Anticipate tonight's CUBS-ASTROS game with me...

And according to ESPN.com, MMP ranks 21 out of 30 parks in Runs Per Game, and the Park Factor for home runs was a slightly-above-average 1.05. The number of home runs given up in that park have declined significantly since the Astros traded Jose Lima.

yeah mmp is still the same hitter's park, the astros just have a kickass staff now. the real question is, is prior 100%? he got rawked in his last start. and will this one-up the clemens-wood matchup from last year? (no, because it's not a day game at wrigley field, yes, because juan acevedo blew that fucking game costing the yankees one win and clemens his 300th one)

dude just take a cab, it'll be quicker (plus I don't have a car so I can't really pick you up).

Not sure if y'all have been paying attention, but May is over and Derrek Lee has emerged from hibernation.

Derrek Lee is 3/6 with 2 doubles vs. Clemens. The Sosa factor is negligible cause the Rocket ownz0rz him lifetime.

also negligible as he's still in minor-league rehab, yes?

AND ROGER GOES 10-0 ALL UP IN YOUR FACE!!!

yeah, my point was poorly phrased. i meant to say that anyone thinking the Sosa-less Cubs were playing underhanded need not put too much effort into that thought.

Oswalt: 28 AB, .143 BA, .429 OPS, 1 HR, 13 K
Miller: 24 AB, .292 BA, .721 OPS, 0 HR, 10 K
Clemens: 16 AB, .125 BA, .438 OPS, 1 HR, 6 K
Redding: 16 AB, .250 BA, 1.208 OPS, 3 HR, 5 K
Dotel: 21 AB, .238 BA, .958 OPS, 3 HR, 13 K

prior's curve is filthy tonight. he looks a lot sharper than he did in either of his other starts.

Hey Rick Sutcliffe, tell us again how you fell about the hill in center field.

Looks like the only thing Prior's missing right now is efficiency with his pitches. MAD_DOG can help him with that I guess.

(xpost) prior threw 2/3 of his pitches for strikes which is excellent, he just needs to be able to maintain his curveball. and he's on a pitch count and everyone knows it; a lot of the astros batters came to the plate looking like their only goal was to foul a few pitches off before taking a seat.

Last updated Monday, Jun 14, 2004 11:07 pm EDT

Really, the whole league is pretty even, except the west is a bit weak.

The central is stacked, 4 of the top 5 records in the league in the division and the Astros are only a game off of the pace.

Cinci is already fading, I can't see them finishing any better than .500 over the entire season, they just don't have the pitching.

St. Louis is hitting like Clubber Lang, but I have to wonder about their pitching, I suppose they will hold on as long as the bullpen keeps working well. Either way, I don't think they don't have the good enough starters for the playoffs. The Angels somehow won a series with subpar starting pitching and a good bullpen, so maybe it can happen.

Considering the injuries that the Cubs have sustained and the handful of blown opportunities by the bullpen, they are not in bad shape. As stated beforehand, the offseason pickups have worked out well. Mercker, Remlinger and Prior are back from injuries, Wood and Sosa are getting closer to returning, so I feel pretty good looking ahead.

Moises Alou isn't getting much props, but he is having one of his best seasons in quite a few years and has been a key to them maintaining during this stretch. Todd Hollandsworth has hit very well subbing for Sosa, so the Cubs haven't missed his bat much.

He pitched a little over 90 tonight, but he still has a limit of some sort.

Oh and hahaha who got smoked, beeyotch?

Jimy Williams better not get canned before Bowa, though he's definitely 1a on the shitlist.

And John OTM re: Prior's effectiveness - it's hard to stay in a game long on a 80/90 pitch limit when you strike out 8.

And the thing about the Cardinals (apologies to bnw) is that, unlike the 2K2 Angels, their bullpen is awful (no thanks to TLR, I imagine).

Simontacci notwithstanding, at least going by the stats, the rest of the pen has done pretty well this year.

