Results tagged ‘ Ryan Dempster ’
7/29 Pitching probables
Looking ahead to the Cubs rematch against the Pirates, here are the pitching matchups. We should know today who will go Monday:
Monday: TBD vs. LHP Erik Bedard (5-11, 4.32)
Tuesday: RHP Ryan Dempster (5-5, 2.25) vs. RHP A.J. Burnett (12-3, 3.52)
Wednesday: LHP Travis Wood (4-6, 4.98) vs. RHP Jeff Karstens (3-2, 3.88)
– Carrie Muskat
7/28 Wait & see
There were no changes in the Cubs’ roster on Saturday, just attempts to ask Dale Sveum the same question: Are you eager for the Trade Deadline to pass?
“I think everybody is ready to get it behind us with everything that’s happened and all the rumors,” Sveum said. “Whether they happen or not, I think everybody will be glad it’s all over with. It’s not over with a lot of times because of the waiver wires. I think the main things will be shutdown one way or another [after Tuesday].”
The Trade Deadline is 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday. Ryan Dempster is scheduled to start that night against the Pirates.
– Carrie Muskat
7/27 More Dempster rumors
CBSsportsline.com’s Jon Heyman reports Friday that talks between the Dodgers and Cubs are at an impasse, and that the Dodgers are looking at other options. The Dodgers have reportely offered pitching prospects but Heyman said the Cubs were asking for Allen Webster. The Dodgers have the leverage in talks as Dempster has rejected a deal to the Braves, and was believed to only be willing to go to the Dodgers. Matt Garza was another option but he may be a difficult trade candidate because the right-hander won’t get a start until the end of the week. He came out of his last start last Saturday because of cramping in his right elbow.
– Carrie Muskat
7/27 Normal day for Dempster
Ryan Dempster threw on the side Friday, hit with the Cubs pitchers, and then joined his teammates in the outfield during batting practice. It was a normal day for the right-hander, who has had anything but normal days leading up to Tuesday’s Trade Deadline. Dempster (5-5, 2.25 ERA) is on track to make his next start, which would be Tuesday, just a few hours after the Trade Deadline. He’s been one of the top targets this season.
“I think there’s no question it’s going to weigh on you a little bit,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of the distractions of the rumors. “Everybody’s human.”
Whether Dempster goes is his call. He has 10 years in the big leagues, five with the same team, which allows him veto power over any deal. That may sound selfish, but it’s the players’ rights.
“Fortunately for Dempster, he’s got the 10-and-5 rights, and for whatever reason, people don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes and all the reasons why you accept and why you don’t,” Sveum said. “It’s an unfortunate thing that [people] jump to conclusions. He’s one of the most class guys you’ll ever be around and [good] teammate and obviously very productive when he goes out there every five days, too. It’s one of those things where you’re good if you, good if you don’t, and it’s a tough situation to be in.”
Sveum isn’t pushing for a trade.
“We’re only going to be a better team with him on the field all year,” Sveum said.
Dempster and Sveum didn’t agree on Wednesday, which was Dempster’s last start. He was pulled after 93 pitches over six innings, and trailing, 3-2 against the Pirates. Dempster threw a cooler lid, then slammed the cooler and threw a water bottle in the dugout. The two talked later.
“Players have the right to do things and snap and those things happen,” Sveum said. “It’s not all just because of one thing or because he got taken out of a game. It’s a very competitive sport and there’s a lot of reasons why some guys all of a sudden don’t have a good day. We had a good talk and everything’s good.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/27 Garza on hold
Matt Garza will not pitch until late next week, Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. The right-hander underwent an MRI on his elbow, which showed evidence of the cramping but was otherwise clean. He just needs to get back on a schedule. Even though he’s sidelined now, Garza could still be traded by Tuesday’s Deadline day. It’s up to the other team as to whether they want to take that risk. Monday’s starter for the upcoming series against the Pirates has yet to be determined, although it could be Justin Germano. Ryan Dempster will start Tuesday and Travis Wood on Wednesday.
