Jon

I'm not terribly optimistic about the offense, but I think the bullpen should be pretty solid and the starting staff has the potential to be really good despite the setbacks that have already occured. If Marshall can handle his spot in the rotation and Guzman pitches well in AAA, I don't think it's out of the question that Rusch could be yanked from the rotation after not too long. We could also possibly have a good trading chip in Wade Miller at the trade deadline if he comes back around and the young pitching makes him expendable. And considering his salary, he could be pretty attractive to a team in the race in need of an arm. It all comes down to the pitching with this team. If Rusch is out of the rotation by mid-May, that should be a pretty good sign.

Well, if Marshall pitches Sunday night like Bruce said, it would probably look like this: @ CIN Zambrano Rusch vs. STL Maddux Zambrano Marshall vs. CIN Rusch Maddux Zambrano @ PIT Marshall Guzman/Hill Rusch @ LAD Maddux Zambrano Marshall

So that means they're going to keep Zambrano on normal rest and pitch him Saturday? Can't say I'd mind seeing Z pitch.

Sorry, Jerome, but I'd really like to see Marhsall pitch when I'm sitting three rows behind home plate on April 13th. That goes for you, too, rain. Don't even think about messing things up.

Sullivan included Williams as a bullpen pitcher in one of his latest articles. Not that it necessarily means much, but everything points to Marshall getting that 4th spot. The rotation should go like this: @ CIN Zambrano Rusch vs. STL Maddux Marshall Zambrano vs. CIN Rusch Maddux Marshall @ PIT Zambrano Guzman/Hill Rusch @ LAD Maddux Marshall Zambrano

Yeah. Watching them has been the highlight of the spring so far. If Jerome Williams struggles today and Marshall can have even a respectable game Friday night (also on WGN, thankfully), it sounds like the 4th starting spot will be Sean's. Quite a surprise. And if Guzman can make a couple of good starts at AAA, he may very well join Marshall in the rotation for a couple of starts until Wood is activated. That would be something. Angel threw a couple of huge 12-6 curves in his last outing that nearly made me fall out of my chair. It was also encouraging because he should have only walked a single batter in his four innings (the first guy he faced). There was a 2-2 pitch fastball on the outside corner that even Hendry couldn't believe called a ball. That led to his only other walk. If he's regaining his control which eluded him this fall and earlier in the spring, things should look real good for him this season.

Downy is not meant to be read.

I still can't believe you listen to the way Cubs describe his current status and actually believe it. When he starts throwing to batters again, I won't feel concerned about his status. He was shut down for 11 days or so, he was diagnosed with a mild strain in one of his rotator cuff muscles by a well-respected doctor, and threw some long toss without pain (at least he didn't feel any pain as he was throwing). Those are all well documented and I think we can all draw conclusions as to where he currently is right now. It doesn't take a doctor to evaluate what's going on. If things go well (and no matter how good the training staff is, nobody can possibly predict setbacks), he's over a month away. I'm not sure what you think the Cubs are saying about his status. As I posted in the other thread, they've specifically said that he isn't fully healthy yet and have to be real careful to monitor the injury as they try to build up arm strength. There's a very real chance that he could reaggrevate it before it's fully healed and they're well aware of that. They haven't set a timeframe because they really don't know how long it's going to take him to get to the next step. They're actually saying very little about his status in that regard. And I'm certainly not suggesting that we shouldn't be concerned about his current status. Neither are the Cubs. This injury has already pushed him back pretty far and has the ability to delay him even more. I think they'd be the first to say that.

