8/6 Astros (Backe) @ Cubs (Marquis) - 1:20 WGN

[Magnetic Curses]

I am really mixed in my feelings on Dunn.

 

He has to be the most polarizing player in baseball. He is probably only player with numbers that good who fails the eye test that badly. He's so hilariously terrible in the outfield, and while I don't really care about BA, it still bugs the hell out of my instincts to see a guy hitting .240. Hard to explain. Also, it's not like OBP (or SLG) are undervalued these days.

 

Cubs win!

 

just admit it, dunn is good.

[David]

I am really mixed in my feelings on Dunn.

 

He has to be the most polarizing player in baseball. He is probably only player with numbers that good who fails the eye test that badly. He's so hilariously terrible in the outfield, and while I don't really care about BA, it still bugs the hell out of my instincts to see a guy hitting .240. Hard to explain. Also, it's not like OBP (or SLG) are undervalued these days.

 

Cubs win!

 

just admit it, dunn is good.

 

 

? I've never said he isn't and I'd gladly take him.

 

I just would rather have a player that passes both the stats test AND the eye test. *shrug*

[ChiCubsFan]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I am really mixed in my feelings on Dunn.

 

He has to be the most polarizing player in baseball. He is probably only player with numbers that good who fails the eye test that badly. He's so hilariously terrible in the outfield, and while I don't really care about BA, it still bugs the hell out of my instincts to see a guy hitting .240. Hard to explain. Also, it's not like OBP (or SLG) are undervalued these days.

 

Cubs win!

 

Kosuke would pull a hammy in no time in center surrounded by Soriano and Dunn.

[bukie]

A guy like Dunn would be exactly what this team needs. A legit 40-HR guy to put in the middle of the lineup. Unless the Jim Edmonds rejuvenation serum holds up another year.

[David]

A guy like Dunn would be exactly what this team needs. A legit 40-HR guy to put in the middle of the lineup. Unless the Jim Edmonds rejuvenation serum holds up another year.

 

All this team really needs next year, lineup wise, is an .800 OPS bat to replace Edmonds next year in some form or another.

 

But I get what you're saying.

[Soul]

I am really mixed in my feelings on Dunn.

 

He has to be the most polarizing player in baseball. He is probably only player with numbers that good who fails the eye test that badly. He's so hilariously terrible in the outfield, and while I don't really care about BA, it still bugs the hell out of my instincts to see a guy hitting .240. Hard to explain. Also, it's not like OBP (or SLG) are undervalued these days.

 

Cubs win!

 

just admit it, dunn is good.

 

 

? I've never said he isn't and I'd gladly take him.

 

I just would rather have a player that passes both the stats test AND the eye test. *shrug*

 

I agree he's an odd case. Just look at this year. He's dropped 25 points off his batting average without even touching his OBP or SLG. Actually his OPS+ is slightly up this year from last (so far). I'm not a batting average guy either -- but it's odd to see it happen, that's all.

 

The man is still OPSing in the .900s, OPS+ is still great. It's hard to argue with the numbers. It's just.....the smell test, and all.

[erik316wttn]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

[ChiCubsFan]

A guy like Dunn would be exactly what this team needs. A legit 40-HR guy to put in the middle of the lineup. Unless the Jim Edmonds rejuvenation serum holds up another year.

 

All this team really needs next year, lineup wise, is an .800 OPS bat to replace Edmonds next year in some form or another.

 

But I get what you're saying.

 

I'd feel much better having a legit 3/4 hole hitter and D-Lee hitting 5th. However, I really wish Fukudome could hit enough to stay in right and have Pie/Johnson platoon in center.

[Soul]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

 

Because he tried not doing it and suddenly he couldn't catch lazy fly balls.

[ConstableRabbit]

With Dunn are we really going to put Fonzie in RF? There needs to be a "shudder" emoticon.

[erik316wttn]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

 

Because he tried not doing it and suddenly he couldn't catch lazy fly balls.

 

Ok, that's seriously dumb. How long has he been playing baseball, and he can't catch a routine fly without hopping like an idiot?

[ChiCubsFan]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

 

It was his calf. However, the hop was very unlikely to be the reason for it.

[bukie]

Ok, that's seriously dumb. How long has he been playing baseball, and he can't catch a routine fly without hopping like an idiot?

 

It's a timing mechanism for him, just like any hitter that steps or taps their foot when they swing. It doesn't really help anything but timing, but trying to make the play without it, and he's useless.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Magic number ----> 43.

[Sammy Sofa]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

 

Why? The injury wasn't because of the hop. It just happened to flare up then. If it didn't happen then, it would have happened doing, well, anything.

