Results tagged ‘ Brooks Raley ’
Cubs Pitching, Castro, Beat Up Against Dodgers
Now THAT is an early Spring Training game if I’ve ever seen one, and I didn’t even see this one. It was a long, messy game that ended with the Cubs on the losing end of an 11-7 final, and holding their breath about a potential injury to their franchise shortstop, more on that later. It was a tale of two games for both teams really as seventeen of the eighteen runs scored in the game crossed the plate in the first five innings. 
Cubs pitching finally had a rough day, and it started with Brooks Raley. Raley was really knocked around, he was able to go one plus inning giving up four runs on five hits while walking one and striking out one. Thanks to an early surge by the Cubs offense Raley wasn’t on the hook for the loss, that honor went to Trey McNutt. McNutt didn’t pitch terribly in his outing, but he was hung with the loss as he couldn’t bail out Raley after he left and allowed an earned run of his own in an inning of work on two hits. Jaye Chapman, and Alberto Cabrera were also beat up pretty bad today as they combined to give up five runs, four earned, on six hits over three innings. Chapman was particularly bad as he only lasted a third of an inning giving up three runs, two earned, on two hits while walking two. The foursome of Michael Bowden, Hisanori Takahashi, Shawn Camp, and James Russell stopped the bleeding but it was too little too late.
As I mentioned the Cubs bats were alive and well early this afternoon as they held a 4-1 lead and pushed across seven runs in the first four innings. Both Nate Schierholtz and Darwin Barney had two hits, and they were productive as Schierholtz knocked in one with Barney driving in two. Javier Baez drew some oohs and aahs with a screaming line drive base hit that almost decapitated the Dodgers shortstop, the hit had twitter abuzz, and drew comparisons to Gary Sheffield after the game from Dale Sveum. Back to the Cubs holding their breath, Starlin Castro was 1-for-3 on the day, but had to leave the game after pulling up lame crossing first base after grounding out. Castro said after the game that he was worried when he first felt it, but he is confident it’s more tightness then a pull, he’s feelings were echoed by Sveum as well after the game, fingers crossed.
Thanks for reading,
- George
February 27, 2013 – Cubs Lineup vs. Dodgers
A lineup full of regulars today as the Cubs take on the Dodgers. Brooks Raley will make the start for the Cubs as they look to avenge their only loss of the Spring season which was to the Dodgers on Monday. Here is how the Cubs will get things started today.
Valbuena 3B
Castro DH
Rizzo 1B
Soriano LF
Schierholtz RF
Hairston CF
Castillo C
Barney 2B
Lillibridge SS
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs Win Wild One at Wrigley
I mentioned while watching the end of the game, it really doesn’t matter what the Cubs record is, seeing them win a game like that is fun and gets you pumped for what this team could be one day. What a crazy day at Wrigley, haven’t seen one of these summer day games in a while. This one started out well enough as the Cubs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind a Starlin Castro triple and Anthony Rizzo double, then things got familiar. By familiar I mean bad, as in the Brewers started beating the crap out of Cubs pitching, again. The Brewers scored five times in the 3rd, and two more times in the
fourth to take a 7-3 lead. They weren’t done there as they plated two more in the 6th to make it 9-3 and all but assured themselves of a four game sweep. Not so fast, the Cubs came roaring back in the bottom of the sixth inning, they scored six times on four hits to even the game at nine. It didn’t take long for the Brewers to grab the lead back as they scored once in the 7th and once in the 8th to build an 11-9 lead heading to the ninth. That’s when the Cubs of 2012 turned into the Cubs of 2015, okay I’m getting ahead of myself, but the Cubs ninth inning is exactly what everyone is hoping to see on a daily basis on the Northside of Chicago. Each guy worked the count and made sure that the pitcher was the one in trouble, the end result was a thrilling 12-11 walk off victory, the 50th of the season. The Cubs walked 11 times this afternoon, that is outstanding, a number of guys had tremendous days, too many to mention here, the box score can do the talking. I will say this, Starlin Castro had an outstanding day at the plate, not just because of the results, but because he worked every at bat especially in the ninth when he got down 0-2 before working the count to 3-2 and singling up the middle. Great win!
