10 ThoughtsTo Ponder While Admiring The 2,000 Words Pictured Below
1) Last night's game kind of had the feeling of this game, although we're not vying for the division with Cincinnati like we were with St. Louis then.
2) Can Geovany Soto really be making a push for the postseason roster? Soto's nice weekend in St. Louis, compared with the continued godawful defensive play by Jason Kendall has forced Lou to give Soto a good look, particularly if Hank White's too injured to play, as may be the case. If Blanco's still healthy, Lou may want to consider taking a page out of Bobby Cox' book and carry three catchers on his playoff roster, with Kendall getting pulled in the later innings for defense.
3) Craig Monroe or Matt Murton for the playoff roster? It might come down to this. The easy choice is Murton, as he's simply a better hitter. Monroe did play in the World Series last year. Awfully. Murton's homer yesterday, and his recent display of power, gives him a leg up. Monroe's 8th inning GIDP last night hurts his cause.
4) Speaking of roster spots, Mike Fontenot's inability to effectively play shortstop may spell doom for him, and Ronny Cedeno can get in. I loathe Cedeno and have been appalled at his play all season but, crazy as it initially sounds, this actually would make sense. Fontenot hasn't helped himself with the bat of late, either.
5) I am told that the word ULTIMATE is literally defined as: last; furthest or farthest; ending a process or series. So let's hope Carnival-Barker-Turned-Club-President John McDonough has the deceny to apply the literal meaning of the word to the Cubs' most recent promotion. Pull the plug on this thing, and just play a tape of Harry beginning next season and move on.
6) Lou's Great Experiment begins tonight, as his two top studs take the bump on 3 days rest in order to choke the life out of Milwaukee. If it works, Lou's a genius. If it doesn't then, it just means we're going to go down to the season's final weekend.
7) Jock Jones still make me nervous in centerfield. Can Devin Hester play center?
8) Lou said in last night's postgame presser tonight that he feels if the Cubs merely win the remaining 4 series, they'll win the division. Taking 2 of 3 in these final four would mean 86 wins, which is close to what most people predicted for this division at the beginning of the season.
9) Kudos to Ryan Theriot for starting last night's rally with a walk. The devil's in the details, and Theriot's ability to make Dave Weather immediately uncomfortable is a detail that should not be lost amid Ramirez' big triple, and DeRosa's game-winning hit.
10) A quick look back at the season tells me that the Cubs are 5-4 in games in which I have personally attended, and I get to finish the season by going out both tonight and tomorrow night to see Lou's new pitching experiment. The next time I go out to the park will hopefully be in October and not April.
Kick ass Cubs
time to update the Zambran-O-Meter!!
And if we win the division, time to update Zambrano and point that big ass finger up to the sky!!
Nuh uh
For superstitious reasons, I will not be updating the Zambran-0-Meter until the Cubs clinch, or fall out of it. It could just be me, but it seems that whenever I do an update, the Cubs tank for a while.
I think it will be Murton AND Monroe
What you will not see on the playoff roster:
Sean Marshall
Steve Trachsel
Four starters; seven relievers - giving Lou the flexibility of a "12-man" pitching staff while also giving him the flexibility of an extra bench player.
And you gotta dress Soto over Hank White. Sorry, Andy.
4 and 7
So the 7 relievers would be
Dempster
Marmol
Howry
Eyre
Wood
Wuertz
and?
and?
Ohman? Good god.
Personally, I think Kevin Hart has shown ballz of steel. His first outing was a bases loaded, no-out abortion that Ohman left on the field for him, and he wiggled out of it only giving up 1. Since then, he's been pretty solid.
Also, if they make the playoffs and play the Mets, Kendall will definitely have to sit that one out, as NY runs like crazy.
Postseason Roster
1.) Geovany Soto needs to be on the postseason roster. Not necessarily at the expense of Hank White. Carrying 3 catchers would not be a bad idea. Kendall calls the best game and is a good contact hitter, but is just abominable on defense. Have Kendall sit the NY series and have the rocket arms of Hank and Soto do the catching then, with Kendall as a pinch hitter if we need a base hit. There's a place for all of them though, and a need for all of them - Soto can hit the ball out of the park!
2.) I also agree that we drop Fontenot for the postseason roster. He hasn't done anything down the stretch, we need the roster space, and he doesn't have a particular specialty (e.g. Fuld's speed, Blanco's defense) to justify his presence. DeRosa and Theriot have the middle infield.
3.) I don't fault Zambrano for the loss last night - he was on short rest, and there was plenty of squandered offensive opportunities. And I don't expect them to win every game out. It's just incredible that they win 7 of 10 and gain NO ground in the standings.
4.) Why not start Kevin Hart? For that matter, he'd better be on the postseason roster. He's got great stuff - especially that 92 MPH cutter. I concur with the comment that he has shown remarkable poise and mental toughness. Great option for long relief, especially since his name isn't Trachsel or (heaven forbid) Marshall.
Is Soto even eligible for the post season roster?
I don't think the Cubs can put Soto on the post season roster even if they wanted to.