http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/279 Recent articles about Rich Harden en-us July 22, 2008 Pat Gillick, Senior Vice President & General Manager Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Park One Citizens Bank Way Philadelphia, PA 19148-5249 Dear Mr. Gillick, With the recent trade for Joe Blanton from the Oakland Athletics, it has become apparent that the Phillies are not going to acquire an "A List" starting pitcher. I understand that the Phillies just did not have the prospects to get the deal done with the Cleveland Indians for CC Sabathia, and it seems that the Seattle Mariners' asking price for Erik Bedard is just too steep. Rich Harden is obviously no longer available as he was recently traded to the Chicago Cubs, although I do not understand why he is not a Phillie right now considering the Athletics received better prospects for Blanton than Harden. Regardless of why the Phillies were unable to land Harden, it is now irrelevant. What is important now is that we focus on the deals that can be made, and that means Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes. It has been widely reported that the Colorado Rockies are interested in dealing the pair to the Phillies for centerfielder Shane Victorino, top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco, catching prospect Lou Marson, and pitcher JA Happ. That certainly seems like a lot to give up, and it is. With Victorino, the Phillies would be losing a quality defensive centerfielder, as well as a switch hitter with some serious speed. Victorino, despite not having as good a season as we all would like, is still a very versatile player that can lead off, hit second, or deeper in the lineup when needed. Most people balk at the idea of trading away a catching prospect because Chris Coste is already in his mid 30's and Carlos Ruiz has been an all around disappointment. This is not an area of serious concern, however, as one of the Phillies' other big prospects is Jason Donald, also a catcher. The Phillies can afford to trade away Marson. Happ was good in his brief stint in the majors this season, but has also had his share of ups and downs. He is a promising young pitcher, but is the type of player you have to give up to get players the quality of Holliday and Fuentes. The obvious big chip here is Carrasco. I can understand your reluctance to part with the top pitching prospect in the organization, especially since there is not a lot of pitching depth in the minors, or the major league club for that matter. Carrasco, however, is the key to the deal. By trading him you lose a lot, but you also stand to gain a lot. Rather than dwell on Carrasco and what the Phillies lose by trading him, I'd rather focus on what they gain by acquiring Holliday and Fuentes. Let us begin with Brian Fuentes. For starters, Fuentes provides the Phillies with that much needed second left arm in the bullpen. As the only left hander in the pen, J.C. Romero is relied upon more than is probably healthy. Fuentes will be able to carry some of that load and take the pressure off Romero. Likewise, with 101 career saves, Fuentes can step in and get a save once or twice a week to give some time off to all star closer Brad Lidge. He would also take the pressure off of Tom Gordon as the 8th inning set up man. Fuentes is arguably more important to the Phillies right now than Holliday. That's not to say that Matt Holliday wouldn't be a huge acquisition for the Phils. As you already know, Holliday is batting .338 this year with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs. Add on top of that 13 stolen bases and you have one of the most complete players in the major leagues. Holliday has hit over 30 home runs in each of the last two seasons and is well on his way to eclipse that mark again this season. The most impressive aspect to Holliday's game is his ability to hit for average despite being one of the premiere power hitters in the league, hitting above .300 in every season of his career except his rookie year in 2004, when he hit a paltry .290. Since it is apparent, as I said before, that the Phillies are not going to be able to land that ace starting pitcher, then you need to position this team to outhit their opponents. This team currently has the type of pitching that will at the very least keep them in every game. With the addition of Holliday, it would give you a starting lineup that looks like an all star roster. Here's an example of what a Phillies' batting order could look like: SS Jimmy Rollins 2b Chase Utley RF Matt Holliday 1B Ryan Howard LF Pat Burrell CF Jason Werth 3B Pedro Feliz C Chris Coste P Cole Hamels Mr. Gillick, I think that that lineup speaks for itself. This is the year that the Phillies have to go for it as the National League is the weakest it's been in year. The only contenders this year are the Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and by default the Arizona Diamondbacks. That's not a list of teams that are going to make the playoffs; that's a list of teams that are any good in addition to the Phillies. The