Cubs turn the page; Soriano traded to Yankees

Well it’s official, the Alfonso Soriano era in Chicago is now over, and that comes with mixed feelings among Cubs fans.  Soriano carried the Cubs in 2007 and 2008, the first two seasons with the club as the Cubs made the playoffs both years only to fizzle out.  During these seasons Soriano was beloved, chants of Sor-i-ano could be heard all over the Country as Cubs fans flocked to opposing teams ballparks during the stretch run.  I was one of those fans, I still remember going to Cincinnati in September of 2007 to watch Soriano blast home run after home run as the Cubs closed in on a division title.  Post 2008 was a different story, the Cubs are 335-418 since winning the division with a 97-64 record in 2008.  This is where most of the mixed feelings come from, Soriano was signed to an eight year contract worth $136 million by then general manager Jim Hendry.  There was no way that Soriano could live up to that contract, especially given the fact that his legs basically gave out in 2009 which resulted in a .241 average and only twenty home runs.  Soriano had somewhat of a resurgence the last two years which won some fans back, but the majority of the fans that will miss him will miss him for his leadership.

As Dale Sveum said yesterday, Soriano is one of the top five professional players that he has been around in this game.  His work ethic, his leadership, his ability to play in a big market and never get too high or low based on his performance are things that will be missed.  But today is a big day for the Cubs, they have finally moved out of the Jim Hendry era and seem to be pointed in the right direction.  The only player remaining from the 2008 team is Jeff Samardzija, the longest tenured position player is now Starlin Castro, think about that, and I think that’s a good thing.  Today, MLB approved a deal that is sending Soriano back to the Yankees and Corey Black will be coming over to the Cubs.  Black is a twenty one year-old right handed pitcher with a big arm.  Black has routinely hit 100 mph, and sits consistently at 95 mph, that’s an arm that works in the bullpen at the major league level.  As you can imagine, a guy with that arm has a lot of walks, a lot of strikeouts, and doesn’t get hit too often.  In 131 innings as a pro Black has given up three home runs, three.  So best of luck to Soriano in New York, can’t say that I’m sad to see him leave, but I do appreciate how hard he worked on a bad team, bottom line is that he needed to go in order for the Cubs to completely move forward, and they are ready to do that.

What about the money?? Soriano has about $6.5 million remaining on this years $18 million salary, and is owed $18 million again next year. The Yankees will pay $6.8 million of the remaining balance, $1.8 M in 2013 and $5 M in 2014. So the Cubs are still going to eat the majority of the money.

Soriano, Wood lead Cubs to fourth straight win

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There’s hot, and then there is what Alfonso Soriano is doing.  Soriano is unconscious at the plate right now, his latest reminder to the rest of baseball that he can play was a two home run performance last night as the Cubs pounded the Angels 7-2 for their fourth straight win.  In his last eleven games Soriano is hitting .400 with eight home runs, and seventeen RBI’s, wow.  Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro, and Darwin Barney also got in on the long ball fun to pace the Cubs attack.  On a night where every fly ball was dangerous Travis Wood carved up a dangerous Angels lineup.  Wood worked 6.2 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out five to pick up his sixth win of the season.  The Cubs are now eight games under .500 and nine games out of a wild card spot, just pointing that out, not insinuating anything, yet.

PICTURE OF THE GAME

Game Highlights:

All five Cubs home runs
Wood’s strong outing
Travis Wood postgame

Cubs “sweep” White Sox, finally

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This should have happened a month ago, but because of rain Cubs fans had to wait another month for full bragging rights.  The Cubs pounded the White Sox for the fourth straight game the result was a four game season sweep.  The Cubs offense had it going late as they pounded out thirteen hits and scored eight runs, six of those runs coming in the eighth and ninth inning to break it open.  Alfonso Soriano is putting on a show for the rest of baseball, he was 3-for-4 with his thirteenth home run of the season, a walk, two stolen bases, a double, and three runs scored.  Soriano’s trade value is climbing with each passing day, and a game like last night shows teams that are interested that this guy isn’t done.  Speaking of trade value, Matt Garza got the start and was brilliant once again going seven innings giving up two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out six to pick up his fifth win of the season.

PICTURE OF THE GAME

Game Highlights:

Valbuena’s huge go ahead double
Garza strong all night
Soriano goes way back
Ransom with a big two-out hit
Sappelt’s second RBI single

Soriano leads the way as Cubs even series with Pirates

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July 31st is awfully close, here come the Soriano bombs!  Alfonso Soriano padded his trade value today while also helping the Cubs dispatch a team they haven’t been able to buy a win against, the Pirates.  Soriano blasted two, two-run homers in back to back innings, one in the fourth and another in the fifth.  That was all the Cubs needed as Edwin Jackson was stellar, again.  Jackson went 5.2 innings giving up one run on four hits while walking two and striking out three to earn his fifth win of the season.  The Cubs pen was outstanding today, try to contain your shock and enthusiasm, actually let it run wild, this is a rare occurrence.  James Russell, Matt Guerrier, and Kevin Gregg all had scoreless appearances with Gregg picking up his fifteenth save of the year, speaking of trade value.

PICTURE OF THE GAME

Game Highlights:

Soriano’s first two-run shot
Soriano’s second two-run shot
Castillo guns down Marte
Nate with a great catch
Gregg notches save number 15

Cubs bats stay hot as they pound the Diamondbacks for fifth straight win

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This is starting to resemble a real winning streak, not just a few games, but an actual legitimate winning streak.  The Cubs had everything working for them today as they pitched, hit, and played solid defense, that usually wins a lot of games.  The Cubs only needed one inning in this one as they scored five times in the third inning to take a 7-0 lead en route to a 7-2 victory, their fifth straight.  The big blow came from Scott Hairston, who must have been taking pointers from Travis Wood before the game as he mashed a grand slam, just like Wood did a day earlier.  After the third inning the Cubs didn’t do much with the bats, but they didn’t need to as Matt Garza was outstanding in picking up his first win of the season.  Garza worked seven strong innings giving up two runs on six hits while striking out four, he didn’t walk anybody. Over the last five games, the Cubs are 15-for-38 with runners in scoring position, that is mind-boggling for a team that hasn’t been above .200 as a team in what seems like forever.

PICTURE OF THE GAME

 

 

Game Highlights

Scott Hairston’s grand slam
Soriano’s two-run homer
Cody Ransom goes deep
Great grab by Barney

Cubs listless as Pirates finish off sweep

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Maybe it was because it was getaway day, maybe it was the hour and forty-seven minute rain delay, but the Cubs were seemingly ready to get out of Pittsburgh as fast as possible in this one.  The Pirates jumped all over Edwin Jackson early as they scored twice in each of the first two innings, and that was plenty to silence the already quiet Cubs.  To the Cubs credit, they shut the Pirates down the rest of the way but once again couldn’t find enough offense.  The Cubs were able to score once in the fourth and once in the seventh, but they couldn’t string together a rally, not even a fake one.  For the series, the Cubs only scored six times and walk away with three straight losses.  Not a great start to an eight game road trip as the Cubs now head to Cincinnati for a three game weekend series, this trip could end up disastrous.

At The Plate – The Cubs could only manage seven hits in this one, and were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position, so not a lot of chances all day.  David DeJesus was back in the starting lineup and was 1-for-4 with a double, his thirteenth of the season.  Starlin Castro was 2-for-4 with two singles in the loss to get his average back up to .270 on the season.  Alfonso Soriano, Darwin Barney were the only other Cubs in the starting lineup to get hits, Scott Hairston and Ryan Sweeney added hits off the bench.

On The Mound – Edwin Jackson had a rough go of it, then the rains game to end is day.  Jackson worked three innings giving up four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out six, his record fell to 1-7 on the season.  The Cubs pen was outstanding in this one, go figure.  They worked a combined five scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking two and striking out five.  Rafael Dolis, Carlos Villanueva, Carlos Marmol, and Kyuji Fujikawa were the ones that did the stellar work.

Up Next – The Cubs travel to Cincinnati to take on the Reds this weekend, another stiff test.  Series preview coming up shortly.

