(( Planet Cubs ))

Many times, I have been asked, "Why do you go to every single game?" or "What is it about the bleachers that you like so much?" or "Why do you sit out there when you could get a better seat closer up?"

The answers to these questions are difficult to give, but now I can simply tell people who ask, "Go buy 'Wrigley Regulars', because it answers all these questions better than I possibly can."

Before I tell you about this book, you should know a couple of things. First, Holly Swyers, who is an assistant professor of anthropology at Lake Forest College, is one of the "Wrigley Regulars" and has been a personal friend of mine for more than ten years. She asked me (and other regulars) to read through her drafts to make sure all the facts were correct, and that means you'll find things about me (and about this site) in the book. It's also written not just about baseball and the Wrigley bleachers, but it's designed to be a college-level sociology/anthropology textbook about communities and how they come together.

Because this is a college text, it went through a different process than most baseball-related books; Holly told me often of how it had to be reviewed by a panel, then edited, then re-reviewed. Most of the events she describes in the bleachers are from 2005 and before -- thus, the "old" bleachers, before the reconstruction and expansion. For that reason it's an interesting snapshot of what the life and culture of bleacher regulars was like before the bleachers were rebuilt. (Honest opinion from me: it hasn't changed all that much.)

You'll meet a lot of the people I know and hang with every day, whether it's in line waiting to get in, or in various conversations we have as we all walk around the bleachers to our seating groupings -- that's another topic examined, how the various groups of bleacher regulars (now, mostly season ticket holders) formed and stay together and change over the years. This is how the narrative of life in the bleachers is connected to the academic subject matter of communities.

I won't pretend to be an expert on that, but I will tell you that this is no dry college text. It's very readable, and even the parts that are more academically and less baseball focused are accessible to someone who's not into the sociology or anthropology discipline.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who's a Cubs fan -- or baseball fan -- to understand why some of us spend so much time in the bleachers. Yes, it's about baseball, but as Holly points out, it's also about community and those you get to know so well over the course of many baseball seasons become family. We all found this out just within the last week, when someone who is a bleacher season ticket holder and one of the "Wrigley Regulars" became seriously ill. The outpouring of love and concern I saw everyone show is a perfect example of the family and community that Holly writes about.

If you'd like to meet Holly Swyers and get your copy of "Wrigley Regulars" signed, there will be a signing event/launch party at Houndstooth, 3369 N. Clark in Chicago, next Thursday, September 9, from 6 to 9 pm.

It was perhaps the most bittersweet no-hitter in major league history.

On today's off day, I thought I'd start out with a quick post which is mostly a poll. I asked you this question in July, after Lou Piniella announced his retirement, but it deserves asking again. Some circumstances have changed since then, with Mike Quade in the mix since he's serving as manager now.

This poll assumes that Joe Girardi will NOT be available. My guess is that if I put Girardi in this poll, he would win it by an overwhelming margin. He'd be my first choice; assuming he's unavailable, my choice, as most of you know, is Ryne Sandberg.

So, vote in the poll, which is in alphabetical order and now includes Quade -- and doesn't include Alan Trammell, who was in the original poll but has been ruled out as a possible Cubs manager next year.

Poll

This poll presumes Joe Girardi is NOT available to be the Cubs' next manager. Assuming that, who is your choice to be manager in 2011?

• Bob Brenly
• Joey Cora
• Fredi Gonzalez
• Tony LaRussa
• Pat Listach
• Dave Martinez
• Jose Oquendo
• Mike Quade
• Ryne Sandberg
• Ted Simmons
• Joe Torre
• Bobby Valentine
• Someone else not on this list (post in comments)

  837 votes | Results

"Somebody HAS to talk about Kosuke," George demands, and here at GROTA, what are we if not crowd pleasers? (Answer: schlubs!)

Kosuke Fukudome has hit 12 home runs this year, a new stateside record for him. What makes that number so remarkable, despite the fact that it's just one higher than his previous mark, is that the Fuk has managed to do it in just over half the number of plate appearances he's received in previous years.

So what's with the power surge? Is it all a Fuk fluke (man, that should have been the title of the article)?

Actually, Kosuke has improved across the board as a hitter this year, for the second year in a row. In 2008, Fuk posted a .257/.359/.379, and while those stats were dragged down by a truly dismal second half (.639 OPS post break), he never managed to surpass the .800 OPS in a month after April. A year later, Kosuke's numbers went up a touch, with a 16-point boost in on-base percentage and a 42-point rise in slugging percentage.

Did Kosuke's peripheral stats change from year to year in that instance? A quick glance at his Fangraphs player page shows that they did. His batting average on balls in play went up five points, but that leaves about 50 points worth of OPS that needs explaining, most of it slugging. What else changed?

As it turns out, Kosuke hit more line drives in 2009, going from a 19.1% line-drive rate to a 24.0% mark. And his ratio of home runs to fly balls increased slightly, from 8.3% to 9.6%.

So what about 2010? Has Kosuke maintained his improved BABIP, line-drive ability, and power ratio on fly balls?

Put simply: no, no, and yes. He has given back four points in BABIP this year; his line-drive rate is down significantly -- all the way to 16.1%; and 14.8% of his fly balls are leaving the park as home runs.

And while you might expected a decreased line-drive rate to hurt Kosuke's average, indeed it has not; the extra homers have actually boosted Fuk's average to the .281 mark so far this year.

So what does all this mean? I would guess two things: first, that the extra rest this season is helping Kosuke maintain his strength later into the year; and second, that the Fukster may have adjusted his swing, aiming for the fences more often as opposed to hitting doubles to the gaps.

Here's some visual evidence that may support the rest claim:

Anybody wanna check out his swing this year compared to last year?

Also the Cubs won yesterday. Look, I turned this into a Game Recap with one sentence! HAH!

The most amazing game of the year tonight in Albuquerque, aided by a ball hit by pinch-hitter James Adduci that literally ripped right through the webbing of the glove of the Isotopes third baseman.

If you haven't heard, Darwin Barney and Brad Snyder were named to the All-PCL team. Robinson Chirinos, Tony Campana and Brandon Guyer were named to the Southern League Post-Season All-Star team and Alvaro Ramirez and Pierre LePage were named Northwest League All-Stars.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs scored nine runs in the ninth inning to stun the Albuquerque Isotopes, 15-13.

It was a rough start for Jay Jackson. Jackson lasted only four innings and allowed nine runs on ten hits. Two of the nine runs were unearned. Jackson did walk only one and he struck out six.

Jake Muyco relieved Jackson and while he didn't pitch that well, allowing four runs over 3.1 innings, he did eat up some innings and go 2 for 2 at the plate. (I can't believe I'm mentioning a relief pitcher because of what he did at the plate.)

Justin Berg got the win in relief by getting the final two outs of the eighth inning. One of his outs was a strikeout.

Jeff Stevens pitched the ninth inning and got his ninth save. He allowed only one single. He struck out one Isotope.

The ninth inning comeback was keyed by a pair of three-run home runs. The first was by left fielder Jason Dubois. It was actually Dubois' second three-run home run of the game, as he had earlier hit one in the seventh inning. Dubois was 3 for 6 with six RBI. He has 18 homers this season and 86 in his Iowa career.  The Iowa record is 90.

The killing blow was launched by third baseman Marquez Smith, whose line-drive home run in the ninth gave the I-Cubs the lead.  It was Smith's 17th home run this year for Iowa. Smith went 2 for 5 with a walk. He had four total RBI and he crossed the plate three times.

Right fielder Brad Snyder had two doubles in a 2 for 6 effort. Snyder scored once and batted one in. First baseman Bryan LaHair was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Catcher Chris Robinson was 2 for 5 with a double. He also stole his first base of the season. Robinson scored once and had one RBI.

Center fielder Sam Fuld was 1 for 3 with three walks. Fuld scored three times, including the go-ahead run on Smith's home run, and had one RBI. Fuld stole one base.  He was so good, I'm not even going to mention that he made his first error of the season. But if I did, I'd say that making your first error of the season on September 1st is pretty impressive.

It was a huge win as Memphis also won, meaning the I-Cubs keep their one game lead in the American North division of the Pacific Coast League. The two teams play five more games, including four against each other in Des Moines. As far as I can tell, Memphis holds the tiebreaker between the two teams, so keeping the one game lead is huge going into the final four game series.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies blotted out the Jacksonville Suns, 9-4. (Or maybe it was the rain, as this game had a 1:02 rain delay)

Jeremy Papelbon started and pitched four innings before the rain came. He allowed three runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Aaron Shafer got the win in relief. Shafer pitched two innings and the only baserunner he allowed was by an error. He erased him in a double play. Shafer struck out two.

Center fielder Brett Jackson hit a three run home run in the fourth inning. It was his sixth for Tennessee and 12th overall.

Left fielder Brandon Guyer was 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored. First baseman Blake Lalli was 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored.

Catcher Mark Reed was promoted from Daytona and he was 2 for 3 with two walks. Reed scored once and had two RBI.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs swept a double-header from the Clearwater Threshers, 2-0 and 5-2.

The first game was all Alberto Cabrera. Cabrera threw a seven-inning shutout, allowing only five hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out six.

Center fielder Evan Crawford was 2 for 2 with a double and a run scored. Catcher Mario Mercedes was 2 for 3. DH Michael Brenly went 2 for 3 with a double.

The second game was started by Dae-Eun Rhee, who lasted 3.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out one.

Chris Siegfried got the win with 2.1 innings of relief. Siegfried did not allow a run and gave up two hits.  Siegfried did not walk anyone and struck out three.

Alex Maestri got his first save. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one hit. He didn't walk anyone and struck out one.

First baseman Jake Opitz was 1 for 2 with a triple and a walk. He scored twice.

Tampa lost, so Daytona picked up 1.5 games on the Yankees. They now trail Tampa by two with four games to play.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs were shut out by the Kane County Cougars, 7-0.

Carlos Silva made a rehab start tonight and it didn't go too well. Silva was sharp for the first three innings, but he ran into trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. Silva went 4.2 innings and allowed five runs on six hits. Silva walked two and struck out four.

DH Nelson Perez was 2 for 3.

The loss puts the Chiefs' backs up against the wall, as a loss to Kane County in either of the next two games will eliminate them from the playoff hunt.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks banged out 18 hits as they downed the Spokane Indians, 11-2.

Cameron Greathouse pitched six shutout innings to get the win. Greathouse allowed only three hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out five.

Third baseman Dustin Harrington was a perfect 5 for 5 tonight with a double and a triple. Harrington had one RBI and scored three times.