Phillies need to put themselves into a position to make it to the World Series this year and not worry about four or five years from now. With the aforementioned lineup, and the number of talented pitchers eligible for free agency this coming off season (including Sabathia and Ben Sheets), the Phillies can put themselves in a position to win and compete for the World Series for at least three more years. That is why you need to pull the trigger on this deal and bring Matt Holliday and Brian Fuentes to Philadelphia. Sincerely, Jonathan Atwood HSP Senior Writer Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:33:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294074 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294074 With three home runs in four games since the All-Star break, Luke Scott is a name to watch again, says FOX Sports writer Mike Harmon. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:35:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293992 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293992 B-REF PREVIEW | GAMEDAY | WEATHER | ACB CHAT ROOM Randy Johnson vs. Cubs hitters:  .203/.295/.320 in 128 at-bats Rich Harden vs. Diamondbacks hitters:  3-11 When and Where:  8:40 pm on CSN Jim Edmonds has slugged .560 against Johnson in his career.  Ramirez and Lee are a combined 7-39 against him.  Reed Johnson is 5-12 so we're likely to see an outfield of Johnson, Edmonds and DeRosa.  Only 2 Dbacks have faced Harden.  Tony Clark is 1-3 and Orlando Hudson is 2-8.  Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:38:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293549 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293549 Who are the top 2-start pitchers this week? One is Rich Harden, who had an impressive debut as a Cub. Possible sleeper in Florida's Chris Volstad. Also, compete pitching rotations for the upcoming week for every team to help your fantasy team. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:28:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292854 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292854 The Phillies made a move yesterday, trading 3 minor league prospects to the Oakland A's for right handed starting pitcher Joe Blanton. While I am happy the team made a move for an arm, I am not so happy about the guy they go after. The Phillies needed a top of the rotation horse much [...] Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:14:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292428 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292428 Rarely do you have a trade where both parties agree to the original offer. Chances are one owner wants one thing, while the other owner has a different approach in mind. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:51:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292271 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292271 The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292015 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292015 Equipped with keen hitters seemingly all throughout the lineup and a devastating 1-2-3 punch of Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Rich Harden on the mound, the Cubs seem to have their best shot at bringing the title home. And while high expectations are the norm in Wrigleyville, this bunch has delivered all season long... Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:55:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291900 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291900 The Phillies have been actively working the phones over the past several weeks trying to make a trade that would bolster their pitching rotation. The Phillies lack of serious starting pitching was made to look even weaker after the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Indians' ace CC Sabathia and the Chicago Cubs traded for Oakland star Rich Harden last week. The Phillies were one of a number of teams that were in negotiations with Cleveland to acquire Sabathia's services, but in the end they just didn't have enough to offer. Instead of being able to trade for Rich Harden, who when healthy is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, it looks like the Phillies will wind up acquiring Joe Blanton from the Athletics. Blanton is Oakland's number two starter and despite showing some serious talent in previous years, has really struggled this season, going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA. The Phillies have reportedly been negotiating with the Seattle Mariners over the past couple weeks in an attempt to acquire their disgruntled ace Erik Bedard, but it appears that they're not going to be able to pull off that deal, and Bedard is currently on the DL and wants out of Seattle. Even more importantly, Seattle wants Bedard out of Seattle. And all indications point to the Phillies not bringing him back to the East Coast. Why are they having such a hard time bringing in a legitimate quality starting pitcher? Because the Phillies have a very weak farm system. As you have