The Seattle 17

Mariners' losing streak among all-time worst


Not much was expected of the Seattle Mariners this season.  Before the season, the consensus among scouting reports was that although Seattle had talent on the pitching side of the ball, whether it be established talent like 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez or young and up and coming like Rookie of the Year candidate Michael Pineda, the offense would yet again be so horrifically bad that the Mariners would never catch up to the high powered offense of Texas.  Believe it or not, this year's Mariners have been almost as awful offensively as last year's team which barely managed to score 500 runs on the season.  Even 600 runs in a season would be considered a bad offensive season for a team.

The 2010 Mariners were led in home runs by Russell Branyan with 15.  And Branyan did that in only 205 at-bats.  Franklin Gutierrez led the team with 64 RBIs.  Chone Figgins, a big free agent signing for the Mariners before 2010, was a huge bust in his first season with the team.  But he still managed to lead the team in batting average at .259.

The 2011 version is currently being led in homers and RBIs by Miguel Olivo, with 14 and 46, respectively, and in batting average by Ichiro Suzuki at .272.  About two-thirds of the way through the season, the Mariners have scored an underwhelming 345 runs, easily the worst total in MLB.  They have also been held to three or less runs 56 times, or in 54% of their 104 games so far this season.   This incompetent offense is to blame for Seattle's now-infamous 17-game losing streak that began before the All-Star Break.

The streak began on July 6 with a 2-0 loss in a series finale in Oakland.  The Mariners then went to Anaheim, and promptly got swept in a four-game series.  Hernandez, Pineda, and Brandon League then went to Arizona for the All-Star Game.  The three probably wish they could've stayed in Arizona for a while longer, as their team would go on to lose 12 more in a row.  First, the Mariners hosted the Rangers in a four-game series and got swept, scoring two runs in the entire series.  Yes, two runs scored in four games.  Then the M's went to visit the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Yankees, playing a three-game series against each and losing all of them except the last game against the Yankees, which ended the streak on Wednesday.

During the streak, the Mariners only scored 44 runs, or 2.6 runs per game.  The futility of this streak will live in infamy for quite some time not only because of its sheer length, but because it blew the Mariners' chance at the wild card.  Right before the streak began, the Mariners were at .500 (43-43) thanks to the pitching staff.  But a closer examination reveals that this isn't the first time the Mariners have been plagued by such infamy down the stretch.  

On August 24, 2007, the 73-53 Mariners, fresh off a 4-2 win in Texas by none other than the same Hernandez (one of just two players on that team that remain on the Mariners today, along with Ichiro), began a similar losing streak that would knock them out of contention.  Although the M's had a relatively comfortable lead in the Wild Card after the win, they lost the lead to the Yankees during their nine-game losing streak.  The Mariners came out of it two games behind the Yanks and would never get the lead back.  This makes it twice in five years that the Mariners were knocked out of contention by a uncommonly long losing streak.  

Despite the team's overall struggles in 2011, the Mariners' pitching has held up pretty well.  Even including the streak, the Mariners staff ranks 9th in MLB in ERA, 6th in quality starts, and 3rd in walks allowed.  If pitching actually does win championships like they say, where are the championship rings for the Mariners?  At 44-60, to say it'll be a while until they get some is a major understatement.  Maybe in the mean time they'll score a run, or maybe even two.  Be warned.      

Kosuke Fukudome Dealt to Indians

Kosuke Fukudome has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for prospects Carlton Smith and Abner Abreu, and I'm surprised.  A possible Fukudome trade has been on the Cub fan's wishlist for over a year now but his bloated contract made it hard to do so.  While the Cubs realized they would have to pay most of the remaining money on the contract, Fukudome himself didn't gather all that much interest.  Solid defense and a great on-base percentage is pretty much all Fukudome is known for these days.  Although he is a veteran, he is definitely no clubhouse leader seeing as he still needs an interpreter during interviews.  

Fukudome had about $4.75 million left on his deal to be paid during the remainder of this season, and the Cubs will have to pay $4 million of it.  So this trade can't really be called a 'salary dump' because we're not really, umm, dumping any salary.  But overall this trade is good for the organization.  Now the logjam in the outfield isn't weighed down by the awkward commandments that although Tyler Colvin may be (is) the best right fielder on the team and would be more productive, the Cubs wouldn't want to pay a guy $12 million per season to sit on the bench.  Unluckily for the Cubs, Colvin had an awful start to the season and was sent to the minors, and so the logjam issue was solved, at least temporarily.  Now that Colvin has had some time to work in Triple-A Iowa, it's time for him to get another shot at the starting job.

