Results tagged ‘ Justin Germano ’
September 28 – 30; @ Diamondbacks – Series Preview
After getting swept by the Rockies, the Cubs will now travel to Arizona to finish up the road part of their schedule. The Cubs went into the Colorado series looking to put themselves in a good position to lose less than 100 games, unfortunately after the sweep it is starting to look very bleak. The Cubs will attempt to not only win their first road series against a western division team, but unbelievably their first road win against the division. They are currently 0-16 and according to Stats Inc no team has ever gone winless against one division on the road in a single season. It will be tough for the Cubs as we have seen there is basically no pitching left and the offense has been rather quiet, even after going to Colorado. Hope we see the Cubs play hard these last six games and maybe, just maybe win the last two series of the season.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 78-78 (Home 38-37); 3rd in West
Runs Scored: 705 (5th NL)
Team ERA: 3.98 (10th NL)
Last 10: 6-4
Last Series: Lost two of three to the Giants
Chicago Cubs
Record: 59-97 (Road 22-56); 5th in Central
Runs Scored: 596 (14th NL)
Team ERA: 4.92 (14th NL)
Last 10: 1-9
Last Series: Swept by the Rockies
Broadcast Information
Friday, September 28 – 8:40 PM CST - CSN
Saturday, September 29 – 7:10 PM CST – WGN
Sunday, September 30 – 3:10 PM CST – WGN
Pitching Matchups for the weekend.
Friday, September 28
Cubs: Travis Wood (6-12, 4.23 ERA)
Diamondbacks: Ian Kennedy (14-11, 4.14 ERA)
Saturday, September 29
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-9, 5.65 ERA)
Diamondbacks: Trevor Cahill (12-12, 3.86 ERA)
Sunday, September 30
Cubs: Chris Rusin (1-3, 7.30 ERA)
Diamondbacks: Josh Collmenter (5-3, 3.80 ERA)
Prediction: Cubs lose series 2-1
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
Cubs Can’t Overcome Early Deficit
The Cardinals used some two-out magic in the third inning against Justin Germano to build a 3-0 lead and eventually went on to win the rubber game of the series 6-3. The Cubs did try to make a game of it as they cut the lead to one two different times today but couldn’t come all the way back. Justin 
Germano got the start for the Cubs as he continues his 2013 tryout and had some good, some bad today. Germano went 5.2 innings giving up four runs on ten hits while walking one and striking out three. The Cubs only managed seven hits today, six of them coming from three guys, the four, five, and six hitters. The rest of the lineup could only register one hit as the Cubs went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Alfonso Soriano doesn’t want 2012 to end as he continues his tremendous season going 3-for-4 with his 31st home run of the season. Soriano also registered his 105th RBI of the season, a new career high which is amazing at this age and on this team. Welington Castillo was the only other offense for the Cubs as he went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, and a run scored. Castillo is now hitting .282 on the season and has put up a really strong argument for why he should be the starting catcher in 2013.
Sveum Postgame
Game Highlights:
Kerry Wood and Family Sings the Stretch
Soriano Goes Deep
Cubs Slick DP
Kerry Wood Honored By Cubs
Castillo’s RBI Double
Thanks for reading,
- George
September 21 – 23, 2012; vs. Cardinals – Series Preview
Another series, and another contender heads into Wrigley Field as the Cubs look to finish their 2012 season strong and play spoiler. The Cardinals are hitting their stride once again as they have won four 
straight and currently hold a 2.5 game lead over Milwaukee for the final wild card spot in the National League. It also sounds like they will be getting a boost to their rotation as Chris Carpenter is slated to make his 2012 debut against the Cubs in game one of the series. Up until the last series against the Reds the Cubs were playing pretty solid baseball, but the bats have gone cold, and the pitching has followed. It should be a good atmosphere at Wrigley all weekend as these games are usually close regardless of the record, and these games mean everything to the Cardinals. I’m expecting an awful lot of Cardinals fans at Wrigley, hopefully the Cubs can keep Wrigley quiet, wait, that doesn’t sound right at all.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series.
Friday September 21, 2012
St. Louis: Chris Carpenter (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Volstad (3-10, 6.26)
Saturday September 22, 2012
St. Louis: Adam Wainwright (13-13, 3.97 ERA)
Cubs: Travis Wood (6-12, 4.25 ERA)
Sunday September 23, 2012
St. Louis: Kyle Lohse (15-3, 2.71 ERA)
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-8, 6.17 ERA)
Season Series: Cardinals lead series 8-6
Prediction: Cubs win series 2-1
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
Cubs Bats Stay Cold on Tuesday
Justin Germano and Homer Bailey went back and forth early each throwing up zeros for the first five innings. Germano ran into some problems in the sixth when he walked the first three batters in the sixth inning and just like that Germano’s night was done. Manuel Corpas was brought 
into a tough spot and got Scott Rolen to fly out, but Ryan Hanigan delivered the big blow hitting a three run double into the right center gap. Corpas got out of the inning and pitched the seventh as well not allowing another hit. Alberto Cabrera and Jaye Chapman did their job keeping the Reds right where they were as they combined to pitch two scoreless innings. The Cubs threatened in the eighth when with one out Darwin Barney delivered his second hit of the game and would later score the Cubs lone run when Bryan LaHair lined a double down the right field line. Homer Bailey was really good for the Reds, but that would be the end of his night and in came our old friend Sean Marshall. After hitting Dave Sappelt he struck out Josh Vitters and got Anthony Rizzo to ground out to end the Cubs threat in the eighth inning. With no Aroldis Chapman the Cubs saw Jonathan Broxton in the ninth and did absolutely nothing going three up and three down to end the game losing 3-1. The Cubs offense was not good again on Tuesday only able to muster up four hits against the Reds, two of which were by Barney who extended his hitting streak to 13.
Game Highlights:
LaHair’s RBI Double
Jackson’s Running Catch
Sveum Postgame
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
September 18 – 20, 2012 vs. Reds – Series Preview
The Reds come to Chicago for a three game series starting Tuesday, September 18. The Reds have all but locked up the division, but are just 5-5 in their last ten, including losing series’ to both the Marlins and the Astros. The Reds have gotten Joey Votto back since we last saw them, but Aroldis Chapman has been shut down for a little bit and the Cubs will not face him this weekend. The Cubs on the other hand have been playing good baseball as of late going 7-3 in their last ten and splitting their most recent series against the Pirates. The Cubs can’t really play spoiler against the Reds, but they can postpone the Reds clinching the division for a few days and hopefully against somebody else. Alfonso Soriano went over the 100 RBI plateau last week and he will look to hit his 30th home run this series against the Reds.
Record: 88-59 (road, 41-31) 1st in Central
Runs Scored: 627 – 8th in NL
Team ERA: 3.44 – 2nd in NL
Last 10: 5-5
Last Series: Lost two of three to the Marlins
Record: 58-89 (home, 36-36) 5th in Central
Runs Scored: 565 – 15 in NL
Team ERA: 4.46 – 14th in NL
Last 10: 7-3
Last Series: Split with the Pirates
Here are the pitching matchups for the series.
Tuesday September 18, 2012
Cincinnati: Homer Bailey (11-9, 3.93 ERA)
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-7, 5.60)
Wednesday September 19, 2012
Cincinnati: Mike Leake (8-9, 4.69 ERA)
Cubs: Chris Rusin (1-2, 5.06 ERA)
Thursday September 20, 2012
Cincinnati: Johnny Cueto (16-9, 2.92 ERA)
Cubs: Jason Berken ( 0-1, 7.20 ERA)
Season Series: Reds lead series 9-4
Prediction: Cubs lose series 2-1
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
Mental and Physical Errors Cost Cubs
The Cubs quest for a five game winning streak fell short last night thanks in large part to the Cubs not being able to get out of their own way. Justin Germano got the ball for the Cubs and turned in one of his best outings of the year. Germano lasted five innings giving up one run, 
unearned, on three hits while walking two and striking out eight. Unfortunately that wasn’t good enough for a victory, not even a no decision as the Cubs couldn’t push a run across all night. It’s not like the Cubs didn’t have their chances as they were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 11 guys on base in the loss. They had a wonderful opportunity to tie the game in the 6th inning with runners on second and third with only one out. Darwin Barney hit was seemed to be a sacrifice fly to center, inexplicably Dave Sappelt tried to tag up from second and make it to third. In true Cubs fashion Sappelt was thrown out at third before Castro could cross the plate meaning the run doesn’t count. There was no reason for Sappelt to tag, I like being aggressive but there was no reason for it, he was already in scoring position and the important run was Castro. As I mentioned the Cubs had their chances but they weren’t really generating any offense, they only had six hits. The Astros did all they could to give this one to the Cubs by committing four errors and walking two. This loss could have been even more costly as Anthony Rizzo had to leave the game in the third inning after a violent collision at first base with Brett Wallace. All reports after the game seemed to indicate that Rizzo was going to be fine and was just sore, let’s hope so.
Five First Responders Throw Out First Pitch
Rizzo’s Scary Collision
Game Highlights:
Cubs Cost Themselves a Run
Germano’s Solid Outing
Thanks for reading,
- George
September 11, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs Astros
The Cubs look for their fifth straight victory tonight in Houston as they continue their late season surge to distance themselves from the number one pick. I’m just kidding, the Cubs are playing better as of late and it’s always nice to see winning baseball. The result however is they will not get the number one pick, that belongs to Houston, they deserve it, yikes. Justin Germano takes the ball tonight, here is how the Cubs will line up behind him.
