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[Lathentar]

The perfect setting for an upset victory by Arizona! Oswalt gets about the same run support as Matt Clement. I smell no hitter by Gonzalez.

7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER... 10 Runs of Support.

 

[Desperado]

Uh oh, Stros fans cracking one by one.

HE GAWN!

oh darn i was off by 22 runs..and the Dbacks scored three off sorry-ass Bullinger. oh well .500 again!! CUBS R NEXT LOLOLOL

21 @ ARI - W 5-2
22 @ ARI - W 10-3
23 vs MIL - L 7-6
24 vs MIL - W 6-3
25 vs MIL - W 9-1
26 vs ARI - L 4-1
27 vs ARI - W 10-3

28 vs ARI 7:05 PM - Clemens
29 vs ARI 1:05 PM - Redding

30 @ CIN 6:10 PM - Munro
31 @ CIN 12:15 PM - Pettitte
---trade deadline---
01 @ CIN 12:15 PM - Oswalt

 

[Cubsfan23]

lmao Stros in 3rd place now.

 

[Desperado]

HELLZ YEAH 3RD PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

WTF Dodgers, losing 0-6 to the ROCKIES? Come on, Astros need you to run away with the division!

 

[Mrbob]

lmao Stros in 3rd place now.

And only a game and a half away from last. Watch out for those Pirates. Damn. They have been hot lately.

Go Giants! Beat the Pads tonight!

Up 4-0 in the 2nd and Schmidt is pitching! Game. Set. Match.

 

[Meier]

Dammit man, Burnitz has been KILLING us this year. Motherfucker sucked for us too.. grr. Odalis hasnt been shelled like he was tonight in ages.

 

[Mashing]

Is it just me... or is there a guy on every team that just seems to kill your favorite team... There's always one guy on every team like that.

 

[Eminem]

I know how you guys love your insider:

MLB Insider...July 26: Maddux a closet baseball genius; Rumors

Maddux a closet baseball genius
By Jerry Crasnick

Matt Clement doesn't want to be a pest -- really. But when the Chicago Cubs signed Greg Maddux in February, Clement recognized it as a rare opportunity to learn the art of pitching from a future Hall of Famer. So he began asking his new teammate questions in spring training, and one question led to another, and another.
Clement picks Maddux's brain in the dugout, in the film room, on the bus or at the hotel lobby. He'd like to stop out of sheer courtesy, except that Maddux is always accommodating and never fails to come up with an enlightening response.

"To me, he's the most brilliant baseball mind I've ever been near,'' Clement said. "I inquire sometimes about things because this might be the only chance I get to play with a guy like that. I just hope I don't bother him too much.''

Among his peers, Maddux, 38, is regarded as a closet baseball genius. He quietly absorbs the nuances of pitching and incorporates them into his preparation and his game plan. That attention to detail, along with durability, underappreciated athletic skill and the wonders of muscle memory, has allowed him to win 298 games and four Cy Young Awards in the big leagues.

And he's not through yet. After consecutive complete-game victories, Maddux will shoot for No. 299 Tuesday against Milwaukee's Ben Sheets. Barring injury, he'll soon become the 22nd pitcher with 300 wins.

Active win leaders thru 7/26/04
Roger Clemens 321-163
Greg Maddux 298-170
Tom Glavine 258-165
Randy Johnson 240-122
Mike Mussina 208-116
David Wells 206-133
Kevin Brown 204-132
With the possible exception of holding runners, there's not an element of the game in which Maddux falls short. Reliability? He's been on the disabled list once since 1986, and last year he became the first pitcher to win at least 15 games in 16 consecutive seasons. Pitch efficiency? Over the past two seasons, he threw fewer pitches per inning than any starter in the majors.

Fielding? Maddux has 13 Gold Gloves. Hitting? He's got 150 career sacrifice bunts and 66 RBI. Maddux even has five stolen bases in the majors, four more than his long-time Atlanta buddy, Tom Glavine.

