Results tagged ‘ Dodgers ’
7/20 It’s that time of year
Dale Sveum changed the setting on his cell phone Friday, just in case the team did make a deal regarding Ryan Dempster before his scheduled start against the Cardinals.
“It’s that time of year,” Sveum said Friday. “That’s why I kept my phone on high volume today. Obviously, you never know what could happen like that. One phone call changes the whole scenario. It can happen quick. It can happen with more than one guy.”
Dempster (5-3, 1.86 ERA) was reportedly being sought by several teams, including the Dodgers, who have made an offer for the right-hander. The Cubs were prepared just in case a deal was made. Casey Coleman was scratched from his start Thursday for Triple-A Iowa but a team official said that was done in case newly acquired pitcher Justin Germano could not get to St. Louis. The Cubs acquired Germano from the Red Sox late Thursday for cash considerations, and he did arrive at Busch Stadium in plenty of time for the game as well as a brief throwing session.
“You have to prepare for stuff like this,” Sveum said about losing a starting pitcher. “It’s never a perfect world because you never know that day or that hour when it’s going to happen.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/20 Cubs consider Dodgers offer
Ryan Dempster is still scheduled to start tonight for the Cubs, who are considering the latest offer from the Dodgers for the right-hander. According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers have made an offer but won’t get into a bidding war because they also need to add offense, preferably a corner infielder, even more than they need Dempster.
The Dodgers farm system also is a little thin in the kind of prospects needed to land All-Star caliber players like Dempster, the Padres’ Chase Headley, or the Phillies’ Shane Victorino. Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, has said they’re looking to improve on pitching in the organization. That said, Dempster, 35, would be a pure rental for the Dodgers, which most likely is affecting the negotiations. He is in the last year of his four-year contract with the Cubs, which is paying him $14 million this season. Players must be with a team for an entire season in order to qualify for draft-pick compensation, according to the new CBA.
Dempster has played 10 years in the Major Leagues and five with the Cubs, so he has the right to veto any deal. However, the right-hander was expected to approve of a trade to the Dodgers, where he would be reunited with his friend, Ted Lilly.
Epstein has kept Dempster up to date.
“It’s just kind of like, ‘Hey, there’s teams interested,’ and that’s great,” Dempster said Thursday. “Nothing imminent, not that I know of. I’m sure if they have something, they’ll come to me. But right now, I’m just trying to get ready for [Friday's] game.”
The Tigers and Braves also were believed to be pursuing Dempster as well. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported Friday that talks regarding Dempster could “drag on a few more days.”
This season has been the right-hander’s best, despite two stints on the disabled list, and he currently leads the Major Leagues with a 1.86 ERA. He missed time April 21-May 3 because of a right quad strain, and was sidelined June 18-July 8 because of right lat tightness. His record would be better if he had gotten any run support early in the season. Dempster went 18 starts, dating back to August 2011, without a win until June 5 when he beat the Brewers. He has 10 quality starts out of his 14 this season. Dempster has won his last five starts without giving up a run, and his 33-inning scoreless streak is the longest by a Cubs pitcher since Ken Holtzman’s 33-inning streak in 1969.
The Cubs will have an extra pitcher on hand in St. Louis. Casey Coleman was scratched from his start Thursday for Triple-A Iowa but a team official said that was done in case newly acquired pitcher Justin Germano could not get there in time for Friday’s game. The Cubs acquired Germano from the Red Sox late Thursday for cash considerations.
– Carrie Muskat
7/18 Dempster, Garza rumors
The New York Post reports the Dodgers as the favorite to land Ryan Dempster before the Trade Deadline with the Tigers seen as “strong pursuers” and the Red Sox as long shots. FOX Sports reports the Cubs are exchanging names with teams interested in Dempster. The Red Sox are also interested in Matt Garza.
The Chicago Tribune noted Stephen Fife, who made his ML debut, is a former Red Sox prospect who could be included in a Dempster-to-Dodgers deal. Fife, 25, filled in for injured Chad Billingsley, and gave up one run over six innings Tuesday night. The Dodgers acquired him from the Red Sox last summer in the Trayvon Robinson deal. A sinkerball pitcher, he’d be a good fit at Wrigley. Dempster has a 1.86 ERA, tops in the Majors.
CBSSports.com reported the Royals have inquired about Garza. They have had a scout at this week’s Cubs games. Dempster is in the last year of his $14 million contract, and, essentially a rental player for the final months of this year. Garza is under team control for 2013.
– Carrie Muskat
5/6 Cubs, Dodgers to start 4 pm CT
The Cubs and Dodgers are expected to begin play at 4 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Because this is the Dodgers only trip to Chicago, the two teams were willing to wait.
– Carrie Muskat
5/3 Looking ahead
How big is a win on Thursday against the Reds? The Cubs split their four-game series against the Phillies and have a chance to sweep the rain-abbreviated two-game set against the Reds on Thursday.
