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How are the splits broken up? I don't know, but completely guessing I would assume that they were very good in April and May, ok in June, bad in July and August, and improving in September. In ERA for all of MLB (I'm using everybody because the initial poster did) the Cubs are: 7th in April 16th in May 4th in June 1st in July 18th in August 9th in September If you were talking about BAA for MLB: 4th in April 8th in May 1st in June 1st in July 8th in August 6th in September So April, August, and September were as you remembered it with May, June, and July being different.

The batter pitcher matchups look absolutely ugly tonight. If you want to give Pie a start, tonight is the night. Jones is 4/28 against Arroyo. Unfortunately, Soriano is 4/27 and Lee is 4/18. Floyd is 5/15 with a double and a home run, so he'll be the starter in right field. Ramirez, Theriot, and DeRosa have all been solid against Arroyo. Kendall is 1/9 against Arroyo lifetime. It's a good time to give Soto another start.

You could always pull out a SB tape and watch him coach his team to a win of Super Bowl XI. :D Did he just win the one Super Bowl? I can't remember how many his Raiders won. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was just 1. They unfortunately ran into the Steelers several times in the AFCCG.

They'd need a better pass defense as well. Good QB's can really exploit their linebackers and secondary. The Patriots still run good enough schemes though that average or less QB's are absolutely befuddled by them, and that's what is happening tonight.

You could always pull out a SB tape and watch him coach his team to a win of Super Bowl XI. :D

I think people are still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Piniella doesn't really care about who is a proven veteran and who isn't. If this was Dusty Baker's team, yes, it'd be Blanco and Blanco would be playing as often as Soto is right now. But, it's Soto who's getting the AB's and he will be on the playoff roster if the Cubs get the chance to fill one out. In fact, the case can be made that Soto should be starting right now given that Kendall is 8-50 in September and Soto is 11-19. Not saying this means Soto wont be on a playoff roster if we make it, but its clear today was just an offday for Kendall and nothing more. Yup, that was Piniella's quote before the game. The only thing I can find after the game is this little comment by Muskat: I think Piniella is coming around on Soto, I just wish he'd go a little faster on it. One thing that I am happy about is that Piniella seems to really like Soto, which spells good things for his PT in 2008. I doubt he'll ever get to do more than split time in 2007, but I do hope it gets to that point.

Here are the starting pitchers who signed for more money per year than Marquis last offseason: Miguel Batista, Adam Eaton, Tom Glavine, Kei Igawa (including posting fee), Ted Lilly, Greg Maddux, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Gil Meche, Mike Mussina, Vincente Padilla, Andy Pettitte, Jason Schmidt, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, Randy Wolf, Barry Zito Here are the players who were paid comparable to Marquis (6 to 7.5 million per year): Orlando Hernandez, Mark Mulder, Woody Williams So there were 19 pitchers just last offseason who were paid as much or more than Marquis. Of those 19, how many have been better than Marquis this season? 4, maybe 5. By the way, if you look at the pitchers who were in the next pay level down from Marquis, you get pitchers like Kip Wells (4 million), Joel Pineiro (4 million), Tony Armas (3.5 million), Steve Trachsel (3.1 million), and David Wells (3 million). Do you want any of those pitchers? In this pitching market, if you pay a pitcher 7 million a year, you're expecting a below average to average pitcher. Anybody who has shown to be a little above average like Lilly, Padilla, etc. got larger deals. Marquis signed that contract to be an average pitcher, and he's been above average this year. I don't see how anyone can say he was overpaid for this year. In fact, if teams thought they could get a 4 ERA out of him, they would have paid him 10-13 million like they paid other pitchers with histories of giving over a 4 ERA (Suppan is a great example of this). Now, I have no idea what will happen to him in year 2 or year 3. Almost 1 year in though, he's anything but overpaid relative to the market.

No timeouts = No challenges he used the timeout after that play, he should have challenged before taking a timeout Agreed. If you're going to take a timeout anyway, why not challenge the spot of the ball? The fumble may have not been reviewable, but the spot of the ball is, and there is absolutely nothing to lose.

Blanco started on September 3rd against the Dodgers, and that was the last time he has seen the field. Since then, Soto's gotten 4 starts and 19 AB's to Blanco's 0. I definitely agree that Soto is the backup unless something major happens.

Random. I'd also go with Ward. I thought about it after seeing Soto run for that foul ball in what looked like slow motion. Soto is ridiculously slow. If it's 1 race, Floyd is easily the fastest (Floyd has lost a couple steps from his 147 career stolen bases but he's not as slow as the 2 of them). If it's 3 races, Soto wins after Floyd hurts himself in the 1st leg.

He is - someone posted the technicalities behind it somewhere on the board awesome. Yeah awesome, you really think Lou will take him over a veteran backup catcher?Why wouldn't he? He's been going with Soto over Blanco for awhile now, why would he change that if Soto keeps hitting? Why would we go with Tracshel over Marshall when Marshall has had a very good season? What does that have to do with anything? Oh I don't know, Lou will go with a veteran over a rookie if given the chance.Then why isn't Blanco in their right now, and why didn't he start yesterday? The same reason Cedeno is in there. You think Rony is gonna make the roster? The last time Blanco started a game was September 3rd (and that's also the last time he's played period). Soto has started 4 times since then. If they are going to put Blanco on the playoff roster, why give him absolutely no PT in September? That isn't going to help him get ready for the playoffs. Every indication is that it will be Soto as the backup come playoff time unless Blanco starts getting the PT and soon.

