Cubs Media Thread (News, Notes, Injuries, and more!)

[2poor]

Figured I'd put this picture here because its so damn cool looking.

[2poor]

Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez missed his second straight game Saturday with tendinitis in his right wrist.

Ramirez was to receive treatment Saturday and is on anti-inflammatory medication. He hopes to return in a couple of days.

Ramirez hurt his wrist in spring training and said it has been sore for six weeks. He had been able to play through it until Friday, when it was swollen and sore. Tests revealed no major damage and he was told he had tendinitis.

Ramirez has tendinitis in his right wrist

[SportsWorld]

I hope he is okay and can get back quick.

[Posey H8er]

Yeah that hurts my fantasy team

[2poor]

When rebuilding the 96-loss Cubs last fall, the first task really was a three-step process: signing Alfonso Soriano, putting him in the leadoff spot and getting him to play center field for the first time in his career.

Everything happened so fast, it almost seemed easy.

Now two weeks into the season, center field has become one of the biggest sticking points for the Cubs. Maybe they should've stopped after step two.

Then the situation grew more complicated in the fifth inning Monday, when Soriano left clutching his left hamstring after diving for a sinking line drive hit by San Diego Padres pitcher Clay Hensley.

So far, not so good for CF Soriano

[2poor]

Lou Piniella's postgame tirade Friday has already made it to YouTube, not to mention repeated airings on various ESPN programs.

Piniella seemed mildly perturbed that ESPN highlighted it Friday.

"They have fun with me, so let 'em have fun," he said Monday. "When they ask me to be on their show, I just won't be on it. But they can have fun with me. They always do. So why should that change?" Does it bother Piniella when his tirades are featured prominently on "SportsCenter?"

Piniella slightly ticked at ESPN

..and of course, click here for the YouTube of it.

[2poor]

Still ''poking'' around for the right mix at the top of the order, Cubs manager Lou Piniella used his sixth 1-2 combination in 13 games Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves.

Mark DeRosa became the fifth No. 2 hitter of the season in an effort to improve on the 17 runs scored by the top two spots in those 13 games.

''One thing that we haven't done all that well here -- we've done it sporadically -- is getting our 1 or 2 hitters on for the middle part of our lineup,'' Piniella said. ''Let's see if [DeRosa] can take hold of that and go from there.''

Piniella shakes things up at the top

Lou Piniella debated all spring about whether to start the season with 11 or 12 pitchers.

The Cubs finally settled on 12, but with Angel Guzman sent to Triple-A Iowa to be converted back into a starter, how long can Piniella go with an 11-man staff?

"It depends," Piniella said. "If we have games like [Tuesday's 14-inning loss], not very long. We have some contingency plans in place, just in case. But it has worked well with 12."

Piniella didn't seem too enthralled with management's decision to go with an 11-man staff.

"It wasn't an easy call for anybody," he said. "But if we need to, we can get a pitcher in here right away."

The likeliest call-up would be right-hander Carlos Marmol, who has 16 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings with a 1.93 ERA. Still, with the exception of Will Ohman, the bullpen has been effective, as evidenced by a 2.86 earned-run average heading into Wednesday's game.

Piniella may hunger for 12th pitcher

[2poor]

Cubs fans should not get their hopes up for a miracle appearance by center fielder Alfonso Soriano in the upcoming weekend series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Manager Lou Piniella put any possibility of that to rest.

"He ran today, and he was about 75 percent," said Piniella. "Mark O'Neal, our trainer, feels that by Monday or Tuesday, he'll be ready to play. He'll run again on Saturday in Chicago, in cooler weather, see how he feels, maybe even a little bit on Sunday and then be ready to play by Monday or Tuesday. That's the scenario we have for Soriano."

Soriano out until next week

[2poor]

Mark Prior is out for the rest of the season. His once promising future with the Chicago Cubs is unclear, although surgery on his right shoulder is not considered career-threatening.

Dr. James Andrews operated on the 26-year-old right-hander Tuesday in an arthroscopic procedure in which he also worked on Prior's rotator cuff.

"Dr. Andrews feels comfortable that he will still have a career. This is certainly not career-ending," Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Wednesday. "He felt optimistic that he would be able to pitch next year. ... At his age, he should not have a problem responding and coming back after a strenuous rehab."

link

[SportsWorld]

http://www.realgmbaseball.com/src_wiret ... ago_bleak/
Prior's Future With Chicago Bleak?

Chicago Tribune - General manager Jim Hendry said Dr. James Andrews told him Mark Prior "will still have a career" when he returns.

"It's certainly not career-ending," Hendry said. "[Andrews is] optimistic [Prior will] be able to pitch next year."

Because Prior was on the minor-league disabled list instead of the Cubs' disabled list at the time of the surgery, he will not accrue any major-league service time in 2007. That means he won't be eligible for free agency until after 2009, even if he returns for the entire 2008 season.

Quote edited.

[2poor]

Cubs shortstop Cesar Izturis was surprised to lose his starting job so quickly but said he's certain he'll win it back.

