OK, the Cubs and Brewers are not in a flat footed tie atop the NL Central, the Brewers are technically still in first place by one half of one game. After a weekend getting the river bank banjo serenade and buggering by a less than mediocre Cardinals’ team, the Brewers are staring at the very real possibility that when they go to bed tonight, that eight and a half game lead they once had in the Central will have completely vanished.
Hey, we’re Cubs’ fans. We know how they feel. Still, screw ’em.
The fact remains that if Jock Jones had learned to slide, or even stop, drop and roll, that the Cubs would already be in first place. It’s nice that he takes the time to remind us that he still blows.
While the Cubs were winning two of three in St. Louis and then Cincinnati, the Brewers were losing six of the eight games they crammed into the same week. They did it in epic fashion, blowing a two run ninth inning lead in Cincinnati, the second of two extra inning losses to the Reds, and then blowing leads of 6-0 and 5-0 in St. Louis in a two-day span.
For those of you worrying that the Brewers have left the Cardinals in the race, just consider that the Cardinals are gaining ground on the wrong team. At the All Star Break the Cardinals were 7.5 behind Milwaukee, now they’re only six. At the All-Star Break the Cardinals were three games behind the Cubs, now they’re five and a half.
The Cubs surge has continued unabated since June 3, and even the stat geeks have caught Cubs’ fever. Despite trailing Milwaukee in the standings, the Cubs are now considered a better bet to make the playoffs than Milwaukee is.
True, this same formula made the Cubs a lock to reach the playoffs in 2004 up until the very end of the season. So, take it for what it’s worth.
Not very much.
The Cubs still have two days to improve their roster, and while it seems that they’re content to wait for Kerry Wood to finish his final rehab stint (this time in AA) and for the Hank White cavalry to arrive, we know better than that.
Jim Hendry’s always looking to make a trade. It doesn’t mean that he will, or that if he does it won’t be fruitless, but he’s always looking. He tried to sell Lou on the idea that Matt Murton is like getting a solid bat at the deadline, and Lou is so excited that he promised Murton a start on Saturday, and changed his mind, then promised him on on Sunday and changed his mind again. Lou doesn’t trust Matt. When Lou doesn’t trust you, you’re pretty well screwed.
I’m excited about the Kerry Wood return, if only for the moment when he saunters in from the bullpen with the crowd going nuts. It’s a moment he deserves to have, after all of the work he’s done to get himself able to pitch again. Kerry’s one of the good guys. A guy who “gets it” and who should have been a star, but his body just wouldn’t let him. At least not for any prolonged period of time.
That said, I fully expect him to pitch until his arm falls off for good, and I would be surprised if that doesn’t happen between now and the end of the season. It’s why I don’t understand why he’s going on another rehab assignment. He’s got a torn rotator cuff, and eventually it’s going to blow on him. He’s only got a few bullets left. Better he fires them in Chicago than Tennessee, right?
The Cubs could use another outfielder. A centerfielder would be nice, though you get the feeling that we’re going to see take three of the Felix Pie era sometime between now and the end of the season. If not a centerfielder to replace the folly that is Jock Jones, than a right fielder not made of paper mache like Cliff Floyd would be nice.
I like Cliff. Hell, we all do. But he’s got a medical chart far more well rounded than his Baseball Reference entry. Every time he even looks at the grass he hurts himself. A trade for Ken Griffey Jr. would be great, though unlikely (if only so he and Cliff could have a race to the DL), and I’d take a flyer on Jermaine Dye (.317, six homers, 12 RBI, six doubles, .394 oba, .698 slg in 63 abs since the All Star Game), though Kenny Williams reportedly is asking for Carlos Marmol in return.
Even if you think Marmol’s an arm injury ready to happen, you can’t weaken your bullpen when its turnaround is what turned your season around. Nothing kills a team faster than a bad bullpen (see the 2007 Brewers, 2003 NLCS Cubs, 2004 Cubs for recent examples). Hey, how about Neal Cotts back? Roberto Novoa’s available! Oh, forget it.
The Braves just traded for Mark Teixiera (how do you spell that?) so at least one impact player has come into the NL playoff race. Wait, that’s two if you count Seth McLung.
I had the McLung Super Value Meal once. Not bad.
Given the fact that the Cubs are a better road team than a home team (only by one game, now though) and Milwaukee is great at home and lousy on the road, it makes sense that July was the month when the Cubs caught up. Both teams played only ten home games during the month, and the Brewers were a disastrous 4-11 in their 15 road games. The Cubs have gone 7-3 at home and 8-5 on the road during that span, actually out playing the Brewers at home by a game.
But you can look at numbers until you’re blue in the face (honestly though, why would looking at stats cause the blood to drain from your head?), the reason the Cubs have caught Milwaukee is that the Brewers are a good team, but one that played over their heads early in the season. That was fueled by great starts from Prince Fielder and JJ Hardy. Prince has kept it up for the most part. JJ has not. And that’s not a surprise, nothing in JJ’s history at either the big league or minor league level pointed towards the offensive production he gave them in April and May. At the end of May, JJ had hit 15 homers and driven in 43 runs. Those nearly duplicated his career TOTALS coming into 2007.
