JohnCub1

Wow, after going 2-3 with a BB and a homer in Game 1, Murton gets a single in his first AB of Game 2 bringing his average to .439.

Guzman with 3 IP, 1 hit, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K! :D

Mesa box score says Guzman pitched 3 innings, 3 hits,0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Didn't it say he would be back Tuesday?

Iowa wins and JVB and Talley Haines each with another scoreless inning. Both have ERA's under 2. Does anyone know what Haines throws? I know a little about JVB, but I know nothing about Haines.

There are a lot of Cub minor league relievers who are having outstanding years so far. Any info people have about how much of a prospect each of these guys are would be appreciated. Talley Haines(between 3 teams): 48.1 IP, 43 Hits, 9 ERs, 2 HRs, 5 BBs, 43 K's. Talley has an incredible BB rate and a Whip of just under 1. The homer rate and K rate are also good. Does anyone know what he throws? Jermaine Van Buren: 41.1 IP, 24 Hits, 9 ERs, 5 HRs, 17 BBs, 51 K's. I consider Jermaine to be a good prospect because of his numbers last year and this year. He really doesn't give up many hits at all. Clay Rapada: 35.1 IP, 37 Hits, 15 ERs, 1 HR, 12 BBs, 47 K's. I only put Rapada in here because I like him, but his K and HR rates have been awesome this year. As of late he has definately pitched better, so ignoring his early outings when he was returning from injury, he has pitched very well. Does anyone know what he throws? J Rayborn: 10 IP, 7 Hits, 1 ER, 0 HRs, 0 BBs, 16 K's. I know nothing about Rayborn, and I have never heard of him. He is pitching in Mesa right now and I just included him because that is an awesome looking line, even though he has only pitched 10 innings. I know I left a lot of people off (like Andy Shipman, David Aardsma, and Thomas Atlee who is another favorite of mine), so if anyone has anything good to say about any other relievers, you can put it here. My whole point is we have a lot of good young relievers who will be ready as early as next year (Haines, Van Buren), and while people say minor league relievers have very little chance of succeeding in the majors, I hope we give them a chance because they are head and shoulders above their competition right now.

I think Sam Fuld deserves some recognition for what he has done this year. After a terrible start, he is batting .283 before tonight's game with an OBP of .370. Most impressive to me though is his 33/25 BB/K ratio, not to mention his 9.29 K/100 AB. I don't know what kind of power he projects to have, but he does have 22 doubles this year. I would guess not much power, but any power would be a bonus because his value is in being a leadoff hitter. Anyone have any opinions on him?

Hmm, Ron Potesta=Cubway? Just guessing here. Cubway has been a member here since February. I don't think he's Potesta. Ahh, I did not see that. :oops:

Hmm, Ron Potesta=Cubway? Just guessing here.

My God DJAXX, what can't you do? Thanks for yet another great chat!! :D

I always thought they matched up better against Miami than Washington. The only problem is stopping Shaq with Harrington and AD. Exactly, if we can limit Shaq, we can win the series. I'm not holding out much hope though.

Sisco pitched 2/3 of an inning today with 1 BB. While we were worried that the Royals might be able to hide him in the back of their bullpen, he has now become one of their primary relievers. :( Come back Andy!

Last time I heard "flu-like symptoms", Eddy Curry was out for the rest of the year, and might need heart surgery. One irregular heartbeat is enough for Chicago sports teams.

The good news is it is (supposedly) not career threatening. I would hate to see someone that young be forced to quit the game they love.

Please. There's no way the Cubs will expose Marshall, particularly after the Sisco situation this year. They'll protect him, even if it means dumping a utility player or bit reliever at the ML level. I think the guys you absolutely must protect are Dope, Pie, Petrick and Marshall. Maybe Murton. Maybe Hill. Maybe maybe Brownlie and Connolly. Though that's now 8 names. If Brownlie doesn't show something good this year, the Cubs should move him in a mid-season trade, since Hendry is likely to be active this July anyway. I do hope they stick with Connolly though, along with Bear Bay, they were my two favorite underdogs in the system, and with Bay gone, I'd like to at least have one of the two still around. I hope you're right as Marshall is a favorite of mine. Like I said, it is way too early to be able to tell, but I think there are guys the Cubs will protect over him. It all depends, like Craig said, on how many youngsters make the team next year. Also, I don't think the Cubs feel any differently about the Sisco situation because we still can get him back. I believe that Hendry knew he would be picked, but counted on him being returned, which he still believes will happen. I hope that Hendry protects Marshall because he has success at a higher level, but I don't think the Sisco situation will have any effect on Marshall.

Craig- good points and I also think that Greenberg could make the team in addition to Cedeno, Ohman, etc. I am not worried about Pie, Dopirak, or Petrick. I think the Cubs will protect them no matter what they do this season. The guys I am worried about are Sean Marshall and Jon Connolly. Connolly, mainly, because he is a favorite of mine, and I think he will have another outstanding year. I would be worried if he has a year like last year in AA that someone would take him. IMO, the Cubs will not be able to protect Connolly no matter what he does(unless he is unconscious like last year). There are too many high ceiling guys to protect. Sean Marshall also may be in trouble. He is another of my favorite players, and with Petrick, Pie, Dopirak, Murton, Brownlie(I hope), and Greenberg(I think he'll definately be put on), there may be no room for Marshall. Plus if we get Sisco back, it complicates things further. It should be an interesting offseason, I guess I'll just hope for all these guys to have great years to make the decisions tough. My prediction(even though it is WAY too early to have any idea): Dopirak, Pie, Petrick, Murton, Greenberg, Sisco if we get him back.

Hope he's ok. In the Trib today, they said that he has had it before and it isn't serious. Still, it is scary when your heart isn't working perfectly, I hope he comes back soon because we need him.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible! I'm most excited for Sean Marshall and Billy Petrick this year. I can't wait for spring training and then the minor league season!

Bulls are winning at halftime. Luol Deng and Nocioni are dominating! 9/12 FGs and 21 pts. between them!

We're only 3 games out of the #2 seed!!! :shock:

they should be the favorites. melo is still hobbled with a bad ankle, the nugs have been mediocre since the first 50 games of last season and k-mart is most definitely not the answer. i think the bulls win by 15. 101-86 Wow, I hope you're right. I do think the Bulls will win, but I say by 7. I can't wait to watch Duhon. He's evolved into one of my favorite players to watch. Especially when he can make his 3's.

Anyone think they can beat the Nuggets tonight? It will a tough game as is just about any game played against a team from the West. This would be an impressive win if they can pull this one out.

I like Duhon, and don't think we need to replace him. If he can start to hit the three with any consistency, he'll be a keeper. He'll never be an all-star obviously, but he plays great D, he can drive and dish, so add a three point shooter to that and he has many weapons. I'll even say he is a better on the ball defender than Hinrich. Especially fighting around picks. He is one of the best at that.

It's halftime, and Pierce is tearing it up. 20 points I believe. The Bulls are hanging tough though. Could be another heart attack ending!

Doesn't Pierce play at the 3 - wouldn't Deng guard him? Supposedly, Jiri Welsch starts at 3. You're right though, it may be smart to put Hinrich on Welsch, Deng on Pierce, and Duhon on Payton to start. Welsch mostly stays on he perimeter, but can drive if given room.