but he certainly can’t be helping things.
Maybe he’ll be a good manager to work with the young kids…but I don’t see that this guy will be an asset when the Cubs are competitive again. His baseball instincts have been rather lacking.
But, you are right. The crappiness of this team is not his fault.
When I go to bed these days, I continue to pray to the Pantheon of anthropic representations of the divine that Nolan Ryan will continue being the jackass that I imagine him to be and that the Maddux brothers will both be ready to seek out employment with the Chicago National League Ballclub in 2-3 years.
I realize it’s a complex prayer, but this force designed quantum mechanics; I’m pretty sure it will be able to get it all worked out.
I really want the next member of the Cubs who uses the words,”grind”,”grinding”,or the phrase,”grind it out’ to be slapped upside the head. Also I think Dale meant the team should be doing the exact opposite of what they are doing now…
Oh. So he wants his team to be good and not bad. I get it.
Yes. I am not a fan of this mentality. Attitude and hustle don’t score runs. Being good at hitting a baseball does.
Grind- code word used by Sveum to indicate “I’m managing a bunch of young males playing day games, with disposable income and access to strippers- you do the math”?
Half the roster was spending the spring on busses dreaming of the high life at the bigs. It’s August and half the guys on the first Iowa Cubs road trip are now out on a Chicago Cubs road trip. Kids out there playing what apparently is an 28-32 year old’s game.
On second thought grind is probably Dale’s safe word with the front office in this rookie manager role play it seems we’ve been watching. God I love this team- they have a way of leaving the voyeurs like they got screwed too.
This season is a GRIND.
It’s never a good thing when the last two spots in your rotation are “Volstad” and “TBA.”
It’s not even a good thing when the last two spots in your rotation are “Volstad” and Cy Young.
Especially since Cy Young is dead.
Volstad will win his next start.
Ok…
So I’ve decided, after trying this rebuilding thing, that I don’t like it. So can we go back to being semi-decent again?
Why not? My organsation was in a “re-engineering” stage when I joined in 1995. The goal was to have all division able to do all business processes. The phrase was “unified.” When my boss got to leave to create the Quality Assurance Division,and new Division Managers were appointed, they announced that all divisions would be separate and no more reeingineering. There was much cheering. That was in 2002, and now they want to try re-engineering again….
I don’t get why we can’t be fans of a team that can buy a World Series like the Yankees.
No kidding.
The Yankees tried to only “buy” a World Series during the late 80′s and early 90′s and it didn’t work…not too different from the Cubs in the ’00s.
The Yankees only were able to get over the top when they were able to build a base of players (Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte) and then compliment it with the free agents.
The Yankees basically hit rock bottom in the early 90′s at which point the did a pretty big rebuilding process. In 4 years they turned it all around and won their first World Series in almost 2 decades and they really have never looked back since.
We can only hope the Cubs can do the same.
DONT GO UNDERMINING MY POSTS WITH FACTS
oh. Sorry.
I just saw a sweet old lady struggling to get her suitcase on the bus. I had to go in the other door because that shit was taking forever.
This has me laughing probably a lot more than it should.
That was so nice of you to help her.
I remember when the then gov. of Colorado,I think his name was Lamm, said us old people should basically die and “get out of the way” istead of hanging using up resources and generally being a nuisance.
That was hysterical.Had me laughing for weeks. Of course I was younger then.
Someone really has to give me a heads up on these day games . . .
Um…
There is no game today…
Unless you want to do a game thread for the Cardinals game, which starts soon.
yeah, i just realized that.
i’m a little fried over here.
Fortunately, the Cubs are giving us a day off from the torture that is their existence.
A smart move would be to draft some headlines for future games, in which we know the Cubs will lose. That way, when the Cubs lose someone could just plug in a headline, and bingo there you go…
A little too much sushi today?
Julie probably has Olympics withdrawal…
I’ve finally collected enough rats asses to give to everyone.
I don’t need one.
This day has been less than good.
Would you rather watch the Cubs lose?
At least that would make it more normal.
What would be your ideal outcome of the next Cubs game?
earthquake swallows entire team, except for Jackson and Vitters (and maybe Castro, am I forgetting anyone?) who missed the team bus that day. Rest of AAA squad called up to play the game after that.
God dammit, I should have read up.
I was supposed to be at the next game, so I assume there will be a no hitter
A hole in the ground opens and swallows all of Wrigley field and its occupants.
Since I no longer have season tickets, and I think Wrigley Field is a dump, I’m completely fine with this.
THANK YOU. It really is. It is time to dismiss tradition for tradition’s sake. The park is terrible and needs to be replaced.
I do not trust the Cubs in designing a good ballpark
It can’t be worse than wrigley.
seriously?
there is some bad architecture out there, I have no doubt that the Cubs could have this condensed into a ballpark
gravedigger is counting the days til the coming Monday, when we travel to Washington and help the gNats pitching staff set a new strikeout record.
I can just see him as he sits like a gNat rubbing his hands together(or whatever they rub together),gleefully chortling.
Isn’t gravedigger a girl? I could be wrong hell I dunno.
Last I checked, no.
My apologies kind sir.
I can honestly say I’ve never met a girl named Mark.
No worries, my milk-person picture is ambiguous.
I always thought that was the “I’m just a bill” character.
I have tickets to Tuesday’s game. I’m kind of a wreck over it.
Why? Do you think the Cubs could pull off the upset?
Well, because I’m hoping for the Nats to win. I’ve never ever watched a Cubs game hoping they’d lose (except for the recent near-no hitter). But this is a lost season for them, and the Nats need these wins. So, its just weird.
I love how I turn everything into the Nats. go me.
Oh come on guys. Have a sense of humor.
you know if you wear Nationals paraphernalia you will have completed the transformation to a Washington fan and will be shunned
I don’t wear sports team clothing. I’m not on the roster, so why would I?
Cubs acquired Miguel Socolovich from the Baltimore Orioles.
The 26-year-old native of Venezuela made his major-league debut this season with the Orioles. He appeared in six games, all in relief, posting a 6.97 ERA.
He is a Boston/Theo/Hoyer scouted prospect from there days back in Boston.
If he pitches badly,fans aren’t going to call him “Socolovich” you know?
I think its actually a pretty good pickup. He didn’t fair well in his MLB debut but he has put up solid numbers in the minors and he is high on Theos list of people he would like to acquire. I think this is a very smart move by the brain faculty. Nothing can hurt us so lets make some moves.
Really I wouldn’t recommend this unless it was truly inspirational and moving.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=Dock-Ellis