WHAT THE HELL? Kline, King & Tavarez ARE doing well (in a superficial sense)! That's kinda offset by Eldred & Lincoln stinking up the joint (tho I like that Lincoln has a 5.19 ERA with a .92 WHIP), but I'd really like to see what their runners allowed stats are.

That was the other thing Sutcliffe was doing that was driving me up the wall last night. Yeah, throw that out as a possibility, but don't harp on it every time a Cubs batter gets a hit for the rest of the game. Maybe somebody can look this up for me, but was that the first time a National League pitcher has ever gotten a base hit?

And back to the Hill Issue. That hill can go a month without three balls being hit on it, so it was really a freak occurance that three balls went there last night. I'm not saying the hill doesn't pose some kind of injury threat, but Sutcliffe was blowing it out of proportion last night and was really exaggerating the trouble that the centerfielders were having. "Look, Patterson nearly twisted his ankle making the throw." Heck, Biggio very nearly caught that second ball that went up there.

And you're OTM about his tone. It was like he thought they should take the hill out that night after the game just because he doesn't like it.

ERA: Glavine 2.03, Zambrano 2.27, Clemens 2.46
VORP: Glavine 36.3, Zambrano 31.3, Clemens 29.8
Support-Neutral W/L: Glavine 3.2, Clemens 3.1, Zambrano 3.0

Someone fax this to Jack McKeon.

Really, you guys should really not pay so much attention to the announcers. Years of listening to Ron Santo and Chip Caray have trained my ears to tune out bullshit (tho I don't mind Sutcliffe that much).

Re the Cardinal bullpen, they're about middle-of-the-pack -- 16th in MLB in Adjusted Runs Prevented. Cleveland is last by a huge margin.

You barking up the wrong tree, oops, if you think I really cared who won that game. My ideal outcome would have been Prior and Clemens both blowing out their arms. (Clearly I can't predict worth shit, however.)

I don't think Lincoln has pitched in months, popshots. He done blowed up and they brought in Kiko.

[Al Leiter has] caught some lucky breaks, though. Our Pitchers' Quality of Batters Faced report tells us that of the 374 pitchers with at least 50 batters faced, Leiter's opposition OPS (.693) has been the third-lowest; only Matt Wise and Victor Santos, both with the Brewers, have had it easier. More bad news for the Mets: Tom Glavine, who is also enjoying a surprisingly productive year, ranks 33rd from the bottom with a .722 batters faced OPS.

The list, incidentally, is dominated by National League teams. Only 13 of the bottom 100 pitchers play in the AL. In that bottom 100, moreover, 52 of the Mets' 60 starts are represented (all but those of James Baldwin and Matt Ginter).

This would seem to indicate that the Mets have benefited unduly from the vagaries of luck and scheduling, and are headed for some serious bumps in the road. Perhaps--but luck does not compensate for itself, and whether or not these benefits are temporary, they are very real.

:-(

Brent is going to hate me for this, but anticipating tonight's game (Zambrano vs. Miller), I can't help but think of Dusty's bonehead managerial decision to let Zambrano bat for himself down 3-1 in the bottom of the 7th last year in Minute Maid.

5 1/2 games out of first, a game under .500 in late July, Zambrano tied the game with a two-run homerun off Miller. The Cubs went on to win, 5-3 and went 37-23 the rest of the season. I don't usually believe in "turning points," but that game was pretty much the turning point of the season. Improbably, Dusty's gut saved the day.

CHICAGO CUBS 9TH
-O Dotel relieved B Lidge.
-Top of the 9th inning
-T Goodwin safe at second on error by left fielder L Berkman.
-M Alou flied out to center, T Goodwin to third.
-A Ramirez singled to center, T Goodwin scored.
-T Hollandsworth grounded out to second, A Ramirez to second.
-D Lee intentionally walked.
-M Barrett singled to left, A Ramirez to third, D Lee to second.
-R Martinez singled to left, A Ramirez and D Lee scored, M Barrett to third, R Martinez to second advancing on throw.
-C Patterson hit for K Farnsworth.
-M Gallo relieved O Dotel.
-C Patterson struck out swinging.

