Cubs on wrong end of pitching duel
By Carrie Muskat
SAN FRANCISCO — The Cubs have been making a lot of starting pitchers look real good, and Sunday, it was Barry Zito’s turn.
Zito threw 8 1/3 shutout innings to lead the Giants to a 2-0 victory over the Cubs, who lost their 10th straight road game for the first time since Sept. 13-30, 2000.
The Cubs’ problems haven’t just been on the road. In 14 losses since May 16, they’ve scored 13 earned runs over 95 innings against starting pitchers, who have a combined 1.23 ERA. Zito (5-2) joins John Danks, Jake Peavy, Bud Norris, A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard as starters who did not allow a run in that stretch.
“It’s the same press conference every day, a broken record,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. “I don’t know what to say to come up with something different. It’s just frustrating — I mean, golly.”
Travis Wood deserved better. Making his third start since stepping into the rotation for Chris Volstad, Wood (0-2) gave up three hits over seven innings and struck out seven, one shy of his career high of eight, done twice.
“He matched Zito pitch for pitch,” Cubs catcher Koyie Hill said. “He did a good job with a lineup that’s been feeling pretty good. They’ve been playing good baseball. He kept it under control and gave us a chance. He really did well and executed really well.”
“We didn’t hit too many balls hard today — their guy was great, too,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “[Wood] was on top of his game.”
It was the left-hander’s longest and best outing with the Cubs.
“Woody was awesome,” Sveum said. “That’s as good as I’ve seen him pitch, even when he was in Cincinnati. He basically threw the ball wherever he wanted. Even [Joaquin] Arias’ ball was close to a foot off the plate away and that was just a nice piece of hitting.”
Arias’ hit came in the fifth. Wood faced the minimum through the first four innings and did not allow a baserunner until he hit Ryan Theriot with a pitch with one out in the fourth.
The lefty struck out Buster Posey to open the fifth but Angel Pagan doubled over Alfonso Soriano in left for the Giants’ first hit. One out later, Pagan scored on Arias’ single despite a good throw from right fielder Reed Johnson. Hill never had the ball.
“He went for the tag too early and took his eye off it — I don’t think it was ever in his glove,” Sveum said. “I think he’ll tell you he should’ve caught that 99 out of 100 times.”
“I looked at it and it was pretty textbook, to be honest with you,” Hill said of the play. “I don’t know if I would’ve done anything different. I went to cover up the ball with my bare hand like you’re taught to do, and the ball just popped out. It’s one of those things. Priority No. 1 is to catch the ball and it didn’t happen.”
It wasn’t the only defensive lapse. In the Giants’ eighth, Gregor Blanco was at first but able to score on Melky Cabrera’s single to left with two outs as Soriano threw to the infield and not home.
“That’s another brain fart that we’ve got to be smart [about],” Sveum said. “That’s a pretty fast runner taking off stealing, and a ball like that, you’ve got to get that ball in. We don’t care if the ball goes to second. That guy will score easy if you throw that ball to second base.”
Which Blanco did. In the clubhouse postgame, outfield coach Dave McKay talked to Soriano, who has been playing despite a sore left knee. Sveum said they’ll use Soriano as the designated hitter in upcoming Interleague games in American League ballparks.
“Hopefully, he’ll hit some home runs,” Sveum said.
The Cubs need some kind of offense. The best chance they had Sunday came in the fifth when they had runners at first and second with one out but Zito struck out Hill, and Ian Stewart, who was on second, was thrown out at third trying to advance. The Giants left-hander finished with five K’s. Johnson made good contact against Zito, as did Starlin Castro, even though he went 0-for-4.
“Other than that, there weren’t a lot of good at-bats,” Sveum said.
The Cubs have scored three runs in three games against the Giants’ starting trio of Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain and Zito.
“If we knew the answer — give credit to them,” Hill said of the sputtering offense. “They’ve run three pretty good pitchers out there. We know Zito has had his issues in the past but he doesn’t look like the same guy. He’s competitive with all his pitches and it makes it tough on us, especially in a ballpark that’s not very hitter friendly to begin with.”
The Cubs now have lost 15 of their last 18 games, and nine of those games have been decided by two runs or less. Wood remained optimistic.
“We’re right there,” Wood said. “We’re going to win some ballgames.”
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Giants seek sweep against reeling Cubs
By Ben Estes
When the Cubs swept San Diego earlier this week to snap their 12-game losing streak, it appeared that the rebuilding club had turned the corner somewhat. Then Chicago hit the road, and all of the team’s demons re-emerged.
Trying to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Giants on Monday at AT&T Park, the Cubs find themselves with another losing streak — three games and counting — after running into a hot San Francisco club. With Sunday’s loss, Chicago has lost 10 straight games on the road.
