Muskat Ramblings

5/17 Cubs vs. White Sox

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:53:00 +0000

Interleague play and bragging rights in the city are on the line Friday when the Cubs start their home-road, six-game series against the White Sox at Wrigley Field.

* Pitching matchups:

Friday: Philip Humber (1-2, 5.77 ERA) vs. Jeff Samardzija (4-1, 2.89 ERA)

Saturday: John Danks (2-4, 6.46 ERA) vs. Ryan Dempster (0-1, 1.74 ERA)

Sunday: Jake Peavy (4-1, 2.65 ERA) vs. Paul Maholm (4-2, 4.35 ERA)

* Cubs record vs. White Sox: 39-45

At Wrigley Field: 22-20

At Comiskey Park/U.S. Cellular Field: 17-25

Last Cubs three-game sweep: June 20-22, 2008, at Wrigley Field

* Crosstown series batting leaders (minimum 60 at-bats):

Average: Mark Grace, .350

Hits: Sammy Sosa, 45

Home runs: Aramis Ramirez, 13

RBIs: Sosa, 39

Pitching leaders (minimum 25 innings pitched)

ERA: Mark Prior, 2.88

Wins: Carlos Zambrano, six

Saves: Ryan Dempster, Bob Howry & Carlos Marmol, three each

Strikeouts: Zambrano, 71

* A total of 168 players have appeared in at least one Major League game for both the Cubs and White Sox, from David Aardsma to Dutch Zwilling.

* The two teams have made 22 trades, the last coming Nov. 16, 2006, when Neal Cotts was acquired from the White Sox in exchange for David Aardsma and Carlos Vasquez

* Sixteen players have seen action for both the Cubs and White Sox in the same season, the last being Josh Paul in 2003

* Steve Renko (1977) and Matt Karchner (1998) recorded victories for both teams in the same season. No player has homered for both teams in the same year.

* The only person to ever manage both teams was Johnny Evers, who skippered the Cubs in 1913 and 1921, and the White Sox in 1924

* White Sox manager Robin Ventura has a .286 average in three games, going 4-for-14

– Carrie Muskat

5/17 Geovany Soto scratched

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:48:13 +0000

Cubs catcher Geovany Soto was scratched from Thursday’s lineup against the Phillies because of inflammation in his left knee. His status was day to day. Welington Castillo, who was batting .150, replaced Soto in the Cubs lineup in the series finale. Soto was hitting .161 with three home runs and six RBIs this season, and has started 27 of the Cubs 37 games. Although his batting average is low, he’s shown some improvement. He hit .127 in April and was batting .211 in May.

– Carrie Muskat

5/17 Sing along

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:18:31 +0000

Former Cubs outfielder Gary Matthews will lead the Wrigley Field crowd in the seventh inning stretch on Thursday. Matthews is currently a broadcaster for the Phillies. On Friday when the Cubs face the White Sox, former Chicago Bulls star Bill Wennington will sing. Saturday is still to be announced, while Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins will do the honors on Sunday.

– Carrie Muskat

5/17 Minor League report

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:22:58 +0000

Iowa had Wednesday off and will open a series against Salt Lake in Des Moines on Thursday. Lefty Travis Wood is scheduled to start.

Tennessee also had Wednesday off and will begin a series Thursday at Mississippi. Brooks Raley was slated to start for the Smokies.

Matt Loosen gave up one run on one hit and two walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings in Daytona’s 6-2 win over Brevard County in the first game of a doubleheader. Matt Szczur was 2-for-4 with a triple. The second game was postponed because of inclement weather.

Michael Jensen gave up four runs, none earned, on six hits over five innings in Peoria’s 5-4 loss to Clinton. Ryan Cuneo had three hits and three RBIs.

– Carrie Muskat

5/17 Bullpen moves – UPDATED

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:16:19 +0000

The Cubs added another arm to the bullpen on Thursday, calling up right-hander Blake Parker from Triple-A Iowa. Parker was 1-0 and 5-for-5 in save opportunities in 13 games with Iowa, giving up three earned runs on nine hits over 13 innings. He has not pitched since Sunday, so he’s fresh. Parker has not served up a home run, and has held hitters to a .200 average. The 26-year-old reliever, who turns 27 on June 19, has yet to appear in the big leagues, pitching at Double-A Tennessee and Iowa last season.

Parker’s contract was purchased from Iowa, and the 40-man roster is now at 39. Scott Maine was optioned to Iowa to make room on the 25-man roster.

“I liked him a lot in Spring Training,” Dale Sveum said. “He’s got an above average slider and that’s one thing we need right now is somebody who can go through right-handers with a slider. He’s got velocity. He’s a guy who has done a nice job and you have to start rewarding guys who’ve done a nice job.”

The Cubs’ bullpen has struggled, compiling the worst record in the National League at 5-11, which includes Wednesday’s loss to the Phillies. Chicago’s relief corps ranks 26th in the Majors with a 4.76 ERA. The are fourth in the National League in most hits allowed (57), trailing the Mets, Brewers and Rockies.

– Carrie Muskat

5/17 LaHair’s streak ends

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:10:44 +0000

Bryan LaHair was 0-for-4 on Wednesday, ending his streak of reaching base safely at 32 games. That’s tied for the second-longest by a Cubs first baseman since 1945, joining Phil Cavarretta (32 games in 1945), Bill Buckner (32 games in 1981) and Derrek Lee (32 games in 2007). Andre Thornton had a 33-game run in 1975. LaHair said he never changed his approach during the streak.