1. DeJesus – CF
2. Valbuena - 3B
3. Rizzo – 1B
4. Soriano – LF
5. Castro – SS
6. Clevenger – C
7. LaHair – RF
8. Cardenas – 2B
9. Germano – P
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
September 10 – 12, 2012; @ Astros – Series Preview
The Cubs are heading into this series on a high note coming off a three game sweep in Pittsburgh, a sweep that put a major dent in the Pirates playoff hopes. It will be quite the different atmosphere in Houston as this three game set will be a battle for the first pick in the draft. 
Huge crowds usually don’t turn out for these types of series, couple that with the NFL season getting underway and it could be a very empty ballpark. The Cubs shouldn’t worry about that, they should worry about going out there and getting better with each game, and trying to win a job for next year. Two guys that have jobs locked up for next year, Starlin Castro, and Anthony Rizzo, are leading the Cubs charge as both are red-hot at the plate. Castro is hitting .333 in September, and Rizzo is hitting a whopping .382 during the month, unfortunately that hasn’t translated to many win as the Cubs are a less than stellar 3-6. If the Cubs want to extend their winning streak this week they are going to need the starting staff to step up as it will now be without Samardzija for the rest of 2012.
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Here are the pitching matchups for the four game series.
Monday September 10, 2012
Cubs: Chris Volstad (2-10, 6.23 ERA)
Houston: Dallas Keuchel (1-7, 5.54 ERA)
Tuesday September 11, 2012
Cubs: Justin Germano (2-6, 6.95 ERA)
Houston: Jordan Lyles (3-11, 5.55 ERA)
Wednesday September 12, 2012
Cubs: Travis Wood (5-11, 4.42 ERA)
Houston: Fernando Abad (0-3, 5.30 ERA)
Season Series: Chicago leads 5-4
Prediction: Cubs win series 2-1
Thanks for reading,
- George
Cubs Go Down Fighting, Literally, Kinda
The Cubs could easily be accused as a team just going through the motions this year as they have a had a number of lifeless losses and currently sit 35 games under .500. Tonight was more of the same against the Nationals until Bo Porter, former Cub, and the Nationals third base coach, lit a fire under the club. After the Nationals stole a couple of bases, and Jayson Werth swung at a 3-0 pitch with a five run lead, catcher Steve Clevenger went to the dugout to get a new glove. Apparently Bo Porter didn’t like it, and started barking at the Cubs bench, Jaime Quirk took exception to Porter and the two got in a shouting match which resulted in benches clearing. 
Miraculously, Bo Porter, who started everything stayed at his post at third base, and Quirk was ejected. Fast forward to the 6th, the Cubs were determined to get the last word as Lendy Castillo threw at Bryce Harper, and missed. Harper walked towards the mound with Clevenger intercepting him before he could get too far, but the benches and bullpens were empty once again, this time with vigor. Nats reliever Michael Gonzalez kept running his mouth, which resulted in some more pushing and a possible sad attempt at a punch from Clevenger. Clevenger, and Corpas were ejected along with Gonzalez, that was the end of the extracurriculars, the butt kicking resumed after that. I will say this, it was nice to see a Cubs team answer the bell and finally say enough is enough, however when you are getting blasted night after night it makes you look rather sad. I was still happy to see it.
Now onto the third straight embarrassment on the field. Justin Germano got the start for the Cubs tonight, and didn’t fare much better then the Cubs starters that preceded him in this series. Germano was done after four innings, he gave up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits while walking two and striking out two. Germano left trailing 7-2, this was after the Cubs actually held a lead of 2-1 in the second inning. The Cubs had some success early against Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann as they scored in the first and second to take an early lead. Anthony Rizzo had a great day at the plate going 3-for-4 with his 12th home run of the season. Starlin Castro also did his best to keep the Cubs in this one as he was 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a run scored. On to Pittsburgh.
Incident #1 – Bo Porter NOT Ejected
Incident #2
Brett Jackson’s Great Catch
Game Highlights:
Barney Triples Home a Run
Thanks for reading,
- George
September 6, 2012 – Cubs Lineup vs. Nationals
Don’t get swept, and don’t give up six home runs….again. Justin Germano takes the ball for the Cubs against the Nats at 6:00 PM CST on CSN. Here’s how the Cubs will line up.
1. DeJesus – RF
2. Valbuena – 3B
3. Rizzo – 1B
4. Soriano – LF
5. Castro – SS
6. Clevenger – C
7. Jackson – CF
8. Barney – 2B
9. Germano – P
Thanks for reading, go Cubs!
- George
