At least it’s starting to feel that way.

I know it’s only spring training and were only four games in, but Cub fans can’t help but notice that same old feeling that ended abruptly in three nights last October–knowing your team is going to win.

It’s an odd feeling, to be a Cub fan and not peek with one eye as you open the paper/web page(assuming you couldn’t catch the game–f*&cking job) only to find out that the team lost a five run lead in the ninth after going scoreless in the first six innings against a Wandy Rodriguez or a Dave Bush( yea…Dave Bush…Fuck that guy)

It’s even sweeter to know your team dropped a thirteen run bomb on their Crosstown pseudo-rivals

The Cubs dropped the Sox this afternoon at Ho Ho Kam by a score of thirteen to nothing.

Thats zero runs scored by the Sox.

And zero runs given up by Aaron Heilman, who took the mound in the first two innings of today’s game. Heilman gave up one hit( to guess who…) Yea, that’s still a goodie. Heilman struck our four of seven batters and walked none, making Pinella and pitching coach Larry Rothschild’s job that much harder when choosing who is going to fill the vacant five slot. Heilman should get a few more starts this spring to prove his worthiness, but if he falters I expect his innings to shorten up as he prepares for an eventual role in the pen. Nothing too ground-breaking

Until Now

ALSO PITCHED:

KEVIN GREGG! –There you are Mr. Gregg. And all one hit and no runs with a K. Oh you…

Neal Cotts — Umm, thanks for coming. Cotts pitched one inning giving up a hit and no runs with a walk. Well played, Mr. Cotts, well played–but I’ve still got my eye on you.

David Patton –Rule-fiver from Cincinnati saw his first action today, pitching two scoreless innings with no walks and two k’s. How does it feel to cost about as much as Soriano’s left index finger?

Ken Kadokura –Second time on the mound for the Japanese league veteran this spring. Pitched an inning of no hit ball with a hit a walk and a K. Was seen wearing a Fukudome style kamikaze headband with it’s own Japanese caricature writing. When translated it read  “F*&CK KOSUKE!”

Jason Waddell — Gee, it’s been so nice getting to know you this spring Mr. Waddell. You and your no hits, no runs and no walks in one. Don’t be a stranger!(even though you most likely will be in a week.)

Esmailin Caridad –Pitched a perfect ninth giving up a hit with a K. Esmailin pitched a perfect ninth with pride and pomposity which people may never purvey as…oh fuck it.

Astonishingly enough, most of the Cub pitchers–be they veteran, rookie, or non-roster invitee–have pitched extremely well. This bodes well for a team that some consider to have an already incredibly strong rotation and back end of the pen. keep your eye on Jason Waddell(Someone else told me to–so now I’m telling you to) as spring progresses as he might be a surprise guy who breaks camp in the pen.

But as solid as the pitching has been, the bats may be the real surprise of early spring training, in which many consider the hitters to be about a week behind pitches in their progress.

AT THE PLATE

Brad Snyder – yet another Minor League outfielder, Snyder played the entire game in right and went two for five with a grand slam in the seventh. He put on a good show today, but with all the outfield depth the Cubs seem to be suddenly sporting, Snyder might be better off looking for another team.

Doug Deeds –didn’t I just get done chastising Bradley about this? The minor league outfielder subbed for Soriano in left and went one for two with a run. Yipee!

Aaron Miles –not Mark Derosa started the game at short today and went one for two. Was eventually lifted for:

Andres Blanco –who was actually sent in to remind Miles that he wasn’t Derosa and ended up staying in and going one for two with a run scored and two rbi’s. Not bad for a guy from the island of you know where.

Derrek Lee – Lee went one for three today to bring his spring average up to a robust .250. No double play jokes. Not today.

Micah Hoffpauir — he went two for four today with another rbi to make it eight on the young spring. Apparently he is so impressed with his own play that he’s been seen writing his name on all of D-Lee’s underwear.

Mike Fontenot — went one for two with a walk and a strikeout. Was overheard in the fourth inning telling Miles “It’s Ok, Im not Derosa either.”

Bobby Scales –Scales replaced Fontenot in the game and is apparently busy “Keeping up with the Rivas’s” –he went two for three with three rbi’s. Hmm, maybe it’s time to start thinking about some elective surgery.

Koyie Hill — Koyie went one for three with a two rbi double. Only gives the finger now to the cross-eyed.