While Colvin is expected to take over right field duties for at least the end of this season, whether or not he earns the job long term is unknown.  The Indians, on the other hand, will need Fukudome's help right away.  After a sizzling start to the season, the fading Tribe desperately needed to add an offensive piece to help them stay afloat in the weak AL Central.  Fukudome will play in an outfield where stars Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore have both been recently injured.  

For the Cubs, the return in this trade won't make an impact this season.  Smith, 25, is a righty-throwing reliever currently in Triple-A.  He owns a career 4.21 ERA and is a definite pitch-to-contact type pitcher, having struck out only 5.8 batters per nine innings in his career.  Abreu, 21, is a righty-hitting outfielder with a power and speed mix.  The power is still developing, but the decent speed is already there and he has 20-20 potential.  In fact, he's on pace for nearly 20-30 in High-A ball this season.  Not a great average hitter, Abreu needs to work on his plate discipline.

Although Smith is just a mediocre reliever who probably won't make it far in the Major Leagues (if he gets there), Abreu could be a Major League regular by 2014 thanks to his power-speed combo.  Smith could be one of the September call-ups for the Cubs, but Abreu won't be playing in Chicago until 2013 most likely.  Fukudome, meanwhile, is a free agent after this season and definitely won't be returning to the Cubs.  After all, I called it back in April.  But for Colvin, Smith, Abreu, and even Fukudome, who gets to play for a contender now, this was a positive trade.  And for that I applaud Jim Hendry, who's clearly being realistic about this team and how to retool for next season.    

Homestand Analysis: Florida, Philadelphia, Houston

Record: 5-5
Final Record: 42-60

Fresh off a trip to the All-Star Game, Starlin Castro returned to Chicago to rejoin his team for a four-game set against the Florida Marlins, who were making their last trip to Chicago under that name before they become the Miami Marlins next year.  The Marlins went out with a bang too, taking three of four games and outscoring the Cubs 27-13.

Two of the three losses should have been wins for the Cubs, and only one of those two was actually the Cubs' fault.  A typical Carlos Marmol ninth inning implosion blew the lead and the game in both teams' first game after the break on Thursday night.  After a win on Friday and a blowout loss Saturday, the Cubs were robbed of at least extra innings by second base umpire Lance Barrett, who blew the call on a pickoff play that would have gotten Kerry Wood out of a serious jam in the 8th.  Wood and the Cubs were livid, but there is no instant replay on those calls and they just had to deal with it.  Wood went on to walk in the go-ahead run and the Cubs would never get the lead back.

While losing three of four to Florida might have seemed bad, the Cubs had an even taller task ahead of them when the Phillies came to town on Monday.  But for the second year in a row, the Cubs beat Phillies ace Roy Halladay and opened off the series with a surprising win.  Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena added home runs in the game.

While Ramirez and Pena and known sluggers, it would still be a surprise to see one of them homer of Phillies southpaw Cliff Lee, widely regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball known for his impeccable control.  But it was a kid with five career homers heading into the game who would homer off the veteran Lee on this night.  Castro's two-run first inning blast gave the Cubs a lead that would hold up until the 8th, when Sean Marshall blew it on a double by Chase Utley.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, Mike Quade has taken a lot of blame for leaving in pitchers too long.  Perhaps preparing for potential extra innings, Quade left in the demoralized Marshall to pitch the 9th, and a two-run double by Michael Martinez gave the Phillies a lead they wouldn't give back.  The mistake by Quade was inexcusable, and I was highly disappointed that this problem still plagues Quade.

After the Phillies finished their series win with a blowout in nothing-to-see-here fashion, the stumbling Houston Astros came to Wrigley Field.  The Astros had gone 9-3 in their last 12 games at Wrigley Field before this series, but that was certainly bound to change.  This year's version of the Astros is unprecedentedly bad and on pace for around 110 losses, which would be a franchise worst.  In fact, the Astros have never lost 100 games in the franchise's 50 year history, but that will change at this rate.  And a sweep from a fifth-place Cubs team definitely won't help them avoid it.