noticed, I'm sure, by reading Jay's On The Farm columns, the subject of his pieces are the same handful of players over and over again. This is not to say that the Phils don't have any talent in the minors. There are several highly touted players in their farm system, most notably Carlos Carasco and Adrian Cardenas. Carasco is the Phils' most highly touted prospect. He has been rated as the number one pitching prospect in organization two years in a row by Baseball America. Cardenas is the most likely prospect to be traded as his primary position is second base, which is in all likelihood going to be occupied by Chase Utley for many years to come. Cardenas is ranked the number two prospect in the organization, and is batting .309 with 16 stolen bases. Other prospects are SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, LHP Josh Outman, 2B Brad Harman, OF Greg Golson, and LHP Antonio Bastardo. Other than Carasco or Cardenas, no one really blows you away, although the upside potential is definitely there will all of them. Nevertheless, the farm team is not teeming with trade bait. But the Big Show is. Ryan Howard is prime trade bait. In Howard's short career he has been named the NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, Home Run Derby Champion, and he has led the league in home runs and RBIs over the past three years. He also broke the single season record for strikeouts last year and is on pace to shatter that record this year. Howard, in his second year, demanded that the Phillies pay him $1 million. The Phillies wanted to give him $900,000, which was the record for a second year player. The two sides went to arbitration and Howard was awarded a $1 million contract. The next year he demanded $10 million, the Phillies offered $7 million. The two sides went to arbitration again, and again Howard won. It appears that Howard is going to take the Phils to arbitration to each off season until his contract is up in 2011, at which point he is going to demand (and command) a ridiculous contract. This is not the Phillies of old. This team is no longer afraid to shell out some money to bring or keep talent to Philly, but within reason. The Phillies are not going to be able to pay, or willing to pay, the kind of money that Howard is going to demand. And I do not entirely fault Howard for demanding the money he is, or will. How many players have the record that he does? If he continues to hit the way he did the last month before the all star break (.284, 11 HR, 30 RBI, .965 OPS), then he will right in the mix for his second MVP award. The man can hit, no doubt about it. When Howard doesn't strike out, he is hitting over .450. That being said, that stat is part of the problem. Howard has also struck out 129 times this year. He struck out a total of 199 times last year. He has only walked 48 times. That means he strikes out almost three times as many times as he walks. You also have to take into consideration that Howard continues to be among the tops in the league in intentional walks, which decreases the amount of walks that he gets through patience and a good eye. Let's face it, Howard is a one dimensional player, perhaps the most one dimensional player in the majors. He either strikes out, or hits a home run. In the past month, Howard has one double and one triple. So out of 13 extra base hits, 11 of them are home runs. That is terrible. Nevertheless, Howard is absolutely a key part to this team and its offense. You can't ignore the power numbers, which are the best in the game since he's been in the majors. That is why I think it is the perfect time to trade him. Unless Howard has indicated otherwise to Phillies GM Pat Gillick, it does not appear he is really planning on staying here. He wanted to sign a long term deal after his rookie season and instead the Phils offered him a one year deal worth the $900,000, which at the time was the record for a second year player. This disappointed Howard (and for the record, I think the Phillies should have bit the bullet and signed him for at least close to whatever he was asking for) and now I think he is just going to price himself out of Philadelphia. Instead of going year to year through arbitration, the Phils should deal him to either the Yankees or Red Sox. Both teams have the money and the record of giving huge contracts to their players, and both are going to have a void in the next couple years that Howard is perfectly suited to fill. Howard is a mediocre first baseman at best, but he isn't on your team for his defense. He is a player built for the American League and their stupid DH. