Results tagged ‘ Reds ’
5/25 Makeup game vs. Reds
The Cubs-Reds game rained out in Cincinnati on May 1 has been rescheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET on Aug. 18 as part of a day-night doubleheader. The originally scheduled game will begin at 7:10 p.m. ET. Fans with tickets dated May 1 can use that same ticket at the gate for admission to the day game with no exchange necessary.
– Carrie Muskat
12/29 Garza hot topic
Could the Cubs deal Matt Garza? They are apparently still listening to teams interested in the right-hander. The Cubs are most likely looking for a package similar to what the Padres received from the Reds for Mat Latos and what the Athletics received from the Nationals for Gio Gonzalez, which means a lot of talented prospects. According to reports, the Blue Jays and Yankees may be the front-runners. What makes Garza attractive to the Jays and Yankees is his 23-15 record, 3.34 ERA in 56 career games vs. the AL East. Plus, he’s 7-4 with a 3.83 ERA in 19 games against the Red Sox.
Chicago helped its system by dealing Sean Marshall to Cincinnati for Travis Wood and two other players. Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, has said Garza is “exactly the type of pitcher we want to build around” but is willing to listen as the team re-tools. They’d have to be overwhelmed to move Garza, who is under team control through 2013. Gonzalez, 26, and Latos, 24, will be under team control for at least four years.
– Carrie Muskat
9/4 Cubs probables vs. Reds
The Reds come to town Monday for a three-game series. Here are the pitching probables:
Monday, 1:20 p.m. CT: Dontrelle Willis (0-4, 4.10) vs. Matt Garza (7-10, 3.64)
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m. CT: Mike Leake (1-9, 4.12) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (4-6, 4.94)
Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. CT: Johnny Cueto (9-5, 2.29) vs. Ryan Dempster (10-11, 4.75)
– Carrie Muskat
5/21 Pitching and defense
If pitching and defense are keys to a winning season, and most baseball experts say they are, then the Cubs are headed in the wrong direction. They rank second in the Major Leagues in batting, trailing only the Cardinals. But they are 28th in the Majors in pitching with a 4.72 ERA, and 28th in fielding with 33 errors. The Astros are the only National League team worse than the Cubs in the latter two categories.
Before Friday’s game against the Red Sox, GM Jim Hendry sounded encouraged by what he’d seen in Florida in the two wins over the Marlins.
“I’m hopeful that a lot of our failures early (are over),” Hendry said before the Cubs’ 15-5 loss to the Red Sox. “When you play well against a good team like the Marlins, and in a place until last year we never had any success … What we have is a lot of really solid guys, team-oriented guys, that are trying to hard to be ‘the guy’ and get something going that maybe they’ve pressed themselves into some failures.
“Hopefully, they proved the last couple of days they could relax, play good baseball against a good team, and hopefully we’ll carry that over here and in a big homestand before the end of the month.”
This has been a long, tiring road trip that started in Cincinnati with two losses to the Reds, including a 7-4 loss Monday that prompted a team meeting by manager Mike Quade.
“We gave away a few games,” Hendry said. “Everybody has them. The two in Cincinnati were probably as hard to take as any ones all year. … I think they’re going to grind their way through it and play good baseball.
“The last couple of days [against the Marlins] should show you something because [the losses to the Reds] … were two we really should’ve had. It’s hard to get off the plane the next day on the road, and they really played good baseball for two days [in Florida].”
Unfortunately for the Cubs, that good feeling didn’t last in Fenway Park. They still have not been able to win three in a row.
– Carrie Muskat
5/15 Looking at positives
11/23 NL MVP trivia
The Cubs did not have anyone finish in the top 25 in the National League Most Valuable Player voting, which the Reds’ Joey Votto won. It’s the first time since 1994 that the Cubs have been shutout in that award and did not have anyone receive a vote.
– Carrie Muskat
6/6 Up in the air
In a span of about 57 hours, give or take a few, the Cubs will play in three different ballparks, beginning Sunday in Houston at Minute Maid Park. They have a makeup game Monday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh (11:35 a.m. CT) and then fly to Milwaukee to open a series Tuesday night against the Brewers at Miller Park.
* Last season, the Cubs played three games in three days in three different ballparks when they met the Indians at Wrigley on June 21, 2009; then play at Atlanta, then at Detroit.
* The last time the Cubs played three games in three days in three different road parks was 2004 when they faced Cincinnati on Sept. 19 (a 5-1 win), then played a doubleheader in Florida Sept. 20 (which they split), and then traveled to Pittsburgh Sept. 21 (a 10-inning win). Hurricane Francis in Miami forced that crazy itinerary.
– Carrie Muskat
4/8 Six-feet under
Lou Piniella is hearing it from Cubs fans at Turner Field who are upset about the 0-2 start. He’s upset, too, but also realistic.
“[If you're] 2-0, you’re on top of the world, and 0-2, you’re six feet under,” Piniella said Thursday prior to the Cubs’ game against the Braves. “It’s early. We’ve got to sort some things out there. These guys are playing. We didn’t play poorly last night. We gave them an unearned run when we didn’t tag a guy out at second. You talk about a little play like that, that makes [Ryan] Dempster throw an extra 12, 15 pitches to get out of that inning. It’s early in the season and we’re going to be fine. Winning that first ballgame is important.”
After this three-game series, the Cubs head to Cincinnati to face the Reds for three. They’d like to go with a “W” in the standings.
“We’re trying to win one and [the Braves] are trying to win their third,” Piniella said. “We’re doing the best we can. It is important [to win Thursday]. We’ve got to play regardless tomorrow whether we win or lose tonight. The season isn’t over.
“If we win this game, it doesn’t mean we’ll win the World Series,” he said, “and if we lose, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose one. We’re going to do the best we can, that’s all we can do.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/28 Score runs, you win
Lou Piniella has stressed that the Cubs need to score runs to win — simple concept but true. Looking at team batting averages and runs scored since the All-Star break, he’s right.
TEAM: Batting aver. since ASG, Runs, Record
CUBS: .280, 61, 9-2
Reds: .225, 42, 3-8
Astros: .267, 46, 6-5
Brewers: .288, 47, 4-7
Pirates: .236, 39, 5-6
Cardinals: .281, 47, 5-6
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