[TruffleShuffle]

I am really mixed in my feelings on Dunn.

 

He has to be the most polarizing player in baseball. He is probably only player with numbers that good who fails the eye test that badly. He's so hilariously terrible in the outfield, and while I don't really care about BA, it still bugs the hell out of my instincts to see a guy hitting .240. Hard to explain. Also, it's not like OBP (or SLG) are undervalued these days.

 

Cubs win!

 

just admit it, dunn is good.

 

? I've never said he isn't and I'd gladly take him.

 

I just would rather have a player that passes both the stats test AND the eye test. *shrug*

 

dunn is overrated by a lot of the OBP/OPS community and underrated by the batting average/strikeouts/defense community. he's productive at the plate for his power/OBP, but he doesn't add much else up there or on the basepaths, and he'll cost you about 15 runs a year in the field. i think his deficiencies diminish his overall value by a pretty good amount.

[Jon]

I watched some highlights and Len had a great line today following the grand slam: "And today's curtain call is brought to you by..."

 

It's one of those years.

[Soul]

Ok, that's seriously dumb. How long has he been playing baseball, and he can't catch a routine fly without hopping like an idiot?

 

It's a timing mechanism for him, just like any hitter that steps or taps their foot when they swing. It doesn't really help anything but timing, but trying to make the play without it, and he's useless.

 

I'd rather him hop and look strange than what was happening when he came back from the injury. I think the fact that he hurt his hammy on a play where he hopped was probably coincidental as much as anything. Didn't he admit afterwards that he hadn't stretched out as much as he probably should have before that game? I thought I remember him saying something like that.

[Ski]

Most Epic. Inning. Ever.

 

I also just got a job offer and accepted in North Dakota at the same time all this was happening.

 

 

I'll see you around :wink:

 

Anyway, this had to be the best Cubs game I've ever gone to. It went from a pretty good feeling (back to back doubles, but I knew that Marquis was pitching) to "Why the hell is this happening" when Carlos hit the home run, to "OMGWTFDEROSAOMG" when he hit the grand slam (First home run the cubs have hit at a game I went to!) To a feeling of ecstacy when Soriano went yard. It was smooth sailing from there.

 

Thank you for being serviceable at the very least, Marquis, and thank you for waking up at a game I was at, Cubs offense.

 

I'll see everyone next year! (Well, I guess I'm going to a Sox game tomorrow. It's fun going to neutral games!)

[Guest]

Ward has been P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C this year.

 

And Hoff is in the minors why, exactly?

 

Because he can be called up in 25 days without losing Ward for the season.

[imb]

Jeff Karstens - 7 IP, 82 pitches, 0 hits, 0 walks!

 

In other words, PERFECT GAME ALERT!!!!!!!!

 

Soriano hopping to make the catch near the bullpen mound is scary.

 

He seriously needs to stop doing that.

 

I have no problem with him doing it out in the middle of left field. But when he's 5 feet away from a raised pitching mound, I'd rather he not.

 

Didn't he tweak his hammy earlier this year doing that? And he kept doing it when he came back. It's maddening!

 

Because he tried not doing it and suddenly he couldn't catch lazy fly balls.

 

Ok, that's seriously dumb. How long has he been playing baseball, and he can't catch a routine fly without hopping like an idiot?

 

JASON KIDD CAN'T SHOOT A FREE THROW WITHOUT WIPING HIS FACE WHAT AN IDIOT

 

What wrong could possibly come from the hop? I really don't understand all the hate it gets. He's not a natural fielder at any position, whatever he can do to help himself is fine by me.

[BigSlick]

An outfield of Soriano, Dunn and Fukudome would be so bad defensively it might not even be worth it. Not that Fukudome wouldn't be probably an average CF, but our corner spots would be terrible and Fukudome wouldn't have the range to cover up for them.

 

I don't see why we can't give Pie another chance, he was thrashing AAA for a while wasn't he?

[Sammy Sofa]

An outfield of Soriano, Dunn and Fukudome would be so bad defensively it might not even be worth it. Not that Fukudome wouldn't be probably an average CF, but our corner spots would be terrible and Fukudome wouldn't have the range to cover up for them.

 

I don't see why we can't give Pie another chance, he was thrashing AAA for a while wasn't he?

 

Team needs a #3. Pie at his best ain't a #3.

[BCVM22]

3rd inning fireworks:

 

http://home.comcast.net/~bcvm22/cubs/862008.mp3

 

Ron forgets how many times he's said "big" in the donation spot at the 1:55 mark.