Sam Fuld — Aww F*&Ck Fuld. Why’d you have to go do something like go two for two and f-up the kool-aid. Fuck.

And just like that the Cubs keep on rolling. Are we seeing the Pinella presence here? Or is the team finally being constructed intelligently with good scouting, coaching, and plate patience. If you’re a fan you have to like what you’re seeing so far, with a pitching staff giving up less walks than k’s and the inverse from Cubs batters at the plate( I don’t know if that statistic is actually true.) Heilman showed today that he really wants that fifth starter spot, but as long as Marshall keeps pitching well along with some of the other guys in camp we might be in for an exciting season.

IF BY SOME CHANCE I happen to have Jinxed the team and they end up breaking off a string of 170+ consecutive losses remember this:

__________________

I’ve got nothin.

Cubs travel to Peoria to take on the Padres and guess who ...

That’s right– Mr. Not Brian Roberts.

First pitch is at 2:05

The Sox did a whole lot of this .

Yea, I’m all like WTF! too, but still…

HA!

Rangers Shocked/Offended! Drop game 10-4:

To the Cubs Friday afternoon in Surprise…downed by the long ball. And who is supplying all of this power you might ask?

Micah Hoffpauir

Mikey Fontenot

Sam Fuld

That’s right, not an …irez , ..oto,..oriano in the bunch. Also not an everyday major league player in the bunch. I know spring training is supposed to be the time to let your farm guys play against a bunch of other teams farm guys and cast-offs hoping to make it to the bench, but considering the Cubs history of developing solid everyday position players a little excitement isn’t really unwarranted here. So in honor of that today we are going to start:

AT THE PLATE

Micah Hoffpauir — he went two for three today, one of those hits being a three-run second inning bomb. That brings his total up to two home runs and seven rbi’s in three limited action games. He is hitting .364 so far and showing that maybe his glove isn’t just an ice cream cone he duct taped to his wrist.

Mike Fontenot –everyones second favorite French Cajun hit a two run homer in the second and then knocked in two more in the six while legging out a triple for a total of four rbi’s. Lou was so impressed with Fontenot and his .286 average that after the game he and Pinella spent some one on one time together( I know, Weird. I didn’t know they were Asian either).

Ryan Theriot –speaking of the favorite son, Theriot started the game at short and went two for four with two singles and a caught stealing. That’s it. There is nothing funny about The Riot.

Sam Fuld – you probably remember Fuld as the guy who made that one catch that one time. Yea, that  guy. He went one for two with a walk and a home-run of his own. Fuld’s shot at making the big club is negligible at best with Hoffpauir hitting as well as he is and the presence of Joey Gathright. Could get a shot later this season if something goes terribly, terribly wrong.

Jake Fox –Fox got into the game today again, going one for one as a replacement for Micah at first. The club seems to be giving him a lot of  playing time, possibly in the hopes that he could be the backup at third considering the alternatives are Miles/Fontentot. Meh Cubs, I agree, Meh.

Jason Dubois –Dubois went one for five as the DH today, once again proving that he can hit–Just not the majority of the time.

Geovany Soto –What’s to be said? He sports a .500 average and  plays stellar defense. Today was his last game before reporting to the Puerto Rican national team’s camp. He says he wants to honor his country, but I think it’s just so he can get close to a certain someone.  Get em geo.

Luis Rivas — One half of the minor League monster that is Scales/Rivas, the former Twin went two for five while starting at third. He’s carrying a .426 average and may be a better answer to the defensively challenged Fox in the ” Hey Aramis, STAY THE F*&K ON THE FIELD” sweepstakes.

Doug Deeds –played the whole game in left and went two for five at the plate. Is apparently great friends with Jason Waddell on the island of “WHO THE F*&CK ARE YOU?”

RF –went a combined O for five. So Taguchi you are So mediocre. Robnett gets a pass( I think you know why.)

All in all the Cubs prospects are doing well. Things are looking good down on the farm, and the team may be able to go into the season with a 25 man roster boasting nine Cub system players(Theriot, Fontenot, Hoffpauir, Hill, Zambrano, Soto, Samardzija, Marshall, Guzman) being a five and four mix with more position players than pitchers. Take that Mark Grace.

But onto the main event…..

I know. It’s terrifying.