Game Highlights:

Full video recap
Jackson’s outing
Sweeney’s RBI single
Rizzo’s RBI groundout

Matt Harvey does it all to beat Cubs

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Another frustrating one run loss for the Cubs, just when you thought they might be starting to win these close games today happens.  It was a stiff test as the Cubs were facing off against all everything Matt Harvey, and he was as good as advertised, well, after the first inning.  After falling behind 1-0 on a David Wright home run in the first the Cubs answered right back with two runs in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead.  Edwin Jackson pitched right with Harvey for the whole game until Harvey got in his way, with the bat.  That’s right, not only did Harvey get the win on the mound, but he got the game winning hit in the seventh inning.  The Cubs still had a chance in this one, but a questionable send by third base coach David Bell took the Cubs out of the eighth inning.  Bell has been fine all year, so I’m not going to pin this on him, but it hurts to have the game tying run cut down at the plate for the second out of the inning when it could have been first and third with one out with Castro and Rizzo coming to the plate.

At The Plate – The Cubs didn’t have much going against Harvey, but did have a very good first inning, and threatened late.  The Cubs could only manage six hits on the day, but were 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position.  Starlin Castro had a solid day going 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .287 on the season.  Anthony Rizzo was 1-for-4 with a double, his twelfth of the season, and a run scored.  Alfonso Soriano, David DeJesus, and Darwin Barney recorded the other hits in the game.

On The Mound – Edwin Jackson was solid, but ended up registering his sixth loss of the season.  Jackson worked 6.2 innings giving up three runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four.  James Russell was solid out of the pen going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up one hit while striking out two.  Kyuji Fujikawa was continues to string together good outings going one scoreless inning while striking out two.

Up Next – Game two of the series at 12:05 PM CST.  The Mets will send Jeremy Hefner to the mound and the Cubs will counter with Scott Feldman

Game Highlights:

Soriano’s infield single results in two runs
Barney and Castro turn two
Barney gunned down at the plate

Cubs throttle Rockies for third straight win

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  As I mentioned in the series preview the Cubs look to be finding a groove and riding the momentum of some nice wins lately.  Tonight was pure domination from beginning to end as the Cubs had a 5-0 lead after two innings en route to a 9-1 victory, their third straight win.  These wins are coming against good teams as well, and they held their own in their most recent losses against the Reds, and Cardinals.  I’m not saying the Cubs are going to be contenders next week, but they are playing some of the best baseball they have played in the last three years.  Okay, I know, that really doesn’t take much, but watching this team every night I can see the change. Lost in the offensive awesomeness, say that five times fast, was the performance of Travis Wood.  He was brilliant again, and is pitching like a true number one, this is the Travis Wood the Cubs’ brass was hoping they got when they traded Sean Marshall to the Reds.  Actually this is probably more than what they expected this soon, just outstanding.

At The Plate –  The best offensive night for the Cubs this year, they pounded out fourteen hits and scored nine runs.  They were an impressive 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position and had eight extra base hits, six doubles, a triple, and a home run.  David DeJesus was 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.  Starlin Castro was on base all night going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, two RBI’s, and a run scored.  Alfonso Soriano padded his slugging numbers in this one going 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, a double, two RBI’s and a run scored.  Nate Schierholtz was 2-for-4 with a triple, and two RBI’s, he is now hitting .299 on the season.  Welington Castillo and Travis Wood also had two hits in the victory, both of Castillo’s hits were doubles, what else is new, the Cubs lead the Majors in doubles.

On The Mound – Travis Wood was brilliant, what else can be said, he has been all year.  Wood worked seven scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking three and striking out two.  This was his eighth straight quality start to begin the season, he improved his record to 4-2, and lowered his ERA to 2.03 as well.  Kyuji Fujikawa had another solid performance out of the pen tossing a scoreless inning while striking out two.  Carlos Marmol worked the ninth inning giving up one run on one hit while striking out three.

Up Next – The Cubs go for their fourth straight win as Carlos Villanueva looks to get things back on track.  The Rockies counter with Jeff Francis, first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM CST, and the weather is supposed to be very summer like.

Game Highlights:

Wood’s scoreless outing
DeJesus two-run single
Schierholtz two-run triple
Cubs turn two to end the fifth
Castro turns two
Castro’s two run double
Travis Wood helps himself with a double
Alfonso Soriano launches one out onto Waveland

Cubs make Nats pay for mistakes

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  Edwin Jackson match all everything Stephen Strasburg pitch for pitch for the first four innings, then the Cubs got a gift.  With two outs and nobody on in the top of the 5th Welington Castillo hit what looked like an inning ending ground out to Ryan Zimmerman.  Then Zimmerman’s horrible mechanics took over and he made an awful throw to keep the Cubs alive in the inning.  The next five Cubs hitters reached base, and when it was all said and done the Cubs led 4-0, with all four runs being unearned.  Not only did they take the lead but they knocked Strasburg out of the game after five then added on in the sixth.  Leading 4-1 the Cubs scored four more times in the sixth to take an 8-1 lead en route to an 8-2 victory.  Edwin Jackson earned his first win of the season, and the Cubs were outstanding with runners in scoring position, bizarro world, but I’ll take it.

