Tag: Cincinnati Reds

Cubs 61-59, -0.5
Reds 52-98, -9.5

POTG: 2B/RF Mark DeRosa (5 H, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R)
Runner Up: SS Ryan Theriot (3 H, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 2B), 3B A Ram (4 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B), LF Matt Murton (2 H, R), CF Jacque Jones (4 H, 2 2B, R)

On July 2nd, just 39 games ago, Jacque was hitting .227. It wasn’t really till the 4 hit game against the Giants on the 19th that he started to take off – his average jumped 17 points today (though he gave back some of it the next couple weeks.) Some of his improvement is just plain because he’s played so much, and wouldn’t still be playing if Felix was hitting in the majors. But, no one was going to knock Jacque out of the lineup over the last ten days. He was at 247 after the first game of the Houston series, and ended up at 276 for the season by the end of this one. It took a 18 for 35 streak, but Jacque Jones is now hitting about the same Jacque Jones is hitting every year.

It’s funny how the Cubs started the season thinking Theriot was the super sub and DeRosa was the guy who playing the same position every day, and it’s gotten completely switched, but it’s also great how they’ve both been able to handle it and the Cubs have been able to get them both in the lineup at the same time. DeRosa’s been better than I thought he’d be at this point. The deal’s not over, but it’s looking good so far.

I was kinda annoyed with Marquis during the game, because he gave up the 4 run lead just as quick as they got it. He did shut the Reds down from that point on, keeping the Cubs in the game instead of going nuclear and making it unwinnable, and that was at least nice of him. It was just a matter of the Cubs running into the right reliever.

Nice to see Good Scott Eyre and Okay Ryan Dempster make appearances.

Reds 52-67, -9.5
Cubs 60-59, -1.5

POTG: C Jason Kendall (2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB)
Runner Up: SS Ryan Theriot (2B, 2H, 2 RBI, R), 3B A Ram (HR, 2 H), LF Matt Murton (2B, 2 R, 2 BB, RBI), CF Jacque Jones (2 H, 2B, R, 2 RBI)

You know, I’m looking at this score, and it looked a lot like the previous game, when the Cubs were battling back and it seemed liked there was something there. It did not feel at all this time, it was much more a sense of doom. This was game, realizing the Cubs were now just 1 game over five hundred, where I worried if the Cubs had peaked for the season, if celebrating being percentage points ahead was both premature and well worth it, because that’s the best they’d be getting this season.

I think, in most situations, that GB total would have inflated somewhere between 3.5 and 5.5 in normal races, and the Cubs really would be in trouble. The reality of the 2007 NL Central race is the wheels came off for both the Cubs and the Brewers at the same moment and it’s become a battle to see who could fix things first and get going again (or a battle to see if they could fall so far back, they could yank the Cardinals back in process.)

Looking at this game from a little distance, there was some positives to be found. There was some atypical performances by the bullpen, but the offense had shown some much needed life. 9 runs is going to win you a lot of games, just not with the way Ted Lilly had set up the team on this day. It stressed the Reds pitching staff, which worked out nicely for the next game. And, unless this loss is the one the Cardinals needed at the end of the season to tie it up, it didn’t really mean much in the long term. Lilly’s got to pitch better, and it’d be nice if they weren’t sinking away from the Wild Card loss, but it’s a lot less depressing of a game when you find out it’s the end of a four game losing streak, and things were about to get better.

Cubs 60-58, -1.5
Rockies 51-67, -10.5

POTG: 1B D LEE (HR, 2 RBI, 2 H)
Runner Up: 3B A Ram (HR)

There was a little bit of the old hope left in this game. The Cubs just kept chipping back at the lead, getting one run in the 6th, the 7th, and the 8th. It certainly seemed liked David Weathers could cough some off on his own, especially when he came in the 8th walking the firs man he saw (in a nice AB by Ram.) The Reds just hung on, because it was a little too much of a lead for even they to give up. Looking at it now, the Cubs should’ve been pretty thrilled with their production, getting 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks, making the most out of what they had. It just didn’t feel that way, being the third loss in the row, being about the 9th loss in 11 games.