Thedodore Roosevelt Lilly took the mound today in the first and proceeded to bend Rangers hitters(and everything else) to his utter will. Lilly pitched two scoreless innings allowing(Lilly doesn’t give up anything…he allows) two hits and striking out only two. Those two were later found dead. Who says Lilly can’t be merciful?

ALSO PITCHED:

J.R. Mathes –two runs on four hits and a walk in two. Non-roster invitee, could be a pen arm. Then again maybe not.

Justin Berg –no runs on no hits with two walks and two K’s. Yep, sounds like a Cub prospect.

Ed Campusano –no runs on no hits and two walks. Seeing action for the second time in as many days, Campusano is a lefty and could be a good replacement for Marshall if he ends up as the Cub’s Five.

Rocky Roquet –yes, yes, he has an awesome name. He also has an 18.00 era and a ticket booked back to West Tenn. He pitched one giving up two runs on three hits and a walk with two K’s.

Marcos Mateo –no hits and no runs with a strikeout in one. First action from Mateo, is definitely headed back to High A or AA for more seasoning.

Jeff Stevens –worked the ninth giving up no hits and no runs with two k’s. Cub most likely to be injured in a Nancy Kerrigan style hit. Cub Fan’s loved them some Derosa( I did too, watch your back Stevens).

Stevens has so far turned in a good performance and could legitimately contribute to the big club this year, hopefully nullifying some of the “We Got Nothin,” talk. If the young Cub players keep producing throughout spring training it could give fans hope that the much maligned farm system may be back on track before we even get to see what super scout Tim Wilkens first crop can do.  Today’s was the last game for World baseball classic members Lilly and Soto, who go to play for their respective countries and give Cub fans a serious case of anxiety.

Tomorrows game is against the White Sox( if I could link you to a boo, just a disembodied recording of a boo, I so would right here) at Ho Ho Kam. You would think the game is televised somewhere, but if it is I haven’t been able to locate the information.  First Pitch is at 2:05.

This is what the Rangers did.

You’ve just been Chuck’d.

What is he made of–anti-diamond?(which is the opposite of diamond, and by my logic that should mean extremely brittle)

Ok, that’s a stretch–but he was pulled(by himself) from today’s game after feeling tightness in his quad during his first at bat.

A game that we won I might add.

Beating the Brewers 7-4 at Ho Ho Kam

THE HILL

Sean Marshall started the game and made a mild case for being the fifth starter, allowing (he’s a giver) the Brewers to collect four hits and a run while striking out one. Probably with that huge curve lefty’s like to toss. If you listen closely you can hear Aaron Heilman weeping softly into his pillow.

Chad Gaudin Another piece of the Harden trade(I do like to mention that don’t I?), followed by pitching two innings of his own and gave up(he’s not generous, just mediocre) three hits, a run, with a walk and a strikeout. I know he used to start for Oakland but I prefer to see him in the pen, or at AAA Iowa starting in case his buddy from the A’s(see..again) Harden goes down sometime this season.

ALSO PITCHED:

Carlos Marmol–a hit and a run in one. I think that one was a bomb. Yea, don’t do that Carlos.

Mike Stanton —  a hit a walk and a run with two k’s in one. He’s also about as old as this guy.

Kevin Hart — pitched a perfect inning. Eight more and you might be impressive. Probably starts in Iowa.

Chad Fox — No hits or runs with a strikeout in one. This is that old guy who’s arm keeps falling off.

Angel Guzman — A hit and no runs in the ninth. Way to go Angel. I mean it isn’t that bad that you’re nearly the same age as this fellow Venezuelan.

Overall nothing too spectacular. Most of these guys either have a defined role or are pitching for a spot in the pen. Most likely to make the Big Club: Gaudin, Hart, Marmol(of course). Most likely to die on field: Stanton. Guzman is out of options I believe, so for him to avoid going the way of the Oriole he better pick it up.

AT BAT

The Cubs up their total runs today to twelve(7-4) led by a Fox and a Hare(Gathright, because he jumps high…get it? Ehhh). Jake Fox, who started at first, hit a three run shot in the third and Gathright led off going three for three with one stolen base and one caught stealing.

Aaron Miles — started at second and went one for four with an rbi. Good for you Aaron, now go sit on the bench and let Fontenot have a turn.

Richie Robnett –went one for two with an rbi. Not a chance he makes the roster but at least we got something for Wuertz. He played right.