The Cubs took the Friday matinee by power, as Alfonso Soriano and Ramirez had key homers to take it 4-2.  Randy Wells, pitching for his life in the rotation, came through with just one run allowed Saturday and was allowed to stay in the rotation.  Marlon Byrd and Geovany Soto joined the homer party in support.  Speaking of homer party, Carlos Lee gave the Astros the lead 4-3 on Sunday with a shocking two-run homer in the 8th.  Lee, a notorious Cub killer, has 36 career homers against the Cubs, which is 17 more than he has against any other opponent!  But my immediate reaction to Lee's homer on Sunday was, 'Isn't this guy too old for this now?!'  Lee's homer, just his eighth of the season, was quickly forgotten by Cubs fans, however, as a Soriano single tied the game just a half-inning later.  In the 10th, Jeff Baker singled to left to win the game and begin the walk-off celebration.

And just like that, the Cubs took their first three-game sweep of the season.  Oh, and that was also their first three-game winning streak in nearly four months of baseball.  See, it wasn't that hard guys.  Does it really count against a team like the Astros?  For our purposes, yes.

For how ugly the homestand started, you have to give the team credit for rebounding and sweeping the Astros.  But the Cubs should have taken three of four from the Marlins and two of three from the Phillies, counting the game that Marshall and Quade unintentionally colluded to blow.  Counting the sweep of the Astros, that would've been an 8-2 homestand.  But the past is the past, and as the all-mighty Da Coach says, the past is for cowards.  Point being the Cubs have to take the positives and work forwards to have any chance of a late-season rebound like last year's.  

Steel City Steals NL Central

On June 26, 2011, a sellout crowd of 39,511 filled PNC Park in Pittsburgh.  The hometown fans were rooting for a sweep of the visiting Boston Red Sox in a rare interleague matchup.  The Pirates, who entered the game at 39-37, were at the latest in the season the team had been over .500 since 1992.  They had also won four in a row, thrilling a surprised city that has seen more than its share of shame and frustration in the last 18 seasons, all losing ones for the Pirates.  But this season, a new hope has arisen.

The Pirates, once a proud franchise that featured such names as Ralph Kiner, Willie Stargell, and Roberto Clemente, have lived in infamy the past decade for that tumultuous streak of consecutive losing seasons, the 18 being the longest such streak in the history of American professional sports.  Countless attempts to rebuild have produced some Major League regulars, like Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Ryan Doumit, Aramis Ramirez, and Jason Kendall, but no sustainable team success.  In 2011, however, the script for what's normally baseball's worst team has been flipped dramatically.  

But who exactly are these guys, and how are they doing it?  The Pirates are only 23rd in MLB in runs scored, 24th in home runs, 22nd in batting average, but 8th in ERA, by a team that had the worst ERA of all 30 teams just a season ago at 5.00.  The pitching has made all the difference in 2011, but the actual members of the pitching staff largely remain relative unknowns to the average baseball fan.  Their ace's record is 6-9, but their second-worst starter's record is 11-7.  The two men are Paul Maholm and Kevin Correia, respectively.  The rest of the rotation, in which all five starters have respectable ERAs between 2.34 and 4.42, consists of Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, and James McDonald.  Who, who, and who?

Karstens, a former Yankees farmhand, is finally finding his niche in the Pirates rotation at a no-longer-young age of 28 in his sixth Major League season.  Correia, the 30-year-old elder statesman of the group, spent most of the last decade with the Giants before the Padres for the last two seasons.  A lifetime mediocre starter, he could easily win 17 or 18 games this season.  Maholm, 29, has seen much of the worst in his seven years in Pittsburgh.  Much like the Pirates themselves, he has been around for quite a while, yet didn't attract hardly attention because of his mediocrity and irrelevance to winning.  McDonald, 26, was acquired from the Dodgers last season as a reliever but was converted into a fine starter.  And last but certainly not least is Morton, 27, whose miraculous turnaround has been crucial for the Pirates this season.  Morton's ERA was over 7.00 in 17 starts last season, allowing almost 13 hits per nine innings.  In his first 14 starts last year, he went at least six innings only six times.