Meanwhile, after winning the first three games of this wraparound series, the Giants have now won six of their past seven games and are 15-7 in their last 22. The team is a season-high six games over .500 at 30-24 and has made up much ground on Los Angeles in the National League West, sitting just three games back of the Dodgers entering Monday.
The main culprit in Chicago’s struggles this series has been its bats. Manager Dale Sveum’s club has pushed across just four runs in the three games and was shut out Sunday.
“Once again, we couldn’t muster anything against the starting pitcher again,” Sveum said after Saturday’s 2-1 loss. “It’s the same old thing. It’s unbelievable how we have a tough time scoring against starting pitchers.”
It doesn’t look to get much better Monday. Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong takes the mound for San Francisco, and he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer in his last 10 starts at home.
The Giants haven’t exactly been lighting up the scoreboard either, managing just 22 runs in their last eight games for an average of 2.8. But the difference between good teams and bad teams is that the former find a way to win, and San Francisco has been able to do that in recent days.
“We scratched and clawed and found a way to get a couple runs,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after Saturday’s game. “I thought this would be a close game, with the time of day we’re playing and the two pitchers who were throwing. We had to do the little things, and we did, just enough to win the game.”
Giants: Sandoval begins rehab stint
The San Francisco offense should receive a significant boost in the coming days when third baseman Pablo Sandoval returns to the lineup. Sandoval, recovering from surgery to remove the broken hamate bone in his left hand, began a rehab stint Saturday for Class A San Jose and went 1-for-4 with a broken-bat single. He could be activated from the 15-day disabled list Friday.
“He saw the ball pretty good,” Bochy said. “He did all right for his first game back.”
Sandoval again started as the designated hitter for San Jose on Sunday, doubling in his third at-bat and homering in the ninth inning.
• Bochy said before Sunday’s game that closer Santiago Casilla’s availability would be a game-time decision, as the right-hander tries to recover from a bruised knee suffered in Friday night’s win. When it came time to decide, though, Bochy elected to send right-hander Sergio Romo into the game to close it out in the ninth inning, resting Casilla for another day.
“He’s doing better,” Bochy said. “He felt like he could throw [Saturday], but you got to do what’s right and do what’s cautious here. He’s moving around pretty good.”
Cubs: Samardzija takes the hill
Chicago has to feel good about its chances of avoiding a sweep given that the team is sending right-hander Jeff Samardzija to the mound. The former Notre Dame football star is 3-2 with a 2.12 ERA in his last seven outings, and the Cubs are 7-3 in the 10 games Samardzija has started. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start since April 29.
Samardzija is one of several high-profile pitchers making the transition from the bullpen to the rotation this season, joined by the likes of Boston’s Daniel Bard and Texas’ Neftali Feliz. So far, it appears Samardzija has adjusted well.
• Right-hander Carlos Marmol has pitched well in his return from the DL, as he hasn’t allowed a run — or, perhaps more importantly, a walk — in three innings since Monday. But Sveum said Sunday that he isn’t yet defining any roles for his bullpen arms, meaning Marmol won’t be given his closer spot back just yet.
One of the pitchers competing for the closer role is left-hander James Russell, who notched his first career save Tuesday and said he’s looking forward to having another opportunity to lock down a win. Russell’s father, Jeff, saved 186 games in his big league career, and the pair became the fourth father-son combination to each collect a save in Major League history with James’ first.
“We talked about how fun it is,” James Russell said. “Once you get to two outs and the crowd gets on their feet going crazy, [Jeff] told me to make sure you calm yourself down and stay with your game plan and everything will work out.”
Worth noting
• Giants center fielder Angel Pagan went 1-for-3 on Sunday, extending his home hitting streak to 27 games. That broke a tie with Mike Donlin for the longest in franchise history since 1900. Donlin hit in 26 straight games in 1905-06.
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Marmol looking good since return
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
SAN FRANCISCO — Carlos Marmol is throwing strikes, which is what Cubs manager Dale Sveum wants to see. But that doesn’t mean the right-hander will automatically be back as the closer.
Marmol has thrown three scoreless, hitless innings since returning from the disabled list Monday. He has struck out four in those three innings and not walked anyone.
“That’s a good sign,” Sveum said Sunday about the lack of walks by Marmol. “The bullpen is finally shaping up a little bit, not that we have guys set in any role. To their credit, they’ve done a good job in whatever role I’ve put them in. I’ve called down there and [James] Russell gets up in the seventh or ninth or whatever.”
Marmol was 2-for-4 in save situations and had walked 18 in 11 1/3 innings before losing the job as closer, and Sveum isn’t concerned about getting Marmol back into it.
