Fourth And Long
The End Of The Season
Hard to believe, it's our final 2010 regular season blog post today. I guess I will leave you with this--what ended up being a disappointing year at least ended on a positive note. This thing could have really gotten away from Mike Quade, who took over a club in August appeared to be heading down a 100-loss path. But they got it back together rather quickly and while the Cubs' fate had already been sealed, they finished as strong as you could have hoped for. It all starts with the pitching and the Cubs' staff has been lights-out, particularly a bullpen that got off to such a bad start. I've said this a lot, but I will repeat it one more time--Mike Quade has done everything to earn a return as the permanent skipper. I hope he gets it. I don't make these decisions, but I think the Cubs are going to have a very difficult time finding another candidate who fits the job better than Q has. Len
Cub Game Notes For Friday @ Houston
* Houston has won 10 of its 15 games against the Cubs this season, a big turnaround from 2009, when the Cubs won 11 of the 17 meetings.
* The Cubs are 22-12 under interim manager Mike Quade.
* Houston has a team .304 OBP in home games this season - lowest among all N.L. clubs.
* Casey Coleman has been much better on the road (2-1, 2.96 ERA, .206 opponent BA) than at home (1-1, 6.75 ERA, .330 opponent BA) in his rookie season. His 2.96 road ERA is 6th best by a rookie this season (min. 4 road starts).
* Bud Norris is 5-0 with a 2.25 ERA and .170 opponent average at home since July 28 (the Astros are 6-0 in these contests). That .170 opponent average in home games is 3rd best in the majors over this date span (min. 90 BFP), behind Ted Lilly (.163) and Norris's teammate Wandy Rodriguez (.164).
*Jeff Keppinger is hitting .333 (18/54) with eight RBI against the Cubs this season. Overall, he has set career highs in runs (62), hits (147), and RBI (59) this season.
Podcast: Sayin' good-bye to the ballpark
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Which Will It Z?
But, the minute you trade him away (and probably have to eat a fair amount of his remaining contract), you find yourself trying to replace a top of the rotation pitcher.
It's a tough dilemma for Jim Hendry. My guess is that Z will be here next year. I think Jim would listen to any offers, but I just don't envision him getting dealt this winter. Just my hunch. There are other areas of concern on this team that probably need to be addressed first, so let's hope the guy we've seen these last 2 months is the Carlos Zambrano we can expect to see next year.
And oh by the way, even if the Cubs wanted to trade Carlos, he would have to approve it. He has a no-trade clause.
Cubs Try To Be Padres Speed Bump
Big series starting tonight in San Diego. The Padres and Giants continue to swap places in the NL West. The Giants go into tonight leading by a 1/2 game. San Diego is a 1/2 game up on Atlanta for the Wildcard, so it could get a little crazy this week.
Len
Cub Game Notes For Monday @ San Diego
* San Diego has won nine of its last 10 games against the Cubs, including all four matchups between the teams this season.
* The Cubs have won six straight and eight of their last nine road games. They are 14-3 away from home since August 14 - the second-best road record in the majors in that span.
* San Diego's 120 stolen bases this season are the second-most among NL clubs. The Padres are 54-14 in games in which they steal at least one base this season.
* Carlos Zambrano is 6-0 with a 1.21 ERA in his last eight starts and is 6-2 in 11 career starts against the Padres. Six of Zambrano's nine wins this season have come on the road.
* Tim Stauffer is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in five starts this season and will be making his first start against the Cubs since June of 2005 (a loss).
* Adrian Gonzalez hit his 30th home run of the season against the Reds yesterday, reaching 30 homers for the fourth consecutive season. Gonzalez has one homer in four games against the Cubs this season.