..:Official 2008 NL Central Thread:..Congratulations Chicago Cubs...:

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin 4 Life

7 years only 45 million, glad I was off by 45 million

that's more like it...come on dude, $80 mil for a guy with 152 major league games under his belt?

 

[am 1 fiend]

I am speechless, the Cardinals are playing how a lot of us thought they were going to. I am not sure if this is the team I need to get used to for the rest ofthe season or if we are just in a slump. Izzy should be banned from the mound

 

[the sauna]

GET THIS BUM EDMONDS OFF OUR SQUAD!!

 

[pacmagic2002]

I bought tickets to the game tomorrow night against the rays too.....hopefully either izzy getting released or sent to the minors will cheer me up.....I justhope its close.

fb what you thinking ? release/minors/nothing?

I'm hoping release, minors are more likely

 

[arog27]

Ex-Cardinal Infiltrates Cubs' Lineup, Dempster Does Work
Cubs Win 4-0
CHICAGO -- Ryan Dempster was pulled in the ninth inning Thursday, only this time he received standing ovation.
The former closer struck out a career-high 12 batters in 8 1/3 innings and hit an RBI single to lead the Cubs to a 4-0 victory over the Padres, giving newcenter fielder Jim Edmonds a win in his debut on Thursday afternoon.

Cubs manager Lou Piniella allowed Dempster to trot out for the ninth and try for his first complete game in six years. Dempster spent the last three seasonsas a closer, and this is his first year back in the rotation. He gave up two hits and was pulled for Kerry Wood, who is making the switch from starter tocloser.

Dempster is a "godsend," Piniella said.

"He's been pitching very well," Piniella said. "He's got the good breaking ball, the nice live fastball, and he's got thatsplit-finger. He's got a good combination of pitches. Today he was throwing strike one, getting ahead of the hitters. That's really a key forhim."

Dempster (5-1) gave up a two-out single to Brian Giles in the first, then retired 15 in a row before walking Jody Gerut with two outs in the sixth. He waspulled after Kevin Kouzmanoff singled with one on and one out in the ninth. Wood shut the door for his eighth save by fanning Khalil Greene and Josh Bard.

"I was hoping to get [Kouzmanoff] out and get a chance to finish it, but it's a little bit of motivation for down the road," Dempster said."Hopefully, eventually, next time I get myself in a situation to be able to finish again. But Woody came in and did a great job and got a save. All ishappy."

Dempster lowered his ERA to 2.35, and the Cubs are 7-2 in his starts. He now has eight double-digit strikeout games.

The conversion back to starting has gone smoothly, but could Dempster have predicted this?

"I honestly don't know," Dempster said before pausing for a split-second. "Maybe, yeah. I worked pretty hard to be prepared for thisyear."

Dempster credited his early success to confidence, but called strikeouts overrated, taking a phrase from his counterpart on the mound Thursday, formerteammate Greg Maddux. He was more pleased with his efficiency. Dempster didn't surpass the 100-pitch mark until the eighth inning.

"Obviously, I'm comfortable because I've been [in the rotation] before," Dempster said. "I'm sure they're not all going to belike that today. But I feel like every fifth day, I'm prepared to give us a chance to win a game."

Edmonds, released last Friday by the Padres, went 1-for-4, with a single in his first at-bat in the second inning, but he stranded seven baserunners.Edmonds might not start again until the Cubs travel to Houston next week. Reed Johnson will likely bump him from center field for this weekend's serieswith Pittsburgh against three left-handed starting pitchers. Now 25-16, the Cubs are off to their best start since 1987, when they opened that season with thesame 41-game mark.

"You see the locker room, guys are having fun, having a good time," Dempster said. "The music is playing a lot after games. That's whatyou want to hear."

All of the scoring came in the Chicago fifth.

Ronny Cedeno singled to lead off against Maddux (3-4), reached third on Henry Blanco's single and scored on Dempster's single. Alfonso Soriano thensingled to load the bases, and Ryan Theriot hit a sacrifice fly to go ahead, 2-0. Derrek Lee then doubled, driving in Dempster and Soriano, and chasingMaddux.

Maddux, who was vying for career win No. 351, received a standing ovation from the crowd of 40,629 as he walked off the field. He gave up four runs on 11hits over 4 1/3 innings in what may have been his final start at Wrigley Field.

Dempster also received a standing ovation but said Maddux's was louder. He'll concede that, as long as the Cubs keep winning.

"Hey, it was a good win against a tough pitcher," Dempster said. "Four-game series, you win those, that's huge, a big win for us.We've got to keep it going."


Can I just say that I've thought about it, and.....I do not want that ex-Cardinal on my team. He is a damnCardinal....what the hell is he doing in Cubby Blue??? What the bloody hell is Hendry doing?? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NONO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO......