Sveum Postgame
Game Highlights:
Full Video Recap
Rizzo’s Game Tying Double
Castro’s Big Hit in the Ninth
Cubs Six Run Sixth
Jackson’s Big Double
Rizzo Just Misses a HR
Castro Legs Out a Triple
Thanks for reading,
- George
August 30, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs. Brewers
Please don’t get swept. It’s been a nightmare season against the Brewers as the Cubs have lost all but three games, they’ve played 16 times! Brooks Raley looks to finish off the season series with a win this afternoon against Shaun Marcum. Anthony Rizzo is back in the lineup, while Alfonso Soriano gets a breather, here is how the rest of the Cubs will line up.
1. DeJesus LF
2. Valbuena 3B
3. Castro SS
4. Rizzo 1B
5. LaHair RF
6. Clevenger C
7. Jackson CF
8. Barney 2B
9. Raley P
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
August 27 – 30, 2012; vs. Brewers – Series Preview
The Cubs look to continue their success on the longest home stand of the year as they welcome the Brewers to town for a four game set. Revenge might also be on the Cubs mind as they were swept by the Brewers last week in Milwaukee. At this point both teams are playing
out the string, but it’s an important time for many young guys as they are trying to impress the front office heading into next year. One guy that is doing that lately is Brett Jackson, after struggling immediately after his call up Jackson has made the necessary adjustments to find results. It seems to be working as Jackson was 4-for-8 against the Rockies with two home runs and three RBI’s. He will look to continue that success against a Brewers team that is finally finding some traction, just a little too late to salvage this season. The Brewers are 7-3 in their last ten games and are playing much better baseball of late. They are led by reigning MVP Ryan Braun who is putting up similar numbers this year, if the Cubs want to get that revenge against the Brewers they are going to have to shut Braun down. Surprisingly the Cubs have limited Braun this year, sure he is hitting .304 against the Cubs this year but he only has one home run, and four RBI’s.
August 27, 2012 – August 30, 2012; Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
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Here are the pitching matchups for the four game series.
Monday August 27, 2012
Milwaukee: Marco Estrada (1-5, 4.23 ERA)
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-3, 5.40 ERA)
Tuesday August 28, 2012
Milwaukee: Yovanni Gallardo (13-8, 3.62 ERA)
Cubs: Travis Wood (4-10, 4.76 ERA)
Wednesday August 29, 2012
Milwaukee: Mike Fiers (7-6, 2.98 ERA)
Cubs: Jeff Samardzija (8-11, 4.09 ERA)
Thursday August 30, 2012
Milwaukee: Shaun Marcum (5-4, 3.19 ERA)
Cubs: Brooks Raley (1-2, 6.64 ERA)
Season Series: Brewers lead 10-3; What!? That’s unacceptable
Prediction: Cubs Split Series 2-2
Thanks for reading,
- George
Rockies Return the Favor, Rally to Beat Cubs
One day after the Cubs rallied from a three run deficit to win the Rockies did the same thing. The Cubs built a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning only to see the Rockies get two right back in the fifth. The Rockies didn’t stop there as they scored single runs in the 6th and 7th to take a 4-3 lead. 
The Rockies bullpen took it from there as they tossed five shutout innings to shut down the Cubs to even the series at one. Brooks Raley was in line for the win before the Cubs pen blew a one run lead. Raley finished his day after five innings giving up two runs on five hits while walking three and striking out four. The Cubs looked poised to put up big offensive numbers today after scoring three times in the fourth inning, but they could only manage one hit over the final five innings. Brett Jackson is really turning it on at the plate, he was 2-for-3 today with his 3rd home run of the season, a double, a walk, and two RBI’s. Anthony Rizzo, Alfonso Soriano, and Starlin Castro were the only other Cubs to record a hit in the loss, all singles. The Cubs ran themselves out of two innings as Joe Mather and Starlin Castro were caught stealing in big spots.
Game Highlights:
Jackson’s Two Run Blast
Thanks for reading,
- George
August 25, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs. Rockies
Brooks Raley was recalled today and will get the start for the Cubs as they take on Alex White and the Colorodo Rockies. David DeJesus is back in the lineup for the Cubs. The game can be seen on CSN at 12:05.