Micah Hoffpauir–one for four while starting in left. Why do you insist on trying to play positions manned by heavily bloated contracts Micah? Why?

Jake Fox –two for three with a fucking BOMMMB. Played first…badly.

Dwayne Barney – a hit and a run scored while playing short. In five at bats though Dwayne? Will definitely be in the minors by mid march.

Chad Gaudin –a double in his only at bat. Known to  tell friends he wants to be the “New Jason Marquis” Those friends have since been traded to Colorado.

It’s alway nice to beat up on the Brewers, especially against their supposed can’t miss Gallardo.

Nothing too earth shattering came from today’s game. Fox played well, but considering his age and defensive limitations, he just isn’t likely to beat out Hoffpauir. He would be a welcome backup for third , and in case of emergency backup catcher, but I just don’t see it happening unless he really turns it on. Joey Gathright had a good game, but until he can keep it up on a daily basis I’m not buying it. His speed would be a plus on a team led by a guy who was caught thirteen(or seventeen) times last year. STOP RUNNING RYAN.

The Cubs are in Surprise tomorrow to take on the Rangers. Game starts at 2:05 Central and can be listened to on WGN 720 am.

I was going to make a Prince Fielder is fat joke here but I already blew that load on Sabathia.

This is what the Brewers did.

1. The time alloted before the start of an event where players and or coaches review strategy and overall  organizational coherence.

2. The time alloted before the start of an event dedicated to fans gathering and drinking heavily therefore avoiding outrageous stadium alcohol prices.

3. Two University of Wyoming coeds dancing and sipping from a bottle of crown while you wait four hours to go to a bar that oddly enough also hosted shots of crown and music for dancing(this is the one I’m stuck with since it was the first time I’d ever heard it used this way. Needless to say “pre-gaming” isn’t in my lexicon.)

…In an effort to keep this one short(The game starts in like twenty minutes) I am going to give you some basic things to look for:

Sean Marshall starts todays game. He is considered the favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation, but some critics prefer him in the role he played last year, long reliever and swing man out of the pen. With Marshall in the rotation that leaves Neal Cotts as the only true bullpen lefty.

No bueno.

3rd Base The departure of Derosa has left many wondering who is going to backup Aramiz Ramirez when he inevitably goes down with some form or another of leg injury. Aaron Miles is a competent up the middle infielder but has only started, I believe, six games at third in his career. Mike Fontenot has also been taking grounders at third along with converted catcher Jake Fox and the two headed moster Scales/Rivas. Some fans think it should be new Cubs super-prospect Josh Vitters to lose, but to them I have to say

F*&k it. Why not?

The Bullpen Ok, I know, that’s a bit weak, but it has yet to have been set and the aforementioned lack of lefty’s could make it some minor leaguer’s job to lose. Plus, Angel Guzman is back in camp. Way to go..umm…Angel.

Juan Cruz Former Cub is still on the market and has supposedly drawn interest from two teams. The Twins, now that Boof Bonzer is out for the year and… the Cubs. Problem with this is that he is listed as a Type A free agent and teams have been hesitant to give up the compensatory draft picks to sign him.

Well, it seems the game has been underway for an hour already, seeing as the game was a 2:05 central start, not 3:05 as I had previously stated.  You can listen to the game live on WGN 720 am or by signing up for MLB gameday audio.

F*%k You! Milwaukee.

Once again haunting Ho Ho Kam park in preparation for the 2009 season. Full squad workouts began at their Mesa, Arizona facility  on the 20th with only one notable name missing, that being their pirouetting, non-righty hitting, early season mania-inducing only to be disappointed/confused at WHAT EXACTLY IS HE SWINGING AT?! right center fielder Kosuke Fukudome.

But more on him later.

GM Jim Hendry spent the majority of the early off-season dodging rumors(Peavy…Peavy…Peavy) and courting the switch hitting, off-field headline producing Milton Bradley before kicking it into high gear on last day of 2008 by trading Mark Derosa to the Cleveland Indians for three pitching prospects. Trading fan favorite Derosa proved unpopular and left many fans feeling validated in their belief that Hendry is in fact a donut hoarding idiot(why it’s always donuts I don’t understand). He followed that move up by jettisoning:

An idiot(Cedeno to Seattle along with Garret Olsen for former Met disappointment Aaron Heilman)

A malcontent(Jason Marquis and his drain of a salary to Colorado for the Lovely Luis Viscaino, his 5+ era, propensity for drunk driving, and…being a malcontent)

The next Lou Brock?(more likely Corey Patterson Felix Pie and his inabiltiy to hit major league pitching to Baltimore for Heilman bait Garret Olsen and RHP Henry Williamson)

And another idiot(Rich Hill also to Baltimore for a player to be named later determined by his effectiveness…which means that player will most likely be hitting off of a tee and have to be in the house by dark.)

