thecubsfan.com

Cubs 24-16, 1st (+1.0)
Padres 15-26, 5th (-10.5)

POTG: C Soto (HR, 2H, 3RBI)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (HR, 2H, 3RBI), SS The Riot (2 H, R), 3B A Ram (2B, 2H, R, RBI), 2B DeRosa (2 H, R), RP Marmol (2 IP, 3 K, 0 BB, 0 H, 0 R)

Baseball is weird. I think everyone figured the Cubs would probably split the last two games. No one thought the Cubs would do it by pounding Peavy and getting shut down by Estes. I’d like to have a great reason why this happens, but I have no idea. Just weird.

I don’t know if Lilly actually had a good start or not. He sure did strike out a lot of people (11!), but he also got hit decently hard the second time thru the lineup. I wasn’t paying close enough to decide, but maybe both teams very high strikeout totals might have been umpire related.

If you projected Soto’s stats for 162 teams games, he’d have .321, 28 HR, and 117 RBIs in the stats the writers actually pay attention to, plus high marks behind the plate. I don’t know that it’s possible for him to keep it up but as long as he does, he’s soared past going for the ROTY and All Star awards to getting MVP consideration. Just average production from the catching spot would be a big boost off what the Cubs got there last year, but Soto is far above and beyond that.

AVG/OBP/SLG
2007 CHC C: 239/304/369
2007 ML C: 256/318/394

2008 CHC C: 322/420/564
2008 ML C: 270/339/398

Why you use your closer while up by 4: Wood gets incentives for Games Finished, not saves. Doesn’t really matter how bad he was, he still gets GF #14. He starts getting bonuses at #20. (Last year, Dempster got 58, despite only 28 saves.)

No point in talking about the awfulness of signing Jim Edmonds – everyone not employed by the club (and Z) seem to think this is a dumb way to go, but the people employed with the clubs get to decide these things. I found it especially amusing that they announced a new fan interaction e-mail address just last night; someone must’ve set up an Edmonds filter this morning.