Some More Time Away

There has been no new content for a while now. There will be after finals week is over next week. Until then enjoy the Cubs being better at baseball and of course every time Ted Lilly starts.

I would be thrilled if we took 2 of 3 this weekend. 

Missed Opportunities

You need to score runs when you have a runner on third and less than two outs.

I know I harp on this a lot but it cost the Sox a game again last night. Two times the Sox had the situation come up and both times the runner was stranded. Once Podsednik actually got a base hit and we still did not score. Alexei and Getz were the main culprits (they didn't get the runners in) but also AJ is to blame for not scoring on the ball that bounced over the pitchers head (maybe Cox too if he told him to hold).

This needs to stop being an issue. Good teams get those runs in. Whether the score is 0-0 or 9-1 those runs will be important in these games. Had we had either of those runs last night we win the game. The bats sure did wake up, but they need to become more consistant in that specific situation.

Boy the Sox are Frustrating to Watch

Greinke is good. Not news, just true and I'm not necessarily talking about today's game in this post. but I'm really starting to get frustrated watching the Sox. I feel like they are never winning. And the main reason for that is because they don't score early in games. In the last 4 games the White Sox have scored 1 run total in the first 5 innings of each of the last 7 games. That's pathetic.

The Sox are 9-1 when they score first. And when you score average .14 runs in the first 5 innings of games odds are you are not scoring first.

I'm also not happy with the fact that time and time again bad pitchers are making the Sox look bad. Again today does not count, but in those same 7 games pitchers named Jakubauskas, Feldman, McCarthy, and Harrison have made the Sox look pathetic.

Tomorrow the Sox face Kyle Davies. First off, this guy is bad (4.85 ERA with a 7 inning shutout appearance included, 16 ER in last 4 starts). Secondly, the Sox have seen him. They were unsuccessful, but they have all seen him. And lastly, his name is not Zack Grienke. So one would expect the Sox to score some runs tomorrow. But who knows.

Bye Bye Zambrano

We are going to be without Carlos Zambrano for a while, Bruce Levine thinks he is headed to the DL, and I agree. I will never criticize a player for playing as hard as he can, anybody who has ever gotten mad at a player for not hustling is in the same boat as me even if you don't realize it.

Z will miss some time to heal his hamstring, honestly giving his arm some rest isn't the worst thing. I think every starting pitcher should get one DL stint a season to keep their arm fresh. As more official news comes in I will update this post and bump it up to the top. In the meantime does anybody think Zambrano did something wrong in this case?

Some possible subs for Zambrano's pitching slot include Mitch Atkins and Randy Wells from AAA. Former relief pitcher Jose Ascanio might also get a look. 

3:45 Update: Levine is saying Z goes to the DL and Bobby Scales comes up. No word on who starts Friday, but I would guess Jeff Samardzija. 

The Cardinals are Really Good and Here to Stay

Seriously this post isn't satire, the Cardinals are really good this season and it does pain me a bit to say it. I was wrong about them when I wrote the preview and this is a sort of makeup try. 

Albert Pujols is still really good, we know that, but he has been awesome so far this season. Hitting grand slams out of stadiums and even stealing bases in big spots. Ryan Ludwick hasn't fallen off very much at all. His homers are steady as well as his RBI. He also brings solid defense to right field which is very important on this particular Cardinals team. 

Yadier Molina looks like he has figured out hitting, this season his at-bats are almost always solid, he rarely strikes out, and his OBP is almost .400. Skip Schumaker has been solid hitting leadoff and playing second, while his numbers are a bit low, I would expect them to rise as the season goes along. He has shown he can be about a .300 hitter with a little pop at the top of the order. Chris Duncan is healthy and swinging the bat well, getting some walks and not striking out as much. 

They are also getting good production out of Joe Thurston and Brian Barden. Barden has an OPS of .977 this season, that will come down, but if he can keep it in the mid to high .800s then the Cardinals have themselves something nice. Thurston has also been great with his speed and bat. Troy Glaus will be back in late-June which will only make the lineup that more potent.

The pitching is also been really good. Kyle Loshe has been able to turn his talent into on-field production with a 1.97 ERA so far this season. Adam Wainwright struggled with control early in the season, but his ERA is under three, and he has pitched much better the last few times out. Joel Pinero might be getting a bit lucky with balls in play, but a 4-1 start is hard to ignore. Even if he settles around a four ERA, he will be producing really well for the Cardinals. Chris Carpenter will return eventually, he looked awesome before his injury. Todd Wellemeyer hasn't been very good this season, but once Carpenter gets back he can be taken out of the rotation if Mitchell Boggs is pitcher better.

They still have a shaky bullpen, but Ryan Franklin is a solid closer and Kyle McClellan has settled as a solid setup man. Chris Perez and Jason Motte have tons of potential and might just be figuring out how to pitch as the season goes on.

This team is really good and the favorites to win the Central right now. I do think they slow down a bit and settle as about a 92-94 win team. Do I think the Cubs can catch them? Maybe, but it won't be the cakewalk we all thought it would be. Not when Geovany Soto and Milton Bradley are fighting to not rename the Mendoza line. 

Power Rankings Week 4

After taking a week off I am back to put some NL Central power rankings. I'll try to keep the hiatus's to a minimum. 