It also doesn't hurt that the Pirates have one of the best bullpens around.  Closer Joel Hanrahan's 1.62 ERA and 28 saves earned him a trip to the All-Star Game.  Daniel McCutchen, Chris Resop, and Jose Veras, yet three more virtually unkowns, are the three most used relievers and all three have ERAs under 3.30.  All three are in their late 20s but still have lots of time to become household names.  And by the way this group has taken the National League by storm in 2011, watch out.

Ironically enough, the offensive stars are far more popular both in Pittsburgh and nationwide even though this season they haven't been as good as the pitchers.  Center fielder Andrew McCutchen is a budding young star who was widely hailed as the All-Star Game's biggest roster snub.  Outfielders Jose Tabata and Garrett Jones, although both slightly underperforming this season, have bright futures ahead of them.  First baseman Lyle Overbay is the key veteran presence the Pirates were looking for in the offseason.  But it's actually second baseman Neil Walker who's leading local sporting goods stores in jersey sales, according to a store owner in Pittsburgh.  Another owner also remarked that it's an odd - but good -sight when Pirates stuff is far outselling Steelers stuff over the summer.

This is easily the best Pirates team in forever the 19 year stretch between 1992's NLCS-losing-heartbreaker.  That team had some fan favorite slugging outfielder named Barry Bonds leading the team in many offensive categories.  But ever since then, the Pirates have been a revolving door of misfitting veterans and underperforming prospects.  They've gone through seven managers, three general managers, and two stadiums.  Fans in the Steel City were often just forced to sit and watch the grass grow until August rolled around, and with it came Steelers training camp.  As Cubs fans, we've all been there before, waiting for the Bears to finally take the field.  Like this summer, for example.  But for two decades in a row?!  Any fans sticking around for that long should win a medal.

A quick glance at the Pirates' depth chart reveals a few things; free agents don't exactly gravitate to the Pirates, many of these guys are reclaimed late 20s rejects from other teams, and there are gaping holes on the left side of the infield.  And not because the Pirates are playing a shift on a pull-hitting lefty.

After all the Pirates have put their fans through for all these years, the time is now to go for it all this season.  The time is now to be a buyer at the trade deadline for the first time since, yes, 1992.

The Bucs need a third baseman to continue to compete with the Brewers, Cardinals, and Reds.  Top prospect Pedro Alvarez, who was thought to be the starting third baseman for this season, was sent to the minors after a disappointing start and is now injured.  The Pirates are reportedly interested in Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez, who began his career with Pittsburgh way back in the late 90s.  The Pirates are probably still sore about giving him away, too, seeing as the trade that sent Kenny Lofton and Ramirez to the Cubs in 2003 returned not even a single remotely significant prospect.  And although a reunion would be a great story and prompt happy Pirates fans to actually have a use for their old Ramirez jerseys sitting in a box in their garages, it's highly unlikely.  Ramirez's contract situation is as such that a trade with exercise his expensive 2012 contract option, and that's even if the Cubs persuade him to waive his no-trade clause.  But who is within the Pirates' reach?

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds, 27, is having yet another quiet season for a small market team but still has good power with 21 homers.  His strikeout rate, although still quite high, has improved dramatically and he would make a good fit on this Pirates team that doesn't strike out very often at all.  Reynolds' power would be welcome for this Pirates team that thought it would get much more production out of Jones (only nine homers) and third baseman Pedro Alvarez (two homers before being sent to minors and being injured).

Rockies third baseman Ty Wigginton, 33, doesn't possess the standout power that Reynolds does but still produces in his own right, with 13 home runs in 78 games this season.  Wigginton's salary of $4 million is also much cheaper than Reynolds' $11 million.  Wigginton is much more of a [Pirates manager] Clint Hurdle-type player.  But the power upside with Reynolds is hard to ignore.

General Manager Neil Huntington can't really go wrong either way, but he can go wrong by acquiring neither, or not finding some other solution to the problem.  The offense needs help to go up against the high-powered offenses the Reds, Cardinals, and Brewers have (ranked 5th, 6th, and 8th in MLB, respectively).  The Pirates, although ranked at 25th, have something those other three teams don't, and according to the cliché, it should win them championships.  But the pitching staff, shockingly superior to that of the other three teams, won't help in the playoffs unless they can get there first.  And the Pirates need to make a move to get there.