– Carrie Muskat
7/27 Dempster-Dodgers rumors
According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, the Dodgers are focused on acquiring Ryan Dempster from the Cubs, and continue to hold talks to line up back-up deals if they can’t reach an agreement. The Dodgers are rumored to be involved with nearly every starting pitcher on the trade block, from James Shields and Josh Johnson to Zack Greinke and Matt Garza. Dodgers chairman Mark Walter said Wednesday that after the team added Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers weren’t done. Los Angeles also is looking for another bat.
– Carrie Muskat
7/25 Dempster vents
If Ryan Dempster was distracted by all the trade rumors, it didn’t show. But he was upset at his outing Wednesday. Dempster served up two solo home runs and Garrett Jones hit a tie-breaking RBI double in the sixth. After he was pulled from the game, he slammed the water cooler and threw a bottle in the dugout.
Since the right-hander threw 33 consecutive scoreless innings, he now has given up seven runs on 12 hits over 12 innings in his last two starts. A free agent to be, he’s still a hot commodity on the trade market. The speculation on where the right-hander could go won’t end until Tuesday’s Trade Deadline.
“It’s that time of year,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “Anything can happy on any hour, any minute. We’ve still got six days [under the Deadline] and right now we just focus on what we’ve got and everybody’s in the rotation and all the hitters are still here. We don’t worry about that, we can’t worry about that. It’s part of the game.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/25 Braves have moved on
On Wednesday, Braves GM Frank Wren said the team is “moving on” and no longer trying to acquire Ryan Dempster. During an interview on 680-AM The Fan in Atlanta, Wren said the deadline had passed for a deal to be completed. Dempster has 10-and-5 rights, and can veto any trade. The Dodgers were believed to be still pursuing Dempster.
“I think it’s very highly unlikely,” Wren said. “We put parameters on the deal that expired [Tuesday]. We were moving on from the time we heard that there was the potential of another club being really where he wanted to go. And he had a lot of personal reasons for that.
“We haven’t stopped pursuing other pitchers. We’ve had scouts in ballparks seeing everyone. It’s one of those bumps in the road but at the same time we put parameters on it that expired yesterday so we’ve moved on.”
When asked about Wren’s comments, Randy Bush, Cubs assistant general manager, said: ”We can let his comments stand.”
– Carrie Muskat
7/25 Cubs lineup
Ryan Dempster will close the Cubs series in Pittsburgh, taking the mound Wednesday at PNC Park. Dempster enters the game with a 2.11 ERA (23 ER/98 IP) in 15 starts. The 2.11 ERA is the lowest among Major League qualifiers, as Dempster has given up three or fewer runs in 11 of his 15 starts. That includes nine starts in which he gave up one or no runs. Opponents are batting .209 against Dempster this season, tied for the third-lowest mark in the NL behind only the Nationals’ Gio Gonazalez (.203) and the Giants’ Matt Cain (.208).
Here’s the lineup:
DeJesus CF
Castro SS
Rizzo 1B
LaHair RF
Clevenger C
Valbuena 3B
Barney 2B
Campana LF
Dempster P
– Carrie Muskat
7/25 Braves still interested
Here’s Braves GM Frank Wren’s take on the Ryan Dempster situation:
“If this deal materializes, we have the framework of a deal with the Chicago Cubs,” Wren said Tuesday. “If it doesn’t, then if something else were to present itself, then they know we are going to move on to other things.
“The unfortunate part is that it got public,” Wren said. “These things happen. But when players have no-trade (clauses), whether contractual or as a 10-and-5, it creates additional difficulties for all of us to complete because once there is a window of opportunity for stuff to get out, it’s out. It just does. That’s the way it is in today’s world.
“It was an opportunity to get one of the premium arms in this Trade Deadline market and arguably the guy that is pitching the best in baseball,” he said of Dempster. “That’s the positive side. The negative side is that it hasn’t gone through as quickly as we would have liked.”
Dempster will start for the Cubs on Wednesday.
– Carrie Muskat
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