DeJesus – RF
Vitters – 3B
Rizzo – 1B
Soriano – LF
Castro – SS
Castillo – C
Jackson – CF
Barney – 2B
Raley – P
Go Cubs!!
-Mark
August 24 – 26, 2012; vs. Rockies – Series Preview
Oh right, the Colorado Rockies are still in the National League, maybe the reason I forgot about them was that the Cubs haven’t played them all season! That’s right, the first matchup between these two teams will take place at Wrigley tomorrow, August 24th, just another example of 
the crazy Major League schedule. The Cubs will welcome a familiar face to town for the first time, as Tyler Colvin makes his return to Wrigley Field. Colvin is enjoying a bounce back year out in Colorado as he is hitting .294 with 14 home runs, and 52 RBI’s. The Cubs are coming off of another horrendous road trip as they went 1-6 against the Reds and Brewers to bring their road record to a dismal 17-48. The good news is they are much better at home, and the Cubs will be at the Friendly Confines for the next ten games where they look to improve upon a 30-28 record. The Rockies are concluding a disappointing season as they sit in last place in the National League West and are 23 games under .500. However, the Rockies are playing well, winning their last five games as they head into town. As you can imagine, the Rockies can score runs, they sit second in the National League in runs scored, BUT they are dead last in the National League in runs scored on the road.
****
Friday August 24, 2012
Colorado: Drew Pomeranz (1-7, 4.87 ERA)
Cubs: Jeff Samardzija (8-11, 4.17 ERA)
Saturday August 25, 2012
Colorado: Alex White (2-6, 5.55 ERA)
Cubs: Brooks Raley (1-2, 7.63 ERA)
Sunday August 26, 2012
Colorado: Jhoulys Chacin (1-3, 6.16 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Volstad (0-9, 6.88 ERA)
Season Series: First Meeting
Prediction: Rockies win series, 2-1
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
Reds Use Long Ball to Beat Cubs Once Again
For the second straight game the Reds used the long ball to power their way past the Cubs. Jeff Samardzija was on the wrong end of the power surge today giving up three home runs on the way to his 11th loss of the season. Shark lasted five innings in game one of the 
double-header giving up four runs on six hits while striking out five, his ERA climbed to 4.17 on the season. Early on it looked like the Cubs were going to provide a formidable challenge to Cy Young contender Johnny Cueto, but the good feeling didn’t last too long. Alfonso Soriano launched his 22nd home run of the season in the first inning to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead, it was Soriano’s 1,000th career RBI, quite the accomplishment. Soriano was basically it for the Cubs offense as they could only manage five hits on the day and Soriano had two of them. The Cubs made things interesting in the ninth inning as they were able to push across a run against Reds closer Aroldis Chapman. Unfortunately Chapman took it to another level against Joe Mather with the tying runs on base, striking him out to end the threat and the game. Welington Castillo also had a solid day at the plate going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the loss. Brooks Raley was officially called up before game two as he will get the start in the night-cap.
Game Highlights:
Full Game Recap
Castro’s Great Play
Soriano’s Two-Run Homer (1,000 th career RBI)
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs go quietly as Reds take the series
We’ve seen this way too many times over the last 12 games, a decent pitching performance from the Cubs wasted as the offensive attack was anything but. It happened again today as Brooks Raley did everything he could to get the Cubs a win but they fell short for the 11th time in their last 12 games. Raley was much better in his second major league start as he went six strong innings giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out two. It was a pitchers duel all day as Raley was perfect through four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth where he surrendered three straight hits, and two runs to basically put this one out of reach. Things were never really in doubt this afternoon as the Cubs could only manage four hits against Johnny Cueto who tossed eight scoreless innings for his 15th win of the season. After winning the first game of this series the Cubs put on a crap show the rest of the weekend. This weekend will be best remembered for the lackadaisical effort put forth by the Cubs, that includes a five error “effort” on Friday and multiple mental mistakes, not just from players named Castro.
Game Highlights:
DeJesus Makes a Nice Catch
Barney with the Bare Hand
Thanks for reading,
- George