Cubs win anyway, Dempster was awesome, Cedeno is sick..........Edmonds in a Cubs' uni.....good god

 

[arog27]

[h1]Edmonds will be patient while teammates, fans adjust[/h1]

Dave van Dyck, 12:30 p.m. On his first day with the Cubs, Jim Edmonds was playing a somewhat familiar center field in Wrigley Field, although he wasn't sure of the reaction now that he was wearing Cub blue instead of Cardinal red. "I'm scared about that," he said, only half joking. "I'm just going to go out and do everything I can and hopefully I can get [the fans] on my side eventually and play well." Of course, Edmonds -- plucked off waivers from San Diego -- has spent the last few years as the arch enemy. "It's all part of the rivalry," he said before meeting the Padres Thursday. "I think [the media] make more of it than the players do, but that's what it is all about. That's what made it so special. It will be interesting to be on the other side of it." Edmonds will bat sixth behind another left-hander, Kosuke Fukudome, in the lineup. Manager Lou Piniella said that wasn't etched in stone and that right-hander Reed Johnson probably would start against Pittsburgh's southpaw pitchers this weekend. Edmonds, 38, hit just .178 for the Padres after his trade from the Cardinals, missing part of spring training with a calf injury. He will wear No. 15. "I was starting to swing the bat a lot better," he said. "My legs were underneath me. I've been running better this year than I have in five or six years. Obviously I got off to a slow start and that's the way it goes. I've always had the comfort of the benefit of the doubt to keep playing and this year I didn't. So I'll make the best out of a new opportunity." Edmonds and Carlos Zambrano made a point of hugging each other in front of media in the Cub clubhouse. They have a combative history, dating back to 2004 when Edmonds hit a home run and Zambrano smacked him with a pitch. "We talked [Wednesday] night," Edmonds said. "It's been over with for a long time. That's just part of the game. There's guys out there who hate each other more than he and I do." He also said he was "just trying to fit in" with his new teammates. "I know a bunch of the guys because I've been playing against a lot of them for a lot of years," he said. "I got a nice welcome when I got here and I feel pretty good about it, so I'm just going to treat it like a job and got out and play hard. Now I'm a Cub and am going to try to win the division and the World Series." As expected, Felix Pie was sent back to Triple-A Iowa for more seasoning to clear a roster spot for Edmonds. Damn you to hell Edmonds. You're a spy.......and even worse.....a Cardinal

 

[am 1 fiend]

 

[sickickz23]

F' it. Now everytime I see Edmonds in a Cubbie blue uniform in his at bats, I think about this...

Only that we need somebody over there to infiltrate and be the mole/rat.

 

[curtiscarter23]

good win for the cubbies tonight! Dempster was masterful and Kerry has really been pitching well as of late ( knocking on wood) not pun intended.

 

[arog27]

Soriano Homers Twice, Cubs Keep Rolling
Cubs Win 7-4

CHICAGO -- Don't miss Saturday's first pitch in the bottom of the first of the Cubs-Pirates game. Alfonso Soriano may hit it out of the park.
A resurgent Soriano blasted home runs in each of the first two innings of a 7-4 victory Friday, as the first-place Cubs downed Pittsburgh for the 10th straight time and moved to 7-1 on their homestand.

Soriano now has three leadoff homers in the last four games and 47 for his career, tops among active players.

Geovany Soto and Mark DeRosa also homered for the Cubs.

Rookie Sean Gallagher (1-0) notched his first career win by holding the Pirates to one run on four hits in six innings.

But Soriano made the biggest statement. After a .192 April, the slugging leadoff man is hitting .350 with six home runs and 17 RBIs since coming off the disabled list May 1. The difference is simple.

"I have my confidence back," Soriano said.

Soriano has worked daily with hitting coach Gerald Perry to get more comfortable at the plate.

"A month ago, I didn't trust my hands," Soriano said. "Now, I trust my hands. I stay back a little bit more and see the ball better. That's what I'm doing now."

Bucs starter Tom Gorzelanny's first pitch must have looked crystal clear. Soriano laced it to the right of the "Hey Hey" letters on the left-field foul pole.

"Sometimes I go to home plate when I feel comfortable, and I say to myself, 'If they throw a first-pitch fastball down the middle, I've got to swing because that's my chance,'" Soriano said.

Aramis Ramirez added an RBI groundout and Soto tacked on his eighth home run of the year, as the Cubs went up, 3-0, in the first.

Soriano's second homer fell into the left-field basket and plated three more runs in the second inning.

"There wasn't a guy on the bench who didn't think he would hit another one," DeRosa said. "That's the kind of player he is."

The Cubs are behind Soriano. The fans have come around, too.