Second baseman Pierre LePage was 3 for 5 with two doubles. He scored twice and had two RBI. Shortstop Arismendy Alcantara was 3 for 6. He scored once and had three RBI.

Left fielder Cody Shields had two doubles in a 2 for 5 night. Shields scored once and had one RBI. DH Pin-Chieh Chen went 2 for 5 with an RBI.

The Cubs were in first place entering play on Aug. 29, 1989, but I was feeling uneasy.

Hero: Kosuke Fukudome continued to close strong, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI. Fukudome, who is at .281 for the season, is 28-for-77 (.364) with eight doubles, four home runs, and 13 RBI since the All-Star break.

Sun and clouds battled to a draw at Wrigley Field as September dawned, but the play on the field resembled nothing more than a split-squad spring training game Wednesday afternoon.

Of the Cubs' starting eight, only two -- Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano -- were in the team's Opening Day lineup this year. Back on that day in April, three others (Starlin Castro was at Tennessee and Darwin Barney and Micah Hoffpauir) were playing at Iowa (and congrats to Barney for making the All-PCL team); two were on the Cubs' bench (Koyie Hill and Tyler Colvin) and one (Blake DeWitt) was the starting second baseman for the Dodgers.

The result was ultimately meaningless, except that it won a series for the first time this year over the Pirates and gave the Cubs a 6-3 record under Mike Quade; still, today's 5-3 win over the Pirates provided a starring role for at least one Cub, Fukudome, whose future with the team has been in question.

Fukudome was 3-for-3 with a walk, RBI and two runs scored; since August 1, in 79 plate appearances, he is hitting .394/.494/.727 with eight doubles, four HR and 13 RBI. For the season his triple-slash line reads .281/.409/.465 -- clearly his best season to date, with an OPS now at .874.

The caveat, of course, is that he has 299 AB and 358 PA -- the classic platoon player. Can the Cubs afford to keep him next year as a platoon player at $14 million? The answer may be "yes", because moving him is likely going to make you eat some of that salary. If the right platoon partner can be found... the answer is "maybe", instead of the "no" it would have been a month ago. Tom Gorzelanny was sailing along when he got hit in his pitching hand by a comebacker, which caromed right to DeWitt, who retired Jose Tabata. Here is the latest update on Gorz's X-rays via tweet from Carrie:

X-rays of #Cubs Tom Gorzelanny's left hand show no displaced fracture but he will have CT scan Thur on left little finger

It may be wise, given that Carlos Silva is throwing tonight for Peoria at Kane County and that he could step in to Gorz's rotation spot on Monday after being activated, that Gorz be shut down for a while, if not for the rest of the year.

Thomas Diamond came in and promptly coughed up the 1-0 lead by giving up a home run to Neil Walker. That made him the pitcher of record when the Cubs took the lead on a Castro single and a pair of doubles. So, Diamond pitched the worst of any of the Cubs relievers -- and gets a "win" for that. So much for individual pitcher "wins" meaning much of anything. Heck of a way to get your first major league win.

The game slogged on, through eight walks issued by Cubs pitchers, until the Cubs added a pair of runs in the seventh, gave one back due to a Castro error (and he'll make that play almost every time once he gets more experience), and Carlos Marmol wrapped it up for his 25th save -- but not before issuing three walks, which is why I was wondering why he was in last night's blowout.

Onward; beating the Mets is always enjoyable, so let's get 'em over the weekend.

From Carrie Muskat at MLB.com:

"It's Jim's responsibility to go out and find a new manager," Ricketts told beat writers on Wednesday. "What he'll do is he'll create a short list and I'll meet with everyone on the short list."

So if Tom Ricketts is trusting Jim Hendry to pick the manager of the Cubs for 2011, I'm pretty certain he trusts Hendry to stay on with the team as GM for that year as well.

Seems clear to me. Thought you'd want to know.

As far as I'm concerned, I'll take Hendry if it means keeping Tim Wilken around. That man can evaluate young talent. Our farm system is thriving right now.

Plus, perhaps more importantly: who out there would do a better job?

I promise I tried to find a database of all game scores recorded by starting pitchers against the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, but I came up empty. The reason I was looking for it should be obvious: there's a pretty good chance Ryan Dempster's performance yesterday was the worst of all starters facing the Pirates in 2010.

Demp went three innings, gave up seven hits and three walks, which translated to seven earned runs. In other words, most of the batters Dempster faced yesterday reached base (ten on base, nine outs). That's understandable for a reliever, but really bad news for a starter.

Ryan is actually having a pretty solid year regardless, with 182 innings pitched and a 3.71 ERA. He's posting the highest walk rate he ever has as a starter for the Cubs, but the K's are up slightly as well. When all's said and done, it looks like he'll be worth something near three wins above replacement, which is worth what, between $12 million and $15 million?

Koyie Hill went 3-for-4 yesterday, and hit his first home run of the year. But he still sucks. Maybe someday his OPS will approach .600. Not today, however.

Starlin Castro is still contending for the batting title, but Joey Votto is gonna be tough to overtake.

Okaythat'sallI'vegot!

Let's win this series, Gorz.

Here is the Cubs' record after September 1 (includes a handful of regular season October games) for the last ten seasons:

2009: 18-14
2008: 12-12
2007: 17-12
2006: 12-17
2005: 16-13
2004: 17-13
2003: 19-8
2002: 11-16
2001: 13-15
2000: 7-22

Predictive value for this year: zero. The Cubs have had good Septembers in bad years (2005), mediocre and bad Septembers in good years (2001, 2008) and just about everything in between. In 2005 they entered September seven games under .500 (and like today, 21.5 games out of first place) and had a decent run; in 2001 they entered September only four games out of first and played losing baseball.

In short, who knows? There are 29 games remaining. The Cubs would have to go 17-12 to avoid losing 90; given some of the results above, that's possible, but unlikely. In even more unlikely events, they would have to go 26-3 to finish over .500 (forget it), and 6-23 to lose 100 games (they've been bad, but not that bad).

One more thing: Welington Castillo was with the club yesterday in case Geovany Soto had to go on the DL. Castillo is not eligible to be activated until tomorrow due to the 10-day rule; it seems pointless to put Geo on the DL for one game, so the Cubs will likely just go with Koyie Hill today and activate Castillo in time for the weekend series against the Mets. Bruce Miles notes other possible callups:

I don’t expect much in the way of call-ups initially because Iowa is fighting for a playoff spot and Tennessee is in the playoffs. In addition to Castillo, I’d guess it would be Samardzija, Fuld, Atkins and maybe Berg and possibly Brad Snyder.

That sounds about right, although Snyder is not on the 40-man roster, and the 40-man is currently full after the recall of Scott Maine. James Adduci could be brought up instead of Snyder, but Adduci has the same skillset as Sam Fuld (except he's taller). I wouldn't expect more than those recalls, plus the activation of Carlos Silva, who is scheduled to start for Peoria at Kane County tonight. That would make six or seven additions; most teams don't do more than that and there really isn't enough playing time for more than that.

Today's lineup via tweet from Carrie:

#Cubs lineup vs #Pirates for Wed: 2B DeWitt, SS Castro, RF Fuke, 1B Hoffpauir, CF Colvin, LF Soriano, 3B Baker, C Hill, P Gorzelanny

Today's Starting Pitchers

Tom Gorzelanny Cubs vs. James McDonald Pirates 7-8 W-L 2-3 3.98 ERA 4.97 111 SO 31 58 BB 11 10 HR 1 vs. Pit -- vs. Cubs

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James McDonald, who the Pirates acquired from the Dodgers at the trading deadline this year in the Octavio Dotel trade, has one career relief appearance vs. the Cubs, on August 23, 2009 in Los Angeles. The only current Cubs he has faced are Kosuke Fukudome (0-for-1) and Aramis Ramirez (a walk).

Tom Gorzelanny is facing his former team for the third time this year; he's got a 4.50 ERA in 10 innings with 12 strikeouts and a pair of no-decisions. I said "former team" rather than "former teammates" because most of the current Pirates weren't on the club when Gorz was last there before July 31, 2009. The two current Pirates he's faced most are Ronny Cedeno (from his Cubs days) and Lastings Milledge, who he faced with the Mets and Nationals. No current Pirate has homered off Tom in 66 at-bats.

Today's game is on WGN and FSN Pittsburgh. Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout.

Today's first pitch thread will be up at 1:15 pm CDT, and the overflows will post at 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm and 4 pm CDT.

All of this, of course, is weather permitting.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

We honor the great Harry Caray today with a statue rededication at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield, right at the entrance of the Bud Light Bleachers.  Harry was always a man of the people and I think it's a great spot for the statue, which will greet fans walking into the bleachers from now on.  We always enjoy doing a broadcast from the bleachers like Harry used to on occasion.

I always enjoy hearing Harry stories from my partner, from members of the traveling party who knew him well, and of course, from fans who watched and listened every day while he was here on the North Side.  If you have a favorite Harry story, let us know about it and maybe we will talk about it on the air today.  As always, keep it clean!!

Len

*Pittsburgh is 10-4 against the Cubs in 2010 and has beaten Chicago 10 times in a single season for the first time since 1992 (10-8).

*The Cubs have had at least a .500 record in the month of September in six of the last seven seasons and are 108-83 in that time.

*Starlin Castro, currently fifth in the National League with a .315 batting average, could become the first NL rookie to finish in the top five in batting in over 35 years. Bill Madlock hit .313 to finish 5th in 1974 while Greg Gross hit .314 and was 4th.

*Geovany Soto is a career .379 hitter vs. the Bucs.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday - Andre Dawson

Tuesday - Ron Santo

Wednesday - The DreX Morning Show

Friday - Lin Brehmer

Saturday - TBA

Sunda - Chicago Blackhawks Day - player/singer TBD

Monday - Tom Dreesen

Tuesday - Billy Williams

Wednesday - Gale Sayers

Here's how one play can set the tone for an entire game.

In the first inning last night, the first three batters facing Ryan Dempster had grounded to third, walked and singled. This isn't terrible; Dempster thus had a runners on first and third situation with one out.

He got Garrett Jones to hit a comebacker. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he turns that into a 1-6-3 double play and gets out of the inning. But last night, Dempster bobbled the ball and could only get one out, at first base. A run scored. So now he's got two out, a run in and a runner on second; still not a terrible inning if you can get out of it.

Dempster himself admits he didn't do his job then:

"You've got to put that behind you right away and go out there and make pitches," Dempster said. "I didn't do a very good job making quality pitches tonight. I was prepared and I was ready but I didn't execute. When you don't execute, you get bad results."

