The Reds are still the team to beat in the NL Central. They had a rough first road trip, losing two of three in St. Louis and getting swept in Pittsburgh, but bounced back with a sweep of the Phillies and winning three of four against the Marlins. The Cubs, meanwhile, already seem to be falling apart in April. It …
Series Preview: Texas Rangers (8-5) at Chicago Cubs (4-8)
Team Overviews Here are how the teams stacked up in 2012. Respective league ranks in parentheses. Rangers Cubs wRC+ 105 (4th) 80 (16th) BSR 1.0 (8th) -8.1 (14th) UZR 13.7 (5th) 30.5 (2nd) DRS -6 (10th) -7 (7th) SP FIP- 90 (2nd) 108 (13th) RP FIP- 83 (2nd) 116 (16th) The Rangers are a great team. They lost a …
Prospect Profile: Nick Struck
This is a continuation of the weekly series of of writing about a Cubs prospect. Early on, I will be writing about guys that Dave and I did not cover in our Prospect Ratings. Links for past ratings and past profiles at at the end. Who is Nick Struck? Nick Struck was drafted in the 39th round of the 2009 …
Matt Garza pushing for early May return
ATLANTA — Matt Garza rejoined the Cubs on Friday, one day after his first bullpen session since mid-February, and said he was already penciling himself into the rotation for May. "I'm pushing for early May and pushing hard, too," Garza said. The right-hander is on the disabled list with a strained left lat, which he first felt during a live …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (0-0) at Pittsburgh Pirates (0-0)
Well, here we go with another season of Cubs baseball. The Cubs open the season in what is probably the most beautiful ballpark in baseball (it's certainly one of the top 30). At least, beautiful when the weather forecast isn't 40s and raining. The Pirates aren't the punching bag they used to be – they've finally gotten over the hump …
That revamped Cubs rotation
Much has been written here in the last few days about the Cubs rotation injuries and what it means for the overall strength of the rotation. Most, or actually all of that has been negative. Sure, losing Garza can't be spun as a positive so I'm not going to do that. As the resident optimist, I am here to assure …
How much is Jeff Samardzija worth?
With news that the Cubs have tried to extend Jeff Samardzija beyond his arbitration eligible seasons not once, but twice, I thought it might be a good idea to look into how much he's worth. Steamer projects 2.4 WAR and ZiPS projects 3.3. You can see these yourself on Fangraphs. Let's just split the difference and go with 2.9. Samardzija …
Random crap
I've had a very sore neck, back and shoulders for the last couple of weeks so I haven't written much over that time. It's still not 100% and I'm beginning to feel as though it never will be. But I am good enough that I can spread my infinite wisdom to our readers. You're welcome. Jeff Samardzija was named the …
Daily Facepalm – 3.5.13
MLBTR must be reading our comment section They posted a "Where are they now" of everyone involved in the Matt Garza trade with Tampa. I forgot that the Cubs threw in Chirinos and Guyer, unfortunately for them they've both been plagued by injuries since moving to the Rays. This Jorge Soler guy could be pretty good JD Sussman at Fangraphs …
Daily Facepalm 3.3.13 – Shark named opening day starter, Garza probably to miss a month
Matt Garza shut down, likely to miss first month of the season Per Carrie Muskat, Garza experienced more pain related to his strained lat muscle during a throwing session today. He's been shut down a week by the trainers, and it's "likely" that he'll miss the first month of the season. Carlos Villanueva is probably the happiest guy in the clubhouse …