CaliforniaRaisin

He was promoted a few days back. Hopefully it is a permanent move, Iowa could use the bullpen help and Atlee has pitched well.

Mark Prior's rehab goes to Metairie, Louisiana tonight. RHP Mark Prior (0-0) @ LHP Billy Traber (4-3, 4.50 ERA) You can listen to the game here. MiLB.com actually has Gameday for AAA games. Go here and click on the Gameday link for the second line score (which is the Iowa game).

Probable Starters: Iowa: RHP Mark Prior (rehab) @ LHP Billy Traber (4-3, 4.50 ERA) - Game Thread (Premium) West Tenn: LHP JR Mathes (5-4, 3.75 ERA, 69.2 IP, 50/16, 1.28 WHIP) @ RHP Corey Thurman (2-5, 2.22 ERA) Daytona (game 1): RHP Mike Billek (0-1, 9.64 ERA, 4.2 IP, 2/2, 1.93 WHIP) Daytona (game 2): LHP Carlos Perez (0-3, 5.89 ERA, 36.2 IP, 24/27, 2.10 WHIP) Peoria: LHP Jesus Yepez (2-2, 3.29 ERA, 54.2 IP, 27/33, 1.48 WHIP) @ RHP Juan Jimenez (1-2, 3.73 ERA)

His control has always been an issue. I wouldn't expect those problems to completely disappear after a double jump to the big leagues. all right...that's enough doom and gloom from you, mr. i've followed marmol's career for more than 10 innings. [-X Heh. :D

His control has always been an issue. I wouldn't expect those problems to completely disappear after a double jump to the big leagues.

I would rather start Guzman and give Zambrano an extra day off this time through the rotation. He has been heavily abused 4 of the past 4 starts. Agreed, the bullpen is rested and it would be nice to see Guzman get some good work in and give Z some much needed rest. Ditto. Frankly, I'd prefer Rusch starting and being awful (since he's more likely to start than Guzman) over Z going on his standard 4 days rest. Z should get an extra day off given the amount of work he's logged the past few starts.

Your comfort level isn't important to the Cubs. Not to sound mean, but I don't think Hendry goes around claims that he needs MPrior--a Cubs fan on the MB---to be comfortable with the decision on KW. My guess is, if they are going to make the move, somehow your "comfort" level won't be a part of the decision. Your really could have saved this. It's pretty unnecessary. I don't think the Cubs are consulting you for your opinion on the matter, either, but that didn't stop you from expressing it, did it? Look, I apologize ahead of time when I said "not to sound mean". Look, I am naturally thick skin, and I apologize if there are some thin skin fans on the board. Call it insensitive, fine, but I won't change, I may ADAPT what I say, but I won't change. I will apologize that it came off as STRONG, and MEANSPIRITED, that wasn't my intent, and if you think it was....well that is your problem (not singling anybody out, specifically), not mine. I was trying to be sarcastic. Which apparently, NOBODY got. :shock: And I NEVER said they are considering "my opinions", so stop putting words in my mouth. I just said that I highly doubt (and I apologize for singling out a certain poster) the Cubs are going to consult Cubs fan on every move. Look, everybody has opinions, I respect that, contrary to popular belief....but let's have REALISTIC opinions, and not fear based opinions, shall we? (burp) How about that Marmol? Maybe, TC Hinrich was right....sometimes this board can be abit oversensitive. I like the board, but boy...thin-skin it is. Whatever you want to say about our thick skins, you were out of line in this case.

Don't forget Cabrerra.

It was the last sentence's philosophy that made Corey so bad with the Cubs. If he gets 9 hits in 12 attempts, why wouldn't he get at least 5 in another 12? Because teams would play him in more. And he would be giving up his power potential.

Glad I didn't get to watch that traveshamockery of a game. How bad was Totti's re-injury?

Walrond's ERA jumped from 2.19 all the way to 3.67. Ouch. I guess it's the curse of being picked ahead of Juan Pierre. I-Cubs are now down 15-5, Fontenot has gone deep also.

