Quad-Cities Online

Posted 6/3/2009, 10:11PM, by Matt Veto

By Matt Veto, mveto@qconline.com

Oh, hey there. Yeah, it’s been a while (yada, yada, yada, let’s blog now…)

To put it lightly, I have really, really been uninterested in Cubs baseball for the last two weeks. With names like “Andres Blanco” and “Jason Waddell” — oh, and an eight-game losing streak that would make Chuck Norris cry (his tears cure cancer, I’ve heard) — I haven’t been able to muster the desire to watch.

So, when I got a text from a friend Monday night that said, “I hope you’re not watching the Cubs game,” I, of course, tuned in to watch the Cubs game, only to see Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregggggg (mainly the G-man) ruin my night.

It’s true, Kevin Gregg has blown only two saves, but his ceremonial-first-pitch delivery isn’t fooling anyone, and it didn’t fool Jeff Francoeur (that’s Fran-heart in French) with two outs in the ninth.

But, I gave them another chance on Tuesday, and while Ted Lilly got nicked for a game-tying run in the seventh, I was happy to see Micah Hoffpauir get the boys in blue the win, though I wish Lilly would get credit for it. (Angel Guzman pitched well, though, so I’m OK with it.)

My buddy Andy over at IvyEnvy.com — the group I participate in a round-table podcast with — says Ted is his favorite Cub. I am warming. He’s definitely the best Cubs pitcher right now. Randy Wells has pitched well in two starts, and that’s promising, too.

Here are two arguments I think we need to address…

1) Should Micah Hoffpauir get more playing time, as everyone and their grandmother seems to think (and at the expense of whom)?

And…

2) Is Geovany Soto going to break out of this funk?

If you want to comment on…

3) Does anyone miss Neal Cotts (HA!)?

…feel free.

Can I mention, too, that the Cubs are one game over .500 after all of that? How?

Funny baseball card of the day:

Ced Landrum hopes he gets to pinch run today.

P.S. He had 27 stolen bases in 56 games in 1991!

Comments

Welcome back to the Cubs blog-world.

Micah Hoffpauir: Perfect for pinch-hitting, filling in for guys on days off and the upcoming AL series as a DH. I could see him as an everyday player if he had a glove.

Soto: I’m afraid that we can expect more of the same for the rest of the season.

Taken from Wasting Away in Wrigleyville:
* Gregg on Arrival
* Tie Game Gregg
* Kevin “Four eyes - Four walks” Gregg

Posted by Corey on 6/4/2009, at 8:19 am

I’m in the group that thinks Hoffpauir needs to be on the field more. I really like Lee, but I’m just not sure he will ever be the Lee we used to know and love. Haufpauir has exhibited a decent glove at 1st base when he has had the chance to play.

Starting pitching has looked really good. hitting is poor, and bullpen is mixed. We need to hit. Getting Ramirez back sometime will help, but until then, I’d start playing the guys that are hitting. Bradley is not hitting, Soto is not hitting, Sit them.

Posted by DLReynolds on 6/4/2009, at 3:42 pm

DLReynolds-
Who are you going to replace Bradley with? You can’t sit him. I don’t think it makes any sense to sit a guy that’s not hitting, but has proven throughout their career that they are a good hitter. I can understand it in a playoff situation, but in a full season situation, no way.

It’s harder for a guy to hit when he’s on the bench than it is when he’s in a slump.

By the way, Bradley is hitting .345 in the last 10 days. I wouldn’t bench him.

Posted by Corey on 6/4/2009, at 4:00 pm

Does anyone remember Lou saying often last year, “I play the hot hand”? I think he’s gone away from that somewhat.

Someone was telling me the other day that Lou said something to the effect of, Koyie Hill could perform himself into the lineup. That, I would say, is a more likely scenario considering Soto is less proven. Yes, he’s the rookie of the year, but as my buddy Todd said, “So was Jerome Walton.”

Posted by Matt Veto on 6/4/2009, at 8:02 pm

Corey, you are correct about Bradley. We have a pretty good idea of what to expect from him plus we have way too much invested in him to sit him this early. One other reason he won’t be on the bench anytime soon is his attitude. A happy Bradley is much more valuable than an unhappy Bradley, and I doubt it takes much to create an unhappy Bradley.

I still like Hoffpauir, and will remain curious what kind of numbers he would put up if he saw more playing time.

Posted by DLReynolds on 6/10/2009, at 9:06 am

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