The bad results were a double, a hit batter and another double, and the Cubs were in a 4-0 hole before they even batted. Seems likely that Dempster was upset with himself for not making the double play happen and may not have been focused on the hitters and, as he said, didn't execute his pitches. It was Dempster's second-shortest outing as a Cubs starter; the only shorter one was June 27, 2008 at the Cell, when he was knocked out after 2.1 innings.

The Cubs lost to the Pirates by the football-like score of 14-7; if you are into esoteric baseball trivia like this, it is the first time in Cubs history (going back to 1920) that they have scored 14 runs in a game and then given up 14 runs in the next game.

They did make it interesting with Koyie Hill's first home run of the season in the fifth and a five-run eighth. It might have been more interesting if not for Starlin Castro's error in the seventh, which led to the last three Pirate runs, all unearned. If the Cubs come up in the ninth trailing 11-7 instead of 14-7 -- well, maybe they don't go out meekly 1-2-3.

For his part, Hill came up in the ninth having a chance to hit for the cycle, having singled, homered and doubled in his three previous at-bats. While that might have been the most unlikely cycle in Cubs (if not MLB) history, Hill has actually hit three triples in the last two years, including one earlier this year. Instead, he grounded to second.

The Pirates' Garrett Jones continued his ridiculous hitting against the Cubs with a two-run homer; in 56 plate appearances this year he is hitting .384/.429/.661 with five doubles and four HR. Against everyone else he's hitting .230/.290/.363.

And a couple of idiots went shrubbery-diving last night after Neil Walker's three-run homer landed in the CF juniper bushes. Kids, don't do this. (And in my view, the throw-the-HR-ball-back practice ought to be consigned to history, too.)

Once again, attendance was part of the story last night. An announced crowd of 31,369 appeared to be no more than perhaps 18,000 or so in the house; only about 1,000 were in the bleachers. It's raining this morning and if they even manage to get the game in, there may be only half that number who actually show up. The game preview will post at 11:30 am CDT.

Hero: Koyie Hill went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a double. It was the 31-year-old switch-hitting catcher's sixth career home run and first since May 29, 2009.

Rosters expand tomorrow and I have no clue as to who is getting called up, other than Welington Castillo is a pretty safe bet.  But I imagine they won't call up many players as Iowa is fighting for a playoff berth, Tennessee already has one and the Chicago Cubs are not fighting for anything.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs split the Albuquerque Isotopes, losing the suspended game 11-10 and winning the regularly scheduled game 8-6.

Jeff Samardzija had a very rough start in the first game. Samardzija pitched five innings and allowed all 11 runs on nine hits. The Shark walked five and struck out eight. (Technically, Casey Coleman started this game back on July 30, but the game was suspended in the first inning before Coleman threw a pitch. But this will go in the books as a relief appearance for Samardzija.)

Left fielder Ty Wright hit a two-run home run back in July.  He stayed in the game (although he moved from right to left field) and was 2 for 5 for the game.

Bryan LaHair hit a solo home run in the ninth to get the I-Cubs to within a run. LaHair was 1 for 3 with two walks and two RBI.

Marquez Smith replaced Darwin Barney and hit a double and a triple in a 2 for 4 game. Smith scored twice and had one RBI. Bobby Scales played the whole game at second base and went 2 for 4 with a double. Scales also walked once and stole a base. He scored twice and had one RBI.

Hung-Wen Chen started the second game and lasted long enough to get the win. Chen pitched five innings and allowed five runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Jeff Stevens notched his eight save by pitching a scoreless bottom of the seventh. He allowed a leadoff single, but nothing else. Stevens struck out one.

He didn't do it in one game, but Marquez Smith hit for the cycle tonight with not one but two home runs in the second game. Smith now has 16 home runs for Iowa and 19 overall. Smith was 3 for 4 with four RBI and three runs scored.

Catcher Chris Robinson went 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Left fielder Jason Dubois was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored once and had one RBI. Finally, James Adduci was 2 for 4 with a stolen base. Adduci scored twice and had one RBI.

Memphis finally lost tonight, so Iowa increased their lead in the division to a full game with six to play, four of them against Memphis.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were blinded by the Jacksonville Suns, 5-0.

Chris Archer started and took the loss. Archer pitched five innings and allowed four runs, three of which were earned, on six hits. Arched walked two and struck out four.  He did go 1 for 2 with a double, which was the only extra base hit the Smokies had tonight, and one of only three hits Tennessee had total.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs scored one run in the top of the tenth, but then coughed up two in the bottom of the inning to lose to the Clearwater Threshers, 2-1.

Starter Robert Whitenack pitched well tonight, going six innings and allowing only four hits. He did not walk anyone and struck out three.

Jeff Beliveau took the loss in relief. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up the two runs on two hits. He walked two (one intentionally) and did not have a strikeout.

Left fielder Jose Valdez went 1 for 3 with a walk and an RBI. He stole two bases.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth and one in the tenth to overthrow the Clinton LumberKings, 10-9.

Francisco Batista put the Chiefs in a hole by allowing seven runs over 4.1 innings. All seven runs scored on one of four home runs that Batista allowed. Batista gave up eight total hits. He walked two and struck out three.

Corey Martin got the win with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Martin allowed only one hit. He did not walk anyone and struck out two.

Left fielder Nelson Perez hit Peoria's only home run in the second inning. The solo home run was his tenth for Peoria and 11th overall. Perez was 2 for 5 with three RBI, as his single in the ninth scored two and tied the game.

Second baseman Logan Watkins was 3 for 5 with a double and a walk. He scored twice. Right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha was also 3 for 5 with a double. He scored once and had one RBI.

Catcher Luis Flores was 2 for 4 with a walk. He had one RBI and scored once.  Center fielder Anthony Giansanti was 2 for 5 with a double in that five-run ninth. Giansanti scored once.

Kane County lost, so the Chiefs are now 2.5 games out of a wild card spot with six games to play. They play three at Kane County Wednesday through Friday, so it would be nice to seen some of the Cub fans who live in that area to get out and cheer on the Chiefs. They pretty much need to sweep and get some help with Beloit losing to make the post-season.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks lost to the Spokane Indians, 5-3.  The loss mathematically eliminated Boise from the post-season.

Juan Yasser Serrano started and took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits over only three innings. He walked one and struck out two.

Left fielder Cody Shields was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Right fielder Jesus Morelli went 2 for 4. DH Richard Jones was 2 for 5 and scored once.

Let's finish up this month strong, Ryan.

The Cubs were looking at having one of the worst months in their history until the managerial change was made. I'm not necessarily suggesting that there's a cause-and-effect here -- although often even bad teams have a "bounce" after a new manager is put in place during a season -- but the Cubs were 5-16 in August when Mike Quade took over. A win tonight would make them 11-18 this month, still bad, but not historically so.

Ryan Dempster is going for his 100th career victory tonight. It would also be win #50 as a Cub and would give him 41 victories since he returned to the starting rotation in 2008. I know that individual starting pitcher wins don't mean what they used to, but Dempster has been a solid member of the rotation for three seasons. This year, only one part of his game hasn't been great -- he's given up 22 home runs already, equal to his total from all of last year.

A victory tonight would move the Cubs to 6-2 under Quade and end a nice month for Dempster. More on Dempster's August after the jump.

Cubs lineup via tweet from Carrie:

#Cubs lineup for Tue vs #Pirates: 2B DeWitt, SS Castro, CF Byrd, 3B Ramy, 1B Nady, LF Soriano, RF Colvin, C Hill, P Dempster

Pirates lineup via tweet from BucsInsider:

Lineup - McCutchen 8 Tabata 7 Walker 4 Jones 3 Alvarez 5 Doumit 9 Cedeno 6 Snyder 2 Karstens 1

Today's Starting Pitchers

Ryan Dempster Cubs vs. Jeff Karstens Pirates 12-8 W-L 2-10 3.42 ERA 4.98 168 SO 65 69 BB 27 22 HR 20 vs. Pit -- vs. Cubs

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Jeff Karstens has pitched twice against the Cubs this year; in 12 innings he's posted a 3.00 ERA and has a loss and a no-decision. That's about as well as he's thrown all year; in August he's 0-4 with a 7.65 ERA and he gave up 11 hits in 3.1 innings in his last outing vs. the Mets. Current Cubs are hitting .409 against Karstens (27-for-66) with seven doubles, a triple and four HR, including two from Alfonso Soriano. This looks like a good hitting night for the Cubs.

Ryan Dempster has two starts vs. the Pirates this year; he's given up three runs in seven innings in each of them and struck out 16 in the 14 innings -- but lost both games because the Cubs couldn't score. Presuming they can hit like they did last night, or even close, Dempster, who is 4-0 in August with a 1.31 ERA, should reach his milestone.

Today's game is on CSN Chicago Plus (check local listings; it's CLTV in Chicago and channel 285 on Comcast in Chicago for HD) and FSN Pittsburgh. Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout.

Today's first pitch thread will be up at 7 pm CDT, and the overflows will post at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

The Mike Quade era is now one week old and the Cubs showed signs of life while on the road. Join Len and Bob for the latest in Cubs baseball in this week's podcast.

 

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A group of friendly Yankees fans -- who had been in town for their series with the White Sox and stayed Monday just so they could come to Wrigley Field for the first time -- sat in the section just to my left last night in the bleachers.

They left town with an unexpected souvenir -- Carlos Zambrano's home run ball. If you missed it last night, here's the TwitPic I tweeted from the ballpark (yes, somehow they let a Mets fan in with their group).

Z threw well into the sixth inning and allowed only one unearned run and hit his 21st career home run, and the Cubs pounded out 18 hits and sank the Pirates 14-2. The win mathematically eliminated the Pirates from the NL Central race.

Z has now homered in eight consecutive seasons. The only other pitchers who have had at least one home run in that many or more consecutive years are Warren Spahn (17, 1946-62) and Dizzy Trout (11, 1942-52).

I know I've been in the "Z must go" camp since his suspension and placement on the restricted list in June. He pitched very well again last night, despite not having his best stuff, lowering his ERA to 4.36 by allowing just one unearned run and evening his W-L record at 6-6. Since returning to the rotation he has posted a 1.86 ERA in 29.1 innings, allowing 24 hits and striking out 22. There are still too many walks (four last night, 20 since returning), but I will admit to being interested in the possibility that Z might have, at last, figured out how to just pitch (instead of all the extracurricular activities) and could be a key part of the 2011 rotation.