1. St. Louis Cardinals (17-8) - Nine games over .500 at this point in the season is something that I don't think Tony La Russa could have even predicted. I still think that the bats of Brian Barden and Yadier Molina will cool down eventually and this coupled with their spotty defense so far (22 errors), will bring them back to the pack. However, they have a nice cushion, and if they keep getting the production they are getting from Kyle Lohse (one or fewer earned runs in three of his past four starts), they will hold on to this top spot for awhile. 

2. Pittsburgh Pirates (12-12) - The simple explanation for why the Pirates have been more successful than usual so far is their starting pitching. Duke, Maholm, and Ohlendorf all have pitched over 31 innings and all have ERA's under 3.50. There is also a simple explanation to why I put them here, and it is there run differential, which currently stands at +19. This is better than the Cubs (+2) and Reds (-7), but falls behind the Cardinals (+36). 

3. Cincinnati Reds (13-11) - As mentioned above the Reds run differential is not great, but their starting pitching is really starting to come around in the last few days. Arroyo, Volquez, and Cueto have each had starts in the past week in which they have not given up an earned run. With Jay Bruce's power starting to heat up (6 home runs) and Votto still mashing, you have to feel pretty good if you are a Reds fan. I would say right now they have the deepest rotation in the division. 

4. Chicago Cubs (13-11) - This has not been the start Lou Piniella was hoping for, but I think if he were talking candidly he would tell he is pretty happy where the Cubs stand right now. No team in baseball has had to deal with the injuries the Cubs have had so far this year as Ramirez, Bradley, Lee, Soto, Zambrano, and Marmol have been banged up at one time or another. Ryan Dempster, Zambrano, and Harden have been inconsistent so far, but after taking 3/4 from the Marlins, the Cubs aren't in the worst spot they could be.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (13-12) - Going 7-3 in their last 10 games has erased the Brewers poor start. However, despite Mike Cameron provided some unexpected offensive help, I don't think this team has enough to outhit its pitching deficiencies. On any three game series with the Reds, Cubs, or Cardinals, the Brewers simply can't match up. Braden Looper is throwing great though.

6. Houston Astros (11-14) - At 3 games under, the Astros aren't as far out as you'd think for a last place team. Knowing the way the Astros always finish seasons, this may be exactly where Cecil Cooper wants them, just joking. With series coming up with the Nationals, Rockies, and Padres in the next few weeks, they have a nice shot to even it up. 

I Stop Watching, the Cubs Go Grand Slam Happy

So I guess I shouldn't watch the Cubs anymore because I don't watch for three days and they go 3-0 with two grand slams one of which was hit by Ryan Theriot. Having not seen any of these games I can tell you that I'm very happy with the starting pitching in the series (beside Rich Harden) and really happy to see some clutch hitting with men on base from people not named Alfonso Soriano. 

Ryan Theriot won't hit another homerun all season I can promise you that, but it was nice to see him have a two day power surge. Derrek Lee had two homers over the weekend as well and hopefully he can start building on that. Heck even Aaron Miles drove in a run Sunday with an RBI double.

There are still concerns with the team. Carlos Zambrano is going to find some time on the DL after he strained his hamstring today. Milton Bradley is becoming less able to hit everyday (I may have a post about this tomorrow), same with Geovany Soto. Rich Harden HAS to learn to be more consistent, this 3 or 4 inning 100 pitch start stuff needs to stop. Thankfully we have Ted Lilly, who might just push for the Cy Young this season if enough of his starts fall at Wrigley. 

Next up is two games at home against the Giants. Jonathan Sanchez will face Ryan Dumpster on Monday, NL CY Young winner Tim Lincecum will face Sean Marshall on Tuesday. 

Posting has been down lately because finals are approaching, but I'll do as much as possible to post everyday. 

Sox + Rangers + Rain = Long Long Long Game

The Sox and Rangers have just entered their 4th rain delay of the night. It is currently 11:47 CST and this game is still not over.

The Sox have done a real nice job getting back into this game, and who knows maybe they can knock a few more in and find a way to tie this thing up. I doubt it but who knows.

The worst thing about this whole rain thing is that WGN doesn't want to put alternative programming on so we have to listen to Hawk and this other guy who is not Steve Stone. It's painful.

Please stop raining, and please get 3 or more runs.

It's Been a While

I have not posted to much Sox stuff on here lately. Here's the deal.

Good win in Texas tonight. Good to see Podsednik in the lineup again. Bobby Jenks is awesome. Tomorrow is probably going to be awful. Quentin needs to get that average up and take advantage of Texas to get that HR number into the double digits. The Sox are in first place, that's good.

Derrek Lee Sucks At Baseball

It is at the point now where I honestly expect nothing out of Lee. He was really good in 2007 despite regression in his homer totals. Last season he started off real hot in April and got everybody excited only to disappear for the rest of the season. 

He is back at it again. After tonight's amazing 0-4 night with two strikeouts Lee is hitting an amazing .189. He has hit one whole homer and has an on-base percentage of .253. His defense has been pathetic lately and at this point there is no hope for him to be good.

Hendry tried to trade him this offseason but Lee has a no-trade clause and way too big a contract for a smart team to take him. As the Cubs season beings to unfold before our eyes Derrek Lee is one of the biggest reasons why.