“I keep it simple,” LaHair said. “I stick to my approach. I’ve been doing this for awhile. I’m just real comfortable at the plate, try to get on base for the team. I try to give guys like [Alfonso Soriano] and [Ian] Stewart the chance to drive me in, just like the guys in front of me are trying to let me drive them in. It’s a chain effect for the whole offense.”

LaHair did reach base on an error in the fourth but that does not extend his streak. The only at-bats that count are ones that increase on-base percentage, which include a base hit, walk, or hit-by-pitch.

The Cubs first baseman is one of the team’s top candidates for the All-Star Game.

“I’m humbled by the talk,” LaHair said. “That’s really all it is right now is talk. I’ve got to stay in the moment and prepare for tonight’s game. I never like to get too far ahead of myself. There’s a lot of good players in this league and a lot of guys with time served. I don’t know how the process works, I just try to do my part. If that kind of thing happens, it happens and it’d be great.”

– Carrie Muskat

5/16 Garza’s yips

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:52:18 +0000

Matt Garza had no problems throwing the ball over the plate. Throwing it to first was a little tricky. The Phillies’ Juan Pierre bunted on Garza in the first and he bounced the throw to first baseman Bryan LaHair for an error. Pierre bunted again in the third, and Garza again bounced the ball to LaHair.

“The first one, I had no time,” Garza said. “[Pierre] was out of the box I think before I even released the ball so I just picked it up and flipped it over as quick as I could.

“The second one, I get up and I’m about to throw it, and [Geovany Soto] tells me, ‘Don’t throw it, don’t throw it,’ and I was like, ‘I’m already going forward,’” Garza said. “Right there, if you’re thinking about ‘don’t throw it’ and you’re going, you’re not going to throw it where it needs to go.”

Soto checked on Garza after the play but the pitcher was fine.

“I said, ‘That was hilarious,’” Garza said. “I said, ‘You tell me ‘don’t throw’ and I’m already going through the motions.’ It’s not a big thing. I’ll keep going. If all teams are going to do is bunt against me, we’re going to have some quick games. I’m not too worried about that. They’ll have to hit a single to score.”

Dale Sveum was asked if Garza’s yips were more of a mental problem than physical.

“I’m not a psychologist,” Sveum said. “I don’t know what it is.”

– Carrie Muskat

5/16 Injury, roster updates

mlblogsmuskat1 — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:33:40 +0000

Carlos Marmol was able to play catch Wednesday and catcher Steve Clevenger swung a bat for the first time since going on the disabled list. Marmol has been on the DL since May 12 with a strained right hamstring. He said it’s the first time he’s experienced that kind of injury. The good news for Marmol is that the MRI he had showed the injury wasn’t severe. Dale Sveum said the right-hander could be ready in 10 days. And Marmol?

“I should be ready to go,” Marmol said. “The way I’ve been working, I think I’ll be fine.”

* Clevenger has been sidelined since April 26 with a strained right oblique, and on Wednesday, took 15 swings off a batting tee and another 15 swings on the side. Both he and Marmol have had enough of the athletic trainer’s room.

“I’ve never really been on the DL before in my career,” Clevenger said. “I’m bored. I don’t like being in the trainer’s room.”

Clevenger is ahead of schedule and could be activated as early as May 25.

* Lendy Castillo, the Cubs’ Rule 5 pick, was placed on the disabled list with a strained left groin and lefty Scott Maine recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Castillo apparently felt something Sunday while running and it was tender on Tuesday. The addition of Maine gives the Cubs a second lefty in the bullpen.

* Blake DeWitt, who was designated for assignment on May 6, was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. It’s up to him as to whether he accepts the assignment. He was batting .138 when designated.

– Carrie Muskat

5/16 Cubs lineup

mlblogsmuskat1 — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:52:19 +0000

Matt Garza gets the start on Wednesday night to begin a brief two-game series against the Phillies. In his last 14 starts at Wrigley Field dating to June 27 last season, Garza has a 1.84 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs in 102 2/3 innings. He’s given up three or fewer earned runs in each of those games. His 1.84 home ERA is third-lowest in the Majors in that stretch, topped only by the Angels’ Jered Weaver and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. Here’s the lineup:

RF DeJesus

CF Campana

SS Castro

1B LaHair

LF Soriano

3B Stewart

C Soto

2B Barney

P Garza

– Carrie Muskat

5/16 Soccer at Wrigley Field

mlblogsmuskat1 — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:45:07 +0000

Wrigley Field will host a soccer friendly on July 22 when Italy’s AS Roma meets Poland’s Zaglebie Lubin. This will be the first soccer match at Wrigley since 1984 when the Chicago Sting beat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 3-1. The match kicks off the first leg of AS Roma’s U.S. tour, with additional stops scheduled for Boston and New York. Tickets will go on sale May 24 at 10 a.m. CT at www.cubs.com/soccer. Tickets range from $25 to $110 (tax included), with the majority of seats listed at $50 or less. The playing field will run from the third base dugout to right field, similar to the football field layout during the college football game in 2010 between Northwestern and Illinois.

– Carrie Muskat