“Any time you go on a road trip, I think the goal is to play .500 or better if you can,” Ian Stewart said. “The Phillies are a great team and we went in there and went toe to toe with them, and if we can get these two games here [in Cincinnati], it’ll keep the momentum going into the homestand where we’ll be facing more good teams. We’ll need to do well against the Dodgers because they’re playing as good as anybody right now. If we can get this game [Thursday] and get the offense rolling a little more, it’ll be extra momentum going into the homestand.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/31 Lilly, Theriot dealt to Dodgers
The Cubs dealt Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot to the Dodgers Saturday in exchange for infielder Blake DeWitt and two Minor League pitching prospects.
The Dodgers also will receive cash in the trade, reportedly around $2.5 million.
Lilly was 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts with the Cubs and in the last year of a four-year contract with the team. He was scheduled to start Monday against Milwaukee but the Cubs may call up right-hander Thomas Diamond, who was pulled after throwing four innings on Thursday for Triple-A Iowa.
Theriot lost his starting shortstop job to rookie Starlin Castro and was moved to second this year. He was batting .284 with 10 doubles, two triples, one home run and 21 RBIs in 96 games.
DeWitt, 24, is a career .262 hitter with 31 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs in 230 games covering the last three seasons with the Dodgers. He’s played second, third and shortstop.
The Cubs also receive right-handed pitchers Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach from the Dodgers.
Smit has reached the Double-A level this season at the age of 22, combining to go 5-3 with six saves and a 2.35 ERA in 37 appearances between Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Chattanooga.
Wallach, 21, was 6-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 17 starts for Class A Great Lakes, striking out 92 batters in only 84 2/3 innings pitched. He’s the son of former Dodger player and current Dodger Triple-A Manager Tim Wallach.
– Carrie Muskat
7/30 Lilly & Theriot rumors
Could Ted Lilly go back to the Dodgers? According to Fox Sports, the Dodgers and Cubs have talked about Lilly and Ryan Theriot, but the catch is that the Dodgers want the Cubs to add cash in the deal. Lilly has $4.3 million remaining, Theriot $933,000.
The Cubs and Dodgers have confirmed the talks are ongoing. The catch is the money. The Cubs are trying to trim payroll, and the Dodgers don’t want to add. The trading deadline is Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
Lilly actually was drafted by the Dodgers in 1996 in the 23rd round but traded in July 31, 1998, to the Montreal Expos in a six-player swap. This season, he’s 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts, and has received the least amount of run support in the Major Leagues. If he went to the Dodgers, the lefty would join a rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla.
The Twins were interested in Lilly but chose to add to the bullpen, acquiring Matt Capps from the Nationals on Thursday. A Mets official told the New York Post it’s “very doubtful” they’ll get Lilly because they do not want to take on the money remaining and give up prospects.
Theriot received a $2.6 million salary for 2010 after losing an arbitration case to the Cubs. He’s under team control through 2012. The Fox report said Theriot could take over at second, sending Blake DeWitt to Triple-A. But DeWitt was batting .272 with one homer, 15 doubles, four triples and a .352 on-base percentage. Theriot is hitting .285 with one homer, 10 doubles, two triples and a .321 on-base percentage. The Padres had looked at Theriot but instead traded for Orioles third baseman Miguel Tejada.
– Carrie Muskat
7/29 Lilly rumors
A New York Mets official told the New York Post on Thursday it’s “very doubtful” they’ll get Ted Lilly by the trading deadline because they do not want to take on most of the $4.37 million still owed the lefty and give up prospects. The Dodgers and Twins are still believed to be talking to the Cubs about Lilly.
– Carrie Muskat
4/11 All or nothing
On Friday, the Cubs stranded 13 on base. On Saturday, they didn’t leave anyone on base in a 4-3 win over the Reds. Saturday’s game marked the first time the Cubs ended a game with zero left on base since April 26, 2002, when they lost, 10-0, to the Dodgers.
The last time the Cubs did not leave anyone on and won was July 1, 1924, which also was a 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
– Carrie Muskat
4/2 Some spring crowd noise
The Cubs averaged 10,892 fans in 14 games at HoHoKam Park this spring, drawing a total 152,493. That’s the top average home attendance in the Major Leagues this spring. This is the seventh straight year the Cubs have led the Cactus League in per game attendance.
The Cubs’ home attendance is listed as 164,046 in official MLB stats because that includes the March 13 game in Las Vegas. The Cubs were the home team that day.
They also were part of the Cactus League single-game record of 13,629, set March 28 in Peoria against the Seattle Mariners.
* The average attendance for a Cactus League game this spring was approximately 6,800 per game. The Cubs are a little more than 4,000 fans ahead of the Cactus League per game average.
* The Cubs helped establish since-surpassed single-game marks on consecutive days in Glendale – 13,391 on March 18 vs. the Dodgers; 13,413 on March 19 vs. the White Sox.
* The Cubs set an all-time HoHoKam Park attendance record on March 27 when they drew 13,462 fans for a game against the Padres.
* Last year, the Cubs set an all-time Cactus League record with 203,105 fans in 19 games at HoHoKam Park, an average of 10,690 per game.
* The Cubs have played in 15 of the top 20 top drawing Spring Training games of all time.
– Carrie Muskat
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