“I’m not setting any goals to get anybody anywhere except to win baseball games somehow and keep the other team from scoring once their starter is out of there,” Sveum said. “The bottom line is to work the matchups as best as you possibly can to keep the other team from scoring.”
Russell fired up by save opportunity
SAN FRANCISCO — James Russell is eagerly awaiting his next save situation.
“It’s really exciting,” the Cubs left-hander said about closing games.
Russell has a save, his first, and a win in his last two outings, and pumped his arms coming off the mound after both.
“I usually don’t show that much emotion but there are times when you get fired up,” he said. “If I let everybody know I’m fired up, maybe it’ll fire up the guys in the dugout. I like being in those situations.”
Of course, Russell’s goal is the same, whether he’s pitching in the sixth or the ninth.
“It’s only because it’s later in the game, the last couple innings; that’s why it gets blown up,” he said. “I see no difference between any of the innings. They’re equally important. There’s a big aura about the ninth inning for some reason.”
Maybe that’s because usually there’s no one left in the bullpen to back the closer up.
“It’s fun, a good change,” Russell said. “I like it. Never in my right mind did I think I’d be in the big leagues closing a game. Why not? I’m here, I might as well get out there.”
His father, Jeff Russell, was a successful closer, totaling 186 career saves. James has talked to his dad about the job.
“We talked about how fun it is,” Russell said. “Once you get to two outs and the crowd gets on their feet going crazy, he told me to make sure you calm yourself down and stay with your game plan and everything will work out. He also told me I have 185 more to go.”
Cubs have done homework for Draft
SAN FRANCISCO — All the days on the road and nights in different hotel rooms and bad food consumed and video watched and scouting reports discussed by the Cubs baseball operations staff will hopefully pay off Monday in the First-Year Player Draft.
The Cubs have the sixth pick overall and two supplemental round selections. In 2002, they had a first-round pick plus three supplemental picks, plus the 56th and 62nd selections. Six picks in the first 62 is a lot (For trivia buffs, the players taken were Bobby Brownlie, Luke Hagerty, Chadd Blasko, Matthew Clanton, Brian Dopirak and Justin Jones).
This is the first Draft for the Cubs by Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, and they’ve done their homework.
“Any organization, you do all your due diligence, you want that to be the right pick,” Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Sunday. “The [supplemental] round, you want to find those diamonds in the rough. There’s a lot that goes into the Draft that people don’t fathom. There’s a lot that goes into it to find that impact player.”
Epstein, president of baseball operations, and Hoyer, the general manager, have been on the road scouting players, as has McLeod, who runs the team’s scouting and player development. The trio were together in Boston and have reunited in Chicago, spending the last week in a conference room going over backround checks on the prospects.
Sveum notes their picks, such as Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, have worked out well.
“There are plenty of guys out there who you see have the tools and ‘wow,’ but at the same time, they haven’t panned out,” Sveum said. “It’s like gambling. You take a shot and boom, you pick them, and wish they pan out the way you graded them out. Hopefully, those grades work out character-wise as much as anything.”
Extra bases
• David DeJesus, Steve Clevenger and Ian Stewart took advantage of some time in batting practice to chat with former Giants star Will Clark in right field. Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo had talked to Clark about sharing some tips with the three left-handed hitters.
“I’ve always wanted to meet him,” said Clevenger, a Baltimore native who watched Clark when he was with the Orioles. “He was one of my favorite players in Baltimore.”
• Geovany Soto, on the disabled list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in mid-May, was able to do some catcher-related drills Sunday.
However, pitcher Marcos Mateo, on the disabled list since April 5 because of problems with his right elbow, had a setback and underwent Tommy John surgery Friday in Chicago. Mateo is on the 60-day disabled list.
• Tony Campana has six bunt singles and 12 infield hits. He is tied with Juan Pierre for the National League lead in bunt singles and is tied for first in the NL with Emilio Bonifacio in infield hits. Campana was batting .375 when leading off an inning this year.
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Bidding opens now for Jorge Soler
By Bruce Levine
Now that Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball, he can negotiate with any of its 30 teams — and he won’t wait long.
According to a major league source, all teams have been asked by Soler’s agents, Praver-Shapiro Sports Management, to get in their best bid for the 19-year-old, five-tool player by June 7. The going rate for Soler’s services is expected to be between $25-35 million, according to industry sources.
The Cuban defector by way of the Dominican Republic must be signed before July 2 in order to get paid under baseball’s previous collective bargaining agreement. The old agreement is not subject to the new taxes and sanctions that the new CBA will incorporate.