You know, the near-decade old notion about beautiful PNC Park, widely hailed as one of the best in the league, was that with such a terrific ballpark, it's a real shame that the Pirates are never good.  This year, they have that team.  This team has caught so many people by surprise (they were in first place just yesterday) that they could go back to being bad just as quickly as they became good.  After all these years, the Pirates front office owes it to their loyal fans that have stuck around for the last 20 painful years to go for it this year.  Because if they don't, they might not get another chance.   

MLB's Best Uniforms, Part 3: Alternate/Throwback Uniforms

Alex Gordon and the Royals rank #5.

The newest addition to the three main types of baseball uniforms, the term 'alternate' was pretty much nonexistent in the baseball uniform world even just 50 years ago.  Alternate uniforms, which were invented and remain today for one reason ($$$), have become a major part of MLB games.  Of the 2,430 games on the MLB schedule every year, probably more than half feature at least one team wearing an alternate.

Narrowing down the top alternates proves trickier than the home and road uniforms.  This is because while each team only has one home and road uniform each, making it easy to choose or eliminate, MLB teams have anywhere from zero to three alternates.  The teams with zero alternates this season, the Yankees, Tigers, and Cardinals, were automatically exempt from this countdown.  There's also something to be said for teams that wear their alternates too much.  If wondering why the Padres navy jersey or Rangers blue jersey isn't on here, that's why.  These jerseys have been so overused, they're not exciting when the players march to the field with them on.  In my count, there are a total of 48 alternate uniforms in use this season, and only the Astros and Twins have three.  There were some tough decisions, but the final countdown stands as follows:

10. Houston Astros (Non-Pinstripe)

It's an alternate, but the Average Joe might give it a glance and think it's the regular home thread.  No sir, these are the Saturday alternates for the 'Stros.  As far as I'm concerned, however, it should be the home uniform.  The regular home threads are fine, but these stand out.  The Astros were the only team in baseball for a while using this cool sedona red for a while until the Diamondbacks joined the club in 2007. Recently, the Astros have begun wearing their road uniform with red sleeves and caps for the first time after using black for the last decade.  Making this alternate the home jersey would be the perfect complement to the red on the road.  Besides, a million other teams wear black.







9. Chicago Cubs (Blue)

Most prefer the traditional pinstripes for the Cubbies, and therefore the blue hasn't been spotted at home since the beginning of the Ricketts regime (2010 season onward).  But the Cubs welcomed this thread to Wrigley from 1997-2009, and I think it should be brought back on a limited basis.  The jersey and t-shirt of this jersey are enormously popular in Chicago; the vast majority of Cubs t-shirts sold are of this jersey.  Still, the popularity is lost somewhere in the translation and many traditionalists are glad to see the Cubs stick with the pinstripes at home.  The Cubs still wear it on the road, however, in about half of road games.  The walking bear in the 'C' logo is my favorite Cubs logo, and it seems right the Cubs have a jersey to proudly strut around in Cubbie blue.  




8. Cleveland Indians (Navy)

Ever seen that highlight of Edgar Renteria winning the 1997 World Series for the Marlins with a walk-off single up the middle?  Ever notice the jersey the Indians wore in that game?  Yep, that was the same jersey, with a few minor changes.  It's shown some uncommon consistency in the ever-changing alternate jersey world.  And with good reason.  The Tribe looks at their best in this jersey, for the script if nothing else.  That iconic 'I' is one of the most stylish letters in MLB, and therefore, that's not the only place you can find it.



7. Colorado Rockies (Purple)

In my opinion, the Rockies don't have terribly appealing uniforms in general.  But that has nothing to do with this one.  The Rockies, like so many other teams, use black as a featured color, meaning it dominates most of their other uniforms.  The purple is what makes the Rockies unique.  The Rockies are one of just six teams in the Big 4 leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL) to have purple as a primary color (Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Phoenix Suns, and the Rockies), and they oughta' show it.  The purple jersey mysteriously disappeared between 2008 and 2010, but thankfully it has returned for 2011.  Because if it's not purple for the Rockies, it's plain black.  And that's pretty much a train wreck of boring.