While the word "brilliant'' gets tossed around too liberally -- this is baseball, after all, not stem cell research -- Maddux has an uncanny ability to process information and apply it almost instantly. For example, if a mechanical flaw is causing his fastball to run high out of the strike zone, he's able to dissect his delivery in the middle of an inning and rectify the problem.

Cubs catcher Paul Bako says Maddux rarely traffics in generalities in pre-game pitching meetings when specifics will do.

"We'll go over a lineup and be talking about a left-handed hitter, and Greg will say, 'Let's try to get ahead away and then throw this guy a certain pitch inside. He'll pull it foul, and then we'll have him with the changeup away,' '' Bako said. "He kind of says the script out loud.''

Then the confrontation takes place, and Maddux gets ahead 0-1 on the outside corner, induces the hitter to pull the ball foul for Strike 2, and concludes the at-bat with a changeup away. "He definitely has a knack for stuff like that,'' Bako said. "Most pitchers are saying, 'Let me just try to get the guy out somehow.' ''

Most hits vs. Maddux
Tony Gwynn 39
Barry Bonds 34
Craig Biggio 32
Mickey Morandini 32
Gregg Jefferies 30
Ray Lankford 29
There have been occasions, Clement says, when Cubs pitchers are sitting in the dugout and Maddux, almost as an afterthought, will explain what's about to transpire.

"He'll say, 'If the pitcher throws a fastball away here, this guy is going to be caught looking. But if it's a breaking ball, it's gonna get crushed in the gap,' '' Clement said. "And that's exactly what happens. If it's a fastball, he's looking. And if it's a breaking ball, even a good one, it's crushed.''

Big-league hitters are constantly making adjustments, whether it's shortening a stroke, moving forward in the batter's box or flying open sooner in anticipation of the cutter inside. Those changes are often indiscernible to the naked eye, Clement says, and can be a chore to find on film. But Maddux is able to recognize them on the spot and adapt from pitch to pitch.

That sixth sense for pitching makes Maddux special, even though you could never tell by his demeanor.

"All you hear in the minors is, 'This guy won four Cy Youngs in a row,' '' Clement said. "The dude is a superstar. Then you meet him and he just acts like one of the guys. There's no ego about him. He's a great teammate. That's the coolest part of all.''

Maddux, perhaps baseball's most unassuming superstar, sat down with Baseball Insider during the Cubs-Phillies series over the weekend and offered the following insights on his specialty. We trust that Matt Clement is taking notes:

On playing with Tom Glavine: "The biggest thing he taught me was, you don't have to feel good to win a game. That may sound stupid, but it's true. A lot of times it's really easy to convince yourself, 'I don't really feel that great today, but I'll just go ahead and we'll see what happens.' The one thing I learned from him was you don't have to be 100 percent to win a game. And just because you don't feel 100 percent, it's not a good enough excuse for losing.''

On Leo Mazzone, his old pitching coach in Atlanta: "Leo's big thing was, 'Make your starts. If you pitch your 200 innings, good things are going to happen.' He didn't get caught up in inning-to-inning or start-to-start. He was more concerned with the big picture. Make your 35 starts, pitch your 200-plus innings, and if you do those two things, you're going to have a good year.''

Wins by Opponent
Mets 33-16
Phillies 28-17
Astros 24-10
Expos 23-16
Giants 23-14
Padres 22-14
Pirates 22-14
Cardinals 21-17
Marlins 18-9
Reds 17-13
Cubs 11-3
Rockies 11-4
Dodgers 11-6
Brewers 8-2
Braves 7-3
Red Sox 4-0
Orioles 4-2
Devil Rays 3-0
Blue Jays 2-0
Yankees 2-0
Rangers 1-0
White Sox 1-1
Diamondbacks 1-6
Angels 0-1
Tigers 0-1
Mariners 0-1
On the influence of **** Pole, his old Double-A pitching coach with the Cubs (and now Chicago's bullpen coach): "He was the first guy to tell me, 'This is why you do things. You don't just throw a curveball because the last three pitches were fastballs.' It was the first time I really started to think about why hitters take pitches, swing at pitches, or hit pitches.''