I’m writing this days after this game happened and it’s a situation where I can’t really talk about this game without mentioning what we didn’t know at the time. Despite the Score’s Super Investigative Journalism! (ie “make up a story, and decide all denials of the story are actually covers up”), the problem wasn’t Z having an arm injury, but being distracted by his contract. I don’t know when I’ll get another opening to talk about it, because we also know now that his next start was rained out, so let me write here that I’m very happy it’s settled, and I think the deal is fair in terms of the market. 5/91 seems about what we thought to begin with – in fact, let’s look back

If you can sign Z for 18.3 a year (which is $110 over 6), you do that deal and you do it right away. I firmly believe he’ll get 20 on the open market. He’s significantly better than Zito, and you’re getting him for only $1 mil more a year. That’s a huge bargain.

And, in the end, they signed Zambrano for exactly 18.3 million a year. The sixth year is a player option, which takes the deal to $111 million. In 8.5 months, the deal went up $1.5 million. It’s actually a better deal for the Cubs than the Zito deal is, even if you ignore player performance – at worst, Z picks up the option for the last year but is (unthinkably) no longer effective, but the Giants are still stuck with Zito for a year longer.

The really good point I’ve seen in the Tribune, and elsewhere, is this deal probably doesn’t get done if Hendry got dumped before the season. Long term organizational contuntity certainly has it’s benefits, though I’m still far from sure if I want Hendry to stay in charge after this season. (It’s not like Z can opt out!)

Reds really should’ve scored more than they did with as many hits as they got. So you can think off this as Z being worse than he normally should be, but a lot better than he could’ve been. It sure seemed like they had a chance.

Cubs 55-48, 0.5/1.0
Reds 45-61, 12/12.5

POTG: SP Z! (7.1 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 R, W [14/78]; 3 H)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (2 H, 2B, 2 SB, R), SS Ryan Theriot (2 H, 2 R, SB), 1B D Lee (HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, HBP), 3B A Ram (2 H, 2B, R, RBI), RF Mark DeRosa (2 H, RBI, SF), CF Angel Pagan (H, 2 RBI)

When the Cubs left Cincinnati on April 5th, at the end of the first series of the season, they were two games out. In the 100 games since, they’ve managed to pick up 1.5 games! Or I guess the other way to look at it is they picked up 2.5 games in two days, but that’s not quite as fun.

I think the Reds were probably happy with what they got out of Matt Belisle, because he saved their bullpen a little bit after yesterday. It really didn’t matter who they were throwing out there today, they were losing. The only guy who was threatening to Z at all was Scott Hatteberg, but Z eventually figured him out and struck him out too.

Soriano’s home run probably should’ve been a homerun. I didn’t see the Reds broadcast clips which were supposedly conclusive, but it seemed like that should’ve hit the top of the wall. Meanwhile, all the starting pitchers are going to have practice RUNNING at some point.

This is going to be a tougher week of matchups. The Phillies and the Mets should be a step stronger than the two last two teams, and there will only be one Z start. Lilly’s been pitching great, but I’m not banking on the Cubs getting into first place tonight. A 4-3 week would be good enough; even if that backs them up a bit, they’ve got a soft part of the schedule next.

Cubs 54-48, 1.5/2.0
Reds 45-60, 12/12.5

POTG: LF Soriano (2HR, 3H, 3R, 5RBI)
Runner Up: SS The Riot (2 BB, R), 1B D Lee (HR, 2 RBI), C Jason Kendall (2 H, 2 R), SP Sean Marshall (6 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 3K, W [5/11]), RP Carlos Marmol (2 IP, 2 H, 2 K)

Now THIS was the Reds bullpen I was eager to see. I mean, it was mostly over even before Harang left (though his injury may have played a part in it), but there’s so many fun guys for the Cubs to face. Every time someone came in with an opposing AVG over 300, and both splits were over 300, I was very amused. So were the hitters.

There’s no way the Cubs should lose Sunday’s game. I don’t believe in jinxes, I believe in lopsided matchups, and this is one of those.

It’d nice if they spread out the homeruns, instead of getting them like 4 at a time and then none for 10 days.

Jason Kendall is up to 310 as a Cub! They used Marmol for two innings and he was fine! Dempster is making up for baserunners he couldn’t put on when he was hurt! I really have nothing to say about this game.

It was nice of the Cardinals to sweep. 1.5 to the lead, perhaps the first time in a while where the Division lead has been closer than the Wild Card.