The Cubs offense has struggled all year to score runs against all major league pitching, but especially that of the left-handed variety. Unfortunately for our beloved North Siders, Sunday night’s starter happened to be a lefty. Dale Sveum, take it away:

‘‘It’s the same story with left-handed pitching,’’ Sveum said as his team’s record against southpaw starters fell to 3-15. ‘‘We were getting beat consistently on fastballs. We swung at pitches out of the zone as well as not doing anything with pitches in the zone.’’

Last night’s was another close game that the Cubs managed to turn into a not-as-close game. Once again, Dale Sveum.

“The thing that’s going on all year long is we get into close ballgames and something breaks down,” Dale Sveum said. “We can’t score if it’s close or we just can’t make a pitch when it’s close to hold them or shut them down to get the game into extra innings. We’ve got to be better at those things — somebody stepping up and getting a big hit when it counts, not when we’re four or five runs down.”

The “not when we’re four or five runs down” must refer to the once-again futile ninth inning rally, a signature of these 2012 Cubs.

» Continue reading “Cubs Monday Headlines: Sun Rises, Cubs Can’t Beat Lefty Starter”

Remember this thing? It's flying today.

Strange things that happened today:

1. Tony Campana was caught stealing for the first time.
2. He also walked. Twice.
3. Jerry Hairston missed hitting for the cycle by a double.
4. Jerry Hairston hit a home run. Matt Kemp did not.
5. Joe Mather hit a home run – to the opposite field.
6. The bullpen didn’t blow a lead (though not for lack of trying).
7. Yes, it’s true: the Cubs actually won!

Not at all strange things that happened today:

1. Matt Kemp hit an RBI triple.
2. Kerry Wood was depressingly bad and gave up two runs.
3. Tony Campana dove for a ball and managed to deflect it for extra bases.
4. Rafael Dolis closed the game and scared the crap out of everybody.
5. He also had to face an extra batter because of a blown call by the home plate umpire.

All told, today’s game was pretty promising. There was some late-inning excitement, even without Carlos Marmol closing; but the Cubs maintained a respectable lead through seven innings after getting on the board in the first, finishing with a 5-4 victory over Los Angeles.

» Continue reading “Cubs Game Recap: Unexpected Success!”

I feel your pain, my friend.

What even, guys. What. Even.

Ryan Dempster threw an absolute gem today. He lasted eight innings and held the Reds to three hits and no runs, while striking out six. He was backed up in grand fashion by his batters: Starlin Castro, Bryan LaHair and Geovany Soto (!) each had a solo shot to put the Cubs up 3-0.

Then. Oh, then. Carlos Marmol happened.

Marmol came in to close out the game in the ninth, hoping to collect his third save of the season. But Good Marmol was nowhere to be found. Instead we got someone who looked an awful lot like our friend Carlos, but may in fact have been some guy from the stands.

Three walks, a hit, and an error by the beleaguered Ian Stewart later, Whoever That Was Pitching The Ninth had allowed two runs. He was promptly lifted, without having recorded an out, in favor of Rafael Dolis, as the entirety of Cubs fandom screamed “NOT BETTER.”

Dolis then induced a double play, but since there were no outs in the inning, it allowed Brandon Phillips to score the tying run.

The Cubs of course did nothing in the top of the tenth. Dolis came back out for the bottom half, and gave up a leadoff single to Zack Cozart. Chris Heisey tried to advance him with a sacrifice bunt, and got more than he bargained for when Dolis flubbed the throw to first, allowing him to reach safely and sending Cozart to third. Scott Rolen then launched a sac fly to end it all.

Ugh.

The Cubs come back to town tomorrow, and will face the Dodgers at 1:20. Paul Maholm squares off against Chad Billingsley. Let’s hope Good Maholm shows up; although after today’s performance, I’m not sure how much good that would do.

So close... and yet so far.

The Cubs teased us tonight with a four-run comeback. The hope lasted all of five outs before it was mercilessly crushed beneath the speedy heels of Juan Pierre and Jimmy Rollins. Cubs lose, 6-4.

The Phillies sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning, and managed to rack up four runs off of Chris Volstad. The biggest problem was the infield defense, who were waving at weak grounders as they trundled into the outfield. The absence of Darwin Barney in favor of Blake DeWitt cannot be said to have helped matters.