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be in need of a DH in the next couple years. The Yankees current DH platoon of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui are about as banged up a bunch of highly paid veterans as you'll find anywhere in the majors. By 2011, at least two of these guys will be gone, whether through retirement or free agency. He would be the perfect replacement to fill the void that would be left by Giambi's bat. An equally compelling team are the Red Sox. Current Boston DH David Ortiz (33 years old) is not getting any younger and has had a somewhat disappointing year. His power is down this year, and there has been some speculation that this could be related to the release of the Mitchell Report this past off season. Whether Ortiz's power is down due to steroids or because he is having an off year or because he is starting to decline, he is getting older and is not going to start getting significantly better. To the contrary, Ortiz is going to start declining over the next few years, if he hasn't already started. Howard is young enough to play first base for a number of years in Boston, or New York, while the current DH plays out the rest of his career. Howard would bring the Phillies a serious number of prospects that they could use to a) bolster their farm system and help them build for the future or b) turn around and trade them for a serious starting pitcher that is on the same level as Sabathia or Harden. They should trade for Matt Holliday, who would help fill the void left by trading Howard. They can give up some of those prospects in the farm system right now for Holliday. Then by trading Howard, they can use those prospects for a starter. Yes, that depletes the farm system for a number of years, but this team is young enough right now to contend for the World Series for years to come. They don't need the farm system to be bountiful right now with the exception of using those players as trade bait. If Howard does actually want to stay here and will take a deal that won't make it impossible for them to sign and trade for other important pieces, then that's fine. Keep him here. I have no problems with Howard spending his entire career in Philadelphia. But I believe the Phillies are going to lose him eventually to free agency, so they should try and get the most for him that they can before he bleeds them dry and prices himself out of a trade. The time is now, they need to strike while the iron is hot. This is the best opportunity the Phillies have had to make it to the World Series in years and they need to take their shot now. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:42:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291715 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291715 Over the past several years teams have been looking more and more toward the future of the franchise instead of today. The "Win Now" mentality is waning and a youth movement has begun. Below we have several teams' profiled and broken down to show the climate change in Major League Baseball. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:33:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291164 Monday, June 30th @ San Francisco W 9-2 Lilly (W, 9-5), Lilly (L, 3-12) Tuesday, July 1st @ San Francisco L 2-1 Marquis (L, 6-5), Cain (W, 5-6) Wilson (S, 23) Wednesday, July 2nd @ San Francisco W 6-5 Marmol (W, 2-3), Walker (L, 3-4), Wood (S, 21) Thursday,July 3rd @ San Francisco L 8-3 Gallagher (L, 3-4), Lincecum (W, 10-1) Friday, July 4th @ St Louis W 2-1 Zambrano (W, 9-3), Looper (L, 9-6), Wood (S, 22) Saturday, July 5th @ St Louis L 5-4 Wood (L, 4-2), McClellan (W, 1-3) Sunday, July 6th @ St Louis W 7-1 Marshall (W, 1-2), Wellemeyer (L, 7-4) Tuesday, July 8th vs Cincinnati W 7-3 Harang (L, 3-11), Dempster (W, 10-3) Wednesday, July 9th vs Cincinnati W 5-1 Cueto (L, 7-9), Zambrano (W, 10-3), Wood (S, 23) Thursday, July 10th vs Cincinnati L 12-7 Arroyo (W, 7-7), Lilly (L, 9-6) Friday, July 11th vs San Francisco W 3-1 Walker (L, 3-5), Howry (W, 3-2), Wood (S, 24) Saturday, July 12th vs San Francisco W 8-7 Wilson (L, 0-2), Harden (W, 6-1) Marshall (W, 2-2) Sunday, July 13th vs San Francisco L 4-2 Lincecum (W, 11-2), Dempster (L, 10-4), Wilson (S, 25) Let's get the Rich Harden acquisition out of the way first: If you think the Cubs made a mistake by dealing away the four guys they did, you're an idiot. I'm not going to bother with a long explanation of why, it's been done time and again ad nauseum on sports talk radio, in the papers, and on internet outlets that actually update in a timely manner. Suffice it to say, Rich Harden is going to make 5 starts that matter this season, and they'll all take place in October. If you'd rather have the potential that Gallagher becomes a number two starter in two years and the miniscule posibility that even on of the other three guys becoming even an average every day major leaguer over adding another number one starter who will increase your odds of winning in the playoffs and securing the first World Series title for this franchise IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS then you're a bad fan, and a fool. Oh, the same deal that gave you a legitimate ace starter also added another quality arm to the bullpen. Just sayin. Anywho, last week, the Cubs played the final 7 games of a 10 game road trip after being swept by the White Sox the weekend before. Though it pains me to type this because it's so damn hokey, this year's Giants motto ought to be "Lincecum and Cain and pray for