thecubsfan.com

Game 106: Cubs 9 - Diamonbacks 3

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Cubs rebound to 44-62
Diamondbacks drop to 54-52

POTG: SP Rich Hill (8 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 B, 6 K, 1 HR, QS, W 1/1)
Runner Ups: CF Juan Pierre (2B, BB, 2 RBI), SS Cesar Izturis (2B, H, R), C Michael Barrett (2B, HR, RBI, 2 R), RF Jacque Jones (HR, 2 RBI, R), LF Matt Murton (HR, 2 H, 2 RBI, 2 R)

Weirdest fact of this season (from the Cubs.com game story)

Maddux's departure also meant the 26-year-old Hill has become the oldest pitcher in the Cubs' starting rotation

I forget sometimes that Prior (for another month) and Z are only 25. Of course, they've got 41 and 60 wins respectively, compared to Hill's 1. Really nice to see him do well and go eight innings; bullpen (at least the parts that count) really needed the extra rest.

It seems like Dusty is going to stick Izturis as second in the lineup, which seems slightly better than Neifi but not really. I guess we'll find out how that works.

Sometimes, you know things, but you don't really think about them till you see them spelled out..
Roberto Novoa Splits
vs LHP: 306 AVG/442 OBP/516 SLG
vs RHP: 281 AVG/342 OBP/547 SLG
They showed the average split on TV last night, and it just struck me as hilarious

Kinda thought they'd stick Cedeno in at second for the 9th just to give him a quick feel for it, but I guess they're taking this quite slow.

It didn't factor in the Murton HR - that was a bad bounce off a fan with bad hand/eye co-ordination - but it seems like the bleacher baskets got rewired with tighter/smaller material during the reconstruction. The netting is stretched out completely, no slack, and I think that's why there's been more balls which have bounced out of the basket and back on to the filed this year. The baskets are reflecting the impact, instead of catching it. I figure having tight nets makes it easier to pick garbage out of the baskets and that's why it's been done.