It was pretty much DOOOOOOM after that point, as the Cubs bats managed only four hits over six innings. They did load the bases with no outs in the seventh, but scored only a single run, when Geovany Soto grounded into a double play. Everyone knew they were toast.

But then: Tony Campana and Bryan LaHair happened! Phillies reliever Antonio Bastardo did pretty much the only thing you’re not allowed to do against the Cubs and walked Campana. Tony promptly stole second. He then took off with a pitch to Starlin Castro, who deposited said pitch in left field, giving Campanarama! ample opportunity to score.

With Castro on first, LaHair stepped in. He had already doubled, back in the fourth inning. This time, he turned on a slider and launched it to right-center, tying the game and sending Twitter into an all-caps frenzy.

In the bottom half of the inning, Scott Maine did the equivalent of walking Campana and plunked Juan Pierre. Rollins singled him to third, and then Placido Polanco drove them both in with a double. Game over, man. Game over.

Jeff Samardzija faces Bronson Arroyo in the Matchup of Manes in Cincy tomorrow. Game starts at 6:10 CT on CSN+. Don’t miss all the flowing locks!

Get used to it.

Ehhhhhh.

Everything was pretty cool for the first three innings, but Randy Wells shattered our illusions when he handed the Phillies a four-run fourth. Both sides would add a run later in the game, which culminated in a 5-2 Cubs loss.

Starlin Castro and Bryan LaHair put the Cubs on the board the first chance they got. Castro lined a single and stole second (he nabbed two tonight, giving him 10 on the year), setting him up to score on LaHair’s double. Wells proceeded to cruise, holding the Phillies hitless through three.

But Randy lost it in the fourth. He faced eight Phils and surrendered four runs on three hits before he was lifted in favor of Michael Bowden, who mercifully killed the inning. Bowden went a total of 2.1 innings on mop-up duty and gave up another run in the sixth.

The Cubs staged a rally in the eighth, when Tony Campana, pinch-hitting for Shawn Camp, singled and later scored on Castro’s fielder’s choice. That was all they would get, though. Phillies starter Joe Blanton dominated Chicago, striking out eight over seven and a third innings.

In fact, the Cubs just sucked at the plate tonight, managing only six hits over the course of the evening and striking out a grand total of 11 times. As for walks, well, excuse me for a moment while I go sob in a corner.

Steve Clevenger, as you may have heard, flew back to Chicago to have treatment for the tightness in his side. Geovany Soto was scratched last-minute with back problems, giving us the pleasure of a Beef Castle start tonight. Unfortunately, it didn’t amount to much: 0-for-3 with a strikeout. Here’s hoping he heats up, because he may be all we’ve got for a while.

Hope for All CubKind Matt Garza faces Kyle Kendrick tomorrow at 1:35. Should you desire to view the contest, you may do so on WGN.

We’re now 16 games into the 2012 season. The Cubs are currently 4-12, which is good for a .250 winning percentage. To top things off, Johnny Cueto slmost broke the team’s best player in the seventh inning of yesterday’s loss.

In the seventh inning Sunday, Castro was drilled in the left elbow by a pitch from Reds starter Johnny Cueto. He immediately went to the ground, holding his arm, and received a visit at home plate from a member of the training staff as well as manager Dale Sveum.

After about a minute, Castro convinced everybody he was fine and advanced to first base.

“I feel like it broke my whole arm,” Castro said. “But after going to the ground and then running the bases, the hurt was gone. I feel good.”

After watching the video, I can’t imagine that Starlin’s elbow/arm feels anything but good right now. There’s an audible clunk as the ball hit him. But Starlin’s a tough guy.

“A little bit on top; not right on the bone,” he said when asked where the ball made contact. “I’m very good. I’m ready for tomorrow, of course.”

And he did manage a triple in the 9th inning off former teammate Sean Marshall.

“Obviously he had one heck of an at-bat there off [Reds reliever Sean] Marshall and hit a triple,” Sveum said. “He was fine. I think he was a little more shocked. I don’t think it quite got him on the bone, it got him more on the flesh, thank god.”

That will be one ugly bruise today, no matter where it hit him.