So what have we learned about Hendry this offseason?

*That apparently he considers Baltimore to be his own personal waste dump.

*That he coveted Bradley enough to give him a 3yr/30 million dollar contract(although the third year is dependent upon games played.)

*That Gabor (Paul) Bako must have seen him do something terrible because he is back in camp at the bargain? price of 725K.

*That if you can jump over cars then you can play for the Cubs. No matter how mediocre you truly are.Gathright Jumping Car.

He is projected to cover the quota of bench players being tagged out at second following a walk now that Cedeno is gone.

*He also signed some guys to Minor League deals like So taguchi, Mike Stanton..blah, blah

Im not going to touch on the Kerry Wood subject in this post. But yea, he’s gone too. To Cleveland.

In an effort to shorten what is already proving to be a tedious and long post here is what you have to look forward to in upcoming entries:

*Zambrano needs Lasik–Dempster jealous of His “Sweet Ass Looking” eyepatch.

*Johnson doesn’t think he’s better than Fukudome. His beard reportedly does.

*Short white guy or short white guy, who’s on second?

*The Bullpen/Bench , which is more boring?

*I love Geo Soto(Thats it, no lame joke.)

Spring training play begins Wednesday February 25th at Ho Ho Kam with Jeff ” The Shark” Samardzija starting against the Dodgers.(yea…F those guys), followed on Thursday and Friday by starts from Sean Marshall and Ted F’in Lilly.

Notes:

WBC- Lilly(USA), Fukudome(JAPAN), and Soto(PUERTO RICO) are the only Cubs still committed to play for their country in this years classic.

TV- For a complete listing of Spring training Games on television visit either www.cubs.com or you can link to this post from their message board(kindly provided by one of their posters)– http://www.forums.mlb.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ml-cubs&tid=351492

Fuku- I told you I would get back to him. In exhibition play he has hit a two run triple as well as a grand slam against Nippen league team opponents. In how many at bats I don’t know, but I’m hoping it is two.

Interviews/Batting practice- Here is a link to Spring Training Interviews with Marshall, Fuld, and Cotts provided by mouthpiece sports: http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blog/tag/Chicago-Cubs/

And here are links to BP from spring training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW3bRyPq0q4&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn_b5BcH_ww&feature=channel_page

Thats it for my first post of 2009. I’ll be updating regularly with news, rumors, transactions, winning series recaps, losing series excuses and in general lousy humor and shoddy reporting. As I learn how to use this more I am hoping to be able to make it easier to follow links.

Sweetlou

Mesa will soon become a battle ground. To the victor goes the final spot on the Cubs starting staff. The losers may get a spot in the pen, or may not make the major league club at all. From veteran hurlers to rookie phenoms, from crafty lefties to hard throwing righties, I cannot remember the last time the Chicago Cubs had so much talent battling for the last spot in the rotation. Just three years ago Glendon Rusch left spring training as the number 3 man on the Cubs staff. Dark times…

I cannot say I was heartbroken to see Jason Marquis traded to the Colorado Rockies earlier this year. Jason was brought in after the disastrous 2006 season in which no pitcher except for Carlos Zambrano started more than 25 games. Marquis was brought in to bring stability to the Cubs rotation, and to eat innings. In all honesty Marquis did what he was brought in to do. He also blew countless leads, and gave many Cubs fans heart attacks any time he was on the mound. Although the Cubs made the playoffs in the last two years, Jason did not start in any of the six games. Jason just wasn’t part of the long term Cub plan. Now the fifth spot in the rotation is open.

In the days before Spring Training officially kicks off I will write blogs about all of the guys competing for the final spot in the rotation. Starting with Chad Gaudin, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and ending with Aaron Heilman, I will give you my analysis on each pitcher.

