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The Chicago Cubs are having fun on the road.

They scored a total of eight runs in the first four innings on Saturday night as they beat the Houston Astros 8-3 in the second game of the final series of the 2010 season.

They improve the record of their current season-ending road trip to 5-1 and they will get a chance to sweep their division arch-rivals Sunday afternoon.

Aramis Ramirez produced four runs with a grand slam in the fourth inning.  Marlon Byrd also had a three-RBI night.

The Cubs offense gave their starter Carlos Zambrano a two-run cushion in the first even before he (11-6) went onto the mound for his 20th start of the season.

The lead-off Jeff Baker received a walk from the Astros starting pitcher, J.A. Happ.  Starlin Castro followed with a double that advanced Baker to third.  Byrd drove in Baker on a groundout to shortstop. 

The inning continued; Ramirez received a walk.  After Xavier Nady’s strikeout, Alfonso Soriano doubled to left field to score Castro from second base.

The Cubs scored another pair of runs in the second to make it 4-0 in the following inning.  Both Zambrano and Baker tallied on Byrd’s left-field single. 

And in the fourth inning, the Cubs doubled their four-run lead.

Baker, who opened the inning, was save at first on Astros third baseman Chris Johnson’s throwing error.  Castro then singled a ground ball to Happ and Byrd’s base hit to center field loaded the bases with no out. 

The following batter, Ramirez, crushed Happ’s changeup and turned it into his 26th home run of the season which went over the left-field wall. 

Putting the Astros to an eight-run deficit, Happ (6-4) was forced to exit the game early right after Ramirez’s ninth grand slam of his career.  The southpaw gave up eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits in three-plus innings.  He walked five of the 22 batters he faced and struck out three.

The Astros tried hard from the beginning to overcome the deficit but they chose the wrong day to do so as the red hot Zambrano was starting for the Cubs. 

The right-hander, who was 7-0 in nine starts since the August 14, pitched another gem for his last start of the year.  He three-hit the home side in 6.1 innings giving up three runs (two earned).  He also struck out five and only walked three.  In the first sixth innings, he allowed three base runners only.

Houston scored all of their runs in the seventh inning off Zambrano.  But four Cubs relievers combined to blank the opponents for the rest of the game and preserved the Cubs victory. 

This article is also featured on www.sportshaze.com

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On August 17, 2007, it was difficult to see exactly how stable the Chicago Cubs would be in the long-term.

There were still seven years left on Alfonso Soriano’s contract, four left on Aramis Ramirez’s, and three on Derrek Lee’s and Ted Lilly’s, but Soriano, Lee, and Lilly were all heading into their age 32 seasons. Young players like Rich Hill, Sean Marshall, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman, and Ryan Theriot had shown some promise but weren’t far enough into their careers to even approach status as a known quantity.

Michael Barrett, who was eventually traded, and Jacque Jones were having much worse offensive seasons than expected. Mark Prior, who was later released, had season-ending shoulder surgery before the season, and Kerry Wood was only 5.2 innings into his comeback as a full-time reliever.

And then there was the ownership situation.

Back in April of that year, all shares of the Tribune Co., the parent company of the Cubs at the time, were bought out by Sam Zell. The new owner immediately announced his plans to sell the team, Wrigley Field, and possibly even the naming rights to Wrigley Field.

So when the Cubs announced that they had reached a five-year, $91.5 million agreement with 26-year-old ace Carlos Zambrano, buying out his first five years of free agency, it was clear that they were trying to lock up someone that North Siders could count on for years to come.

The talent was clearly there and he had already put up some impressive numbers for a young pitcher. Between 2003 and 2007, Zambrano struck out 7.9 batters per nine innings, held batters to a .224/.315/.346 batting line, kept up a 3.30 ERA, and averaged 215 innings pitched every year.

But Zambrano’s temper had already become a topic for discussion after his altercation with Barrett in June of 2007. Meanwhile, his velocity had already begun to drop. Also, in his five seasons of being a full-time major league starter, 2007 was easily the worst up to that point.

His 2008 campaign would have set a new low point for Carlos (relatively speaking) if not for his September 14 no-hitter against the displaced Astros with an arm fresh off of 11 days rest. Rather than bouncing back the following year, 2009 followed the same trend as the previous two and was the second straight season below 200 innings with only 169.1 on the year due to two stints on the disabled list.

Coming into this season, Zambrano had dropped 15 pounds, his cutter, and, supposedly, his attitude. Expectations were high, including from manager Lou Piniella, but Z’s strong performance in spring training was followed by an ugly season opener against the Braves, three sub-par outings, and a switch to the bullpen.

He had his ups and downs in his five weeks as a reliever, returned to the rotation with three more sub-par starts, and had a very solid outing against the Angels on June 20.

