JGalt73

Please don't try a steal. His %CS is awful.

Nice.

STRIKE THREE!! Call it!

IIRC, Padilla has been on the DL most of the year. small sample size This is 17th start?

Nice that we can be team 2 to allow Padillia a 6+ inning start...

Thank you, dugout!

There was Barrett's DP swing from the last inning.

Hurry back Nomar!

That looked like the same DLee strike call. Nice BB.

Let's get Padilla before his early exit...

Looked pretty close...

When was Lee's last HR?

Hmm...Oregon is Cubs central today - noon Iowa Cubs road game in downtown Portland (5 miles away), followed by an evening Boise Hawks game 40 minutes south in Keizer... Let's play two!

Just got back from I-Cubs 2-1 win in Portland. A few observations... Corey worked the count in his first AB then lined a hard out to RF. In his middle 2 AB's he looked, well...horrible...striking out on the usual slow stuff after a couple foul balls. Leading off the ninth, patient at the plate , took a 3-2 ball for a walk, had a great jump on a steal and advanced to 3rd on the throw into center. After a SO, he scored on a FC that should have been a double play ball hit by Kelton - wide throw to second - for the winning run. Scott Williamson (he looks very small on the mound) worked a quick 8th inning for the win. 1st pitch groundout, 3rd pitch groundout, and a nice SO for a 1-2-3 inning. He looked like he had a nice fastball going - there was no posted radar gun at the game. JvB looked great again. I swear he's channeling Zambrano with that number 38 on the mound. He's got some presence out there. He took the first 2 hitters to 3-2 counts with a borderline called 3rd strike against the #8 hitter and a deep flyout to the PH. He got the last out with a nasty offspeed pitch that had the hitter with a weak defensive swing. He looks like a big league closer out there (maybe if he could throw a few more strikes though...). Leicester looked great except for a 7th inning HR. He was in command the whole game, helped out by a few key DP's. I'll be at the finale against Portland tomorrow, Williamson is due to pitch again.

Will Carroll's column just posted - good read from a good source. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4287

I'm going to tonight's game here in Portland - here's hoping for an encouraging performance for our future bullpen help! Let us know how he looked!!! I hope hes ready after this game. No more AAA. There were earlier reports that he'll pitch back to back (Mon/Tues) games here in AAA before coming up.

BP's Chris Kahrl weighs in on the trade... http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4283 giving another positive review.... "Kudos to Jim Hendry for pulling off either the best or tied for the best deal of the deadline (tied with the Braves getting Farnsworth)."

I'm going to tonight's game here in Portland - here's hoping for an encouraging performance for our future bullpen help!

The Orioles broadcast is on MLB.TV, and I'm finding it interesting that they have not said a word yet - even when announcing the lineups... ...o.k. just announced it...

BP (Sheehan) weighs in and gives kudos to Hendry with nice Atlanta company... "The kudos for the day go to Jim Hendry and John Schuerholz. Hendry got the best OBP guy on the market by trading Jody Gerut to the Pirates for Lawton. Lawton's lefty .380 OBP is exactly what the Cubs' offense, loaded with power and outs, needed. How the Cubs align their outfield, which currently lacks a true center fielder, will be interesting, but keep in mind that they have a strikeout/groundball staff, and Wrigley is one of the smaller outfields in the game. If any team can give away some outfield defense, it's the Cubs."

I was at the I-Cubs here in Portland. JVB completely overmatched the AAA hitters with 2 swinging strikeouts. Maybe it was the number 38, but the big guy looked like Zambrano out there. Corey looked good with 2 hits and a sac bunt. (Popped up weakly his first AB, and hit a 1st pitch double in his second 2 AB).

Nomar leads off the 5th(?) inning (6-0 DJaxx trail) Pitch 1 - inside ball Pitch 2 - line drive base hit to right field He's made a couple routine plays in the field. Also, let a bad hop sinking line drive past him for a single. That's it for my Nomar watch - heading to the Iowa Cubs game...

Floyd pinch hitting in the 8th (1-0 Astros)

Nomar's 1st AB w/ 1 out (DJaxx down 3-0) Pitch 1 - strike called Pitch 2 - ball outside Pitch 3 - routine fly out to medium center field

ESPN Radio reports Manny did not show up at the park and was scratched before the start.