5/8/12 Atlanta Braves 3, Chicago Cubs 1

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Game 2 of 3

Nick Devlin needs to watch more Cubs games! On a recent episode of the excellent Central Message Podcast, Nick (a Cubs fan) confessed to his Cardinal fan co-host Nick Selby (yes, two Nicks…that’s a great deal of #want) that he really hasn’t been watching the Cubs at all this year. Well, who can blame him? All of us have been told, and for the most part expect, that this season is going to be another losing season while new management works out the kinks in the current roster. See how I artfully dodged the “R” word? For what it’s worth, I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far…for a team that is supposed to suck, they are playing a little bit better than you’d think. This early on, we are still discussing all of this in terms of very Small Sample Size, but with the first week in May almost in the books, I would have thought the Cubs would be the worst team in baseball, and they aren’t.

Sure, there’s heartbreak…sure, there’s hand-wringing and sanctimony about this and that…sure, there are plenty of armchair GMs pleading for the callup of Rizzo and Jackson…sure, there is this Bryan LaHair guy who is riding a Small Sample Size tunnel into certain baseball damnation…but all that aside, I’m saying that if you are “ignoring” the Cubs this season because they are bad and you know they are going to be bad, you should still be watching. If for no other reason, than for pitching, particularly starting pitching. Set Chris Volstad aside (sigh) and as a Cubs fan, you’re seeing the best stuff you could ever HOPE for from Jeff Samardzija, the kind of Matt Garza you expect (even when the team is lousy), improved performance from Paul Maholm after a shaky start, and yes, the proverbial icing on the cake…the most wonderful Small Sample Size season start with the most bitter aftertaste for everyone’s favorite punching-bag pitcher, Ryan Dempster.

Okay, maybe not everyone’s, but certainly mine...so much over the past few years that my kids have learned to call him “Ryan Dumpster” under my influence, so much that over the past few years every time I see any pitcher throw 3-4 great innings and then completely fall apart, that pitcher morphs into a doppleganger of Ryan Dempster as seen through my eyes. But I’m not going to subscribe to this anymore; Ryan Dempster, you have my seal of Cub fan approval.

What is true, is that Dempster is enjoying the best season start as a start in his entire 14-year MLB career, with an ERA of 1.02 after tonight’s game. This season, Dempster has only started 5 games, due to his recent DL visit (where he usually would have started 7 or 8 by now), but if you remove his partial 2004 season and his 2006 and 2007 seasons as the Cubs’ closer, the best Dempster has done in terms of ERA but the close of this date (plus or minus a few calendar days) is 2.39 in 2000 with the Marlins (as a Cub, it was 2.72 in 2008). Where the bitter aftertaste lies is in the knob-worthy W-L statistic still oh so important in pitching performance metrics; in 5 games, Dempster has a 0-1 record and has only earned a whopping 5 runs in support of each of his starts, never pitching less than 6 innings and only allowing 6 runs total (4 of them earned). At age 35, he’s starting out literally on fire…but the Cubs are letting him down, and that’s where the Small Sample Size really comes into play. Sure, it’s early, but for the luvvapete, if the bats are there to support Samardzija, why not Dempster?

We can’t forsake the Cubs’ offense for Dempster’s W-L woes, not entirely. Tonight, the Cubs helped Dempster leave the game with a tie. In gruesome shades of the memorable Cubs home opener on April 5, there’s another culprit involved.

His name is KERRY WOOD.

The situation was different (on the 5th, Dempster was the pitcher of record with a one-run lead) but the question I’m still asking myself is, “Whither Kerry Wood?” I ask this philosophically, and in a manner as delicate as I can to avoid committing Cub fan blasphemy, but I will be more direct: what is the point? On record, Wood is more than likely just as effective in any given situation as the rest of the Cubs bullpen (Marmol: don’t even go there) but as recently as a month ago, we’ve seen this before. Kerry gets the ball in the 8th inning and wastes very little time in allowing the Braves to add 2 more runs on the board with only one batter retired in the process, and 2 getting free passes.

Oh, and HOORAY we are all supposed to be elated when Wood picks off Brian McCann at second base to abruptly end the inning and prevent more run damage, but the only emotion I’m experiencing is mental anguish. I’ve already said the Cubs are better this season than I expected; Wood’s hysterical manipulation of a lead (or the threat of a lead) is not very humorous, given the situation. I would rather laugh at Carlos Marmol (who is hilarious and does really look like a cartoon character) than see Kerry Wood at his worst, even at a time like this when the front office is adamant about the importance of “not winning.” It gets worse when after the pick-off, Wood throws his glove and cap into the stands in disgust on his way back to the dugout. I suppose somebody has to carry the “pout torch” vacancy left by Carlos Zambrano, who better than one of his beloved former teammates?