Reports surfaced early last winter that the Chicago Cubs had already agreed in principal to a deal that would have paid Soler $27.5 million. However, those reports proved false due to the fact that agents and major league teams are not allowed to discuss details of a contract for a foreign player until Major League Baseball declares him a free agent. Soler’s free agent status was granted on Saturday.
According to numerous sources the Cubs, Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees and Miami Marlins will be among the highest bidders for Soler.
“All clubs will have an equal opportunity to bring ‘Soler Power’ to their organization,” agent Barry Praver said. Soler is 6-3 and 200 pounds and the scouting report indicates he is a classic right fielder with plus-plus power, a strong throwing arm and above average speed.
The new CBA rules impact foreign players that are under 23 years of age and have less than three to five years of professional experience.
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MLB draft: Cubs hunting for another Halladay or Carpenter
By PATRICK MOONEY
SAN FRANCISCO – The Toronto Blue Jays had won the World Series a few months earlier, and were on their way to winning another when they drafted Chris Carpenter with the 15th overall pick in the 1993 draft.
Two years later, the Blue Jays held the No. 17 pick and went with a tireless and disciplined high school kid who had been one of Colorado’s best cross-country runners at Arvada West outside Denver: Roy Halladay.
Tim Wilken, the Cubs amateur scouting director, was involved in both of those selections, part of the 25 seasons he spent in the Toronto organization, which became a model for player development under Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick.
If Carpenter hadn’t signed with the Blue Jays, he was already committed to Creighton University to play for Jim Hendry, Wilken’s childhood friend growing up in Florida and the future Cubs general manager.
This was a recruiter so aggressive and charming that they had a saying in Omaha, Neb., around the baseball offices: Jim Hendry could sell ice to the Eskimos and make them think they were getting a good deal.
“They’re all good baseball people,” Carpenter said. “They know what they’re doing.”
Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod are the new executives in charge at Clark and Addison, but the draft that begins Monday night will also be shaped by the scouts loyal to Wilken and Hendry, and they absolutely have to get it right.
Whether they wind up being frontline starters or late-inning relievers, the Cubs know they need more power arms.
Cubs fans – and sometimes the people who draft them – fall in love with prospects. But remember how long it took Halladay and Carpenter – and even Jeff Samardzija – to become difference-makers.
At the start of spring training, Samardzija turned around a question from a Boston reporter about what he knew of Epstein’s Red Sox by saying: “They have big shoes to fill after Jim left.”
Samardzija still has the guts and the personality that made him a football star at the University of Notre Dame. At the age of 27, he’s showing that the $10 million investment was worth it, pitching like a potential All-Star.
Samardzija (5-3, 3.09 ERA) laughed when a reporter mentioned that it seems like his perception has gone from being a total bust to the only untouchable player on the Cubs roster.
“It’s probably somewhere in the middle,” Samardzija said. “That’s the way it goes, especially with the media and things like that. Everything seems to have to be on the poles. Nothing’s ever really in the middle. Everything seems like it’s got to be a definitive: ‘He’s terrible.’ Or a definitive: ‘He’s gonna be great.’
“If you look at most cases, it’s somewhere in between that. A lot of it just has to do with development. Certain guys develop differently. Some guys want to develop. Some guys want to just stay the same.
“I just knew that four or five years ago, I had a lot that I needed to improve on and I didn’t really care what people were writing or what was being said. I just knew what I needed to (do).”
Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod believe that keeping pitchers healthy is the next frontier, and that power arms show up more in the postseason. So they will pore over medical records and analyze video, to see which mechanics are cleaner and more likely to avoid a breakdown.
But Cubs scouts have also been challenged to get more information than the other area guy, to talk to more people around the school and establish a better relationship with the family, to find out what makes the player tick.
Carpenter graduated from Trinity High School in New Hampshire and made his big-league debut less than a month after his 22nd birthday.
But Carpenter didn’t really start to put it all together until he was almost 30, while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 2005, he won the Cy Young Award and the first of his two World Series rings.
“I don’t know what separates you,” Carpenter said. “My goal was to try to make it to the major leagues. I did everything I could to make sure that when I was done, if I didn’t make it, I knew I tried as hard as I could.”
Halladay made his big-league debut at the age of 21, near the end of the 1998 season. But by 2001, he was busted back to Class-A Dunedin, restarting the climb that would help him win the Cy Young in both leagues.
Halladay didn’t have his real breakthrough until the age of 25, winning 19 games and accounting for 239 1/3 innings, foreshadowing the Philadelphia Phillies ace that would become known as the best pitcher on the planet.
The Cubs will say the right things and feel great about their choices across the next three days. The challenge will be staying the course.
“That’s just part of the game,” Carpenter said. “You always have to have patience, of course. Unfortunately, at some point in time, if they’re not doing what you think or what you projected, you have to move on.”
