Both the Chicago baseball clubs were on the short end of pitching performances today. Ted Lilly for the Cubs and Jose Contreras for the Sox offered excellent performances from the mound, but received no support from those paid to knock in the runs.
It is hard to complain when the other team gets good pitching as well. Kyle Lohse and C.C. Sabathia had excellent outings for Cincinnati and Cleveland respectively.
Now, both teams are back to fighting back to .500. The Sox are closer to the goal, since they are just a game back. The Cubs are back to being three games down.
Down on the farm, first baseman Micah Hoffpauir is trying to prove he belongs in the major leagues. He hit a grand slam Saturday and has rung up seventeen RBIs this season to lead the Pacific Coast League. He is hitting .432 for the year and has only struck out four times in thirty seven at-bats.
Unfortunately for Hoffpauir, Derrick Lee stands between him and a potential big paycheck. My bet is that he is traded, or included in a trade, sometime between now and opening day 2008. Someone is going to want this young man.
Carlos Marmol is trying to be the next Rich Hill, striking out ten Saturday. After two outings he has sixteen strikeouts, two walks and a 1.93 ERA. Les Walrond and Ryan O’Malley have also pitched well in their two starts, but Marmol is the most likely to make the jump if needed.
From the pen, Rocky Cherry gained the first save of the year for the 6 and 4 Iowa Cubs. Cherry had a great spring and people are watching his performance very closely.
Felix Pie is also making some noise, with a .414 batting average. He is not getting the power numbers of Hoffpauir, but he is getting on base and scoring runs. That is what a team needs!
Tomorrow, the Sox have a day off while the Cubs entertain San Diego with a night game. Jason Marquis is pitching and Aramis Ramirez should be back from his wrist injury. Go Cubs!
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