I couldn't find a Cubs' thread, so here goes...
It is an open secret in the Cubs' organization that they planned to rest Harden and Zambrano in early September for at least one start, as far back as the four game sweep of the Brewers at the end of July. If you pay attention to the actual Cubs' statements vs. the media hype, you may have noticed that the team never said much more than both pitchers were fatigued and had lost velocity. In September? No kidding?!?
The Cubs' skid coincided with the loss of Zambrano and Harden. Small comfort, anyway. This is really no excuse, because the offense was the main problem during the losing streak known as "September" to most casual baseball fans. On the bright side, the Brewers did their level best to lose even more games.
If the Cubs sweep the Brewers this week, Piniella will all but shut down their rotation. Dempster could stand being skipped at least once. (He hasn't pitched this many innings since 2002, and he had daTommyJohn in 2003.) Stats show that Harden ages like wine; a long lay-off doesn't hurt his command at all. Zambrano benefits from rest, but he often needs a start to settle in to a groove.
For example, Zambrano's no hitter didn't surprise me, because his pitches have tighter spin and move like crazy when he's on extended rest. However, his release point was very consistent Sunday, which usually doesn't happen until his SECOND start after extended rest. I'm not really sure what happened that night. Having actually seen the game (Thanks, Keith!), I'll give you my take. Scarlos introduced the Astros to all of his little friends. Did the situation suck for Houston? You betcha. Did it matter? I don't think so, given how many balls in play made it past the mound. I haven't seen Zambrano pitch this well with complete command since 2005.
Looking ahead, the Cubs still have some serious lineup issues. In a losing season, Piniella would be persona non grata for batting DP (Doube Play) Derek Lee in the third spot and Alfonso Soriano in the leadoff spot. Fukudome went from one of the most disciplined hitters in the NL to a s of himself. Edmonds has proven to be as inconsistent over the long haul as he was early in SoCal.
From an offensive standpoint, the Cubs are like most teams: too many of their good hitters are right handed. This is only a problem for two reasons: 1) Lou tends to play LH batters who suck in order to alternate his batting order. Now that Fukudome is in the doghouse, this leaves Lou with only Fontenot. (Lou is a traditionalist, not an idiot.); and 2) Uncle Lou refuses to have Ramirez bat in the 3 slot for reasons unknown to man which have little to do with handedness, after all. Anyway, here's hoping the batting order will be tweaked a little bit in the weeks leading up to the playoffs.
The Cubs F/X website confirmed my observations.
http://www.cubsfx.com/2008/09/carlos...no-hitter.html
Zambrano had all five pitches working against both LH and RH hitters. His arm angle and release point were very consistent. This is usually a problem for him after extended rest. I believe this is why he sometimes has too much movement after a layoff.
O.K., but the le doesn't suggest that it is ongoing.
The Cubs didn't have a "Season" thread. I will post anywhere so long as someone is actually reading my crap.
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