Then all hell broke loose.

In the first inning of an interleague game against the White Sox, Zambrano gave up four runs on four hits. He then had a now-infamous tirade in the dugout directed towards his teammates’ effort on the field, was removed from the game, and was suspended indefinitely.

Opinions flew about what the Cubs should do with the big right-hander, but the vast majority stayed within the same theme: get rid of him however you can.

The Cubs put Zambrano on the restricted list on June 29, announced that he was going to be evaluated by professionals and undergo treatment for his anger issues, and made it clear that he would return to the bullpen when he eventually did come back.

After four minor league outings in late July, he finally returned to the big league team for three unimpressive outings from the bullpen before returning to the rotation once again.

So what has he done since then?

Well, he’s averaged 6.1 innings per game in nine starts, posted a 1.42 ERA, racked up 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings, and held opposing batters to a .194/.315/.235 batting line.

His walk totals have been less-than-stellar, leading to the .315 opponent on-base percentage I just mentioned, but he has otherwise been the sort of pitcher Cubs fans had hoped for when he signed his deal just over three years ago.

Now the Cubs might have their ace back after a three-year hiatus. And he’s still just 29 years old.

The fact that he’s performing at this level with his velocity near the lowest levels it has ever been is very encouraging for the simple reason that it might very well signal his maturation as a pitcher. If he has also matured as a person, then all the backlash towards his tirade earlier this season might be an overreaction in hindsight.

Rather than being the impetus for his departure from the only organization he’s ever known, his tantrum might have been the wake-up call he needed to get his career back on track for its final two or three years.

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The 2010 MLB season is drawing to a close, and while many teams and their fans are looking to the postseason, others are already looking to next year. In the case of some players, next year could bring major changes.

Recently, there have been reports of players being unhappy with their situations and requesting trades, most notably Colby Rasmus of the Cardinals and Prince Fielder of the Brewers. Other players look like they have been wanting out for a while, and as a result they may do just that.

The following is a list of 10 players who could be in a different uniform next season. Some, like those listed above, are almost guaranteed to be gone, while others on this list are long shots and likely will remain with their current team, at least in my opinion.

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Times are changing and Twitter has quickly become a great source of sports information. Everyone from sports stars to professional sports writers to Internet-famed sports bloggers are writing daily. So TheFantasyFix.com decided it was time to host a roundtable discussion with the LADIES of TWITTER!

So here was the question:

As the conclusion of the 2010 Major League Baseball regular season approaches, we would like to identify those players who fell short of expectations (busts) and those who exceeded expectations (surprises).

Name one bust/surprise to this point of the 2010 season (describe their 2010) and state what you expect from them in the 2011 season. (rebound, maintain, regress etc..)

And away we go!…

Biggest Bust Of 2010: Jason Bay | LF | New York Mets

Jason Bay was a highly coveted free agent after the 2009 season. He was a three-time All-Star who had just hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI. With the exception of a .745 OPS in 2007, Bay had an OPS of near .900 or better every season from 2003-09.

As a result, the New York Mets rewarded him with one of the worst contracts in Major League Baseball—a four-year, $66 million deal that could top $80 million with a vesting option in the fifth year.

Bay will turn 32 in less than a month. His age, history of injuries (shoulder surgery in 2003 and arthroscopic knee surgery in 2006), and sub-par defense (lifetime UZR/150 of -7.8 in left field) should have deterred the Mets from offering such a lopsided contract. The Boston Red Sox’s best offer in retaining Bay was a four-year deal between $60 million and $65 million; they refused to include a fifth year.

Thus, with his monstrous contract and even higher expectations for on-field performance, Bay is the biggest bust of 2010. He has not played since suffering a concussion in July nor do the Mets expect him to come back before season’s end.

Not only was his fielding below average (-3.9 UZR/150), he struggled with swinging the bat. Bay was batting .259 with six home runs, 47 RBI, and an OPS of .749. He’ll most likely miss 40 percent of the season. The Mets clearly didn’t pay Bay an average of $16.5 million a year for him to play bad defense, hit an offensive wall, and then sit out with an injury.

Continue reading >>>>

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Matt Kemp has had a poor season for the lofty expectations that were set for him. I projected the Los Angeles centerfielder at .301 BA/25 HR/111 RBI/28 SB. He was ranked as the second best fantasy outfielder by most, but just hasn’t been that good. He is currently at .255/22/74/18.

While most players would be more than happy to post these numbers for a season, Kemp has been outperformed by teammate Andre Ethier and there have even been trade rumors regarding moving Kemp from the Dodgers.

For those in keeper leagues, now is the time to pounce. This guy turns 26 at the end of September and is likely to return to his once lofty status. The batting average and RBI are lower than expected, but he quietly went .302/5/17/3 in August. This is not a guy to ignore, Kemp is a guy to pursue and his owner might be willing to sell him at a discount.