At The Plate – The Cubs did get some help from Ryan Zimmerman and his awkwardness in the field, but they also took advantage.  The Cubs pounded out twelve hits and scored eight runs, six of those twelve hits were doubles, that gives the Cubs thirteen doubles in the last two games.    If that wasn’t enough, the Cubs were also 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position, that usually bodes well.  David DeJesus was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.  Anthony Rizzo has found his 2012 form, he was 3-for-5 with two RBI’s, he’s now hitting .288 on the season, he was hitting .173 on April 26th, think about that.  Alfonso Soriano was 2-for-5 with two doubles, and a run score in the victory.  One of the biggest hits came off the bat of Edwin Jackson, he laced a two-out, two-run double off of Strasburg to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the fifth.

On The Mound – Edwin Jackson was much better in this one, he worked 5.1 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three to earn his first win as a member of the Cubs.  The bullpen was solid as well as they worked the final 3.2 innings to close this one out.  Shawn Camp went 1.2 scoreless innings giving up two hits while striking out two.  Hector Rondon continues to impress as he went two scoreless innings while striking out two.

Up Next – The rubber game of the series on Mother’s Day as Scott Feldman looks to keep things rolling and get a series win for the Cubs.  He will be opposed by left hander Gio Gonzalez, who has uncharacteristically struggled in the early going.  First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 PM CST on WGN TV.

Game Highlights:

Edwin Jackson’s big two-run double
Rizzo makes an amazing bobbling catch
Rizzo’s big two-run single
DeJesus with a two-run single

Wood brilliant again as Cubs edge Cards

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As a baseball fan these games are fun to watch.  No matter what the records are the Cubs and Cardinals always seem to play close, hard-fought games.  Tonight was no different as Travis Wood and Lance Lynn were locked in a battle all night long.  The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run from Allen Craig, and that’s all they would get the whole night.  The Cubs erased that deficit and turned it into a lead in the fourth inning, all with two outs as well, something this team hasn’t been great at.  Alfonso Soriano looped a single to right then Nate Schierholtz put a good swing on a 3-1 fastball and deposited it in the right center, well more center than right center, bleachers to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead and that’s how this one would end.  Tremendous job top to bottom tonight from the Cubs, love beating the Cardinals, and hey, that’s two wins in a row!

At The Plate – Lance Lynn came into this one 5-0 and he didn’t disappoint as he matched Travis Wood pitch for pitch.  The Cubs didn’t generate a lot as they only had five hits, but it was enough for the win.  Starlin Castro had a rough night at the plate and made a questionable error, but did manage a double in his last at bat to finish the night 1-for-4.  Alfonso Soriano was a big part of the offense tonight going 2-for-3 with a run scored, fonsi has his average up to a respectable .276, need more production out of him however.  Nate Schierholtz was the offensive hero tonight going 1-for-3 with his fourth home run of the season, two RBI’s and a run scored.

On The Mound – How about Travis Wood, he was outstanding again tonight and has been all season.  Wood improved his record to 3-2 and lowered his ERA to a sparkling 2.33 by going 6.2 innings giving up one run on five hits while walking two and striking out eight.  Carlos Marmol (yes I held my breath when he came in) was really good in this one.  Marmol worked 1.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits while walking one, but he worked around the free pass.  Kevin Gregg has been reborn, he was spotless again in the ninth inning, he didn’t give up any hits and struck out one. 

Up Next – The Cubs go for the sweep, okay it’s only a two game series, but a sweep over the Cardinals is a SWEEP OVER THE CARDINALS.  Carlos Villanueva will battle Jake Westbrook at 1:20 PM CST, both pitchers have been outstanding this year, should be another good one.

Game Highlights:

Schierholtz’s game winning two run homer

Thanks for reading,
– George