Joe Mather was mobbed in the middle of the diamond after his game-winning two-run single off of St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte to start the three-game series.The Cubs' bats were silent all night, but Mather turned out to be the hero as he propelled Chicago to a victory.Here is what we learned and the questions we have after today's game. Will Dale Sveum stick with one lineup? If you were to guess who Cubs coach Dale Sveum would place in his lineup everyday, your guess is as good as mine. Sveum hasn't stuck with one lineup this entire season as he ...
Starlin Castro is off to the start everyone hoped for and more. He is 24-for-67, which comes out to the tune of a .358 average—the league's third-best average behind Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp and Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal. Castro has hit around .300 his entire professional career, the highest coming when he hit .307 last season and his lowest being .299 back in the rookie leagues. He is a very consistent hitter, who has found himself in the number three hole in the Cubs lineup.It's amazing to think he never played above Double-A before being called up. Believe it or not, it ...
When Geovany Soto came into the league, he became an offensive force almost immediately. In his rookie year, he batted .285 with 23 homers and 86 RBI on his way to NL Rookie of the Year honors. He even finished 13th in MVP voting that year.Since then, injuries and inconsistency have turned Soto into an unreliable offensive player and far from the offensive force he was once projected to become. At just 29 years old, it is not too late for Geo to be an offensive weapon once again. He's shown that he has the ability, and the woeful Cubs could ...
Alfonso Soriano is under contract with the Chicago Cubs through the 2014 season as a result of his eight-year, $136 million deal.He's regressed each season since his 2006 campaign when he went 40/40 (46/41) with the Nationals. At age 36, it's highly unlikely that he'll ever produce at that level again.Since he is off to a slow start this season (.212/.236/.212, 0, 8), it may be best for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer to consider trading Soriano this year—rather than next year, or the year after that. His value will be highest in the next few months, as age will ...
The St. Louis Cardinals (11-5) and Chicago Cubs (4-12) will open up a three-game National League Central series on Monday night at Wrigley Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET.Las Vegas oddsmakers have established the Cardinals as -110 road favorites, while the total stands at 7 across the board.St. Louis won two of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates to open up its current six-game road trip, as the team looks to win its seventh straight series to open up the 2012 campaign. The Cardinals captured two of three at home versus the Cubs from April 13-15.Jaime ...
Nobody said this was going to be easy, but after just 16 games and a 4-12 record, Chicago Cubs fans seem to be abandoning the obvious and looking for immediate gratification. Theo Epstein was brought here to perform miracles, but despite a local newspaper putting him on the cover walking on water, it's going to take some time. Everyone has heard the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day," and a successful organization is not built in one offseason. Just as in building a skyscraper, you have to dig deep and build a foundation to support the structure you are attempting to create. The ...
Matt Garza is a good starting pitcher on a bad baseball team. The 2011 Cubs finished 71-91, but Garza was sixth in the National League in both FIP and WAR. At 28, Garza is in the prime of his career. Unfortunately for the Cubs, this likely means that Garza's best years will coincide with their worst years under the Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer-led regime. Epstein and Hoyer must decide if signing Garza to a long-term extension is a better decision than trading him for prospects.The argument for trading Garza is based upon the belief that Epstein and Hoyer will need three to five seasons ...
The Chicago Cubs' brief winning streak ended abruptly as they lost their fifth consecutive series after the Cincinnati Reds were able to pull out a close one 4-3.The Cubs fall to 4-12 and 3-7 at home as they hit the road to St. Louis.Here is what we learned from this Cubs loss. Defensive miscues cost Cubs the game The Reds were able to take full advantage of Geovany Soto's two throwing errors on sacrifice bunts in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie. The Reds were able to score two runs, but without even collecting a single hit due in part of Scott Maine's ineffectiveness ...
In exchange for five months of Marlon Byrd's services, the Cubs received local pitcher Michael Bowden and a player to be named later. Bowden, 25, was recently designated for assignment by the Red Sox along with minor league catcher Luis Exposito.Having selected Bowden in the supplemental portion of the first round of the 2005 draft, Cubs President Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer took the chance to turn a short-term asset in Byrd into a long-term asset in Bowden.Right now, the Cubs have a short- and long-term need both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. While Bowden ...
Vacations are great and needed, and recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy the combination of some R and R and my favorite sport on a baseball cruise. Former Cubs 20-game winner Jon Lieber gave me a one-on-one on my radio show.In Part 1, he talks about why he thinks the Cubs have never won at Wrigley Field, what successful teams do differently and what the Cubs don't do that could change that. Darrell Horwitz: Since you played for the Cubs, how come they haven't won the World Series for 103 years?Jon Lieber: That's kind of a tough question. I ...
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