''There's no doubt in my mind,'' said Izturis, the former Gold Glove winner whose .184 start at the plate put him on the bench this week in favor of Ryan Theriot.

''The situation right now is tough,'' he said. ''I want to play every day. But right now they need somebody to get on base, and so something for the team. ... It's [manager Lou Piniella's] decision, not my decision.''

Izturis unfazed by demotion, vows to reclaim job

[2poor]

In his first 49 at-bats before injuring his hamstring, Soriano hit .245 with no home runs and one RBI.

No matter what age or salary level, new employees often tend to press in their desire to impress. Soriano was no different. So manager Lou Piniella switched him back to left field upon his return, and things suddenly began to click.

Now Soriano is hitting .382 as a left fielder and has back-to-back games with home runs heading into this weekend's series at Wrigley Field against Washington, the team he left.

Playing left feels right to ex-National Soriano

[2poor]

The Cubs have won five games in a row, and suddenly their future looks brighter.

What's that you say? Your kid's Little League team could beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals? Hey, that's not fair. There's nothing wrong with cleaning up against lousy teams. Let's not forget that the Cubs only recently climbed out of the National League Central dungeon. Not so long ago, they were lousy, too. They couldn't win at home, couldn't win one-run games and couldn't keep their heads above .500.

But thanks to one good stretch of baseball, they seem to have put all that behind them. Winners of eight of their last 10 games, the Cubs are doing almost everything right these days, and manager Lou Piniella is making nearly all the right moves. In fact, if only he could figure out the proper way to use Felix Pie, there wouldn't be a thing to complain about. If only.

What to do about Pie, who was called up from Class AAA Iowa three weeks ago? I understand this has quickly become Piniella's least favorite topic for discussion. Asked Sunday about his decision to bench Pie in favor of Jacque Jones in center field, Piniella told reporters that he's ''getting too many of these questions about my outfield and this or that and the other.''

Pencil in Pie -- period

[2poor]

The future isn't now after all. In a move anticipated for the last week, the Cubs optioned top prospect Felix Pie to Class AAA Iowa, where he will bat second after being told to work counts and concentrate on learning the strike zone better.

Switch-hitting Angel Pagan, who can play all three outfield spots, was recalled from Iowa to take Pie's place on the roster. Pagan started in center field Thursday in place of Jacque Jones against left-hander Paul Maholm and homered and singled in his season debut.

General manager Jim Hendry said the decision was made late Wednesday after the Cubs hung on for a 1-0 victory in which the lefty-hitting Jones left nine runners on base, going 0-for-4 against left-handed starter Tom Gorzelanny and lefty reliever John Grabow.

Pagan up, Pie down in center-field shuffle

Not sure yet what to make of this 16-16 Cubs team that has yet to get its pitching ace on track, is getting a Cy Young start to the season from perhaps its most unpopular offseason acquisition and has used 26 lineups in 32 games?

Give it a week, and you should have a better idea. Give it two weeks, and you ought to be certain what to expect.

After finishing a 4-2 homestand that was disappointing for its finish against Pittsburgh but nonetheless their best this season, the Cubs play 13 of their next 16 games on the road in their toughest test of the first half.

Answers may be on the way

[SportsWorld]

May 11, 2007 Daily Cubs News
Zambrano Says Contract Not Affecting Him
Zambrano Says Contract Not Affecting Him

Daily Southtown - Carlos Zambrano emphatically denied that his uncertain contract status has anything to do with his rough start. He's said to be seeking a five-year deal worth around $85 million. There's been no reported movement from the Cubs on a deal, and he's eligible to become a free agent after this season.

"This has nothing to do with contracts -- just mechanics," Zambrano said. "Next question."

Zambrano

[SportsWorld]

May 12, 2007 Daily Cubs News
http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/story.asp?id=311973
Zambrano

[Posey H8er]

June 12th, 2007 from Cubs.com
Lilly to be fined, not suspended
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070612&content_id=2021642&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

CHICAGO -- Cubs general manager Jim Hendry has talked to Major League Baseball officials regarding what happened Sunday night in Atlanta, when pitcher Ted Lilly was ejected after hitting Edgar Renteria without being warned.

Atlanta's Tim Hudson hit Alfonso Soriano on Saturday night, and both teams were warned, but Hudson wasn't ejected. Soriano had hit three home runs Friday night against the Braves. Home-plate umpire Jim Wolf did not issue any warning Sunday, and tossed Lilly, who had thrown 10 pitches in the game.

Hendry talked to both Bob Watson, MLB's vice president of on-field operations, and Mike Port, MLB's vice president of umpiring. Lilly will be fined, but not suspended. Port told Hendry he would examine the game films.

[SportsWorld]

So Renteria is not getting fined for his hit?

[Posey H8er]

I guess not but Lilly is. The question is what will Major League Baseball do to Jim Wolf??

[Posey H8er]

So Renteria is not getting fined for his hit?

Renteria was in fact fined for the hit on Fontenot.