On radar guns: "They're one of the most overrated things in pitching. A radar gun is great if somebody's had an injury and you want to see where they are. But as far as pitching, it could be one of the most worthless things in baseball. You have to learn to locate your fastball and change speeds. Radar guns cause people to only be concerned with velocity, which is such a small part of pitching.''

On the bigger challenge for a pitcher- Coors Field or Wrigley Field with the wind blowing out: "Coors Field is definitely tougher, because it's a lot easier to go first to third on a single there or to score from first on a double. At Wrigley, when the wind is blowing out, at least you're throwing into the wind and your stuff can get better.''

On Barry Bonds: "I've always thought Barry was the easiest guy in the world to pitch to, because if it mattered, you just walked him. Because he's that good. He's been the best player in the game every year that he's played, and he'll be the best player in the game until he quits.''

On Tony Gwynn: "He forced you to know exactly what you were doing to the two guys before him. You knew you weren't going to strike him out. If I could just make him keep the ball to left field, get his single, then I'd think about who was after him. Tony Gwynn and Barry Bonds taught me that you don't beat hitters, you beat lineups. You don't try to beat Barry Bonds -- you try to beat the Giants. And you don't beat Tony Gwynn -- you beat the Padres.''

On Mickey Morandini, who hit .344 against him: "He wore me out. Maybe the first 10-20 at-bats I thought he was hiding between all the hitters you were really worried about. And he got me. Then I started paying more attention to him, and he still got me. He was very good at laying off or fouling off the good pitches, and not missing the good pitches for him to hit.''

On his favorite pitchers to watch: "Early on it was Orel Hershiser, because I thought our fastballs were pretty similar. We had the same kind of movement on our fastballs. And I liked to watch Mario Soto pitch because he was fastball-changeup, and that's what I am. Then coming up I used to love watching Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens, and obviously Nolan Ryan.

"Over time you develop an appreciation for guys who are in the video room and like to talk about baseball situations. You don't see that watching a guy for six or seven innings. You have to play with them to get into all that stuff. John Burkett was really into pitching and pitch selection. I enjoyed watching him pitch and talking to him a lot.''

On where he keeps his Gold Gloves: "I keep them in my 'dig-me' room upstairs at home. You know -- my 'Look what I've done' room. I have my Cy Youngs, my (1995) World Series ring and the little fake World Series trophy they give you. It's all in the dig-me room.''



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Important Things to Know about Greg Maddux:


Maddux will be the 22nd pitcher to win 300 games and the 7th since 1982. He will be the second active pitcher with 300 wins, joining Roger Clemens.

Maddux holds the MLB record for most consecutive 15-win seasons with 16.

Maddux is trying for his 17th straight 10-win season, one shy of the major-league record of 18 straight set by Steve Carlton.

Maddux's 2nd favorite opponent is the Cubs. He is 11-3 career vs them with a .786 win pct. (8-2 career in the Brewers - .800 win pct)

Rumor Central

Marlins in hot pursuit of Finley

WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Steve Finley
Diamondbacks

Marlins
Dodgers
Phillies
Padres
Rangers

Jul. 26 - ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports the Diamondbacks are actively negotiating with three teams on Steve Finley – the Marlins, Dodgers and Phillies.
According to sources who have been in contact with Arizona, the Marlins are aggressively pursuing Finley, offering a package of prospects that is believed to be headed by first baseman Jason Stokes. Finley had expressed concerns about whether he would be playing center field in Florida, because of the presence of Juan Pierre. But it appears the Marlins have assured him Pierre would agree to move to left.