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Cubs can’t afford to swing and miss in this draft
By PATRICK MOONEY
SAN FRANCISCO – Theo Epstein has called it the most important day of the year. Jason McLeod has described it as their Super Bowl.
But as much as Cubs executives respect Dale Sveum’s evaluation skills, and have promised that he will have a voice in shaping the team’s identity, it doesn’t do the manager much good right now.
More than 2,100 miles away from the draft room, Sveum sat down in his office late Sunday afternoon. He wasn’t complaining or pointing fingers after a 2-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
But it’s easier selling the future – the draft starts Monday night – than explaining away 15 losses in 18 games.
“It’s the same press conference every day,” Sveum said. “It’s a broken record. I don’t even know what to say to come up with something different.”
Outside of Alfonso Soriano’s three-run shot in the ninth on Friday night, the Cubs have scored one run in 26 innings here. They’ve scored a run in only nine of their last 81 innings on the road.
The Cubs (18-35) clearly need impact talent, and the organization has a lot riding on this draft. Through the first three rounds, they will be picking at Nos. 6, 43, 56, 67 and 101.
McLeod made a name for himself with the Boston Red Sox by choosing Dustin Pedroia out of Arizona State University at No. 65 in the 2004 draft, and watching him develop into American League MVP four years later. Jacoby Ellsbury – McLeod’s first-round pick out of Oregon State University in 2005 – nearly won that award last season.
Imagine someone like that in a lineup next to Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson.
Sveum has watched video of certain draft prospects to see how their swings and hands will translate to the next level. Last week at Wrigley Field, he also threw batting practice to Carlos Correa of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. But he hadn’t really spoken to the front office in a few days.
“They’re in lockdown right now,” Sveum said. “There’s a lot going on in their life right now. (So) you do all your due diligence. You want that to be the right pick (and) you want to find those diamonds in the rough.
“People don’t even fathom how much stuff goes into that draft to make sure you find a few players that can impact the big-league team.”
Travis Wood – the 25-year-old left-hander acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in the Sean Marshall trade last winter – allowed one run across seven strong innings.
Wood couldn’t quite match Barry Zito, who left to a standing ovation in the ninth inning, and could have used some more help from his defense. Catcher Koyie Hill couldn’t hold onto the ball during a play at the plate, and Soriano had trouble making a few plays out in left field on his bad knees.
The Cubs plan to get faster and more athletic and prioritize defense moving forward. But look at the organization’s overall record in the minors (97-123 entering Sunday) and you know they need more power arms.
“Pitching will definitely be a focus,” McLeod said. “It’s not going to be a need-based pick, especially our first pick, but once we get past the first pick, it could be a pitcher.
“It is something that we’re certainly going to try to address. It is a need for the organization. We’re not going to overdraft pitching just because we need it. It’s got to fit the criteria that we’re looking for in that area of the draft. (But) I’d be really surprised if when the draft’s over, (we don’t) feel really good about the pitching.”
The Giants (30-24) won their World Series in 2010 with a rotation built around first-round picks Matt Cain (No. 25 in 2002), Tim Lincecum (No. 10 in 2006) and Madison Bumgarner (No. 10 in 2007).
They were throwing to a franchise catcher in Buster Posey, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft. The eccentric closer Brian Wilson, a 24th-round pick in 2003, was waiting to run out for the ninth.
The Cubs can dream, but Sveum knows that there are no sure things in the draft.
“It’s like gambling,” Sveum said. “You take a shot and everybody agrees on this guy and that guy and, boom, you pick him. You wish that they pan out the way you grade them out.”
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Tribune
Cubs’ offense as feeble as ever
Shutout in San Francisco makes it 15 losses in 18 games
By Paul Sullivan
SAN FRANCISCO — After watching the Cubs get stifled by Barry Zito on Sunday in a 2-0 loss to the Giants, manager Dale Sveum was at a loss for words.
Sveum’s team failed to get a runner past second base, losing for the 15th time in 18 games and falling 17 games under .500.
“It’s the same press conference every day,” Sveum said. “It’s a broken record. I don’t even know what to say to come up with something different. It’s just frustrating. I mean, golly. We hit a few balls good … but other than that there weren’t a lot of good at-bats.”
Over their last 14 losses, dating to May 16 against the Phillies, opposing starters have compiled a 1.23 earned-run average, allowing two or fewer runs 13 times, and no runs on six occasions. They’ve managed to score in only nine of their last 81 innings on the road, including a few meaningless late-inning rallies during blowouts.
Add to that a couple of poor defensive plays by catcher Koyie Hill and Alfonso Soriano, and you have all the ingredients of a classic Cubs cocktail — on the rocks, of course.
Travis Wood played the role perfected by Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza, allowing one run on three hits over seven innings in his best performance to date. But the incredibly shrinking offense made it another wasted outing.
“That’s as good as I’ve seen Woody pitch, even when he was with Cincinnati,” Sveum said. “Basically he threw the ball wherever he wanted it.”
Wood threw 4 1/3 hitless innings before Angel Pagan doubled to left and came around to score on a two-out single by Joaquin Arias. Right fielder Reed Johnson made a good throw to the plate, but Hill failed to catch it.
“He’ll probably tell you it was far enough out in front (to catch),” Sveum said. “He might have gone for the tag too early and took his eye off of it. I don’t think it was ever in his glove. I think he’ll tell you he should’ve caught that 99 out of 100 times.”
Hill called it a “textbook” play he messed up.
“I don’t know if I would’ve done anything different,” he said. “I went to cover up the ball with my bare hand like you’re taught to do, and the ball just popped out of the end. It’s just one of those things. Priority No. 1 is to catch the ball. It didn’t happen.”
Speedster Gregor Blanco scored from first on Melky Cabrera’s single to left in the eighth, making it 2-0. Blanco was running on the pitch and never stopped when third-base coach Tim Flannery saw Soriano set up to throw to second.
“Another brain fart,” Sveum said, repeating a term he used to describe Starlin Castro’s baserunning gaffe on Friday.
“We’ve got to be smart (enough to know that) when a pretty fast runner is taking off stealing, that on a ball like that, you’ve got to get that in. We don’t care if the guy goes to second. (Blanco) is going to score easy if you throw that ball to second base.”
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Tribune
Cubs’ brain trust on lockdown before draft
Epstein, Hoyer, McLeod working to make 1st draft with Cubs a success
By Paul Sullivan
SAN FRANCISCO — On the eve of Monday’s draft, manager Dale Sveum said he hadn’t spoken to President Theo Epstein in a couple of days.
“They’re in lockdown right now,” Sveum said of Epstein and scouting chief Jason McLeod. “There’s a lot going on in their life right now. It’s just one of those things where you’re in situations, any organization, you want that to be the right pick. In the second round, we want to find those diamonds in the rough. There’s a lot that goes into that draft that people can’t even fathom, to make sure you find the players that can impact the big-league team.”
Baseball America projects the Cubs to pick Florida high school center fielder Albert Almora, whom the publication ranks as the high school player closest to the majors. Some believe they’ll go with Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa, who worked out for the Cubs at Wrigley Field last week.
Whoever they choose, Sveum is confident in the decision-making of Epstein and McLeod.
“Theo and Jason and Jed (Hoyer), they’ve had a whole different system in the draft, and obviously it’s worked pretty well,” Sveum said. “The high picks they had in Boston panned out pretty good. They weren’t prototypical (athletes chosen with) high picks. But the (Jacoby) Ellsburys and the (Dustin) Pedroias. … Ellsbury could’ve been MVP last year, and Pedroia was an MVP.
“Those are the type of things you take pride in, and hopefully you find those guys. … There are plenty of guys out there that have the tools, but … how many haven’t panned out? It’s like gambling.”
Wood watch: Aside from a rocky start against the Padres last week with the wind blowing out at 30 mph, Travis Wood has fared well since returning from Triple-A Iowa.
“He matched (Barry) Zito pitch for pitch,” catcher Koyie Hill said. “He did a good job against a lineup that’s feeling pretty good.”
Wood said he feels good about the way he’s throwing.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I was feeling good down there and they called me back up, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have some good ballgames and keep the team in it.”
Extra innings: Alfonso Soriano’s knees are hurting, but Sveum doesn’t plan to sit him for any extended period. The Cubs will use him at DH in Minnesota next weekend. “We’ll try to get him to that DH spot, and roll with him and hopefully he’ll hit some home runs,” Sveum said. … Sveum likes what he has seen from Carlos Marmol in his last two outings but said there is no rush to move him back into the closer’s role. … Marcos Mateo underwent Tommy John surgery and will not return until sometime in 2013.
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Tribune
Spending limits change the game in baseball draft
White Sox think new rules will help them, while free-spending Cubs are less than happy
By Phil Rogers
A year ago, some team might have made an offer that rocked Alex Young’s world. The Pirates, Nationals or Red Sox, maybe even the Cubs, might have dug deep for the left-hander from Carmel High School.
They still could, of course, but 2012 is definitely not 2011 in regard to the baseball draft.
Young, a 6-3 left-hander whose fastball is creeping toward the mid-90s, is the top prospect in Illinois, according to Baseball America. He’s what scouts call a lottery ticket, meaning he could turn into a reasonable facsimile of Cole Hamels or not develop enough polish to get past the low minors. That makes him a lot like Dillon Maples.
Maples, a highly regarded pitcher from Southern Pines, N.C., was headed to the University of North Carolina as a punter on the football team and pitcher for the baseball team before the Cubs selected him in the 14th round of last year’s draft. Owner Tom Ricketts had given scouting director Tim Wilken the funding to be unusually aggressive in the draft, and the Cubs changed Maples’ plans with an offer of $2.5 million, immediately making him one of the most intriguing prospects in their farm system.
Because they were willing to spend more than most other teams — $12 million overall, which ranked behind only the Pirates, Nationals and Royals — the Cubs were able to accumulate more than their share of talent in last year’s draft. It was a phenomenon that had gone on for at least a decade — one that accelerated when Theo Epstein became the Red Sox’s general manager — and one that Commissioner Bud Selig and some owners, including White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf — had long lamented because it distorted the purpose of the draft.
The draft was created in 1965 as a backlash against teams like the Yankees and Cardinals, with the goal of allowing the weakest big-league teams to add the best high school and college players. Selig tried to restore that by creating so-called slot recommendations for signings, but as the years went by only a handful of teams — the White Sox, Twins, Marlins, Braves and Phillies among them — paid attention to the recommendations. But that changed last November.
Selig succeeded in getting the players’ union to agree to spending limits in the amateur draft and in international signings, and the new rules kick in Monday night, when the first round of the draft will be held at the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J.
The Astros have the first overall pick, and are expected to choose between Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and Georgia high school outfielder Byron Buxton. The Cubs are picking sixth, seven spots ahead of the White Sox, and will be overjoyed if Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa is available. If he’s not, they are expected to take outfielder Albert Almora or one of two highly regarded college pitchers, LSU’s Kevin Gausman or the University of San Francisco’s Kyle Zimmer.
With Ricketts opening his wallet, the Cubs spent $9.2 million more than the White Sox in the 2011 draft, which is why Sox general manager Ken Williams has said the new collective bargaining agreement will be a good thing for the Sox.
Teams have been given a spending limit for the draft, with the total depending on how many picks teams have in the first 10 rounds and how high those picks are. The Cubs have been given $7.9 million to spend on their 12 top-10 picks, while the White Sox get $5.9 million for their 11 top-10 picks.
Epstein was steamed when the new rules were announced in December. But the Cubs believe they still can land a difference-making player or two through solid scouting.
“It becomes more of a true scouting competition,” said Jason McLeod, the Cubs’ senior vice president player development/scouting. “That gets your juices flowing.”
In the last five years, the White Sox spent only $18.3 million on the draft, the lowest total among the 30 teams and almost $34 million less than the Pirates, who have been the biggest spenders. That’s the biggest reason that the Sox have a farm system that doesn’t get much love from national analysts.
“The draft is the biggest bargain in talent acquisition,” Baseball America’s Jim Callis said on WSCR-AM 670 last week. “If you’re willing to spend $10 million a year, you can compete with anybody. I just don’t believe Jerry Reinsdorf believes in paying amateur players.”
Callis said he’ll be watching to see if the White Sox opt to spend their full allotment in the draft, as they spent only $2.8 million last year.
“I’ll believe the White Sox aren’t going to be the cheapest team in the draft when I see it,” Callis said.
It will be a shock if the name of an Illinois-based player is called Monday night, when teams will go through the first 60 picks (the first round and supplemental first round). The majority of the picks in the 40-round draft will be made Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s when Carmel’s Young, Southern Illinois first baseman Chris Serritella (Loyola Academy), Niles West third baseman Kevin Ross, Illinois right-hander Matt Milroy (Marmion Academy) and Oak Forest right-hander Kyle Funkhouser are likely to be picked.
Barring a huge offer, Young is expected to honor his commitment to TCU. And that huge offer seems less likely to come with the new spending limits in place.
You never know, though. If you look hard enough, you can always find a loophole.
CUBS
Picks in the top 100: 6, 43 (compensation for Aramis Ramirez), 56 (compensation for Carlos Pena), 67.
Spending limit for picks in first 10 rounds: $7,933,900.
Primary need: Pitching depth.
Projected first pick: High school outfielder Albert Almora or high school shortstop Carlos Correa.
WHITE SOX
Picks in the top 100: 13, 48 (compensation for Mark Buehrle), 76.
Spending limit for picks in first 10 rounds: $5,915,100.
Primary need: Impact/power hitting.
Projected first pick: Texas A&M right-hander Michael Wacha or high school left-hander Matt Smoral.