rain" because beyond that, the Giants have Aaron Rowand and a lot of garbage. Bowker might be a decent player some day, but the team seems to be nothing more than a horrid amalgamation of quadruple-Aers and guys who were all stars back in the mid-to-late 90s. In 29 innings vs the Cubs the past two weeks, Lincecum and Cain have given up 18 H and 4 ER, while striking out 36 and walking 8. that's a 1.24 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and a 4.5/1 K/BB ratio. Normally one would probably feel bad to see their team lose 3 of 7 to the Giants, but given those numbers I'm shocked the Cubs were even able to steal Friday's game. No shame in losing to either of those two pitchers, but you should beat them every time someone else starts, and that's exactly what the Cubs did even if there were some… questionable games. Carlos Marmol was bad. Twice. Bad last week in San Fran and really, horribly, terrifyingly bad in Chicago on Saturday. Behind a sterling performance from Rich Harden the Cubs lead 7-0 after 7 and 7-2 after 8. Marmol came in and… well even with a 5 run lead the Cubs had to bat again. Sean Marshall put together an incredible performance both on the mound and leading off the 11th with a single, and the Cubs were able to scratch across a run in the 11th to win a game they had no business winning after the performances of Marmol, Theriot, and Piniella. Sandwiched between the two Giants series were 3 game sets against the Cardinals and Reds. The Cubs took two out of three in both, highlights included Zambrano's triumphant return, another amazing start by Z, a win from Dempster and an excellent performance from Sean Marshall against the Cards. Lowlights were Wood's performance in game 2 in St. Louis and a typical wind blowing out Ted Lilly game where Reds batters tattooed the entire Cubs staff and Adam Dunn hit a ball about seven thousand feet. As Cubs fans, we've been spoiled by the team this season, ripping off 8 wins in a row and just bludgeoning opponents, seemingly without breaking a sweat. These past two weeks we haven't seen that kind of dominance, and we probably shouldn't expect to, instead these two weeks have been a pretty accurate microcosm of what this team really is, a ballclub not without it's blemishes, but capable of winning every time out, and one that is very very capable of winning the World Series with a little bit of luck at the right times. 57-38 at the All Star Break PECOTA expected record 97-65 PECOTA playoff odds 94% "State of the Cubs" archives can be found here Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:11:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290327 Monday, June 30th @ San Francisco W 9-2 Lilly (W, 9-5), Lilly (L, 3-12) Tuesday, July 1st @ San Francisco L 2-1 Marquis (L, 6-5), Cain (W, 5-6) Wilson (S, 23) Wednesday, July 2nd @ San Francisco W 6-5 Marmol (W, 2-3), Walker (L, 3-4), Wood (S, 21) Thursday,July 3rd @ San Francisco L 8-3 Gallagher (L, 3-4), Lincecum (W, 10-1) Friday, July 4th @ St Louis W 2-1 Zambrano (W, 9-3), Looper (L, 9-6), Wood (S, 22) Saturday, July 5th @ St Louis L 5-4 Wood (L, 4-2), McClellan (W, 1-3) Sunday, July 6th @ St Louis W 7-1 Marshall (W, 1-2), Wellemeyer (L, 7-4) Tuesday, July 8th vs Cincinnati W 7-3 Harang (L, 3-11), Dempster (W, 10-3) Wednesday, July 9th vs Cincinnati W 5-1 Cueto (L, 7-9), Zambrano (W, 10-3), Wood (S, 23) Thursday, July 10th vs Cincinnati L 12-7 Arroyo (W, 7-7), Lilly (L, 9-6) Friday, July 11th vs San Francisco W 3-1 Walker (L, 3-5), Howry (W, 3-2), Wood (S, 24) Saturday, July 12th vs San Francisco W 8-7 Wilson (L, 0-2), Harden (W, 6-1) Marshall (W, 2-2) Sunday, July 13th vs San Francisco L 4-2 Lincecum (W, 11-2), Dempster (L, 10-4), Wilson (S, 25) Let's get the Rich Harden acquisition out of the way first: If you think the Cubs made a mistake by dealing away the four guys they did, you're an idiot. I'm not going to bother with a long explanation of why, it's been done time and again ad nauseum on sports talk radio, in the papers, and on internet outlets that actually update in a timely manner. Suffice it to say, Rich Harden is going to make 5 starts that matter this season, and they'll all take place in October. If you'd rather have the potential that Gallagher becomes a number two starter in two years and the miniscule posibility that even on of the other three guys becoming even an average every day major leaguer over adding another number one starter who will increase your odds of winning in the playoffs and securing the first World Series title for this franchise IN ONE HUNDRED YEARS then you're a bad fan, and a fool. Oh, the same deal that gave you a legitimate ace starter also added another quality arm to the bullpen. Just sayin. Anywho, last week, the Cubs played the final 7 games of a 10 game road trip after being swept by the White Sox the weekend before. Though it pains me to type this because it's so damn hokey, this year's Giants motto ought to be "Lincecum and Cain and pray for rain" because beyond that, the Giants have Aaron Rowand and a lot of garbage. Bowker might be a decent player some