Curious thing about that unearned run. Andrew McCutchen led off the game with a ground ball that Jeff Baker butchered. Baker was charged with an error; later, it was changed to a hit, which was duly announced by Paul Friedman on the ballpark PA. That play was clearly an error. The play which resulted in the one unearned run that Z allowed -- a high, arching fly ball that Alfonso Soriano simply overran -- was ruled an error on Sori even though he never touched the ball; it bounced away from him and Neil Walker wound up on third base, from where he later scored.

The Cubs had fun hitting last night, giving Mike Quade a win in the first game he managed at Wrigley Field. They pounded out 18 hits, including nine doubles; Starlin Castro had two of them and now, with enough PA to qualify, ranks fifth in the NL at .313, three points behind Martin Prado of the Braves for fourth. Aramis Ramirez drove in four runs and even Koyie Hill joined in with two hits and two RBI.

The nine doubles is the most the Cubs have had in one game since July 20, 2003, when they also had nine in a 16-2 rout of the Marlins at Miami. It was the first time a Cubs team had nine doubles in a game at Wrigley Field since a 14-4 win over the Giants on August 16, 1979. The team record (since 1920) is 10, set in a 17-13 loss to the Cardinals in the second game of a DH on July 12, 1931.

Fun stuff. It happened in front of the smallest crowd of the year, 29,538, and that number was likely only as "large" as it was because of the ceremony honoring recent Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson. There had been about 27,000 tickets sold before yesterday, which meant the Cubs got a small walkup sale, but only 1100 total tickets were sold for the bleachers, which felt quite empty last night. They won't have that many tonight; the paid attendance was the smallest since September 7, 2006, when it was announced as 27,105. The last time the Cubs drew a crowd smaller than that one was on September 26, 2002, when the announced paid attendance was 20,032.

Regardless, the Cubs have had trouble beating the Pirates this year and doing it in convincing fashion was fun, even in a season as dismal as this one. Let's do it again tonight.

I'd say "Only in Albuquerque," but Omaha dropped 23 runs on Round Rock tonight.  Must be football season.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs detonated the Albuquerque Isotopes, 20-9 by hitting seven home runs.

Starter Mitch Atkins had some control problems, but allowed only two runs over six innings and improved his record to 7-3. Atkins gave up seven hits and five walks.  He walked two.

Left fielder Jason Dubois homered in both the first and second innings. The first inning homer was hit with a man on and the second inning home run was a solo shot. He now has 16 home runs on the season and 84 career Iowa home runs. Dubois also hit an RBI double in a 3 for 5 evening. Dubois scored three times and had four RBI.

He wasn't the only I-Cub with two homers, as first baseman Bryan LaHair hit it out in both the seventh and ninth innings. His first home run was with the bases empty and his second one had a man on. LaHair now has 23 home runs this season. Overall, LaHair went 3 for 6 with four RBI and three runs scored.

Second baseman Bobby Scales also hit a two-run home run in the first inning, his ninth. Scales went 3 for 5 with three RBI. He also reached on a hit-by-pitch. Right fielder Brad Snyder went 4 for 6 with two doubles and his 23rd home run. Snyder scored four times and had four RBI.

You know the balls are flying out when shortstop Matt Camp goes deep. His first inning solo home run was his second of the season and the third I-Cub home run of the first inning. Camp was 1 for 6.

I'll probably get an earful for not mentioning this first, but center fielder Sam Fuld had five hits tonight in seven at-bats. One of Fuld's five hits was a double and he scored three times.

Third baseman Marquez Smith was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Smith scored three times and batted two in. Finally, catcher Robinson Chirinos went 2 for 6.

Unfortunately, Memphis won their seventh straight game to keep Iowa's lead down to one-half game. Iowa plays a double-header tomorrow, but the first game is a resumption of a suspended game and Iowa currently leads that game 4-0 and they are still batting in the first inning.

Tennessee Smokies

Took the day off to celebrate their third straight divisional title.  That, and they're taking the bus to Jacksonville.

Daytona Cubs

Took the day off too.  They could have driven to Jacksonville to congratulate the Smokies, but I'm betting they just drove to Clearwater where they play tomorrow.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs were cut down by the Clinton LumberKings, 7-2.

Starter Ryan Searle took the loss. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs on six hits, although only one of the three runs was earned.  Searle walked one and struck out five.

Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee was 2 for 3 with a walk. Right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha was 2 for 4.

Kane County won, so Peoria's fell to 3.5 games back in the wild card chase. Peoria's elimination number is now two and their playoff hopes are on life-support.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks scored seven runs in the top of the ninth inning to stun the Spokane Indians, 8-5.

Starting pitcher Dustin Fitzgerald gave up one run over five innings. Fitzgerald allowed three hits, including a solo home run. Fitzgerald walked one. He did not strike out a batter.

Steven Grife got the win in relief. Grife allowed one run on three hits in the one inning he pitched. He did not have a strikeout, nor did he walk anyone.

Catcher Micah Gibbs was 4 for 5 and scored once. Shortstop Elliot Soto went 3 for 5 with a double. Soto scored once and knocked two runs in.

Second baseman Pierre LePage had a triple in a 2 for 5 night. LePage scored once and had two RBI. Right fielder Jesus Morelli went 2 for 5 and scored once.

Third baseman Dustin Harrington was 2 for 4 with a double and he scored twice. Center fielder Kyung-Min Na went 2 for 3. He scored once and had one RBI

AZL Cubs

The rookie league team's season ended yesterday. They finished the season 26-29.

Hero: Aramis Ramirez went 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI to lead the Cubs' 18-hit attack.

Go get 'em, Z.

We scored 9 (one, then three, then five), they scored 16 (seven, then two, then seven). We made three errors, they didn't make any. We had seven extra-base hits, they hit eleven (I think).

I would say the only pitcher that really stunk it up was Tom Gorzelanny. The Gorz allowed three home runs in his start: two to Jay Bruce (they're both left handed aren't they? what the hell?) and one to Chris Valakia (his first career bomb). For some reason, Cub lefties who look good everywhere else somehow end up sucking at the Great American Ballpark (Ted Lilly, Jon Lieber in 2008, etc).

Speaking of lefties, Sean Marshall's one inning of relief was not a good one. He allowed four hits, two runs (one earned), and took the loss in the rubber match on Sunday. He has struggled in the second half (albeit in a relative sense), with a 4.79 ERA compared to his 2.03 from the first half of the year. But that's mostly due to a change in BABIP -- .288 before the All-Star Break, .379 after. He's still getting a ton of strikeouts (26 in 20.2 innings) and not giving up many extra base hits (14 all year!).

I would say the only Cub hitter that merits mentioning would be the Fukster, Mr. Kosuke. On Saturday and Sunday, Fukudome went a combined 3-for-6 with two jacks. He's now hitting .274 on the year with an .835 OPS.

Anybody think we should keep him around for next year instead of trading him and eating half his salary for a 21 year old pitcher or two in exchange?

Here are numbers involving the Pirates, and the Pirates against the Cubs this year; almost none of them make any sense.

The Pirates are 9-3 against the Cubs. They are 34-84 against everyone else -- that's a .288 winning percentage, which would translate into 47 wins in a full season.

The Pirates are 4-2 in Wrigley Field this year. They are 9-49 in all their other road games -- that's a .155 winning percentage, which would translate into 13 wins in a normal 81-game road season. Even their overall road winning percentage -- .203 -- would only give them 16 road wins this year. The record for fewest road wins in a 162-game season is 17, held by the 1963 Mets. The 1962 Mets had 18; those are the only two teams since 1961 to have fewer than 20 road wins in a season without a labor stoppage.

The Pirates have gone 22-56 since June 1 (19-54 against teams not named "Cubs" in that time frame). That's a .282 winning percentage, which would translate to 46 wins over a full season. They have not won more than two in a row since July 1, and have had losing streaks of four, five, seven and five during that stretch (although they did win two straight from the Cardinals at PNC Park last week). They have been outscored 400-273 since June 1.

The Pirates have given up ten or more runs 12 times this year and lost all ten, including scores of 15-6, 17-3 and 20-0. They have not shut out anyone but been shut out 13 times, and scored one or no runs in a game 25 times. They are on pace to be outscored by approximately 315 runs this season, which would put them in 1962 Mets/2003 Tigers territory. In the 12 games vs. the Cubs, they have scored 46 runs and allowed 31; in all other games they have been outscored 395-666 (Hmmm). They are 3-6 in games against teams whose record is similar to the Cubs (Nationals, Indians, Diamondbacks).

The Cubs owe these guys a sweep. Let's hope they give it to them. And if the Cubs win tonight, the Pirates are mathematically eliminated from the NL Central race. How's that for motivation?

Today's Starting Pitchers

Carlos Zambrano Cubs vs. Paul Maholm Pirates 5-6 W-L 7-12 4.64 ERA 4.82 72 SO 75 45 BB 53 6 HR 14 vs. Pit -- vs. Cubs

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After getting pounded by Cubs hitters for years, Paul Maholm is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA against the Cubs so far this season. Aramis Ramirez has a great career record vs. Maholm (10-for-29, .345, two doubles, two HR) but this year he's only 2-for-9 with two strikeouts. It's time for all of that to go back to normal (i.e. pound Maholm).

With Z's back and forth to the pen and the restricted list this year, he has not started vs. the Pirates in 2010, though he did make a couple of relief appearances which are, I think, best not discussed. Z has pitched better in each successive start since his return. Current Pirates are hitting .333 (21-for-63) against him with one home run (Garrett Jones).

Lineup via tweet from CubsInsider:

#Cubs lineup vs. #Pirates (8/30): Baker 2B, Castro SS, Byrd CF, Ramirez 3B, Nady 1B, Soriano LF, Colvin RF, Hill C, Zambrano P

Pirates lineup via tweet from BucsInsider:

Lineup - McCutchen 8 Tabata 7 Walker 4 Jones 3 Alvarez 5 Doumit 2 Milledge 9 Cedeno 6 Maholm 1

Today's game is on CSN Chicago and FSN Pittsburgh. Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout.