3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error
Chicago Cubs 4, Houston 2

Astros 8th
Kyle Farnsworth pitching:
Jason Lane tripled to deep left center.
Brad Ausmus grounded out to third.
Richard Hidalgo struck out looking.
Craig Biggio struck out looking.
End of Inning (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

http://espn.go.com/i/mlb/profiles/players/5764.jpg
Kerry Who?

They have to watch playing Oakland this weekend, the A's have beaten the crap out of the NL in the past few years. The matchup between Prior/Mulder on Saturday should be a good one.

Posted on Tue, Jun. 08, 2004

A's start interleague with a bang

By CHRIS HAFT

San Jose Mercury News

OAKLAND - Given the state of the Oakland A's and the American League, it's perfectly acceptable to say ''Scott Hatteberg'' and ''All-Star candidate'' in the same sentence.

Hatteberg strengthened his case to represent the A's at the midsummer classic by accumulating a career-high five RBIs Monday night with a grand slam and a run-scoring double that paced the A's to a 13-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The A's improved their interleague record to 76-47, best in the majors since the format was introduced in 1997. This includes a 13-0 mark against the National League Central. So perhaps a rout of the first-place Reds was somewhat fitting, with Hatteberg receiving plenty of help.

Mark Kotsay, Erubiel Durazo and Damian Miller also homered to help the A's match their season-high of four, while Bobby Crosby recorded his second three-hit game in a row. All of this helped Mark Mulder (7-2) win his fifth consecutive decision while allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings.

Numerous players have contributed as the A's have won six of their past seven games, including five out of six without injured third baseman Eric Chavez. But if there has been one constant, it's Hatteberg.

With 16 RBIs in his past 11 games -- including 11 in the past three -- Hatteberg has driven in 33 runs this season, third among A.L. first basemen behind Chicago's Paul Konerko (35) and Detroit's Carlos Pena. Kansas City's Mark Sweeney has 38 RBIs, but he has played only 25 games at first. Hatteberg's .303 batting average leads the league's first basemen.

Oakland jumped ahead on Kotsay's two-run, first-inning homer off former A's right-hander Cory Lidle (4-5), who surrendered nine runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings. Adam Dunn's second-inning double for Cincinnati halved the A's lead by sending home Ken Griffey, who went 1 for 3 but remained stuck on 498 career homers.

Hatteberg hiked Oakland's lead in its half of the second with his grand slam, a two-out drive to right field.

The A's chased Lidle with a five-run fourth inning that featured Durazo's homer and RBI doubles from Miller and Hatteberg.

Miller's two-run homer in the eighth inning off Joe Valentine, a former A's prospect, concluded Oakland's scoring.

Notes: Griffey, who spent his first 11 seasons with the AL's Seattle Mariners, has 28 career homers against the A's, including 11 in the Coliseum.... The Reds played their first game in Oakland since completing a sweep with a win in Game 4 of the 1990 World Series.... Oakland, which has the best interleague record of all-time at 76-47, improved to 37-9 at home against the NL since the start of 1999.... Reds SS Barry Larkin started for the first time since last Tuesday. He had been slowed by a sore abdominal muscle. Larkin went 0-for-3.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, Astros are looking to return the favor by sweeping the Cubbies in their home park. Astros really need to take this series to get themselves back into the the thick of the NL Central race. Pettitte comes of the DL tonight to get it started!

Times and Pitching Matchups (All times CTZ, sucka):

Tue, 7:10 - Pettitte vs. Rusch
Wed, 1:20 - Clemens vs. Clement
Thur, 1:20 - Miller vs. Prior

The Astros would be either 5 behind the Cubs or 1 up on them. Does the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes re-open if the former happens? Do the Cubs think about acquiring a higher-priced SS if the latter happens? DOES JIMY WILLIAMS SURVIVE THE SERIES?!

Can't wait, as usual.

The Beltran Sweepstakes could open again, but not till late July.

Tonight: Pettite vs. Rusch = Astros 8, Cubs 6
6/30: Clemens vs. Clement = Astros 4, Cubs 10
7/1: Miller vs. Prior = Astros 2, Cubs 4

Alou can barely bend over.