Another Dodgers outfielder not putting up numbers expected of him is Manny Ramirez. He appears to be on his way to Chicago’s south side. A grumpy Manny is not a useful piece to his team, but a happy Manny can be a one-man wrecking crew.

For a reminder of his ability to turn it on, see his stats from 2008 when he was traded to the Dodgers. After sulking in Boston for 100 games, he was sitting at .299/20/68, but in only 53 games with the Dodgers, Man-Ram posted a line of .396/17/53. The moral of the story is that Manny gets bored and needs a change of scenery to regain his interest. He’s about to get the change he desires.

This week, all teams are scheduled to play at least six games while Cleveland, New York (both), Oakland, Seattle, Atlanta, Colorado, and Philadelphia are all on the docket for seven.

Now, the projected two-start pitchers for this week. For those of you in leagues who require you to set your lineup at the beginning of the week, these are guys you should strongly consider:

Rick’s Picks
Five best bets for double-start pitchers this week

1. Roy Halladay. Best pitcher in baseball. Enough said.

2. Carlos Zambrano has had his fair share of drama this season but when his head is in the game, he is one of the best. Getting the Pirates and Mets at home this week will be the right tonic for Big Z.

3. Phil Hughes gets Oakland and Toronto at home. What’s not to like?

4. Wade LeBlanc gets the benefit of two starts this week for a somehow still upright Padres team. This team is still winning despite all the signs that say they should be mediocre. LeBlanc will take advantage at Arizona and at home against Colorado.

5. Jair Jurrjens is a tremendous pitcher at home and mediocre on the road. He gets the Mets in Atlanta and then the Marlins on the road, so look for one big outing and then a crap shoot in the second matchup.

Rick Milleman is the head fantasy baseball contributor at DraftBuddy.com. Check his annual player projections included in the Cheatsheet Compiler & Draft Buddy to help draft your championship team.

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The San Diego Padres are simply too strong for the Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs could not avoid the sweep by the NL West leaders Thursday afternoon.  Once again, their bullpen sank and a careless defensive play in the seventh inning put them down 5-3 in the series finale.

Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs’ starter, did not have a stellar performance.  However, he managed to limit the Padres to one run and four hits in six innings.  Even though he walked far too many batters—giving six Padres free passes to first base—he got out of his jams, stranding runners one inning after another.

Well…except in the second, when the Padres took a 1-0 lead. 

He issued back-to-back walks to Yorvit Torrealba and Will Venable.  Chris Denorfia followed and loaded the bases with a single to shortstop.  One out later, Jerry Hairston, Jr. hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Torrealba from third.

The Cubs scored two runs off Mat Latos in the sixth for a 2-1 lead, the first time they had a lead in this series.  Lead-off man Kosuke Fukudome singled and scored on Marlon Byrd’s line-drive double to left field.  Aramis Ramirez also doubled to left field to drive in Byrd. 

The lead did not last long.  The following inning hurt the Cubs.  The Padres scored four runs with help from the careless Cubs’ defense.

Left-handed reliever Sean Marshall was brought in to try to protect the Cubs’ one-run lead.  But he walked lead-off batter Miguel Tejada and gave up a single to Adrian Gonzalez.  Ryan Ludwick tied the game with an RBI single that brought Tejada home. 

Chase Headley followed with another single to load the bases.  One out later, Venable hit a single to score Gonzalez and Ludwick.

Then with Headley on third and Venable on second, Chris Denorfia hit a ground ball to third baseman Aramis Ramirez.  Headley tried to head home, but he was tagged out on a 5-2-5 rundown.  Having already reached third on the play, Venable caught the Cubs off guard.  Seeing no Cub covering home plate, he hustled home and scored before the late relay arrived.

Marshall (6-4), who had not given up a run in the month of August, blew the save and took the loss.

On the other hand, Padres starter Latos (13-5) tossed seven innings, giving up two runs with 10 strikeouts and one walk for the Padres, who improve their season record to a National League-best 73-47.  They sit six games over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

The Cubs got a consolation run in the bottom of ninth.  Alfonso Soriano scored on Blake DeWitt’s two-out single.  But Heath Bell struck out Koyie Hill, the potential game-tying run, to end the game for his 37th save of the year.

NOTE: The Cubs recalled outfielder Sam Fuld from Triple-A Iowa Thursday.  He pinch-hit in the sixth inning.

The article is also featured on www.sportshaze.com.

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It’s been awhile since the last article in this series. I’ve been busy lately, but I’m dead set on finishing it up, and I only have this and one more to go.

One thing that seemed to spark some confusion was the subject of the last article. I had a few people asking why I didn’t include certain players.