Today's first pitch thread will be up at 7 pm CDT, and the overflows will post at 8 pm, 9 pm and 9:45 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Overview
So much for that glimmering hope of optimism. After sweeping the Nats under new manager Mike Quade, I'll admit - I was a little intrigued by the Cubs again. Not in a "we're gonna go on some sick run and get back in it somehow", but in more of a "well maybe we'll be frisky down the stretch and be passable September viewing". After a weekend spent in the Queen City, I feel the needle has been jolted back in the other direction. Shaky pitching, shaky defense, not a ton of hitting in big spots. Most importantly, perhaps another month's worth of baseball without a ton to look forward to (non-Starlin Castro division). The Cubs are now back home against the team they can not beat, the Pittsburgh Pirates. This will be the last time the Cubs face the Buccos this year, whom they have a stellar 3-9 record against in 2010. Here's your series preview and the first post on Goatriders in over 2 days..guess everyone hates the Cubs.

Monday August 30th - Paul Maholm (7-12, 4.82) vs. Carlos Zambrano (5-6, 4.64) - Maholm, like a lot of the Pirates, is having a rough year, and his stats are all pretty much off what they've been throughout his career. He hasn't notched a victory since early August either, though perhaps that's not surprising with the struggles the Pirates themselves have been having. Big Z looked REALLY good against Washington, but then immediately flew out to Venezuela to deal with a family issue. I'm seriously hoping Carlos can build on that great start and string together some good outings as the season winds down. For his sanity, for Cubs fans' sanity, for his trade value, for everything.

Tuesday August 31st - Jeff Karstens (2-10, 4.98) vs. Ryan Dempster (12-8, 3.42) - Karstens fits the mold of the majority of the Pirates starters the last couple of seasons: former highly touted prospect from another organization who scuffled and then ended up in Pittsburgh. The former prospect sheen Karstens had with the Yankees is now long gone, and he's had an uneven 2010. He'll go up against Dempster, who continues to be the consistent cog in the Cubs 2010 rotation. Being paid well, Dempster has delivered again in 2010. He only went 79 pitches in a win against Washinton last week, so he should be good to go deep into the game Tuesday if needed...and with Z going the night before, he might be.

Wednesday September 1st - James McDonald (2-3, 4.97) vs. Tom Gorzellany (7-8, 3.98) - James McDonald fits the same profile as Karstens. McDonald is now out of the Dodgers organization and into the Pirates one (what an upgrade!). He's shown flashes since he's become a regular starter, but just like about everyone pitching for Pittsburgh currently, he's been up and down from a performance perspective. Long term though, I like McDonald. Gorzo the Great will be opposing his former team here. He got rocked pretty good Friday night against the Reds and had a fairly shaky month of August overall. Here's hoping for a better finish for Tom.

* The Pirates have won nine of their first 12 meetings against the Cubs this season. Another victory on Monday would represent the first time since 1992 that Pittsburgh has won at least 10 games in the season series.

* The Pirates were swept by the Brewers this weekend, extending Pittsburgh's road losing streak to 13 games. No other team sports an active road skid longer than three games.

* Despite dropping two of three games at Cincinnati this weekend, the Cubs went 4-2 on their road trip. But Chicago has lost 12 of its last 14 games at Wrigley Field.

* Paul Maholm is 3-0 against the Cubs this season, as opposed to 4-12 versus everyone else. In his career, Maholm is 7-1 versus Chicago despite a 5.70 ERA, thanks in large part to an average of 6.34 runs of support per nine innings.

* Carlos Zambrano is coming off one of his best starts of 2010, striking out eight and allowing just one run over 7.1 innings while beating Washington last Tuesday.

* Kosuke Fukudome homered in each of his last two games to establish a career high (in MLB) with 12 home runs this season. He's batting .476 (10-for-21) over his last seven games.

Last month, Andre Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Tonight, he will be honored by the Cubs prior to the game with the Pirates. Just to make it absolutely clear -- his #8 is not going to be retired by the team. Here's what will happen:

The Cubs will present a special gift to "The Hawk" and recognize him during an on-field ceremony before the team's 7:05 p.m. game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition to the ceremony at Wrigley Field, Mayor Daley has officially proclaimed August 30, 2010 as "Andre Dawson Day" in Chicago. Finally, the first 10,000 fans entering the ballpark on August 30 will receive a commemorative Andre Dawson ball cap, compliments of The PrivateBank.

After the jump, a couple of my favorite Dawson stories from his time as a Cub.

The 1987 season, though disappointing from a team standpoint, was magical for Andre. He became a fan favorite and won the NL MVP award. On September 27, 1987, the Cubs took the field for their final home game of that season against the Cardinals, a sunny, gorgeous early-autumn afternoon.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Cubs leading 6-3, Andre came up to bat for the final time at home that season. Naturally, he was greeted with a tremendous ovation. His home runs had been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal year.

Andre ran the count to 3-1 off Cardinals reliever Bill Dawley, and then hit the next pitch onto Waveland Avenue. It was a magical moment. Andre hit two more homers during the season-ending trip to finish with 49 -- at the time, the second-highest total in Cubs history. (Footnote: also homering in that game was current Cubs 1B coach Bob Dernier -- his last home run in a Cubs uniform.)

Two years later, Andre battled knee injuries and missed 44 games and had a miserable season. Thanks to Jerome Walton, Greg Maddux and others, the Cubs were in a fight for the NL East title. A divisional lead that had been as much as 4.5 games in August had dropped to only a half game over the Cardinals when, on September 8, the Cubs blew a 7-1 lead to St. Louis at Wrigley Field and lost 11-8.

The next afternoon, a Saturday, the game began in cloudy and cool conditions and it began to rain lightly. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead, but the Cardinals made it 2-1 St. Louis with a pair in the sixth. In the eighth inning, Dwight Smith singled cleanly to right and never stopped, aggressively taking second right in front of a startled Cardinals RF, Tom Brunansky, whose throw was barely late. Luis Salazar singled him in to tie the game.

It continued, the rain getting a little harder but never enough for the umpires to halt play. With one out in the bottom of the 11th, Dawson, who had gone 0-for-4, walked. Up came Salazar again; he sliced a ball down the right field line for a hit; the ball trickled its way toward the RF corner.

And Andre Dawson, bad knees and all, would not be denied. Like a runaway train, he barreled around the bases and scored the winning run standing up, landing in the embrace of Shawon Dunston (there's a famous photo of this that made the cover of the NLCS program that was sold at Wrigley Field that year). The Cubs, who had been in danger of falling out of the NL East lead had they lost that game, instead made it the beginning of a 15-6 run and won the division by six games.

Those are two of the most indelible memories I have of Andre's tenure with the Cubs; in many ways they both sum up his career.

Thanks for the memories, Andre; in a 2010 season nearly devoid of such memories, we'll be glad to honor you tonight.

Scoring a run in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead and then seven more in the bottom of the 8th to put the game away, the AZL Cubs closed out their 2010 Arizona League season by coasting past the AZL A's 11-4 at Dwight Patterson Field at HoHoKam Park in Mesa Sunday night.

box score

RHP (and ex-3B) Charles Thomas made his second AZL game appearance as a pitcher in tonight's game, throwing one scoreless inning (16 pitches - 12 strikes) and striking out two (both swinging). Thomas is no stranger to the mound, having been used as a "two-way" combination 3B/RHRP at Edward Waters College prior to being selected by the Cubs in the 10th round of the 2009 Rule 4 Draft. At 6'4 230+, Thomas is a load. He looks a bit like Lee Smith, and he throws just about as hard, too. He has good command of the strike-zone  and he looks like he knows what he's doing out there. The son of a high-ranking U. S. Naval officer, Thomas spent most of his first two seasons in pro ball playing 3B, where he hit 244/297/357 in 88 games (342 PA) combined between the AZL Cubs (2009) and Peoria (2010), before getting sent down to Mesa from Peoria and making the move to the mound about a month ago.    

In AZL Cubs roster news, RHP Tarlandus Mitchell (groin strain) has completed his rehab with the AZL Cubs and has rejoined Boise. and RHP Dallas Beeler (2010 41st round draft pick out of Oral Roberts U.) and RHP (ex-C) Alvaro Sosa have been moved up to Boise from the AZL Cubs, with more promotions possible tomorrow, what with the AZL season having concluded while Boise continues to play for another week. Beeler had TJS in 2009 and hadn't pitched much when he was selected by the Cubs in a lower round in this past June's draft, but he got an "overslot" bonus ($150,000) to sign. From what I have seen of him, he can throw three pitches for strikes, and he's a lot more polished than I would have expected for a guy who missed so much time over the past year.  

The AZL Cubs finished the 2010 season 26-29, good for third place in the AZL East, 8-1/2 games behind the 1st place AZL Giants. The AZL Giants will advance into the AZL playoffs, playing the AZL Reds (AZL Wild Card) in a one-game playoff tomorrow night in Scottsdale to determine which team advances to the AZL Championship game Tuesday night against the winner of tomorrow night's game pitting the AZL Rangers (AZL North champion) against the AZL Brewers (AZL West champs) in Maryvale. 

The 2010 AZL Cubs were not your typical Cubs offensive unit, leading the AZL in walks(!) and finishing 3rd in batting average and 4th in stolen bases, but only 10th in triples, and 11th in doubles and Home Runs, in a twelve-team league. The 2010 AZL Cubs were the epitome of an "opportunistic" offense, using walks, stolen bases, bunts, opponent's errors and mistakes, and situational hitting to score runs in drips and drabs (and watching this team was a bit like watching paint dry, too). Tonight's game was a perfect example, as the Cubs took advantage of seven walks, four errors, five wild pitches, and a passed ball, combined with ten singles (and no extra-base hits), to plate 11 runs.

Cubs 2009 5th round pick SS Wes Darvill (Canadian Junior National Team - Langley BC) is the most improved player, and 2B Ping-Chieh Chen is the best player down here who hasn't been promoted to Boise. (Darvill actually was demoted from Boise to AZL Cubs in July, at which point he started to play with confidence), and I would expect the Cubs to move them along together, just as they are doing with Hak-Ju Lee and Logan Watkins. Oddly, Chen has a shortstop's range and a strong arm, but it's scatter-gun so it plays better at 2B. while Darvill has a Ryan Theriot type arm that would probably be a better fit at 2B, but Darvill just plays better and with more confidence when he plays SS. Like Logan Watkins, Chen is a slap hitter and an outstanding bunter, but he needs to work on his base-stealing technique. Darvill looks like he might develop some power as his body matures (he's not there yet, but he's only 18), but he already can steal bases with ease. Both Darvill and Chen are very patient hitters (especially Darvill), and both are not afraid to go deep in the count and take a walk.     