6. Pittsburgh Pirates (Black)

The next jersey on the list is black.  How ironic.  But the Pirates do it right, and have, for like, ever.  Fans are critical of most black alternates these days (cough, Mets), but this one has been embraced by Bucs fans.  And that's because the Pirates define black and yellow.  They're more black and yellow than Wiz Khalifa.  Introduced in 2009, these threads are worn at home and on the road, although more frequently on the road in 2009 and 2010.  After the Pirates scrapped their pinstriped alternate for this season, this one gets main stage for their alternates, and rightly so.


5. Kansas City Royals (Powder Blue)

Introduced in 2008, the Royals, along with the Blue Jays, became the first two teams since the 80s to bring back the powder blue.  The Rays joined that party in 2010, but even they couldn't beat the Royals' masterpiece.  It probably looks pretty similar to the home jersey.  That's because it's the exact same template as that jersey, just obviously in powder blue and the name and number on both sides changes to white.  The two-tone cap, added in 2010, was unnecessary, but doesn't do anything to diminish the fine looks of this jersey.




4. Los Angeles Dodgers (Brooklyn Throwback)

A one-year throwback experiment chosen by fans, the original powder blue Brooklyn Dodgers jerseys were made of satin; they shined more than a disco ball under the lights.  This year's replica is made out of cotton.  I believe the Dodgers are wearing this just five times this season, all weekday afternoon games.  MLB's official jersey manufacturer is Majestic; they produce all the jerseys you see on the field, except for these, which are produced by Bobcat Athletic, and a few other 'special orders'.  Not that it matters; it's a really cool uniform either way.  Especially when the Cubs beat the Dodgers when they were wearing them, like they did on May 4.


3. Arizona Diamondbacks (Black)

The Diamondbacks' logo has to be in the top five in MLB.  The iconic 'A', so iconic that it actually survived the total color and uniform re-do that happened when the the D-Backs rolled out new uniforms prior to 2007, makes this jersey awesome.  The sedona red (see: Astros) works with black terrifically in this instance.  I don't understand the widespread criticism of black jerseys; when used in conjunction with a vivid highlight color, it works.  No complaints about the cap or shoulder patches, either.  One of the most modern uniforms in MLB right now.




2. Washington Nationals (Navy)

Many fans judge this jersey on whether or not it is truly 'patriotic'.  I say chill out, since when does a baseball jersey have to be some sort of patriotic national symbol?  Let's review.  Why does this jersey really exist?  Why of course, that same reason that all jerseys on this list exist ($$$).  But it is a nice addition for the our capital's team.  I like to judge it on whether or not it's a darn cool jersey, which it is.  The stars and stripes in the logo are a dazzling eye attraction.  The Nationals reserve this jersey for major holidays, like Memorial Day and July 4, and so it only gets game action five or six times a season.  In my mind, that's a real shame.




1. Oakland Athletics (Yellow)

The A's relegated their green alternate to road-only status in 2008 when they brought in this eyesore of an attempt to make a black jersey.  The result of that was too much black, too much yellow, and an odd struggle to find green anywhere on the jersey at all.  The A's went back to the roots on this yellow beauty right here.  First, the yellow looks great.  Second, there's just the right amount of green and white to contrast.  Third, the chest logo is perfect, and something the A's haven't featured on any uniform since 1982.  And fourth, the yellow looks great.  Did I mention the yellow?  




How 'bout those Athletics?  Even the losing record this season doesn't diminish the new alternate.  In fact, only three teams got their home, road, and alternate jersey on this list: the Indians, Royals, and Dodgers.  The Yankees, Athletics, Braves, Nationals, Cubs, Pirates and Diamondbacks all got two uniforms on the list, while the Orioles, Tigers, Mariners, Cardinals, Astros, Rockies, Reds, and Padres got one.  The Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays, White Sox, Twins, Rangers, Angels, Phillies, Mets, Marlins, Brewers, and Giants missed the list entirely.

This concludes my three-part countdown of MLB's Best Uniforms.  I really enjoyed creating this countdown, and, judging by record viewership numbers, my readers enjoy reading them.  Stay tuned for more countdowns in the future!  

Homestand Analysis: Colorado, San Francisco, Chicago (AL)

Record: 4-4
Final Record: 35-50

Against the Rockies, the Cubs finally got their first series sweep of the season.  Unfortunately, it was a one-game series, as in a makeup game for the rainout back in April.  This means the Cubs have yet to sweep a three-game series, and also haven't even won three in a row.  But play later in the week was encouraging for the Cubs.