"Then Adam Everett doubled to the wall in left and Alou shoveled the ball into the ivy with his glove as he tried to field it. Alou proved to be a perfect Chicagoan. He went for the coverup and lost. He saw the ball lying partially hidden in the ivy and attempted to kick it farther out of sight."

Alou's OPS by month:

April: 1.135
May: .826
June: .649

FREE HOLLA!

B) What happened to Dusty!?!?!?! (rarely gets ejected)

You meant CLOWN a la Max Patkin?

That argument was still continuing from the dugout when the argument with the home plate ump broke out, I believe.

Note: both Clemens and Clement gave 5 free passes.

The difference is that Clement threw 104 pitches in 4.2 innings, while it took Clemens 7 complete to get to 105 pitches.

Ah well, anticipating tomorrow's matchup. Still think the Cubs have a good shot at taking 2 of 3. This one doesn't sting as much since the Cards got swept by the Bux.

Jimy's job is safe for one more day.

Astros better jump on Prior early because it's doubtful Lidge will be available tomorrow. Gets out of a 2-on, no-out jam in the 8th and then goes 1-2-3 in the 9th. That man is Ice Cold. And I mean that in the good way.

OAKLAND                      ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
R Harden                      2 1/3   1   1   0   1   3   0   4.13
J Duchscherer                 3 1/3   6   2   2   1   2   0   3.25
J Lehr (B, 1)                 1 1/3   0   0   0   2   0   0   0.00
J Mecir (H, 8)                  1/3   1   0   0   2   0   0   5.61
O Dotel (W, 1-0; B, 1)        2 2/3   4   4   4   2   2   1  13.50

Re. Patterson: Yeah, he and Martinez both. Lidge threw 20 pitches to the two of them combined.

Re. Tommorow's Matchup: Wade Miller went on the DL yesteday, so tomorrow will be Pete Munro going up against Prior. Munro has been very good in his last two starts. Astros have to hit tomorrow.

Cubs catcher Michael Barrett said his team shouldn't point fingers at the umpires after a stinging 3-2 loss Wednesday to the Houston Astros. Many Cubs thought Roger Clemens' strike zone was wider than Lake Shore Drive, and another baserunning disappointment was blamed this time on third-base umpire Dana Demuth's faulty eyesight.

Hitting coach Gary Matthews was ejected by plate umpire Jim Joyce in the fifth when pinch hitter Jose Macias took a disputed strike call. But the impetus for Matthews' anger came in the fourth, when Joyce called a 3-1 pitch from Clemens to Aramis Ramirez strike two when it looked low and outside, then followed with a called strike three on a pitch that appeared inside. That ended the inning rather than putting two men on base with Derrek Lee coming up.

The Trib says he was arguing the call at 3B (why the home plate ump threw him out, then, I have no idea):

Not only was plate umpire Jim Joyce's strike zone debated, but a controversial call by third-base ump Dana DeMuth may have squelched a potentially big fifth for the Cubs.

The Cubs trailed 1-0 with two on and no outs when Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell dropped a popped bunt off the bat of Ramon Martinez but corralled the ball and threw to third from his knees. DeMuth called Derrek Lee out on a force, causing Baker and Lee to argue vehemently. Matthews continued the argument from the dugout and was tossed moments later.

"That was a big play in the game," Baker said. "Would've been bases loaded, nobody out."

Lifetime against Mark Prior, Jose Vizcaino is 6-for-14 with 2 HR.

Brad Ausmus swings at the first pitch and pops up.
Orlando Palmeiro strikes out on three pitches.
Craig Biggio swings at the firt pitch and flied out.

TAKE A DAMN PITCH!!!

Dusty and Mercker getting a lusty booing from Wrigley as I type.

Hey Jimy, buh-bye.

What a freakin' series.

Cubs take two of three, you heard it here.
-- Gear! (drink_to_remembe...), June 29th, 2004 11:30 AM.

Thank you and goodnight.