Debate engulfed as to whether or not the high-priced left fielder was suited to be the club's leadoff hitter during his early slump. April brought showers of boos, but he has bloomed at the top of the order in May.

Soriano doesn't think the leadoff controversy deserved that much attention.

"It's not about being a leadoff hitter," Soriano said. "I think that you're the leadoff hitter the first at-bat. After that, the second at-bat, I had two runners in scoring position on base. It's just the first at-bat. After the first at-bat, I can bat [No.] three or four or five that inning."

Soriano came into the game with just two hits in 14 career at-bats against Gorzelanny (3-4), including six strikeouts.

But with the way Soriano's hitting right now, you can forget about the numbers.

"He's one of the best ballplayers in a game for a reason," said DeRosa, who was a teammate of Soriano's in Texas. "When you go that bad, that means you're going to go that good at some point. He's one of the most exciting players in the game, who is able to do things other guys can't do. He's proven it time and time again."

DeRosa, starting in right field to give Kosuke Fukudome a rest, extended his hitting streak to seven games with a second-inning double and a sixth-inning homer. DeRosa is 11-for-24 on the homestand.

Gallagher rolled with the six-run cushion through six innings before being lifted for pinch-hitter Carlos Zambrano, who got three swings in before his Saturday start.

Gallagher got his first Major League win in front of 40,537 fans, a crowd that put the Wrigley Field season total over 1,000,000 fans in just 25 games this season. That's a first for the franchise.

Reliever Bob Howry surrendered home runs to Jason Bay and Doug Mientkiewicz in a three-run eighth inning, but Kerry Wood sealed it in the ninth for his ninth save.

Seven wins in eight games -- a pretty good start to a homestand.

"So far," Lou Piniella said. "We need two more games here against Pittsburgh. We've got Zambrano [Saturday] and [Jason] Marquis on Sunday. Let's see if we can do well in these two games and really have an excellent homestand."

 

[gunna get it]

THIS DUDE IS KILLIN IT, I missed it tonite tho, DAYUMMMMMMM!

Ricky Henderson's record is in Jeopardy ....

 

[sickickz23]

Anyone impressed with this kid Gallagher? I know I am. The better he gets, hopefully he can earn a permanant starting pitching spot in the rotation. Congratson his first major league win.

Keep it up Cubbies. 10 games over .500, how you love that? Holy Cow!!!

 

[arog27]

Originally Posted by aRog27

The season is over.

I suppose I was a bit premature...

....they needed a good talking to though

 

[tylerdub]

was i wrong earlier in this thread when i said Cubs win the division by 15 games? Maybe but they are starting to look capable of really pulling away with thisthing. For my sake i hope they do!

 

[pacmagic2002]

This season is beginning to be a total loss.....Maybe Pujols should go ahead and have that surgery he needs.

Izzys shortcomings have totally DEMORALIZED this team, we are in shambles right now and i cant think of any reason but izzy.......Its like he sucked the lifeout of them.

Hopefully something can be done, this cant possible continue for much longer

 

[tylerdub]

^^
I feel bad for you guys.

Not.

actually i enjoy the Cubs Cards rivalry more when both teams are having good years, however, i do enjoy your misery. It feeds my soul. JK.

It is amazing how one guy can suck the life out of a team, that was a pretty good observation.

 

[los angeles fresh]

Good lord Sori....

 

[tylerdub]

Bob Brenly said it perfectly. "I have seen guys on hot streaks, but i have never seen anything like this".

I dont even know what to say. When he is hot he is the best batter in baseball.

 

[gunna get it]

c mon man, this aint even fair right now

SORIIII!

 

[wildkycat]

^ oh no he di' int?

 

[arog27]

Soriano is unbelievable right now. 5 for 5 !?!??!? Are you serious.....with 2 more HR's........I thought we were gonna come back and win this one. Big Zneeds to chill. the hell you breakin a bat for when you're up 4-2 ???

 

[CP1708]

Terrible loss today. You can;t lose when you have beaten a team 10 straight and are throwiing your horse at them. Damn it.

Sori......weren't you hittin like 157 last week?

 

[sickickz23]

Originally Posted by Los Angeles Fresh

Good lord Sori....

I can see it now. Somebody who isn't a baseball fan, looks in the sports page and reads Soriano's numbers thinking it's a type or thatthere's another Alfonso Soriano playing 12 inch softball.

Simplyput, he's putting numbers other people only dream of....INCLUDING SOME MLB PLAYERS!!!

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by sickickz23

Simply put, he's putting numbers other people only dream of....INCLUDING SOME MLB PLAYERS!!!

don't get carried away now...

 

[gunna get it]

7 hrs in 6 games,
2 straight games w/ 2 Home runs ...

Thats not your everyday avg. thing.
But we all knew the May Tear was comin

but I think homie was jokin a bit