Arizona is also talking about a three-player package with the Dodgers and a two-player deal with Philadelphia. Finley, who has a complete no-trade clause, has asked Arizona to trade him before next weekend or not at all. And the Diamondbacks are trying to honor that request.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported July 26 the Padres would consider a three- or four-team deal with Arizona.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Randy Johnson
Diamondbacks

Yankees
Red Sox
Angels
Dodgers

Jul. 26 - Two Yankees scouts were on hand to watch Johnson record a season-high 14 strikeouts over eight innings July 25 against the Rockies, The Arizona Republic reports. His fastball topped out at 99 mph. Four other teams also scouted what might have been the Big Unit's final start as a D-Back.
"The time is coming, and we'll know soon enough," Johnson told The Republic.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Danny Bautista
Diamondbacks

Marlins

Jul. 26 - If the Marlins can't reel in Colorado's Larry Walker or Arizona's Steve Finley, they might go after another Diamondback – right fielder Danny Bautista, The Palm Beach Post reported July 26. Bautista, 32, a free agent at season's end, would be owed less than half of his $4 million contract.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Kris Benson
Pirates

Mets
Phillies
Rangers
Twins
Angels

Jul. 26 - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pirates are prepared to accept a deal for Benson, but that deal doesn't involve the Mets (Ty Wigginton) or Phillies (Ryan Howard). The Twins reportedly are poised to deal Doug Mientkiewicz so Justin Morneau can become the everyday first baseman, and the Angels are offering 21-year-old first baseman Casey Kotchman, a former No. 1 pick with a history of injuries.


WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Doug Mientkiewicz
Twins

Pirates, Red Sox

Jul. 26 - Mientkiewicz has been told he will be traded so the Twins can make Justin Morneau the everyday first baseman, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported July 26. "If I'm moving, then it's part of the business," Mientkiewicz told the newspaper. "I understand they have a guy behind me that probably deserves a chance to play."
According to the Star Tribune, the Twins might package Mientkiewicz in a deal for Pittsburgh right-hander Kris Benson.



WHO INTERESTED THE SKINNY

Larry Walker
Rockies

Braves
Red Sox
Marlins
Rangers

Jul. 26 - Walker has yet to be asked to waive his no-trade clause, The Denver Post reported July 26. And if he's approached at the July 31 deadline, the 37-year-old right fielder says he'll shoot down any and all trade proposals.
"If something gets dropped on me at the last second, I won't even hesitate to say no," Walker told The Post. "I would need time to talk about it and make sure it's right for everyone involved."

A Marlins scout has been watching Walker.

 

[Mrbob]

Cool. Thanks for the read Eminem. I think Greg Maddux is responsible for giving Clement advice and allowing him to take his game to another level.

So whats up with your Sox? They are in trouble of taking a three game season crushing sweep. This happened last year too. They stayed close with Minnesota then late got swept three games by them and fell apart. They have to win tommorrow.

 

[Eminem]

still got 6 more after tomorrow. not too worried, but kenny needs to do something fast. first time all year i'm doubting this team. blaaaaaaaah

 

[Miguel]

Is it just me... or is there a guy on every team that just seems to kill your favorite team... There's always one guy on every team like that.

STL - Edmonds (Slowly being replaced by Pujols)
MIL - Sexson (Now replaced by Ben Sheets)

 

[rc213]

What a sorry ass game by the Dodger batting wise. Nothing but ground ball after ground ball. Perez struggle badly after a good outing against the Padres. He was pitching well but his fast ball was getting crushed! Colorado seems to be the team giving the Dodgers the most trouble, i believe we've split the season series so far. I hope management tries to acquire another starting pitcher because we need it to put Wilson Alvarez in the bullpen again. Luckily the Giants/Padres have split their first 2 so were still 3 1/2 ahead of both. =P

 

[Joe]

fred mcgriff worked out at the yankees tampa complex today and is expected to show up again tomorrow.

 

[El Papa]

I the Dodgers can win the next game, they wrap up the series and it's all good. You can't sweep every series. Horrendous game though.

 

[Joe]

ok so here's the skinny on randy...

more and more reports are saying that randy will waive his no-trade clause only for the yankees. there's an even a report saying that his agent has said that if he doesn't get traded to the yankees that randy will be very pissed. the dbacks would also send roberto alomar and matt mantei to the yanks and the yanks will pay their contracts then release them. the yanks are also looking at the marlins and padres to use as a 3rd team to get more prospects.