Another player who improved a lot during the course of the AZL season is 3B Dustin Geiger (Cubs 2010 24th round pick out of Merritt Island HS - Brevard County, FL). Drafted as a RF after playing 3B in HS, Geiger insisted on being allowed to remain at 3B before he would sign (he had accepted a scholarship to Central Florida and was expected to be a "tough sign"), and it looks like he knows himself pretty well. He has very good reactions to balls hit to 3rd base, and he has a plus-arm (a real cannon), too. If Josh Vitters could play 3B as well as Geiger does right now, the Cubs would not even be thinking about moving him to 1B. Geiger looks like he could develop HR power eventually, because he has plus-bat speed (he just needs to learn to elevate his swing a bit and maybe turn on inside pitches). He could really benefit from the coaching he'll get at the AZ Instructional League.

RHP Austin Reed (2010 12th round pick out of Rancho Cucamonga HS - Rancho Cucamonga, CA) is probably the top pitching prospect who finished the AZL season in Mesa. Reed's older brother Addison is the #1 starter at San Diego State and most scouts figured Austin would follow his brother to SDSU out of HS, but the Cubs enticed him with an over-slot bonus, and it looks like they got a good one. Reed has problems with his mechanics from time-to-time, but when he's got his release point & arm slot in the right places, he has electric stuff and is virtually unhittable. Looks like he might be another another Nick Struck.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs scored four runs in the top of the ninth to stun the Omaha Royals, 8-7.

Chris Carpenter took the mound to start the game and he pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. Two of those hits were solo home runs. Carpenter walked two and struck out three.

Jeff Gray was the lucky beneficiary of the I-Cub comeback, picking up his third win. Gray did not pitch well, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk over 1.1 innings. Gray struck out one.

Jeff Stevens pitched a perfect ninth inning for his seventh save. Stevens did not strike anyone out.

DH Jason Dubois was 3 for 5 with a two-run double in the ninth inning that gave the I-Cubs the lead. Dubois also scored once.

Right fielder Brad Snyder was 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBI. First baseman Bryan LaHair went 2 for 5 with one run scored and one ribbie. Catcher Welington Castillo went 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Omaha first baseman Scott Thorman hit for the cycle in a losing cause for the Royals

Memphis won their sixth game in a row, so the I-Cubs lead stays at one-half game.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies were crushed by the Birmingham Barons, 16-1. However, Huntsville lost, so the Smokies officially clinched the second half title and their third title in a row.

Ty'Relle Harris got hammered for seven runs on nine hits over only four innings. Harris walked one and struck out three.

First baseman Russell Canzler hit his 21st home run to account for all of the Smokies' offense. Canzler was 1 for 3.

Center fielder Tony Campana and first baseman Blake Lalli were both 2 for 3 with a hit-by-pitch.

The Smokies will start the playoffs on September 9. Games 1,2,4 and 5 of the best-of-five series will be in Kodak.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs declawed the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 6-1.

Starter Brooks Raley got the win. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing only one run on eight hits. Raley didn't walk anyone and struck out two.

Shortstop DJ LeMahieu was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

The D-Cubs did pick up a game on Tampa, so now they trail the Yankees by 2.5 games with six to play.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs split a double-header with the Clinton LumberKings, losing the first game 6-2 and winning the second 2-1.

In the first game, Brett Wallach started and took the loss. He only pitched two innings and allowed four runs on four hits. He also walked four and struck out three.

Right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha was 2 for 4 with a run scored. First baseman Justin Bour was 2 for 4.

In the second game, Jeffrey Lorick started and pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. Lorick allowed four hits. He did not walk anyone and struck out four.

Corey Martin pitched a perfect top of the seventh inning and got the win when Peoria scored two runs in the bottom of the inning. Martin did not have as strikeout.

Bour went 2 for 3 in the second game and scored the first run in the ninth inning.

Kane County lost, so Peoria is 2.5 games out of a wild card spot with eight games to play. Three of those games are at Kane County on September 1,2 and 3, so it would be great to see some Cub fans there to cheer on the Chiefs.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks lost to the Spokane Indians, 5-4.

Matthew Loosen took the mound for Boise to start the game and pitched 3.1 innings. Loosen allowed two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Eric Rice allowed two runs on one hit and two walks to get the loss. Rice only retired one batter.

DH Alvaro Ramirez led off the game with his fourth home run of the year. Ramirez was 1 for 4.  Third baseman Dustin Harrington went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBI.

AZL Cubs

Beat the Athletics, 11-4.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian nominates this year's National League rookie crop as one of the best ever.

Hero: Kosuke Fukudome (1-for-3), who continues to sizzle in August, hit a two-run, game-tying homer off reliever Arthur Rhodes in the eighth inning. Fukudome, who is hitting .274 on the season, is hitting .367 with a 1.081 OPS in August.

Hero: Kosuke Fukudome entered the game with just one hit in 16 lifetime at-bats against Cincinnati starter Bronson Arroyo (14-8), but went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer Saturday.

For five games under new manager Mike Quade, the Cubs -- even in their 7-1 loss Friday to the Reds -- played solid baseball, with good fundamentals and good pitching.

All of that went right out the window again Sunday in an ugly 7-5 loss to Cincinnati which included a pair of errors. The first, on an attempted steal, was given to Geovany Soto, but as Bob Brenly correctly pointed out on the WGN broadcast, that error was Starlin Castro's fault for not being in proper position to block the throw from going into center field after it was clear it hadn't beaten Drew Stubbs trying to steal. That led to an unearned run to give the Reds a 5-3 lead in the 7th. That run might have scored on a subsequent hit, but there was no guarantee; thus, the unearned run.

The second, on an ill-advised throw from Kosuke Fukudome (who's usually solid defensively), resulted directly in the Reds' final run of the day after the throw went into the third-base dugout when Sean Marshall wasn't in proper position to back up the throw.

The two unearned runs were the difference in the game, increasing the Cubs' MLB-leading UER total to 84. This is something that absolutely has to change for the 2011 team. Good fundamentals and good defensive choices are going to have to be drilled into next year's team no matter who the manager is come spring training.

The mistakes ruined a game in which the Cubs came from two runs down not once, but twice. The Reds nibbled at Casey Coleman, scoring single runs in the first, second and third to take a 3-1 lead while the Cubs left the bases loaded in the first inning. Almost forgot -- that's yet another thing the next manager is going to have to work on, good situational hitting so the 2011 Cubs don't leave so many runners on. Today's LOB count: 10, including leaving RISP in the first, fourth and fifth innings, and oh yes, having Jeff Baker thrown out in a rundown in the second, blunting what could have been better than just a single run scored in that inning.

Fundamentals have to be fundamental in 2011. Starlin Castro needs to work hard on them, in particular; the errors, I can forgive, I know those will diminish in time. But he also casually strolled off second base early in the game and was nearly tagged out before he realized what he had done. That kind of thing just can't happen in the major leagues.

Fukudome continued his hot hitting, raising his BA to its highest point (.274) since June 24, and in his last ten games he's hitting .438 with two HR, seven RBI and six walks. As explained by Len & Bob, because the Cubs don't have enough right-handed bench players, one of Fukudome, Blake DeWitt and Tyler Colvin had to start today. Fukudome is hot, so he got the nod. At the very least, he is increasing his trade value; perhaps the Cubs can figure out something else to do with him if he ends up this season strong, going into next year.

But they just have to start playing smarter. This game was winnable.

"When you play with the Cubs, it's like playing with heavy shoes on."

For those of you wishing to relive some happier times and for younger fans who weren't around for the ride, I recommend "The Boys of Zimmer: The Story of the 1989 Cubs."

Go get 'em Casey!

The Cubs have not played well against the Reds this year, going 4-11, and have not won a series against them in Cincinnati in more than a year (since they took two of three from August 3-5, 2009).

They've got the chance to do that this afternoon. It does look very much like the Reds are going to win the NL Central; obviously, with more than a month remaining in the season, the Cardinals, who trail by four games, still have a good shot at overtaking Cincinnati. But St. Louis, somehow, doesn't seem to have what they had last year when they won the division with 91 victories.

Today is the final game of the year between the Cubs and Reds -- but the Cubs may still have a say in who wins the division, because they've got six games remaining with the Cardinals in September.

Speaking of Kosuke Fukudome, as we were in the recap of last night's game, he is now hitting .273/.378/.447, clearly having the best year of his three-year MLB career. Do you think he's figured things out and would be valuable to keep next year? Or is he increasing his trade value to the point where the Cubs could get someone else to take his contract?

Today's Starting Pitchers

Casey Coleman Cubs vs. Travis Wood Reds 1-1 W-L 4-2 5.68 ERA 3.38 9 SO 49 10 BB 17 1 HR 6 vs. Cin -- vs. Cubs

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Travis Wood has made ten major league starts. Two of them have been against the Cubs, including his major league debut on July 1 at Wrigley Field. The league appears to have begun to figure him out; after he posted a 2.87 ERA in six July starts, he has a 4.18 ERA in four so far this month. He got pounded hard in his last outing against the Giants; let's hope the Cubs can keep that up today. Jeff Baker, who leads off today, is the only Cub to homer off him.

Since he had a horrific ML debut relief appearance against the Brewers, Casey Coleman has a 3.24 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in three other relief outings and two starts. He threw very well in his last start vs. the Nationals and picked up his first ML win. Today will be his first start against the Reds, but he did throw three innings of relief against them on August 8 at Wrigley Field, allowing two runs in three innings.

Cubs lineup via tweet from CubsInsider:

#Cubs lineup @ #Reds (8/29): Baker 2B, Castro SS, Byrd CF, Ramirez 3B, Nady 1B, Soriano LF, Soto C, Fukudome RF, Coleman P

Reds lineup via tweet from the official Reds Twitter account:

8/29 Reds Lineup Stubbs CF Valaika 2B Votto 1B Rolen 3B Bruce RF Heisey LF Hernandez C Janish SS Travis Wood P

Today's game is on WGN and FSN Ohio. Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter.

Today's first pitch thread will be up at noon CDT, and the overflows will post at 1:15 pm, 2:15 pm and 3 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

 

I thought Saturday night's game was fantastic from the Cubs perspective.  Two guys who have had up and down years came up with big home runs (Xavier Nady and Kosuke Fukudome), Randy Wells (on his 28th birthday) out-pitched Bronson Arroyo to snap a personal 5-game losing streak, Carlos Marmol worked a quick 1-2-3 9th and most importantly, rookies James Russell and Andrew Cashner were stellar, setting up the bridge from starter to closer against the best offense in the league and in front of a hostile, sell-out crowd.

Those are the kinds of games that allow you to evaluate what you have for next year.  It's disappointing that 3-2 win didn't mean more this season, but as we've said over and over again lately, it's all about the future at this point and I thought several guys took a big step up against a first-place club.