But, I digress...perhaps Nick Devlin was watching tonight, he does follow the Braves as he lives in the Atlanta area…so Nick, now that I have your attention: HEY, why is this the first time I’m hearing about this Randall Delgado fellow?

I can’t tell you how I missed him last year (I will rely on the old scorekeeper standby “wasn’t watching” in lieu of a reasonable explanation) but I’m watching him now. The 22-year old from Las Tablas, Panama (ah! I’m a fan of Panamanian Braves prospect Christian Bethancourt, so that’s two wacky Panamanians I know in the Braves system!) has been a little bit erratic in 6 games this season, but tonight he handcuffed the Cubs with a gruesome change-up; allowing only 3 hits, 1 run, walking 3 and striking out 5. So young, so good…so what?? We shall see!

Go CUBS!

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4/5/12 Washington Nationals 2, Chicago Cubs 1

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Game 1 of 3
Cubs Home Opener (on Opening Day Number 3)

Ah, yes…the sun is out, the grass is green, and BASEBALL SEASON has arrived! It was cool and the wind was blowing in at Wrigley, but you just couldn’t wipe off the smiles of the Chicago faithful as the Cubs host the Nationals to start the 2012 regular season. Not unless a pitching change out of “left field” comes along…



Fans were hopeful for a pitcher’s duel, with Ryan Dempster starting for the Cubs and the phenom Stephen Strasburg on the mound for the Nationals…and we got to see a pitcher’s duel! But we ultimately ended up seeing a pitcher’s fool instead.



Each starter’s lines didn’t look anything like what I had expected, actually quite the inverse. Strasburg didn’t record a K until the 5th inning, throwing heat and throwing it well but throwing it to contact today. Dempster, on the other hand, was ballistic, recording 10 Ks in 7.2 IP. He topped 9 Ks in a game only once in 2011, against the San Francisco Giants in Chicago on May 13th.

The Nationals were shockingly handcuffed by Dempster, who allowed one hit in the first inning and no more until the 8th. Strasburg was nearly as effective, yet had allowed 5 hits and 1 earned run through the 7th. The first of those hits was an amazing infield pop-up single by Starlin Castro in his first at bat, on a ball that Strasburg quickly identified with his index finger in the air, then inexplicably ran out of the way, allowing it to drop and Castro to reach first on his tippy toes.

Dempster and the Cubs had that one-run lead sharply penciled in through the 7th. In the 8th inning, Dempster struck out former Cub PH Chad Tracy, allowed a single from Ian Desmond, and then struck out Danny Espinosa. 2 out, 1 on, 105 pitches so far (71 for strikes), and with only one out left to escape the inning…uh oh. Sveumus heads to the mound, at first I thought to talk to Dempster on how to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman, and then…then he took the ball!!! Huh???!???

”Sveumus” is new Cubs manager Dale Sveum; for non-Cubs fans the “Sveumus” is a play on something else you probably don’t care about…

I can’t seem to figure out why this happened. Dempster was still cruising, and 105-plus pitches isn’t an unusual chore from this guy. Dempster threw 105 or more pitches 19 times in 2011, the Cubs were 9-7 when he did if that matters to you. I don’t like to pass myself off as an armchair GM, but at this moment, when Kerry Wood comes charging onto the field, I am literally pulling my own ears off, one ear at a time.

Why did this happen? Was it Sveum’s plan to have Wood walk Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche (who had struck out swinging against Dempster in all 3 of his plate appearances, he LOVES to swing at the 84 mph split-finger FB!!) to pitch to Jayson Werth (who is 0-for-7 in his career AB against Dempster)??? That must have been the plan, and well-executed too. With only one strike left to retire Zimmerman, Wood walks him as well as the agitated LaRoche and the bags are full of Nats. With the count full, Wood’s fastball rises too late, and Werth walks in a run. The game is tied, and God help me, I can’t stop the bleeding from my ear-holes.

I feel all the love a Cubs fan can feel for Kerry Wood, but I feel extreme pain in the spots where my ears were over his entrance into this game. I asked my friends on twitter if they had any ideas as to why this move was made, and I didn’t get a response.

In the top of the 9th but the Nationals do something more…Tracy doubles off of Carlos Marmol with 2 outs and the pesky Nat Ian Desmond scratches his 3rd base hit of the day in 5 at-bats. Tracy scores, and even a timely triple from Ian Stewart (who could only dribble a ground ball 2 feet in front of him in 2 of his 3 at-bats against Strasburg) wasn’t enough of a rally.

I laughed dismissively at first, but after Byrd struck out looking against Brad Lidge to end the game, my only consolation was to replay the pre-game excitement, featuring Bill Murray’s ceremonial first pitch, which in turn was preceded by a fearless huff around the bases. Watching the second time around, I felt that I loved this.