 

[Joe]

peter gammons is reporting that randy johnson turned down a trade to the dodgers last night and told the GM that it's yankees or nothing. he also says the dbacks are leaning towards keeping johnson.

 

[AstroLad]

peter gammons is reporting that randy johnson turned down a trade to the dodgers last night and told the GM that it's yankees or nothing. he also says the dbacks are leaning towards keeping johnson.

Good, I hope they keep his sulking ass. If he had his way, the D-Backs would trade him to the Yankees for their shit Mendoza-line prospects. Let him stay here and be miserable wallowing in his tens of millions of dollars.

Supposedly Johnson's agent told Garagiola (D-Backs GM) that they will have one upset player if Randy is not traded, to which he replied, "and how will I be able to tell the difference?"

 

[Desperado]

D-backs keeping RJ? well I guess they could always trade him next year...

OH AN CLEMENS IS ON TEH MOUNDD 2NITE BITCHESSS!!!!!111 I PREDIKT A CG SO WIT TEH ASTROSS WINNIN 21-0 HAHAHA!!!!!111 SUK IT DOWWWN DBAXX

 

[AstroLad]

D-backs keeping RJ? well I guess they could always trade him next year...

OH AN CLEMENS IS ON TEH MOUNDD 2NITE BITCHESSS!!!!!111 I PREDIKT A CG SO WIT TEH ASTROSS WINNIN 21-0 HAHAHA!!!!!111 SUK IT DOWWWN DBAXX

Well, it would be better for baseball if Johnson got traded to any contender other than the Yankees, but if it's true that he will only accept a trade to the Yankees or sulk, knowing full well thank Yankees have nothing to offer in terms of fair value, then he can sulk.

 

[Desperado]

Yeah, I'm tired of the Yankees. If Beltran ends up with another team, I don't know which I'd hate more: Beltran to Yankees or Beltran to Cubs. =P

Not that the Cubs could get him anyway. =P

 

[AstroLad]

I would love to see him go to the Red Sox, just to see how they would pull off losing in the playoffs with Martinez, Johnson and Schilling would make the Bartman/Sox stuff from last year look ho-hum.

 

[Joe]

carlos beltran is overrated, he's still a great player but overrated. i would love to see him in pinstripes but the yanks will overpay greatly for him.

it would be near impossible to NOT win the world series with pedro, schilling, and randy.

 

[Joe]

oh and good to see you back astro

 

[Ninja Scooter]

The Yankees? Overpaying? Get the fuck outta town!

 

[Joe]

mussina they overpayed for, and arguably giambi.

 

[Joe]

that was almost an embaressing inning for the white sox, they should be thankful that timo perez got lucky.

 

[Scoobert]

the yanks are also looking at the marlins and padres to use as a 3rd team to get more prospects.

Marlins will gladly take Posada. Thank you.

But I think the rumor is the Marlins would get Contreras.

 

[Iceman]

Chicago and San Diego radio stations reporting completed deals on nomar/clement and lowe/payton respectively?!!?!?

 

[Cubsfan23]

w00t! No more Gonzo! Nomar = guaranteed world series.

 

[Fifty]

Whoa...Great deal.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Chicago and San Diego radio stations reporting completed deals on nomar/clement and lowe/payton respectively?!!?!?

bullshit jesus!!!!

 

[Desperado]

I call bullshit.

besides, losing Clement? Dumb move for the Cubbies.

 

[Miguel]

Fuck...

Nomar to Chicago
Rudy to LA


Oh well, at least I can still cheer for nomar to put up huge numbers and still lose for this year. Next year though, he better get the fuck away from Chicago. GO TO anywhere but the NL Central or AL east!

Clement would be a great addition (and subtraction from the Cubs )
Jay Payton? Haven't kept up with him enough, but maybe he'll just be a backup or ...yeah, a Backup.

Clement replaces Lowe
Pokey replaces Nomar
Bellhorn replaces Pokey

(am I right?)

 

[Cubsfan23]

I call bullshit.

besides, losing Clement? Dumb move for the Cubbies.