Since June 1 he’s hit three homers and driven in 14 runs, and he’s hitting .219 with an OPS of .623. Ouch.
Much of that has been offset by the production Ryan Braun has given the Brewers. But Hardy’s downfall certainly cut into whatever boost Braun’s offense could give Milwaukee. Instead of adding to their attack, Braun was merely picking up the slack for his shortstop.
So here we are on July 30. The Cubs once laughable quest to get back into the division hunt has somehow worked out. Now it would just like the Cubs to come all the way back, get the lead, then give it back and fall completely out of the race.
I can’t help it, every loss to me feels like the start of a skid. Then, they bounce right back. At least they have so far. Objectively, the Cubs are a solid team with three offensive superstars, the NL’s best starting pitcher and a solid, deep pitching staff. They play good defense, only occasionally still get lost on the base paths and are the only team in their division with winning records at home and on the road. After this homestand with the Phillies and Mets they will play a grand total of 14 games against teams with a winning record (and Colorado might not still have a winning record by the time the Cubs get there). They should win the division.
The Cubs have done a lot in a short period of time to deserve our confidence. I’m not quite there yet. But that doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying the hell out of this.
Had I gotten my ass to the other side of the on deck circle and instructed Jock to slide towards the inside of the plate perhaps Jock would’ve been safe.
And how about fatty Joe West robbing me of another HR yesterday?
Hold up now, Alfonso, Derrek and Aramis are all good too. Certainly you meant to say this team has four superstars. I mean, you can’t count any of those guys out… oh wait…
We play the same soft schedule as the Cubs, more or less…
You guys should have been there for the river bank banjo serenade and buggering, it was quite spectacular. JJ Hardy may never walk normally again.
The Crew plays this soft schedule mostly away from the Miller Park Dungeon…
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Goooo! Hey Chicago Whaddaya say? Chicago’s gonna win today!
Ummmm……I just forgot the words to my own song didn’t I? The Cubs are gonna win today! Thank God everyone on this site is as drunk as the bleacher bums singing this song.
Question. Was I stopping to admire Alfonso’s almost homerun? Or did I just not know how outs there were?
Am I really soft when the Brewers go a combined 5-14 against the Nationals, Pirates, Giants, Reds and Cardinals in the last month?
The way the Brewers have been playing on me, you would think the schedule went Red Sox, Indians, Tigers, Cubs, etc.
> Question. Was I stopping to admire Alfonso’s almost homerun?
You’ll know when you take one in the stinkin’ ribs. Fucking circus act.
I was wondering about all the talking between the home plate umpire and the players in the early innings yesterday. Did anyone catch that? In fact, I think Bob Brenly mentioned all the discussion going on between Scott Hatteberg, the first batter of the game for the Reds, and the home plate umpire. I thought maybe they were confused about the ball/strike count, but then it continued. It was very odd – and since it was early in the day I hadn’t started drinking yet, so I felt like I could trust my perception at that time. Anyone know what was going on?
We are the only teams playing in the NL tonight. We can’t remember the last time that happened.
Notihng in the news about the extended discussions between the home plate ump and Hatteberg, etc. Wish Brenly would have expanded on his commentary about this. Brenly’s been on fire lately…auditioning for the Red’s managing job no doubt.
Sorry schedule…the Brewers are making you look tougher than you really are.
I’m penciled in the lineup right now. Will Sweet Lou change his mind again?
Hey now, don’t you start to expect anything from me. My health goes hand in hand with Cubs expectations of me doing anything for the team. Even if I start to pitch well in the majors, you must think I will be nothing more than decent to terrible. The second you think I will play well, my body starts to hate me.
Please tell me it’s not a Joe Morgan night on Monday Night Baseball. Otherwise I may puke.
Sorry Murt, When I see red I just gotta put Pagan in RF. Maybe next week. How do you feel about corn fields?
I love that Redhead kid. He’s a good kid.
Uh oh! I’m facing a real team!
You mean we’re going to lose another series against a +.500 team?
We can’t play the Reds and Nationals every game?
None of these current Cub shortstops have an arm like mine.
Go fuck yourself with your gay dad’s gay dick.
Just wanted to point out that if my son, #19, were to fuck himself he’d not, technically, be able to employ my services. While it is my nature to desire fucking my son, if and when I choose to do so he will inherently not be fucking himself.
Hope this clears things up, #DGD.
That’s not true if he rips you off of his gay dad’s dead gay body, shellacs you, and THEN uses you to fuck himself, now is it?
No one may have my arm, but one of these current Cubs has not only my old number but also my inhability to lay off breaking balls low and out of the strike zone.
ummm….you DID mean to say game, not series, right?
The Cubs have a losing record against each of us.
What do we have in common?
You are all trolls looking to stir shit up ?
What they all have in common (minus Dbacks, I guess) is that the Cubs played them in the first two months of the year when they were sucking. What they will soon have in common is that they will soon be kicked right in their Gay Dad’s Dick by the present version of the Cubs who are playing good baseball. (Poor GDD!)
Who took my last crispy crea……Oh shIt!! What time is it? I had something to do but I forgo….ooh these crispy creams are goooood……
And perhaps most importantly, WE have a winning record against the Cu–oh, wait.
We’ll be looking up within the week.