I'm not too surprised about Wood's progress. I don't like the sound of this: They just haven't set a timeframe since it's too early to tell. Being out indefinitely doesn't mean much. It means he's out for awhile. It shouldn't be sugarcoated. Being out indefinitely is about as general as one can get. It doesn't differentiate between being a month away and being four months away. All it means is that they have yet to determine when they expect him to be activated from the DL. It says nothing about health or progress, just that it's too soon to tell when he should be back if all goes as they plan. There's no sugarcoating. It's just the quickest way of saying what we already knew. You said it didn't mean much. If you mean that the actual timeline is not set then yes, you are right. It DOES however mean the situation is not good. It doesn't mean much in terms of any developing news. He was out indefinitely once they shut him down. Him being out is certainly not good, but if anything, the situation has improved since the tests were done because of the diagnosis and him throwing long toss. The way his current status was stated isn't any cause for concern in and of itself.

I'm not too surprised about Wood's progress. I don't like the sound of this: They just haven't set a timeframe since it's too early to tell. Being out indefinitely doesn't mean much. It means he's out for awhile. It shouldn't be sugarcoated. Being out indefinitely is about as general as one can get. It doesn't differentiate between being a month away and being four months away. All it means is that they have yet to determine when they expect him to be activated from the DL. It says nothing about health or progress, just that it's too soon to tell when he should be back if all goes as they plan. There's no sugarcoating. It's just the quickest way of saying what we already knew.

He should really have his own blog if he promises to limit the time on his computer. That's from the latest Cubs.com article. Apparently Angel stays at his house at times.

And then came back to hold St. Louis scoreless for 6 innings! That incident was overplayed by a lot of different parties based purely on speculation (especially since Z didn't talk to the media afterwards). He also had already thrown 80 pitches in that game. It was a little more than speculation. IIRC, the ESPN cameras were rolling when Zambrano went storming into the dugout past Rosthschild who was obviously trying to talk to him. Carlos didn't stop and Larry went into the clubhouse after him... Edit: Actually, ESPN was all too happy to show the incident after a commercial break. Well, he was very upset after a bad game, and rightfully so. Zambrano blowing by Rothschild on his way to the clubhouse probably shouldn't be seen as that big of a deal considering his past. Of course, going into the clubhouse to swear up a storm in there is more prefereable to staying in the dugout and punching the wall. But that didn't really have any implications to the soreness in his back, which was another factor. And that probably increased his frustration, as well. Everyone saw that on ESPN, but Carlos didn't talk to the media until the next day, I believe, and even Dusty didn't say much.

I'm not too surprised about Wood's progress. I don't like the sound of this: They just haven't set a timeframe since it's too early to tell. Being out indefinitely doesn't mean much.

Have you had a chance to watch Marshall and Guzman on WGN this spring? I'd love to hear what you thought of their performances and what pitches, if any, you thought were off a bit. Ryu, too.

And then came back to hold St. Louis scoreless for 6 innings! That incident was overplayed by a lot of different parties based purely on speculation (especially since Z didn't talk to the media afterwards). He also had already thrown 80 pitches in that game.

According to Cubs.com, Wood will face hitters on Friday. That should put him about a month away if all goes well.

Indeed. And Grady's Ladies are happy, I bet.

so unless a trade happens, it looks like Theriot will be on the Opening Day roster. A temporary one until April 15th, though.

Down to 29 now after Restovich was sent to minor league camp.

I wonder where Koronka (and Aardsma) fits into the reliever mix? Dusty has been praising him a lot lately. Aardsma was sent down, as well. They don't have a need for another lefty and it sounds like they'll be going a different direction for the long reliever spot.

Guzman and Ryu were both optioned to AAA today, according to Cubs.com. That removes one guy from the competition for the last bullpen spot in Ryu. It sounds like he's out of the race for the 5th starter's spot, as well.

I know he played right field some last year. I asked Ron that, so we'll see what he says about his defense out there. And I think I'm with you. I'd love to have that bat off the bench. He may strikeout, but he also walks a ton and hits for good power.

Ron, Several people on the board have been wondering what Sing's defense is like in a corner outfield position. What were your impressions with his abilities out there? Thanks.

Well, it wasn't just speculation:

In about 33 ABs, he has already hit 75% of his HR total in the 494 ABs he had in 2004. Or 37.5% of his HR total in the 516 ABs he had in 2005.