Thoughts on the Chicago Cubs and other topics in baseball. E-mail Tom at: tomsmithcubs@ hotmail.com

 
FRIDAY'S GAME AT SAN DIEGO: The good Greg Maddux showed up last night for the Cubs. Maddux pitched like he is expected to last night in pitching eight innings and giving up one run. What is going on with Jose Macias? Three days ago I was wondering why the Cubs were keeping him around, but he has played well the last two games (last night getting two triples). Joe Borowski came into the game to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the Cubs up 6-1 and I thought, "Oh no. Can Borowski hold a five run lead?" He could and did as he got the Padres out 1-2-3 to finish the game but no save as the Cubs won 6-1.
posted by Thomas at 5:10 PM

 
WEDNESDAY'S GAME AT LOS ANGELES: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The box score may not show it but Matt Clement pitched a good game last night. Clement and the Cubs were victims of the a bunch of Dodger infield hits in the third which resulted in two runs. In the seventh inning Clement gave up a two-run home run to Alex Cora after he fouled off a million pitches or so to give Los Angeles a 4-0 lead which was the final. Clement's line of 6 innings, 7 hits, 4 earned runs is not impressive but Clement had another good outing last night.

WOOD TO MISS ONE START: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The news on Kerry Wood for now is good. Wood will miss at least one start because of the discomfort in his right arm. Let us hope that is all he will be out.

BAD FACT CHECKING REPORT: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In today's Chicago Sun-Times, Mike Kiley reports,

So when will Wood serve his one-game suspension? It might not be Sunday, when Wood will miss his next scheduled start, because that could interfere with keeping the Cubs' options open on whether to put him on the 15-day disabled list.

Wood was suspended by Major League Baseball for five games, not one.

Kiley is not done with his bad fact checking though. Later in the article Kiley reports,

The Cubs have a new pitcher at Iowa. They got Jason Szuminski back from the Padres this week. San Diego selected Szuminski last December at the winter meetings in the Rule 5 draft, but he didn't fare well with the team this year in the big leagues with a 7.20 ERA.

Szuminski was selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Kansas City Royals who traded him to the San Diego Padres.
posted by Thomas at 10:56 AM

 
TUESDAY'S GAME AT LOS ANGELES: Just when we are getting good news on Mark Prior being able to come back we have to deal with Kerry Wood leaving the game after two innings with stiffness in his arm. Crummy performance by the Cubs last night in the 7-3 loss to the Dodgers. The Cubs made Jeff Weaver look like Don Sutton last night by getting two runs on six hits, and one walk, with seven strikeouts over eight innings.

MEL ROJAS AWARD: The Mel Rojas Award for bad relief pitching by a Cubs relief pitcher to Glendon Rusch. Rusch came into the game after Kerry Wood left. Rusch pitched three innings, giving up four earned runs and eight hits.
posted by Thomas at 1:18 PM

 
SORRY: Sorry I have not updated in over a week

SUNDAY'S GAME VS. COLORADO: The Cubs were down 1-0, 3-2, and 4-3 to the Rockies on Sunday but were able to come back tie the game and eventually win 5-4 in 13 innings. They looked good in being able to keep coming back, especially with Aramis Ramirez hitting a home run in the bottom of the tenth with two outs to tie the game 4-4. In the bottom of the 13th the Cubs had runners on second and third with one out and Damian Jackson up, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle intentionally walked Damian Jackson (who was in AAA Iowa days earlier) to get to Corey Patterson to have a lefty-lefty match-up. Patterson hit the first pitch into right-centerfield for the game-winning hit. I know the strategy worked earlier in the game for the Rockies but I really have to question intentionally walking a guy who was in the minors days earlier to get to Patterson. Joe Borowski continues to worry me. Borowski gave up a home run to Todd Helton in the top of the 10th to give Colorado the lead. LaTroy Hawkins has continued to look so far this season. After the Cubs signed Hawkins I wanted Borowski to remain the closer with Hawkins being the set-up man. If Borowski continues to be inconsistent the Cubs have to look at having them switch roles.


CHIPMUNK: In the bottom of the eleventh inning former Cub Jeff Fassero came into the game to pitch for Colorado. Chip informed us Fassero did quite a good job for the Cubs the first month of the 2001 season when he became the closer when Rick Aguilera was injured. Actually it was Tom "Flash" Gordon who was injured. Aguilera pitched for the Cubs in 1999 and 2000.


posted by Thomas at 6:22 PM