Awesome!! :D

I think it depends on Grant Johnson's injury. Billek is currently filling in for Grant, so Weber seems like a likely candidate since he was starting earlier this season. I doubt the Cubs will bump up one of Atkins and Veal so soon for the reasons Outshined already stated. I wonder how Blasko really is - he's been MIA for 2 years since his surgery now. That can't be a good sign. EDIT: And congrats to Sean! I was off by less than a week in my prediction! Hopefully - like last year's midseason promotions of Marmol and Marshall from Daytona to West Tenn - Gallagher will be in the bigs sometimes next season.

Oof, just what we were lacking. An Adam Dunn thread... :mamoru:

Go USA!! Time for work. :(

Because he's a career minor leaguer in his first season in the Cubs system.

Probable Starters: Iowa: LHP Les Walrond (6-1, 2.19 ERA, 70 IP, 54/35, 1.37 WHIP) vs, RHP John Patterson (rehab) Daytona: RHP Mike Billek (0-1, 9.64 ERA, 4.2 IP, 2/2, 1.93 WHIP) Peoria: RHP Todd Blackford (5-2, 4.41 ERA, 65.1 IP, 29/33, 1.53 WHIP) vs. RHP Jake Rasner (3-6, 4.34 EA) Peoria's magic number is 1!

That's why the Sergio Mitre BandWGN crashed (that and Outshined is an awful driver).

Exactly. You can't assume that every bunt attempt would have been an out if he was swinging away instead. I didn't, I gave him the batting average he had in his 165 or so regular ABs, which is 3 hits, 7 less. That's reasonable. Then you shouldn't count all the bunt attempts where he was retired. Oh wait, you don't have that information. That makes this subtracting his bunts an improper calculation. And as TT pointed out, that avoids the key point. Corey is a line drive hitter who can drop a bunt down once in a while and beat it out. That's different from what the Cubs tried to do with him (slap and bunt, no line drives). That is a pointless exercise in futility since Corey is a line drive hitter.

I was on this bandwagon a couple of years ago. Welcome aboard, folks.

Well since they've got a new GM, I've heard that a Billy Butler and Alex Gordon for A-Ram and Hill deal is in the works...we can dream can't we? Their GM is good.

I think he can be a good #3 pitcher or a good reliever (maybe even closer?).

I'd take all five of those guys on my staff any day, and twice on Sunday, and I would be very happy. IMO, Schmidt got screwed out of the CYA a couple of years ago. The year you're thinking of was 2003, and Mark Prior was the one screwed out of the Cy Young. 18-6, 211 IP, TWO FORTY THREE earned run average, 1.10 WHIP, .233 BAA Schmidt had a 1.08 WHIP and a .202 BAA, but his ERA at 3.20 was nearly a full point higher than Mark's. The only reason Mark didn't get the award was that he didn't get 20 wins, giving the voters an excuse to give it to a reliever. (Granted, Gagne had the save streak, but saves are such an arbitrary stat that Prior should've gotten the benefit of the doubt in that case) You're looking at the wrong year. In 2004, Schmidt had a 3.20 ERA In 2003, Schmidt had a 2.34 ERA. Schmidt had 17 wins in 2003.

Forget just working during the game - I'll be working during the game and for about 8 hours after too. You know I'm going to hear about the result somehow or the other. All the same, I am TiVoing.

In regards to 2003/2004 and 2005, if Clines is to blame for screwing Patterson up in 2005, then is the reason for his success in 2003 and to a lesser extent 2004 attributed to his work with Gary Matthews? I believe he has primarily worked with Clines since Dusty arrived. Of course, it was also certainly tied to Hendry and his love for the Pierre prototype. Well, then it seems like he did a pretty damn good job coaching him in 2003 and 2004 because he made a really huge jump in productivity. And then they did such a terrible job trying to make him Juan Pierre that they felt the hope was gone and needed to dump him. Are you aware how significant the bunt single has been to CPatt's numbers this year? How many bunt singles does he have? Obivously, 16 of his hits are doubles, triples and homers and he is slugging .461.