4/4 Arizona (Saunders) @ Chicago (Wells) 1:20PM CSN

[sweetpeteman]

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs

Monday, April 4, 1:20 PM CT, Wrigley Field

 

 

Joe Saunders, LHP

 

Last Year: 9-17, 4.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP (with Arizona: 3-7, 4.25, 1.40)

 

Saunders was scheduled to pitch Sunday's finale with the Rockies, but weather postponed the contest, so the D-backs left-hander will make his 2011 debut in Monday's series opener with the Cubs.

 

Randy Wells, RHP

 

Last Year: 8-14, 4.26, 1.40

 

I had the MLB.com probable pitchers thing here, but all it did was blab about wins, so I got rid of it because that crap doesn't belong in my posts.

 

 

Gotta do some serious thinking to understand this one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/sweetpeteman/tumblr_l7jdlgWps21qbojrgo1_400.gif

 

Well, it's only been 3 games, but according to some the wheels are already coming off:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/sweetpeteman/gifko_01.gif

 

But hopefully we will win.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/sweetpeteman/nph-1.gif

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a dog in a swing:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/sweetpeteman/36505e8f3d6a7188125b8d51d5b34a66.gif

[Omar]

D'Backs Vs. Wells

                 PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP missG
Stephen Drew      6  6 3  2  0  0   0  0  2 .500 .500 .833 1.333  0  0   0   0         0
Kelly Johnson     6  6 0  0  0  0   0  0  1 .000 .000 .000  .000  0  0   0   0         0
Gerardo Parra     6  6 2  1  0  0   1  0  2 .333 .333 .500  .833  0  0   0   0         0
Miguel Montero    3  3 0  0  0  0   0  0  0 .000 .000 .000  .000  0  0   0   0         0
Justin Upton      3  3 1  1  0  0   1  0  1 .333 .333 .667 1.000  0  0   0   0         0
Chris Young       3  3 0  0  0  0   0  0  2 .000 .000 .000  .000  0  0   0   0         0
Total            27 27 6  4  0  0   2  0  8 .222 .222 .370  .593  0  0   0   0         0

 

Cubs Vs. Saunders

                  PA AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO    BA   OBP   SLG   OPS SH SF IBB HBP GDP missG
Marlon Byrd       22 21  4  0  0  2   5  0  4  .190  .227  .476  .703  0  0   0   1         0
Reed Johnson      18 17  4  3  1  0   1  0  2  .235  .222  .529  .752  0  1   0   0         0
Jeff Baker         3  3  2  1  0  0   1  0  0  .667  .667 1.000 1.667  0  0   0   0         0
Carlos Pena        3  1  0  0  0  0   0  2  0  .000  .667  .000  .667  0  0   0   0         0
Starlin Castro     2  2  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  .500  .500  .500 1.000  0  0   0   0         0
Alfonso Soriano    2  2  1  0  0  0   1  0  0  .500  .500  .500 1.000  0  0   0   0         0
Geovany Soto       2  1  1  0  0  1   1  1  0 1.000 1.000 4.000 5.000  0  0   0   0         0
Carlos Zambrano    2  2  1  0  0  0   1  0  0  .500  .500  .500 1.000  0  0   0   0         0
Total             54 49 14  4  1  3  10  3  6  .286  .333  .592  .925  0  1   0   1         0

[erik316wttn]

Win, please.

[Yeti]

props for the dog in a swing!!! love it!!!

[erik316wttn]

haha that dog is like "awwww yeahhhhhh"

[Little Slide Rooter]

The D Backs suck. Beat them. Then trade for Upton.

[UMFan83]

The Cubs bats finally come alive and we win this one.

[erik316wttn]

The Cubs bats finally come alive and we win this one.

 

I agree. We usually have fits against Arizona, but I think we see double-digit Cubs runs today.

[Flames24Rulz]

The Cubs bats finally come alive and we win this one.

 

I agree. We usually have fits against Arizona, but I think we see double-digit Cubs runs today.

 

Who the hell are you?

[erik316wttn]

The Cubs bats finally come alive and we win this one.

 

I agree. We usually have fits against Arizona, but I think we see double-digit Cubs runs today.

 

Who the hell are you?

 

I'm the goddamned Batman

[MWV]

With Dog in a Swing on our side, we will prevail.

[Prizefight]

Wells goes 7 innings, 2 runs and scatters 6 hits.

 

7-2 Cubs

[JonJayCutler]

Obviously there is no such thing as a must win in baseball before September, but 2-2 sounds a lot better than 1-3.

