Posted by
Matt Clapp |
2/17/2010 02:30:00 PM
|
Angel Guzman
So you knew there was going to be something the Cubs weren't telling us about, right? This time around it's in regards to Angel Guzman:
Cubs reliever Angel Guzman had arthroscopic surgery on his knee two weeks ago in Mesa after tearing his meniscus while working out last month in Venezuela.
General manager Jim Hendry said Guzman will be a couple weeks behind the other pitchers but will be ready for the start of the season.
Super. In all seriousness, it's just arthroscopic surgery on the knee(getting it scoped), and it's fair to believe he'll be ready by Opening Day as the Cubs are saying. Let's hope.
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Not just that, but we've learned that Ryan Theriot is likely to bat first in the lineup(as expected), and Ted Lilly, who is rehabbing from shoulder surgery, could be ready to go by Mid-April:
Piniella said Theriot will likely be the lead-off man, with Kosuke Fukudome batting second.
The Cubs are now saying that Lilly will hopefully be ready sometime between April 15 to May 1. "He's already told me I'm going to be ready early this year," Piniella said.
Let's hope Theriot is a lot more like his 2008 self where he had a .387 on-base percentage, rather than his 2009 self where a fluke power surge in May screwed up his plate approach, and he finished with just a .343 on-base percentage. We know Kosuke Fukudome is going to see a lot of pitches and get on base at a high clip, so you could make a great case that he should be batting first instead of Theriot, especially since we don't know which Theriot we're getting.
As for Lilly, well, we'll have to wait and see. We've heard this talk from the Cubs before in regards to injured pitchers, only to not see the pitcher return until June. We also don't really know anything conclusive until Lilly actually throws off a mound, which he's yet to do. It sounds encouraging though, and the Cubs absolutely need Lilly to make around 30 starts to compete in the National League Central.
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Posted by
Matt Clapp |
2/08/2010 09:35:00 PM
|
ESPN,
Randy Winn
I'm bored and was just looking over the Cubs' depth chart on ESPN.Com. Notice anything wrong here?
Apparently Randy Winn is the backup outfielder the Cubs signed this off-season, not Xavier Nady. That's news to me! It's also news to me that Aaron Heilman is still a Cub.
If you're wondering, Winn signed with the Yankees a couple weeks ago, after being on the Giants from 2005-2009. ESPN decided to photshop in a Yankees hat for him, but still have him as a part of the Giants' team:
Confusion!
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Bricks and Ivy Radio, hosted by our good friends Evan Rapp and Geoff Stone, is back on the air for the first time of the new year. Best Cubs podcast out there. You'll get lots of laughs and some great Cubs talk, from a very optimistic fan(Evan), and a VERY pessimistic fan(Geoff). Check it out and make sure to subscribe on itunes: Bricks & Ivy Radio
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Fun Facts: Les Lancaster started 18 of 27 games pitched as a rookie for the Cubs in 1987, and went 8-3 with a 4.90 ERA. He finished sixth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. After this though, he was used primarily as a reliever, only starting 21 games over the remainder of his career.
He's most known for being a key part of the National League East champion Cubs, putting together a 1.36 ERA out of the bullpen. He also had eight saves. He was the winning pitcher in game two of the 1989 National League Championship series against the San Francisco Giants, but that was the only game the Cubs would win in the series.
He's currently the manager of the Sioux Explorers of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
