6/17 Cubs lineup & extra bases
Paul Maholm is on the mound Sunday night when the Cubs close their three-game Interleague series against the Red Sox. Here’s the lineup:
Johnson RF
Barney 2B
Castro SS
Soriano LF
Baker 1B
Mather CF
Castillo C
Valbuena 3B
Maholm P
* Starlin Castro has started each of the Cubs’ first 65 games this season, and is one of two NL players to start all of the team’s games so far. The Braves’ Dan Uggla also has done so.
* The Cubs are batting .224 against southpaws this season, third lowest in the NL. They are 3-14 against left-handed starters, including a loss Saturday.
* The Cubs have lost 23 of their last 30 games since May 15, and 12 of those 23 losses have been by one run. Alfonso Soriano has provided much of the offense, hitting 12 homers in his last 30 games. He’s batting .294 in that stretch with seven doubles, 24 RBIs and a .688 slugging percentage.
* The Cubs are 3-8 in Interleague play, with three games remaining against the American League. They face their crosstown rivals, the White Sox, in a three-game set starting Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Pitching matchups:
Monday: Matt Garza (2-5, 4.04 ERA) vs. Zach Stewart (1-1, 5.18 ERA)
Tuesday: Travis Wood (0-3, 4.58 ERA) vs. Jake Peavy (6-2, 2.91 ERA)
Wednesday: Ryan Dempster (3-3, 2.11 ERA) vs. Gavin Floyd (4-7, 5.63 ERA)
* Happy birthday to bullpen coach Lester Strode, who is 54. He’s in his 24th season as a member of the Cubs organization.
– Carrie Muskat
mlblogsmuskat1
Please give Steve Clevenger as many at bats as possible.
Please don’t boo Soriano. The guys on the team made it very clear that they are behind him and so should the fans be.
Whooohooo!!! BARNEY scores all the WAY from first!!! Oh Yea!!!!!!
Hoorah!!! Barney does it again! Oh yea is right Isabel!!!!!!!!!
Yet again more post 5/15 stats for Soriano (thanks for showing up late Soriano) good offensive stats but still a pretty below average all around player. Booing is part of the territory and at least some fans are not being fooled by all the “love” thrown upon Soriano in such a contrived attempt to justify his STILL BEING IN LEFT FIELD hindering the true agenda of the team’s future. I personally don’t boo him as it will have no effect on the decision to play him, sit him or trade him but surely if there is one player that does not fit the profile of the players Hoystein claims to be aiming at…it is Soriano. Defensivley challenged, INSTINCIVLEY challenged, aging RAPIDLY, headed for surgery, one dimensional hitter….no bashing, just the way it is.
I wonder how many fans would panic if Soriano of his own accord retired? None probably as we would all take a collective sigh of relief and think our Cubs could then
truely MOVE FORWARD.