This weekend’s Chicago cross-town rivalry had all the fun you would expect. The two teams battled and neither laid down during any of the three games.
The question of “who made the better deal” between the Cubs and the Sox when it came to last year’s Cotts/Aardsma trade became clear today. Neal Cotts pitched against his former teammates for the first time, giving up the big blow, a grand slam to catcher A.J. Pierzynski.
Aardsma fared no better for the second day in a row against his former teammates. This time, he gave up a three run banger to Aramis Ramirez. Luckily for Aardsman, the four runs he allowed today did not cause manager Ozzie Guillen to break a sweat. The game was already gone by then.
Still, you cannot blame the Cubs for doing their best to fight back. Ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano just dug to big a hold for the offense to climb out from.
The search for the best twenty-five men goes on today. Earlier this weekend, Cubs manager Lou Piniella hinted of a big announcement to be made Monday. Then he hinted that Angel Guzman would be returning to the bullpen, but not who would be filling the fifth spot in the rotation.
Possibilities include Carlos Marmol, who pitched two clean innings the last two days; Ryan Dempster, the closer; and Sean Marshall, last year’s rookie sensation. In my opinion, the obvious choice is Marshall. If Dempster goes back to the rotation who becomes the closer? There is no clear choice for that spot.
Marshall pitched will last year and is pitching well in Triple-A Iowa. He’s ready for a return to the show.
The other possibility for a big announcement is a trade of Jacque Jones. Rumors abound and if he can bring a quality bullpen arm to the club, the time is now. With Pagan, Murton and Floyd, the outfield no longer needs the free-swinging Jones.
Tomorrow is an off-day, but somehow I do not believe it will be without news. I know my ears will be open wide.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment