Everyone has been focusing on Darwin Barney's record breaking errorless streak, but yesterday was the first that I had heard of Soriano's. He hasn't made a single error all season and even noted Soriano critic Bob Brenly has praised his defense this year. So does he really have a shot? The thing that helps him the most is that the …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (51-82) at Washington Nationals (81-52)
Team Overviews Cubs Nats wRC+ 78 (16th) 98 (4th) BSR -0.7 (9th) -15.5 (16th) UZR 19.1 (3rd) 19.5 (2nd) DRS -5 (9th) -3 (7th) SP FIP- 104 (11th) 86 (1st) RP FIP- 113 (16th) 95 (6th) The Nats are definitely a deserving first place team. Pitching Matchups Monday: Jeff Samardzija, RHP (4.03, 3.69, 3.42, 3.88) vs Ross Detweiler, LHP …
Aramis Ramirez’s 2012 Season
I wrote this a few days ago instead of a Brewers series preview but didn't have as much to say as I thought (laughing). Congrats to Rodrigo for having a great season. I had a hard enough time finding enough to write about in the last Brewers-Cubs series preview last week, so I figure the most interesting thing to look …
KG Named Astros Scouting Director (tweet)
#Astros have named@kevin_goldstein a pro scouting coordinator.heres what we said earlier. cbsprt.co/PVa72w— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) August 31, 2012
Series Preview: Colorado Rockies (50-73) at Chicago Cubs (47-76)
The Cubs have made a strong push for the second spot in next year's draft with a 4-17 record in the month of August. The Rockies are remembering their 2007 team by going 13-9 over that same span, and are coming off a four game sweep of the Mets on the road. You Never Know. The Rockies are one of …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (47-73) at Milwaukee Brewers (54-66)
Somehow I thought the Brewers were closer to .500 than this. By Pythag they should be a 59-61 team. The last time they were at .500 was back in April, though they spent much of the next three months hovering around four games below the that mark before reeling off a seven game losing streak just before the trading deadline. …
Series Preview: Iowa Cubs of Chicago (46-70) at Cincinnati Reds (71-47)
#reminder { background: #BECDC6; padding: 6px; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 12px 8px 12px; } Contest reminder: Don't forget to enter our contest to win The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs DVD set. It runs through Sunday, August 19. The Cubs faced the Reds less than a week ago (here's the preview). Not much has changed (Cubs still suck, Reds …
Phil Rogers is not a Crane Kenney fan
#reminder { background: #BECDC6; padding: 6px; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 12px 8px 12px; } Contest reminder: Don't forget to enter our contest to win The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs DVD set. It runs through Sunday, August 19. Phil Rogers wonders why, if the Cubs were cleaning house in the front office this week, Crane Kenney still has a …
Fangraphs on Samardzija’s splitter this year
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/how-good-is-jeff-samardzijas-splitter/ He has battled struggles with tiredness at times, which is understandable given the increased workload, but if he is able to sustain a mid-90′s fastball as a starter over the next few seasons and utilize his splitter with this type of consistency, he could elevate himself to become a top tier starter….With what is likely the top split-fingered fastball …
Series Preview: Houston Astros (38-78) at Chicago Cubs (44-69)
The Cubs are 7.5 games out of the top pick in the 2013 draft, and can pick up some ground on the loss-leading Astros in this series. The Cubs have done their part, going 2-11 over the past two weeks but barely made a dent in the Astros lead after they went 3-10 over the same span. Team Overviews This …