Ryan Dempster took the loss for the Cubs as he was terrible on the mound in his 4 2/3 innings. Dempster was not his usual self as he walked seven batters including there in the fifth inning before he gave up a grand slam to James Loney. The Dodgers also hit solo home runs off of Jason Marquis and Sean Marshall in the game while tacking on another run off of Jeff Samardzija.

The Cubs had nine hits in the game, they just didn’t get the big hits that the Dodgers did. Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez only combined for two hits in the game. Mark DeRosa had both rbi’s for the Cubs when he hit a two-run home run in the second inning. The Cubs need more production and three or more hits in an inning to score some runs if they want to win game two.

Carlos Zambrano will take the mound on game two. Hopefully he comes out and gets ahead of hitters right away and the Cubs even up the series at one game each.

Cubs Baseball Blog

Cub’s fans got exactly what they expected out of newly acquired pitcher, Rich Harden, but it would take an 11^th inning RBI single from Reed Johnson to secure the Cubs second straight victory.  Harden was effective through 5 1/3^rd innings giving up five hits while striking out ten batters and giving up no runs.  It was the third time in his career that Harden had double-digit strikeout totals and the second this year.  He would leave to a standing ovation in the 5^th inning with a smile on his face that was shared throughout the electric crowd on hand at Wrigley. 

The Cubs would give Harden plenty of run support early led by Jim Edmonds 2-run homer in the 3^rd and then a two-run double in the 4^th.  He would finish the day 2-4 with four RBI’s and 2 runs.  The Cubs would then take a 7-0 lead into the 8^th inning before Giant’s catcher, Bengie Molina, doubled in Ray Durham for the Giant’s first run.  They would score once more to make it 7-2 heading into the 9^th inning. 

In the 9^th, with a five run lead, Lou Piniella gave the ball to Carlos Marmol, who has struggled of late.  After a lead-off double to Giant’s shortstop, Ivan Ochoa, things would begin to unravel for Marmol.  After another single and two Cub’s misplays in the infield, the game was quickly tied 7-7.  Cub’s closer, Kerry Wood was unavailable in the game due to a blister so Lou went with Sean Marshall in the 10^th.  Marshall pitched two solid innings before leading off with a single in the 11^th.  Then, with Mark DeRosa at 2^nd and Mike Fontenot at 1^st, Reed Johnson hit a one out, game-winning single which scored Derosa on a very close call at home plate. 

Expect the presence of broomsticks in Wrigley for the series closer Sunday afternoon as the Cubs look for the sweep.  They will be facing Giant’s ace and All-Star, Tim Lincecum (10-2), who has looked like a Cy Young winner despite pitching for a team below .500.  The Cubs will bring Ryan Dempster to mound who has yet to lose in Wrigley Field this season.

Special Note….  Cubs shortstop, Ryan Theriot, went 3-4 on Saturday extending his hitting streak to nine games and upping his batting average to .322 on the year.

The Cubs attempted a ninth inning rally and had the bases loaded with zero outs but Ronny Cedeno, Kosukue Fukudome, and Henry Blanco all struckout to end the game.  They were swinging at some very bad pitches for some reason.  You have to be more patient at the plate in that situation.

Jim Edmonds was the guy that got the Cubs back into the game as they were down 7-1 until he hit a three run home run in the seventh inning.  Aramis Ramirez then followed that with a two run single in the eighth inning to put the Cubs within striking distance but that was as close as they would get.  Fukudome did hit his sixth home run in the season as well.

Starting pitcher Sean Marshall struggled on the mound in the fourth and fifth innings as he only lasted 4 2/3 innings after giving up seven hits and four runs.  Marshall did strikeout seven batters but the fourt and fifth inning really hurt up.  Michael Wuertz wasn’t much better as he allowed two hits and three runs to score in only one inning of action.

The Cubs will now try to start another winning streak on Wednesday night.  Hopefully they can tie the series up at 1-1 with Ted Lilly on the mound.

Cubs Blog

Jon Lieber who was making his first start of the season gave up four home runs in the second inning alone.  Sean Marshall gave up back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning and Sean Gallagher gave up a home run in the sixth inning.  Joey Votto alone had three home runs for the Reds.

The Cubs only managed six hit the entire game.  They left twenty guys on base and struck out eleven times.

All around it was just a terrible game by the Cubs.  They will have an off day on Thursday and then begin a three game weekend series with the league leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

Cubs Blog