» Continue reading “Cubs Monday Headlines: Cueto Tries To Break Castro”

Hero of the Day

Maybe it’s just my expectations drastically lowering, but I feel like today’s game wasn’t a complete disaster. Sure, they lost 5-3 to Miami, but there were some high points.

Jeff Samardzija, however, wasn’t one of them. Shark looked a lot Sharkier today, giving up five walks and eight hits over three and two-thirds innings. He got the hook after just 88 pitches, because Logan Morrison tried to take his head off with a comebacker. As far as we know, he’s fine – he struck out Giancarlo Stanton afterward – but the ball did hit him in the pitching hand, so better safe than sorry, I guess.

All five of Miami’s runs came off of Samardzija: two in the first, and three in the third. The combined forces of James Russell, Shawn Camp, and Carlos Marmol didn’t allow any runs, and Marmol actually looked pretty good today. He wouldn’t be Marmol if he didn’t give up a walk, but he also recorded a strikeout and his slider looked reasonably sharp.

» Continue reading “Cubs Game Recap: Marlins Complete The Sweep”

This thing got a workout tonight.

I’m not gonna lie to you guys. It was bad out there.

Matt Garza was mostly sharp for the first five innings, but two two-run mistakes early on meant the Cubs were never really in this thing. It only got messier after Garza left. The final tally was 9-1 Marlins.

Mark Buehrle absolutely shut down the Cubs today, giving up only six hits. Jeff Baker, resident lefty-masher, got the start and had a two-hit day, leading off the seventh inning with a double and then scoring the Cubs’ only run on a groundout.

Chicago had a couple of chances earlier in the game. Barney and Castro led off the fourth with back-to-back singles, but never advanced any further. Geovany Soto and Marlon Byrd actually reached base today; Soto reached on an error by Hanley Ramirez, and Byrd actually broke his slump with a single to center.

Garza tried to bunt them over, but good lord is he bad at everything that isn’t pitching. The throw went to third, retiring Soto, and nobody else went anywhere.

» Continue reading “Cubs Game Recap: More Miami Homers”

Paul Maholm squared off against Jake Westbrook and the Cardinals today in a matchup that turned out to be precisely as exciting as I predicted it would. Despite teasing us with a promising first inning, Maholm returned to form in the second and the bullpen wasn’t any better. The Cubs slide to 3-7 with a 10-3 loss to St. Louis.

Maholm threw just 70 pitches today, 42 of them for strikes. He managed a 1-2-3 first inning that got everyone’s optimism generators warmed up, but promptly plunked Carlos Beltran to lead off the second, and it was downhill from there.

He followed that up by almost hitting Yadier Molina, and then never throwing another strike ever (give or take). His line for the day: 4.0 IP, 6H, 6ER, 1BB, 2SO. He also served up a three-run homer to Yadier in the third and hit Daniel Descalso too, for good measure. His ERA is a ridiculous and tragic 13.50.

Lendy Castillo and Rodrigo Lopez each pitched two innings of relief, and each gave up two runs. Castillo collected four strikeouts, but also gave up a two-run homer (to Matt Carpenter, the Lance Berkman fill-in) and a walk. If there’s such a thing as a “three true outcomes” pitcher, I submit to you that Lendy Castillo is that man.

» Continue reading “Cubs Game Recap: Maholm Gives Up 6 In Blowout”

"My homer went thiiiiis far."

Paul Maholm dug himself an early grave on Tuesday night in his first start as a Cub. Before he could record the second out of the game, the Brewers had put five runs on the board. The Cubs answered back, but not enough, and lost the second game of the series 7-4.

Of course, Maholm didn’t exactly make it hard for the Brewers. He issued two walks, served up two extra base hits – a double and a three-run homer – and plunked two Brewers. When he finally got Weeks (in his second at-bat of the inning, mind you) for the third out, you could hear the sarcasm in the extra-enthusiastic cheers. (Or they might have just been cold.)

Sveum left Maholm twisting for four innings in the actually-pretty-helpful wind, where he continued to give up hard-hit balls that were knocked down by the breeze.

Jonathan Lucroy of all people managed to tack one on in the third – he launched a solo homer where Braun and Ramirez had failed, making it 6-0 Milwaukee. Lucroy would also round out the Brewers’ scoring with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, the only run that the wobbly bullpen actually surrendered.

» Continue reading “Cubs Game Recap: Maholm Throws Batting Practice”