 

Len

The Cubs' outfield is overcrowded right now; Tyler Colvin made sure of that with his good rookie year, and the Cubs would probably like to deal Kosuke Fukudome not only to make fulltime room for Colvin, but to free up $14 million dollars off the 2011 payroll.

Fukudome, though, has been playing well lately; in 21 games this month he is hitting .367/.465/.617 with three HR and 10 RBI (71 plate appearances). His two-run homer last night broke a 1-1 tie and made the difference in the Cubs' 3-2 win over the Reds, their first win over Cincinnati since July 3. It also tied Fukudome's career high of 11 homers, set last year. The Cubs improved to 4-1 under Mike Quade.

Xavier Nady provided the other run for the Cubs with a solo homer, his first since June 10. I doubt Nady will be back next year; it has taken almost five months for him to really begin hitting as the Cubs hoped he would. Nady, too, is having a good August, hitting .306/.386/.468 with seven doubles and one HR in 70 plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Randy Wells posted his first win in over a month by throwing six solid innings on his 28th birthday -- his "golden birthday", since yesterday was the 28th of the month. Wells has had an up and down season. He has had 19 starts in which he's gone at least six innings, but also two horrific outings in which he didn't make it out of the second inning. Those two starts account for 14% of his earned runs allowed this year; take those out of his record (yeah, yeah, I know you can't, but bear with me for a minute) and his ERA in the other 25 starts is more than half a run lower than his season era (4.50) at 3.93.

Andrew Cashner had one of his quick innings last night, throwing only eight pitches. He's done this before -- that seems to be his specialty. When he has his command he gets hitters to beat the ball into the ground. The bad outings seem to occur when his 95+ fastball is flat and hitters sit on it and hit home runs. That's something for him to work on before next year.

James Russell also made his case for next year's bullpen with a scoreless inning. Of all the rookie relievers this season, it would appear that Russell and Cashner are probably the only ones who will return in 2011 -- and yes, I believe Cashner is better suited to a setup role than starting.

The Cubs have a chance to win a series from the Reds for the first time this year and although they'd still have a bad record against Cincinnati, at least that would end the season series on an up note. The game preview will post at 10:30 am CDT.

Photo courtesy of Roger C. Hoover and Smokiesonradio.com

The big news tonight and in fact, this entire season, has been the Smokies, so we're going to lead with them.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies vassalized the Birmingham Barons, 8-7 on a walk-off home run by Russell Canzler. The win was Smokies manager Bill Dancy's 1600th career minor league victory.

The game was started by Trey McNutt, who pitched the first four innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Two of the four runs were unearned, however. McNutt struck out four and walked only one.

Kyle Smit pitched the top of the ninth and improved his record to 4-1 since coming over to the Cub organization. Smit allowed just one hit. He didn't walk anyone and struck out one.

Canzler's home run in the bottom of the ninth was not without controversy. The ball apparently bounced off a restraining wall behind the outfield fence and came back on to the field of play. Canzler slid into third with a triple, but after a long discussion between the umpires, it was ruled a home run.  It was Canzler's 20th home run this season. Canzler was 1 for 5 on the evening.

If not for Canzler's heroics, the star of the night would have been left fielder Brandon Guyer. Guyer was 4 for 5 with two doubles and four RBI. He scored once.

Center fielder Tony Campana went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. Campana scored three times and had one RBI. DH Blake Lalli was 2 for 4 with a double and an intentional walk.

Huntsville's double-header was rained out again, so the Smokies magic number rests at one. Unless they decide not to make up both games, in which case the Smokies clinched their third straight half-season title.

In any case, the Smokies will be looking to clinch tomorrow.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs fell to the Omaha Royals, 5-4.

Starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx took the loss. He lasted 4.2 innings and was charged with five runs on five hits. Two of the runs he allowed were unearned. Bibens-Dirkx walked four and struck out three.

First baseman Bryan LaHair hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning. It was LaHair's 21st homer of the year. LaHair was 1 for 4.

Memphis won again, so the I-Cubs lead in the division fell to a mere one-half game. The two teams finish the season against each other with a four-game series in Des Moines.

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were shot down by the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 3-0.

Nick Struck was the hard-luck loser tonight. Struck pitched the first four innings and allowed only one run on three hits. Struck walked three and struck out four.

Catcher Mark Reed was 1 for 3 with a double.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs usurped the Clinton LumberKings, 7-1.

The Chiefs allowed only two hits tonight. Marcus Hatley, who is on a strict pitch count since coming off an injury, started and pitched 2.1  innings, allowing only one hit. Hatley walked two and struck out five.

Left-hander Austin Kirk collected his first Peoria win by pitching the next 5.2 innings.  Kirk allowed only one run on one hit. He walked one and struck out four.

Left fielder DJ Fitzgerald was 4 for 4 with two doubles and a triple tonight.  He had four RBI. Center fielder Anthony Giansanti was also perfect, going 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored once and had one RBI.

Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee was 2 for 5 with a double. Lee scored twice and had one RBI. Right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha had a double and a run scored in a 2 for 4 evening.

The Chiefs are now three games out of a wild card spot with ten games to play.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks lost to the Spokane Indians, 3-2.

Brett Ebinger started and took the loss. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs on six hits. He didn't walk anyone and struck out three.

Right fielder Alvaro Ramirez went 2 for 4 with a double. He had one RBI and scored once.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Athletics, 6-5.

Let's start another winning streak, Randy.

This is not a math problem. What number does not belong in this sequence:

20, 23, 28, 29, 30, 30, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 38, 40, 40, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 48, 49, 50, 55, 58, 60, 61, 61, 63, 73, 82

Actually, two numbers don't, but the one I'm looking at is 82. That is the number of unearned runs the Cubs have allowed this season, a frighteningly large number and 62 more unearned runs than the MLB leader, the Padres. (The "73" belongs to the Nationals, who are second in baseball in errors as well.)

Unearned runs don't simply come as a direct result of errors, although the Cubs lead the major leagues in that category too (103, more than twice the MLB's best, the Padres with 51). They come when an error is made and a pitcher can't shut down the offense after that. Example: say a team records the first two outs in an inning and then an error is charged on what would have been the third out -- then the team batting scores nine runs. All nine runs are unearned.

The Cubs actually had an inning almost that bad earlier this year against the Reds at Wrigley on July 2. In the seventh inning of a close game with the Reds leading 1-0, Ryan Dempster walked the first two hitters, followed by an error to load the bases. After a strikeout, Dempster walked in a run and was replaced by Brian Schlitter, who walked in another run (which was unearned because of the error).

Then Schlitter got Orlando Cabrera to pop up. That should have been the third out and ended the inning with the Cubs trailing only 3-0, but Schlitter and Bob Howry could not get that third actual out until five more hitters had reached base and seven more runs had scored, all unearned. Instead of still being in the game down only 3-0, the Cubs trailed 10-0 and the game was essentially over.

There is a high correlation, at least this year, with few unearned runs and contending. The top seven numbers on that list belong to, in order, the Padres, Twins, Reds, Rays, White Sox, Giants and Yankees -- all contenders. The bottom seven belong to, in order, the Diamondbacks, Indians, Brewers, Mariners, Astros, Nationals and Cubs, all far out of playoff races.

As of this morning the Cubs are underperforming their Pythagorean projection by one game. The MLB average of team unearned runs allowed this year is 43. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the Cubs were a MLB-average team in that category this year and thus, had allowed 43 fewer runs.

That would equate to a Pythagorean winning percentage of .458, or a W-L record (after 129 games) of 59-70, five games better than the current actual record.

That still isn't great, but it would be a start. Better defense, better relief pitching = more wins. It's obviously not the only thing that needs to be fixed on this team, but it would be a good beginning. Whoever the next Cubs manager is, if he can instill this in his team, good things will follow.

Today's Starting Pitchers

Randy Wells Cubs vs. Bronson Arroyo Reds 5-12 W-L 14-7 4.56 ERA 3.82 120 SO 91 50 BB 55 17 HR 20 vs. Cin -- vs. Cubs

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Bronson Arroyo has faced the Cubs twice this year, both at Wrigley Field, and not allowed them a single run in 13 innings. In those 13 innings, he has given up seven hits and three walks and struck out ten. Clearly, we are doomed. Maybe the results will be different in a different ballpark, but current Cubs are hitting only .213 (37-for-174) against Arroyo.

Randy Wells had one of his better outings of this year on August 7 at Wrigley Field, but the Cubs lost anyway. How often have we said that this year? Though Randy's overall numbers aren't great, he has posted a 3.76 ERA in 11 starts since June 28. The Cubs have gone 2-9 in those games, perhaps largely because of the ten home runs he's given up. The only current Red who has homered off Randy is Drew Stubbs, who is hitting .311/.326/.733 against the Cubs this year with five HR in 45 AB.

Also, Happy Birthday to Randy Wells, who turns 28 today.

Lineup via tweet from Carrie:

#Cubs lineup for Sat nite vs #Reds 2B DeWitt, SS Castro, CF Byrd, 3B Ramy, 1B Nady, LF Colvin, RF Fuke, C Hill, P Wells

Reds lineup via tweet from the Reds official Twitter account:

8/28 Reds Lineup Bruce RF Valaika 2B Votto 1B Rolen 3B Gomes LF Hanigan C Subbs CF Janish SS Bronson Arroyo P

Today's game is on CSN Chicago and FSN Ohio. Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Reds site Red Reporter.

Today's first pitch thread will be up at 6 pm CDT, and the overflows will post at 7:15 pm, 8:15 pm and 9 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

How do you know that you're in a room with somebody who went to Notre Dame?

Overview:
A long time ago, the Chicago Cubs hired a multi-award winning manager who'd just come thisclose to getting his former baseball team a World Series ring.  Of course, we were all pretty stoked about that.  And nobody was too concerned with why a baseball team that just reached the World Series would let their Manager of the Year-award winning skipper walk away.

About a million years later - or maybe it just felt that way - Dusty Baker departed the Cubs a failure.  Our anger toward him was only tempered by one, glorious fact - he signed on to manage a division rival with a considerably impressive farm system.  In other words, that was one less team to worry about.

Although, I have to admit, I sure felt sorry for those guys.  It's not easy being a fan without a glimmer of hope for the future.  And as long as Dusty managed the Reds, hope was gonna be in short supply.

However, much like the 2003/2004 Cubs, some teams are just too damned talented to not compete, regardless of whatever managerial bunglings they may be forced to play through.  And that appears to be the case of the 2010 Reds. 