Right now, I'm hoping that ND keeps the winning streak over Navy going. They'll be heavy underdogs in their next 5 games.

Hmmm... Single Single Single Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Sounds about right. That'd be a fun inning to watch. Nope, that wouldn't work. It would have to work like this: Single Single Single (runner out at home) Single (runner out at home) Single Single because the ball hits a runner for the 3rd out. or CS/pickoffs Yeah, those first two outs can be made on the basepaths in just about any way. It's the third out that can only be made in specific ways.

Hmmm... Single Single Single Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Single (runner thrown out at the plate) Sounds about right. That'd be a fun inning to watch. Nope, that wouldn't work. It would have to work like this: Single Single Single (runner out at home) Single (runner out at home) Single Single because the ball hits a runner for the 3rd out.

I doubt it-the Cubs seem set on going with a 4 man rotation most of the rest of the way. Trachsel or Marshall were only going to get a maximum of 1 start the rest of the way anyway.

2 of the runs were earned. Marshall gave up 6 hits and 2 walks in 2 2/3 innings tonight. While Kendall's mistake definitely hurt Marshall this inning, Marshall was absolutely terrible.

Isn't Cedeno the only other shortstop on the roster? Fontenot has played 3 games there this year. Granted he's not a SS - but I'd still rather see him in there than Cedeno. DeRosa also played a game at short. Fontenot may be the easiest out on the team right now. You must have forgotten how bad Cedeno has played this year. Four of the starting pitchers (Z, Marquis, Lilly, Hill) have a better batting average than Cedeno. .127 BA .169 OBP :pukel: Sample size. The fact is that Fontenot has been a nearly automatic out for quite a while now. His numbers only look respectable because of his red hot start. I just think he's been exposed, and would rather Patterson be getting his AB's. Well, that is if Eric could show up on time. Fontenot has sort of leveled off from his steep decline. Since August 22nd he's been an 800 OPS guy (only 27 AB's before today). So basically Fontenot had a red hot start, an absolutely awful month and a half, and now he's right in the middle where he should be. He's not the good player he showed in the beginning, but he isn't an automatic out anymore like Cedeno has been all year.

Yes, but the games he did that were 6-2 or larger leads. Wood's behind Marmol, Howry, Dempster, Wuertz, and Eyre. All of those pitchers have shown more overall then Wood has. Your 6th best reliever simply doesn't often get to come into those types of games where a team is tied or in the lead.

Why would Canning accept a counter of just the Cubs if he bid $650 mil. for the club and the park? I don't see that happening. And if the difference in offers is as large as $350 mil., the Trib and the Trustee are asking for a lawsuit (brought by the employees and/or the Department of Labor). Well, if Canning doesn't accept the counter he basically removes himself from the running. Selig then would no longer have a crony among the bidders. Then MLB simply doesn't approve any of the other owners, and the Tribune remains stuck with the Cubs who they don't want anymore. That doesn't sound like a good plan for the future of this franchise.

Players who will definitely start: Ramirez, Floyd, Kendall Likely starters: Lee, Soriano, DeRosa Above Average Chance: Jones, Cedeno

I think Looper might have been trying to get Jones's arm tired from waving that bat around so much :D

Not necessarily so.... just because the Tribune may want something doesn't mean they're going to get it, or even that they're entitled to. Similarly, if 23 of 30 owners don't approve the sale to the highest bidder, this could not be construed as Tribune Co failing in their fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders. I agree with this but, What kind of public relations nightmare would it be for Selig, Canning and the owners who voted against Cuban. Anything short of winning a WS in a couple of years would create a Canning lynching party. I know its not the same thing but it would be like the Cubs being highest bidder for ARod. ARod accepting the offer, Then somehow MLB ruling the contract unfair and ARod going back to the Yankees. I know its not the same thing but thats how the general public would see it. People forget about those sorts of things. Remember when A-Rod was being traded to the Red Sox? The union blocked the deal that both A-Rod and the Red Sox were happy with , A-Rod went to the Yankees, and a year later nobody cared. It would be the same thing except even more so for ownership situations. A lot of casual fans might not even pay attention in the first place to who is getting ownership until somebody is actually approved.

Really? How do you figure? I don't doubt that he could be possibly classified as an Type A after the season, but it would be pretty foolish for Hendry to offer Kendall arbitration for fear from a Cubs standpoint that he would surely accept it. I'd rather not see the Cubs pay Kendall $10MM or thereabouts for next season. If Kendall declines arbitration, then he would be more foolish than Hendry for offering it to him in the first place. If Kendall has a good end of the year, some club might sign him before the arbitration deadline. If they do that, the Cubs get the pick (because they can then offer him arbitration and he'd be forced to decline). I don't see Kendall as a type A though right now, probably a type B. That would actually be in the Cubs best interest. If Kendall is a type A, I doubt any team signs him before the deadline because they don't want to give a pick to the Cubs. If he is a type B, then the Cubs get compensation but it's from the league and not the other team, so the other team has no barriers from signing him early.

The question is what's better-pitching Z and Lilly on 3 days rest, or giving Trachsel another start? I think management is going to try to ride their 4 pitchers down the stretch, and off days are going to make sure that only a couple starts will be needed to be made with 3 days rest.

While that is a real good thought out post CCP, Looper and Pinerio are both right handers, we face Mulder tomorrow. Well, that was a lot of work for nothing :D That's good though. Not having a left-hander start at all today gives the Cubs a lot more options to mix and match during the doubleheader without having to start a bad lineup in one of the two games.