Clement probably wont be resigned

 

[Fifty]

Clement replaces Lowe
Pokey replaces Nomar
Bellhorn replaces Pokey

(am I right?)

Yep, although there are strong rumors of a Lowe/Millwood deal.

If Nomar went there's no question that's their lineup.

 

[Lathentar]

ESPN hasn't said anything yet... I'll wait for them.

Clement is more important to the Cubs than Nomar. Watch.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

mussina they overpayed for, and arguably giambi.

and jeter and contreras. and there's no "arguably" about Giambi. He's played like shit ever since coming to NY.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Jay Payton? WTF would the BoSox need him for? I know they'd probably look to find a bat to replace Nomar, but isn't Damon already better than Payton?

 

[Mrbob]

WTF. Sonofabitch!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to lose Clement for NOMAH. Damn it! I know Rusch has done great filling in but what about next year? Resign Clement, grab NOMAH in the offseason. It's not like the Cubs don't make enough money to afford both! Ahh hell!

Lol, I'm gonna be pissed if this trade goes through.

Anyway, anyone else watch the Sox choke away game three of the series today? The White Sox owe their fans an apology! The players and ownership whine about no one showing up to games. They drew over 100,000 people for the three game Minny series and the Sox laid an egg all three games.

 

[Joe]

and jeter and contreras. and there's no "arguably" about Giambi. He's played like shit ever since coming to NY.

jeter has made so much money for the yankees its not even funny. he's worth every single penny to that organization. they paid a lot for contreras firstly because he was supposed to be a great pitcher, secondly to block him from boston which is completely understandable.

in 2002 giambi hit .314 with 41hr and 122rbi, in 2003 he hit .250 41hr and 107 rbi and had an average obp of .420 for both seasons. that is VERY FAR from shit.

and as for the bosox rumors, i'll believe it when i see espn reporting it and not just speculation. and the red sox want jay payton because they need someone to play right field, trot nixon is probably done for the season.

 

[Mrbob]

in 2002 giambi hit .314 with 41hr and 122rbi, in 2003 he hit .250 41hr and 107 rbi and had an average obp of .420 for both seasons. that is VERY FAR from shit.

In a run producing role which Giambi has, I don't think the lower batting average matters. If you are an onbase guy you need a higher average. But Giambi is paid to drive in those runs, and it looksl like he hardly had a drop off at all from 2002 to 2003.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

but that was before Giambi had to quit the roids. Those numbers were all roid-inflated. The Yankees should get a rebate.

 

[joe250]

Anyway, anyone else watch the Sox choke away game three of the series today? The White Sox owe their fans an apology! The players and ownership whine about no one showing up to games. They drew over 100,000 people for the three game Minny series and the Sox laid an egg all three games.

I went to the games on Monday and Tuesday and listened today at work. Just terrible. Absolutely terrible.

I really need to take a break and focus on some other hobbies. I just take it way too seriously for my own good.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

and jeter and contreras. and there's no "arguably" about Giambi. He's played like shit ever since coming to NY.

ugh. do kindly shut the fuck up about jeter.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

jeter sucks.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

jeter sucks.

great job!!!!

 

[Mrbob]

Hmm, I checked espn.com, cnnsi.com, and chicagocubs.com, and found nothing about a trade. I smell BS on this one...

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Hmm, I checked espn.com, cnnsi.com, and chicagocubs.com, and found nothing about a trade. I smell BS on this one...

i coulda told you that from the begining. like, how is anyone gonna believe that the cubs are gonna give up so quickly on their season? i know they are 10 games back but there is still the wild card.

 

[Triumph]

Does Jeter suck? Not as bad as he did at the beginning of the year. Is he worth 18 million per year? Absolutely not. Not even CLOSE. Not even if he brought Aura, Mystique and all the other dancers from Scores with him. Jeter is HORRIBLY overrated.

 

[Mrbob]

But HE IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUH STANKEES! WITHOUT HIM THEIR HEART WON'T BEAT. THEIR BLOOD WON'T FLOW.