Murray sang the 7th inning stretch (along with Big Head Todd, WTF?!?), and talked to Len and Bob for the bottom of the 7th as well as the top of the 8th, while Wood was working his magic. Len commented on how much of a “true fan” Murray was for keeping score during the interview segment.

Go CUBS!




If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter
(I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!

2011 League Division Series - Best Pitchers*

* according to Bill James' Game Score

And the WINNER is...

CHRIS CARPENTER!

Now before you say "DUH" let's review Bill James' Game Score real quick.

In case you didn't know, "Game Score" is a neat and easy and FUN way to look at a starting pitcher's line in a Box Score and apply a basic formula on the stats to come up with a fundamental 'score' that "determines the strength of a pitcher in any particular baseball game.

To determine a starting pitcher's game score:

1.Start with 50 points.
2.Add 1 point for each out recorded, so 3 points for every complete inning pitched.
3.Add 2 points for each inning completed after the 4th.
4.Add 1 point for each strikeout.
5.Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed.
6.Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed.
7.Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed.
8.Subtract 1 point for each walk.

The maximum possible score in a 9-inning game with no baserunners allowed is 114, but of course this is possible only if the starting pitcher goes nine innings, strikes out every single batter he faces, and faces no more than 3 batters per inning. The exception to this gets a little hairy mathematically, but is never impossible...because this is baseball.

FYI, the highest game score for a 9-inning game in the history of baseball happened on May 6, 1998, when Kerry "Kid K" Wood famously struck out 20 Astros at Wrigley Field. Yowsah, that Game Score was 105.

So I thought it would be a "hoot" to complie Game Score for all SP during the postseason; now that the League Division Series is over...here are the results, and the top 5 winners:

Chris Carpenter (84) 10/7/11 STL @ PHI NLDS G5
Yovani Gallardo (78) 10/1/11 ARI @ MIL NLDS G1
Matt Moore (77) 9/30/11 TB @ TEX ALDS G1
Josh Collmenter (73) MIL @ ARI NLDS G3
Roy Halladay (72) STL @ PHI NLDS G5

Interesting notes I made, regarding the top 5:
Only 1 AL pitcher appeared in the top 5 (Moore)
Only 1 pitcher earned his score at home (Collmenter)
Only 1 pitcher did not win the game (Halladay)
Each of the 4 contending NL pitchers made the top 5

In general (all 38 pitchers with starts in the LDS):
Lowest score - Randy Wolf (14) 10/5/11 MIL @ ARI NLDS G4
Lowest score by a winning pitcher - Derek Holland (47) 10/1/11 TB @ TEX ALDS G2
Average Game Score by SP in the 2011 LDS: 50.6

So now you can say "DUH"...I think even folks who have been dead for several years said nothing less than "WOW" when Carp tossed his gem on 10/7/11 to efficiently help the Cardinals advance to the LCS...Halladay's top score as the losing pitcher in that very same game also speaks volumes to the level of competition seen during that game.

You can review my work on the spreadsheet on Google Docs.

I will continue to tally the Game Score for the LCS, and post the results when that phase of the postseason is over.

If you enjoy my work, I encourage you to spread the word via Twitter (I am @yoshiki89), and also please leave a comment!

5/3/11 Chicago Cubs 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 1

Dodgers Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Game 2 of 3

Buy your Carlos Peña jersey NOW!!! …while he’s HOT!!



The Los Angeles Dodgers, even though nobody seems to care much for them this year, are pretty good at playing baseball. The Cubs not only played well, but a couple of REALLY FANTASTIC things happened during this game:

Carlos Peña hits his first Home Run as a Cub!

Ryan Dempster pitches more than 4 good innings (7 great innings actually!)



It was Dempster’s 34th birthday and his first start since getting particularly sliced up by the Diamondbacks in his shortest career start ever on 4/29/11. If that isn’t a motivator for the ‘next time around’ I don’t know what is, but we are talking about Ryan Dempster and I know this isn’t the first year I’ve wondered how much gas he has left in his tank as a better than average starting pitcher. 7IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 5K, WP, 27BF, 114 pitches, 75 strikes…that’s a pretty snazzy line for a guy who’s pitching in his mid-30s. If you don’t think so, then just compare it to his line from 4/29/11, and now…how can you disagree? His first Quality Start of the 2011 season. Dempster left with the game tied, however, so Kerry Wood gets the W in relief.

Dempster’s 6 hits and 1 run (earned) will be the only allowed in the game by Cubs’ pitching; Demptser, Wood, and Carlos Marmol combined did not allow any extra base hits.

But HEY…Carlos Peña finally gets his first tater of the season, a solo shot with one out, courtesy of Chad Billingsley, who also pitched very well. The Dodgers can blame this loss on Jonathan Broxton, but by golly…the Cubs did very well today!!

Andre Ethier extends his consecutive game hitting streak to 29.

Congratulations to Darwin Barney, National League Rookie of the Month for April 2011.

Go CUBS.