Behind two homers each by Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena, the Cubs rolled past the Rockies 7-3.  The four homers would be the first four of 12 homers on the eight-game homestand.  Something was definitely in the water, as even backup Koyie Hill added one to the tally.  The annual weather swing has struck Wrigley, with that summer wind blowing out to the bleachers.

In the Colorado game, starter Matt Garza gave up a deep fly ball to left field by Carlos Gonzalez.  Alfonso Soriano went back to the track at his typical, lackadaisical pace.  Soriano eventually just pulled up and stopped, facing the wall, waiting for the ball to drop.  Garza, standing on the mound and thinking Soriano couldn't see the ball, raised his arms and said, "What are you doing?!"  Sure enough, the ball landed in the bleachers for a home run.  Garza, like most of the rest of the players, was shocked.  This evidence of the bandbox that Wrigley Field becomes in the summer has to come as a big surprise to the newcomers like Garza, who thought this ball would be a routine flyout.

The jetstream helped the Cubs for the rest of the homestand.  Ramirez hit six homers on it, en route to a well-deserved National League Player of the Week award.  But even that couldn't help the Cubs from looking absolutely dreadful in the doubleheader against the Giants on last Tuesday.  The Cubs were blown out by baseball's worst offense, reminiscent of their similar drubbing of the Cubs at Wrigley Field last year.  For the Cubs, Doug Davis and Rodrigo Lopez started the two games and the results are history.

Thankfully, the Cubs salvaged the last two games in impressive fashion.  A 1-0 ninth inning lead was blown by Carlos Marmol, but Ramirez singled home the winning run just a half-inning later on Wednesday night.

On Thursday afternoon, the Cubs put together one of their most complete wins since 2008.  Marcos Mateo pitched five incredible innings of relief after Carlos Zambrano's injury allowed him just one inning.  Ramirez erased a 1-0 deficit on a 95 mph fastball off Giants closer Brian Wilson.  Darwin Barney hit a huge clutch double in the 13th inning to tie the game at two after the Giants took the lead in the top half.  Geovany Soto stepped up and, two pitches later, ended the game with a three-run walk-off homer that was one of the most amazing moments the Cubs have had in the last decade.  The game was intense throughout and the Cubs trailed twice facing a loss, coming back both times.

In their millionth attempt to win a third game in a row, the Cubs were again denied, this time by the White Sox.  The Cubs didn't commit any errors on Friday in the series opener, according to the box score.  A mental error by manager Mike Quade cost the Cubs the lead in a tie game.  Quade has been sharply criticized this season for leaving in starters too long, and although much of this criticism is unfair, there's a case for this game to be examined.  Randy Wells gave up the two-run lead he had in the seventh, increasing his runs allowed total to four.  After Alex Rios reached base, Quade allowed Wells to pitch to Juan Pierre who lined a two-run triple to gave the Sox a lead they wouldn't give back.  Quade's mental error wasn't something major on his part, but I believe it was just the wrong decision.

A blown call at second base on a double play ball prevented the Cubs from tying Saturday's game at one, and the Cubs lost 1-0.  Garza threw a complete game despite losing, a sign I love to see.  Back in the Lou Piniella days, Garza would've been yanked after eight regardless of his low pitch count and the fact that his performance had earned him another inning.  Garza has been the beneficiary of some serious bad luck this season, and his value to the team has been far underrated thus far.

The Cubs finally got a win on Sunday, which salvages all Cubs fans everywhere from having to hear those Sox fans yappin' their yappers about how they swept us in our own park, yadda yadda yadda.  Thank God.  A Starlin Castro RBI triple and Ramirez two-run homer built a small lead, and although Kerry Wood allowed the bases loaded in the 8th, the Cubs escaped, avoiding the sweep.  The Sox now lead the Crosstown Series 12-6 since 2009.

On this homestand, Cubs pitchers really started throwing strikes.  In the case of Wells, Lopez, and Davis, who was released after his latest shellacking, this tactic didn't work so well.  In the case of Garza and Ryan Dempster, this worked very well.  Keeping a lower pitch count should allow the starters to go later in games, which is something the Cubs need.  Garza's performance on Saturday was incredible; but not as incredible as the fact that he lost.