[PrimeTime]

Albert Pujols hits 3rd, So does Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzales and Mark Texiera. Dont worry guys, We have Maron Byrd in our 3 spot.

[otis89]

Albert Pujols hits 3rd, So does Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzales and Mark Texiera. Dont worry guys, We have Maron Byrd in our 3 spot.

 

Surely if he keeps hitting like he has been Quade will move him.

[UMFan83]

Albert Pujols hits 3rd, So does Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzales and Mark Texiera. Dont worry guys, We have Maron Byrd in our 3 spot.

 

Seriously, Quade is really putting that "lineup position doesn't really matter" theory to the test. And I thought Dusty "Catchers hit 8th dude" Baker was bad.

 

I'm trying to think if there is a lineup in baseball with a worst 2-3 than Barney and Byrd. I'm assuming that isn't going to be the full time 2-3 though.

[shnsajax]

Albert Pujols hits 3rd, So does Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzales and Mark Texiera. Dont worry guys, We have Maron Byrd in our 3 spot.

 

Seriously, Quade is really putting that "lineup position doesn't really matter" theory to the test. And I thought Dusty "Catchers hit 8th dude" Baker was bad.

 

I'm trying to think if there is a lineup in baseball with a worst 2-3 than Barney and Byrd. I'm assuming that isn't going to be the full time 2-3 though.

 

Even the Astros and Royals have a better 2-3 than that.

[MWV]

Bloomquist, SS

Johnson, 2B

Upton, RF

Branyan, 1B

Young, CF

Montero, C

Roberts, 3B

Parra, LF

Saunders, P

 

vs.

 

Baker, 2B

Castro, SS

Byrd, CF

Ramirez, 3B

Soto, C

Pena, 1B

Soriano, LF

Fukudome, RF

Wells, P

 

Byrd's splits vs. lefties last year were excellent (.357/.390/.526/.916 vs .267/.328/.389/.717). One might argue this makes his presence near the top of the lineup more excusable, although for his career he has only a marginal platoon split (.287/.344/.450/.793 vs .278 /.339/.410/.750).

Move Ramirez through Soriano up a slot and slide Byrd into the 7 spot and this isn't a bad lineup. Oh well. I think the Cubs win this one anyway.

[RammyFanny]

I'm feeling a big year for Wells.

[CubColtPacer]

Albert Pujols hits 3rd, So does Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzales and Mark Texiera. Dont worry guys, We have Maron Byrd in our 3 spot.

 

Seriously, Quade is really putting that "lineup position doesn't really matter" theory to the test. And I thought Dusty "Catchers hit 8th dude" Baker was bad.

 

I'm trying to think if there is a lineup in baseball with a worst 2-3 than Barney and Byrd. I'm assuming that isn't going to be the full time 2-3 though.

 

No, right now it appears to only be the 2-3 when a right-hander is on the mound, Fukudome isn't playing, and Barney is playing. When Fukudome is playing against right-handers he'll bat leadoff and when a left-hander is on the mound Baker will be in almost all the time.

 

Byrd hitting 3rd is bad but it's really hard to construct the Cubs lineup. Who will be the Cubs best hitter this season? There are at least 3 obvious choices and 3 darkhorses. That's a ton for one lineup. Byrd is almost certainly not going to be one of the Cubs best but he is also less likely to tank than several others in the lineup are. Byrd probably shouldn't be hitting higher than 5th but really the top 7 guys are pretty close to interchangeable in this lineup.

[CubmanPi]

Batting any of our 2b options 8th isn't rocket surgery. This could get frustrating.

[CubColtPacer]

Batting any of our 2b options 8th isn't rocket surgery. This could get frustrating.

 

Unless they planned to move the rest of the hitters up and bat Baker 5th or 6th against left-handers it makes sense to put him leadoff. He's wasted in the 8 spot.

[Guest]

I know 3 games would be a pretty small sample size to demote your #3 hitter already, but it's not like Byrd has always been a #3 hitter and by demoting him to the bottom of the line up would be a bit hit to his psyche.

 

Just do it, already.

[Guest]

Fun facts. Or maybe not so fun.

 

Starlin Castro's 13 TB's is more than any three Cubs hitters TB's combined.

 

Carlos Pena leads the team in sacrifice bunts.

 

Of the 8 pitchers to see game action so far, only 1 has a K/9 lower than 9.0 (Zambrano).

[UMFan83]

Not that I would have expected to see him start against a righty but I wouldn't have expected DeWitt to have 0 starts and 1 PA in the first 4 games. Especially when the 1 AB resulted in a game winning hit.