In a way, a Dusty Baker playoff bound team is worse than a Dusty Baker basement bound team, because now there's a chance that Baker will return in 2011.  Harsh, Reds fans.  Harsh.

Saturday, August 28th - Randy Wells (5-12, 4.56 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (14-7, 3.82 ERA)
It feels as if Arroyo has been around forever.  I still remember when he was that constipated-looking Red Sox pitcher who contributed just enough grit to get them a World Series ring.  This year, though, he's made pitching look easy, as he's leading the Reds in wins and has notched the 100th of his career.

He faces Randy Wells, who just might be pitching his way off the Cubs rotation for next year.  Think I'm wrong?  Let's continue this discussion in April, 2011.

Sunday, August 29th - Casey Coleman (1-1, 5.68 ERA) vs. Edison Volquez (3-2, 6.17 ERA)
Coleman, who is 23, is just another of the Cubs' "throw crap against the wall" strategy that's yet to find anything which sticks. Who knows - when the Cubs surprise us next season by competing for the Wild Card, it'll be guys like Coleman who make it happen.

He faces Victim 4 (or is it more like Victim 10) of the Dusty Baker School of Pitchernomics.  Three seasons ago, Volquez was 24, and he was a 17-win, 206 strikeout pitcher in Dusty's inaugural campaign.  Then, in 2009, Volquez caught Tommy John Disease (big shocker there). 

He's back now, having recuperated while also suspended due to using PEDs (newsflash: pretty much any pitcher who's ever had Tommy John surgery and come back in less than 12 months did it on PEDs).  I kind of wonder if his use of the growth (or whatever) wasn't done, in part, on the hopes that by the time he'd return, Dusty Baker*'d be long gone.

(Dusty's Indian name is Pitcher Destroyer)

Conclusions
Well, the Cubs already got their asses handed to them once this series.  The Reds are now 4 games ahead of the Cardinals.  Of course, there are a lot of Cub fans out there who are pulling for them, and I can understand why.  a) It keeps St. Louis out.  b) It keeps Dusty Baker employed. 

However, I find myself sort of hating the Reds.  Joey Votto is a dick.  Watching them collapse in the last month of the season just might be the kind of sports enjoyment I could get behind.

You didn't expect Mike Quade to go undefeated as Cubs manager, did you?

Quade's 3-0 start still ranks as among the best in Cubs managerial history (as I noted here on Wednesday), but last night the first-place Reds hit early and often and beat the Cubs 7-1.

Jay Bruce, who hasn't quite fulfilled the promise he showed in the Reds' minor league system (though at 23, he still has time to do that), had the first three-homer game of his career. Another Reds first: Chris Valaika, just recalled from the minor leagues to fill in for Brandon Phillips, hit the first home run of his major league career off Tom Gorzelanny.

This sort of thing seems to happen a lot to the Cubs, doesn't it?

There weren't a lot of highlights last night at GABP, although even with the Reds in first place and the Cubs floundering this year, there seemed to be a significant minority of Cubs fans in the Cincinnati crowd of 36,219. Tom Gorzelanny gave up the first two Bruce home runs and Valaika's; Bruce's third dinger was served up by Scott Maine, who was making his major league debut.

That makes 16 rookies who have played for the Cubs this season. Ten of those 16 have made their major league debut this year. The 16 rookies ties for the most used by the Cubs since they also used 16 in the similarly lost season of 2006.

Perhaps more interesting to many Cubs fans than last night's loss is the visit of the New York Yankees to the Cell, where manager Joe Girardi was, of course, asked about the Cubs' managerial opening for next season:

"I was hired by the Yankees to do a job...We’re in a very tight division race. My job is to prepare this team to play every day, and that’s what I’m focusing on.

"My faith always has been extremely important to me. I’ve never worried about next year. I’m happy with my contract situation (expiring after this season). I feel that I’m fortunate to be one of 30 managers with a contract right now. There are people in this organization who have done a lot more for this organization than I have, who don’t have contracts."

Though Girardi went on to say many nice things about the Cubs and about his former teammate Ryne Sandberg, his statements were, of course, noncommittal. I still believe that the likeliest scenario is for Girardi to be given another three-year deal to stay in New York, and that Ryne Sandberg will be named Cubs manager soon after the 2010 regular season ends.

But who knows? Baseball is always full of surprises. In the meantime, the Cubs will try it again against the Reds tonight.

Carlos Silva, in his first rehab start since going on the disabled list Aug. 1 with an abnormal heart rate, allowed two hits in 2 2/3 shutout innings Friday to help the host Peoria Chiefs claim a 3-1 Midwest League victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels.

This may have come out when I was incommunicado, but Baseball America is getting ready to name their Minor League Player of the Year and our own Chris Archer is on their list of candidates. Now I can promise you that he isn't going to win, but to just be mentioned is quite an honor an a sign of how high his stock has risen this season.

Carlos Silva had a rehab start tonight in Peoria.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs hung on to beat the Omaha Royals, 9-8.

Jay Jackson pitched the first six innings and got the textbook quality start, allowing three runs. Jackson gave up six hits. He walked two and struck out five.

Hung-Wen Chen and the Cubs had a six run lead in the eighth inning, but it was 9-7 when Jeff Gray entered the game with no one out  and a man on second in the ninth inning. Gray allowed the runner on second to score, although it was on an error by Bryan LaHair. He then got a flyout and a double play to end the game. It was Gray's first save for Iowa.

The I-Cubs pounded out four home runs tonight, including DH Jason Dubois' three-run home run in the fifth. It was his 14th home run of the year and his 82nd in his Iowa career. He's now eight home runs off the Iowa record. Doesn't look like he's going to get it this season, but he's putting on a finishing kick. Dubois was 1 for 5.

Catcher Robinson Chirinos also hit a three-run homer in the first inning. It was his third homer for Iowa and his 18th on the year. Chirinos was 4 for 5.

First baseman Bryan LaHair hit a solo home run in fourth inning. LaHair went 3 for 5 and scored twice. He's hit 20 home runs this year. Finally, right fielder Brad Snyder hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 22nd homer this season. Snyder went 2 for 4 with a walk. He scored twice as well.

Third baseman Marquez Smith was 2 for 5 and scored once. Center fielder Sam Fuld was 2 for 5 with a double.

Memphis won again, so Iowa's lead in the division stayed at 1.5 games. Their magic number is ten. Iowa and Memphis easily have the two best records in the PCL and one of those two teams isn't going to the playoffs. Don't forget, Memphis is a Cardinals farm club too.

Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies battered the Birmingham Barons, 5-2.

Rafael Dolis took the mound to start the game and picked up his fifth win for Tennessee. Dolis pitched 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out four.

Esmailin Caridad threw 1.1 innings in a rehab appearance without allowing a run. He gave up one hit, walked no one and struck out three.

Blake Parker got his fourth save with 1.2 innings of hitless relief. Parker walked one and struck out one.

Catcher Steve Clevenger was 2 for 4 with a double.  Clevenger scored three times and walked once.  Second baseman Tony Thomas hit an RBI triple in a 2 for 4 game.

Left fielder Brandon Guyer stayed hot, going 2 for 4 with a double. He scored once.

Huntsville was rained out, so Tennessee's magic number has fallen to two. Huntsville has a double-header tomorrow, so either a Smokies win and a Huntsville split will clinch the title, or if Mobile sweeps Huntsville. But let's get Tennessee a win, because that would be Smokies manager Bill Dancey his 1600th career managerial win.  (Thanks to the Smokies Radio Network for that tidbit.)

Daytona Cubs

The Daytona Cubs were grounded by the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 5-1 in 11 innings.

Alberto Cabrera was great tonight, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing only one unearned run. Cabrera gave up only three hits and he walked only two. Cabrera struck out ten.  That's pretty good, isn't it?

Mike Perconte took the loss in relief. He allowed four runs on five hits over 1.2 innings. Perconte walked one and struck out three.

Third baseman Ryan Flaherty hit a double in a 2 for 4 game. He scored once.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs detasseled the Cedar Rapids Kernels 3-1.

Carlos Silva took the mound in a rehab start and pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief. Silva allowed two hits, walked no one and struck out one. From everything that I hear, Silva will make his next start for the Cubs. [Correction: Silva will make one more start for Peoria on Wednesday]

Robinson Lopez, acquired in the Derrek Lee trade, got his first win in the Cubs organization by allowing one run on three hits over 3.2 innings of relief. All the damage was done on a solo home run. Lopez walked one and struck out one.

Corey Martin pitched the ninth and got his sixth save. Martin didn't allow a run, but he did surrender a hit and issued one walk. Martin also struck out one.

Right fielder Jae-Hoon Ha hit a solo home run in the second inning. Ha was 1 for 3 on the night and now has seven home runs this year.

DH DJ Fitzgerald was responsible for the rest of Peoria's runs, hitting a two-run blast in the sixth. Fitzgerald was 2 for 4 and now has six home runs this season.

Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee was 2 for 3 with a walk. He also stole his 32nd base on the year.

Peoria is still three games out of a playoff berth with 11 games to play.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks blew away the Tri-City Dust Devils, 3-2.

Cameron Greathouse started and lasted 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs on six hits Most impressively, he didn't walk anyone and struck out nine.

Eric Rice got his first win as a professional with 1.2 innings of perfect relief. Rice struck out two. (This was not a case of Rice getting the win because Greathouse didn't go five. The Hawks did not take the lead until Rice was in the game.)

I don't usually mention relievers who don't record a win or a save, but Aaron Kurcz threw two scoreless innings tonight and gave up two hits and walked one. That's not that impressive, but fact that he recorded all six outs he got by a swinging strikeout is.

Steven Grife got his sixth save with a scoreless ninth. He allowed one hit, walked no one and struck out two.

All told, Hawks pitchers recorded 19 strikeouts tonight.

Left fielder Jesus Morelli was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

AZL Cubs

Lost to the Giants, 8-7.

Joe Girardi, I assume, is in complete agreement with Deadspin's David Matthews that much of the talk so far regarding who the next Cubs manager is going to be has been wild speculation.

Hero: Rookie reliever Marcos Mateo had his best of his eight major league outings, striking out all three hitters he faced, in the bottom of the eighth.

He may not be the best rookie on his team, but Tyler Colvin has a great shot at breaking Billy Williams' 49-year-old Cubs rookie home run record. If Colvin avoids injury, plays regularly, and continues to hit home runs at his current frequency, the mark will belong to him.

Go get 'em, Gorzo.