day, but the team seems to be nothing more than a horrid amalgamation of quadruple-Aers and guys who were all stars back in the mid-to-late 90s. In 29 innings vs the Cubs the past two weeks, Lincecum and Cain have given up 18 H and 4 ER, while striking out 36 and walking 8. that's a 1.24 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and a 4.5/1 K/BB ratio. Normally one would probably feel bad to see their team lose 3 of 7 to the Giants, but given those numbers I'm shocked the Cubs were even able to steal Friday's game. No shame in losing to either of those two pitchers, but you should beat them every time someone else starts, and that's exactly what the Cubs did even if there were some… questionable games. Carlos Marmol was bad. Twice. Bad last week in San Fran and really, horribly, terrifyingly bad in Chicago on Saturday. Behind a sterling performance from Rich Harden the Cubs lead 7-0 after 7 and 7-2 after 8. Marmol came in and… well even with a 5 run lead the Cubs had to bat again. Sean Marshall put together an incredible performance both on the mound and leading off the 11th with a single, and the Cubs were able to scratch across a run in the 11th to win a game they had no business winning after the performances of Marmol, Theriot, and Piniella. Sandwiched between the two Giants series were 3 game sets against the Cardinals and Reds. The Cubs took two out of three in both, highlights included Zambrano's triumphant return, another amazing start by Z, a win from Dempster and an excellent performance from Sean Marshall against the Cards. Lowlights were Wood's performance in game 2 in St. Louis and a typical wind blowing out Ted Lilly game where Reds batters tattooed the entire Cubs staff and Adam Dunn hit a ball about seven thousand feet. As Cubs fans, we've been spoiled by the team this season, ripping off 8 wins in a row and just bludgeoning opponents, seemingly without breaking a sweat. These past two weeks we haven't seen that kind of dominance, and we probably shouldn't expect to, instead these two weeks have been a pretty accurate microcosm of what this team really is, a ballclub not without it's blemishes, but capable of winning every time out, and one that is very very capable of winning the World Series with a little bit of luck at the right times. 57-38 at the All Star Break PECOTA expected record 97-65 PECOTA playoff odds 94% "State of the Cubs" archives can be found here Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:11:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290327 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290327 The Pittsburgh Pirates walk-off winner and Rich Harden's Chicago Cubs debut. Plus All-Star Musings and Mark Mulder's latest setback. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:52:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290229 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290229 It's obvious after today's Marmolian meltdown that starting pitching isn't the real problem on Chicago's North Side. And who knows how bad things might have been if Kerry Wood hadn't resurrected his career and posted All-Star numbers in the first half. Still, the 25-year-old Carlos Marmol is the key to this group what with Wood's history of ending seasons on the disabled list. If he doesn't correct his ongoing crisis in the first couple weeks of the second half, GM Jim Hendry will need to work his magic on the trading block... Sun, 13 Jul 2008 02:31:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289708 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289708 I happened to be in attendance at Wrigley for Rich Harden's Chicago Cubs' debut on Saturday and he was awfully impressive. He only lasted 5.1 innings, but he gave up just five hits and no earned runs while also striking out 10 in the Cubs' 8-7 extra innings victory. Of course the Giants aren't a good team to base whether or not Harden will be effective for the Cubs throughout the rest of the season (especially when their starting lineup consists of Rich Aurilia, Eugenio Velez, Omar Vizquel and Jose Castillo), but 10 Ks in just 5.1 innings is outstanding – no matter how bad the opposing offense is. This Harden deal might be the one that officially puts the Cubs over the top. Harden and Carlos Zambrano are a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation and Ryan Dempster has been lights out at home. Their lineup is stacked when Alfonso Soriano is healthy, and they're getting great production from role players like Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot. Is this finally the Cubs year? It's easy to assume the loveable losers will choke and fall apart again. But there seems to be something different about them this year. The team believes they can win and even though the Cardinals are on their heels in the Central, perhaps no team in the National League looks more balanced than the North Siders. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:32:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289661 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289661