Well, throughout each of my articles, I’ve been trying to cover any player who might have a chance at the Hall of Fame by position; with pitchers, though, there were too many to compress into one article.

I needed to split it up, and, when I divided it into three articles, based on division, it worked out fairly well. The first article was comprised of pitchers in the AL and NL East; this one is the AL and NL Central; the last will be the AL and NL West. 

And so, the Hall candidates from the Central Divisions.

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With only a few more months to go before a champion is crowned, the 2010 season is winding down. As always, there are those players who have outplayed their current contract and those players who haven’t lived up to the millions of dollars that they are being paid.

Problems with age, injuries, and plain-old ineffectiveness are some reasons why these players made the list. It may not be fair to pick on someone who has battled injuries, but the club still has to pay the salary regardless if they are hurt or not. 

This list is in no particular order, so I will let you guys debate who belongs where.

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In case you haven’t heard the news, brace yourself, Cubs fans. Carlos Zambrano is a starter again. He is scheduled to start on Monday.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you lose it,” Zambrano said of starting again. “I don’t want to lose this opportunity. I just want to take advantage [of it] be prepared and be ready for the last two months.”

Listen Carlos, we’d love for you to pitch well so we can ship you out of town after the season.

Now, if this news is not quite what you were hoping for, keep in mind that there isn’t much of anything to hope for in this lost season.

No, I take that back—there are some positives to be taken from this otherwise miserable Cubs season.

First, the play of Marlon Byrd has really been exceptional, especially given his relatively low price tag. Byrd has been above average in all aspects: hitting, fielding, and in terms of looking like someone who actually has a pulse out there.

Another good thing has been the development of Starlin Castro. While still awfully young, he looks like a future star…lin…OK enough of the bad puns.

But seriously, he looks to be someone who will hit for averages above .300 while playing above average defense. If he develops some power, which I think he will, the skies the limit with this kid.

Meanwhile Tyler Colvin is… still some what of a question mark, though his power will certainly play. He has slugged 17 homers in just 256 ABs, which is quite impressive, but we’d like to see him have a better eye at the plate, and he sometimes gets bad jumps and runs bad routes in the outfield.

If he hits 30 homers a season, you’ll live with a .250 average, and a .300 OBP. There is no question that the kid has been a bright spot.

But the thing that impresses me the most is the comeback of Geo Soto. Left for baseball-dead following his miserable 2009 campaign, he is once again playing like the rookie-of-the-year from two years ago.

He is hitting for power again, and his plate discipline is out of this world as he hovers around the .400 OBP mark. He is even throwing better.

Hey, even Alfonso Soriano is much improved over 2009.

Carlos Marmol can’t be hit. With better control he would be the best reliever in baseball, and Thomas Diamond may be a diamond in the rough.

Alright, I said I wouldn’t go there but a tiger can’t change its stripes that easily.

Still, the news from Paul Sullivan that the Cubs may be calling up some of their organizational “fillers”—you know, guys who are not prospects but serve as roster depth —like Micah Hoffpauir, Brad Snyder and Bryan LaHair—is puzzling.

Those three guys have no future with the Cubs. They are too old to be prospects, as The Hoff will be 31, and the other two 28 years old.  

Now, the other kids mentioned in Sullivan’s piece—Darwin Barney and Wellington Castillo —makes sense since they could compete for bench roles in 2011.

At least they would give the Cubs some roster depth in case guys like Mike Fontenot, and Xavier Nady who are claimed off waivers.

See how this goes? I turned an otherwise mundane, ho hum, Zambrano-back-to-the- rotation story into something at least somewhat positive. 

Oh, by the way, did I mention the 15-3 win over the Brewers today?

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You may remember about a month or so ago, former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior had a workout in front of several major league scouts and general managers. By all accounts, Prior was just “OK” in that throwing session.

On Tuesday Prior showed just how serious he is with his most recent comeback attempt. The former second overall pick in the MLB draft pitched a scoreless sixth inning for the Orange County Flyers of the independent Golden Baseball League. According to the manager of the Flyers, Paul Abbott, Prior will be used as a setup man.

Prior hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2006 for the Cubs. He spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons recovering from various surgeries while spending last season in the minors for the San Diego Padres. He was released from his contract on August 1, 2009, after he had failed to impress enough to deserve a callup to the big league club.

Does anyone else find it interesting that in the same week former teammate Kerry Wood begins his role as a setup man for the New York Yankees and that Prior is restarting his career in the same role? Another fun fact, did anyone ever think we would have seen the three aces of the 2003 season (Wood, Prior, and Zambrano) would all find themselves at the same time and for three different teams?

For all things Chicago sports visit the home of Da Chicago Fan

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