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Sun-Times
Alfonso Soriano open to being traded to contender
BY JOE COWLEY
SAN FRANCISCO — At 36, Alfonso Soriano constantly is reminded by his legs about how little time he might have left in baseball.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the standings constantly remind him about how his chances of winning a World Series ring are diminishing.
With a 2-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, the Cubs fell to 18-35.
That’s why if the Cubs do find the right dance partner and decide to trade Soriano to a contender, he would welcome it with open arms.
“I’m 36 years old, so, yeah, I would like to have the opportunity to … if they want to trade me, I hope it is to a team that’s a contender because it’s about trying to go for that ring,” Soriano said before the Cubs’ third consecutive loss. “You want to feel good, feel like maybe you got a chance for that if we don’t have a chance here. But like I said, it depends on them. I don’t control the situation.”
That’s not entirely true. He does have control over making himself an attractive commodity to a contending team by continuing to produce.
Even after going 0-for-3 on Sunday, Soriano is hitting .263 with eight home runs and 31 RBI. He hit .290 in May.
“He goes about his business as the ultimate professional,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He works on his outfield play every day, his offense, he does the same stuff every single day. It’s been impressive since the start of spring training how hard he’s worked to try and make himself a better player at [his] age on legs that don’t feel that good.”
There is one huge obstacle blocking Soriano’s exit strategy from the North Side. Actually, there are about 45 million obstacles, thanks to a contract that will pay him $18 million in each of the next two seasons. He’s making $18 million this season.
The list of contenders that could use 20-plus homers and 80 to 90 RBI is long. The list of contenders that would be willing to take on that kind of salary without the Cubs picking up most of it is very short. Make that nonexistent.
The Cubs had to pay the Miami Marlins to take Carlos Zambrano last offseason. They would have to do the same for Soriano.
Not that there isn’t any incentive to do so. Sveum said that when Anthony Rizzo is ready to be called up, the logical move is to shift Bryan LaHair to left field, handing Rizzo the every-day job at first base.
Soriano’s presence makes that difficult, considering the left fielder is limited as to where he can play.
If the Cubs know that Soriano isn’t their future, is eating, say, $35 million over the next 21/2 seasons worth it to have him elsewhere?
Until that decision is made by team president Theo Epstein, Soriano will remain just another trade rumor.
“It used to be tough,” Soriano said about hearing his name in trade talks. “Now, you know, I’m better at it, my 12 years, and I try not to pay attention to it. I just try and do my job every day. Whatever happens just happens because I don’t have control over the situation, but I don’t know what they want to do. I know I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to put that extra pressure on myself. I just want to go out there and do my job.”
Soriano got to play in two World Series when he was with the Yankees, losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Marlins in 2003. He hit a combined .234 with two homers and four RBI.
No wonder he thinks there’s unfinished business.
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Sun-Times
Carlos Marmol hasn’t regained Dale Sveum’s total confidence
BY JOE COWLEY
SAN FRANCISCO — Former closer Carlos Marmol has tossed three scoreless innings in his last three appearances since returning from the 15-day disabled list Monday.
He has done so in impressive fashion, with no hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
So Cubs manager Dale Sveum must be at least entertaining the idea of getting Marmol back to what he was paid to do, which is get the final three outs of the game, right?
“No,’’ Sveum said without hesitation. “I’m not setting any goals to get anyone anywhere, other than just to win baseball games somehow and keep the other team from scoring when our starter is out of there. That’s the bottom line when we don’t have anyone cut and dry in any situation.
“The bottom line is working the matchups the best you possibly can to keep the other team from scoring. However we do that, the chips will fall where they fall.’’
As far as Sveum is concerned, forget closer-by-committee. It’s more like bullpen-by-committee, with all of his relievers on notice that they might be used at any time in any type of matchup.
Frustration builds
After watching San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito shut down the Cubs on Sunday, Sveum has seen his lineup score three runs off Giants starting pitchers in three games.
“It’s the same press conference every day,’’ Sveum said. “It’s a broken record. I don’t know what to say to come up with something different. It’s just frustrating.’’
Cubs hitters aren’t real sure what to say, either.
“If we knew the answer … credit to them,’’ catcher Koyie Hill said. “They ran three pretty good pitchers out there. It’s a chore.’’
Touch ’em all
Sveum said that he has no idea which direction Theo Epstein and the rest of the Cubs’ brain trust are looking to go in the first round of the draft Monday, but he did acknowledge that this isn’t just another draft, especially for a new regime looking to add impact players.
“They’re in lockdown right now,’’ Sveum said. “There’s a lot going on in their lives.’’
◆ Pitcher Marcos Mateo underwent Tommy John surgery Friday. The hope is he can be back at some point next season.
