Kosuke Fukudome

he Cubs were lost without his bat.  I am not going anywhere near the $40 million problem named Kosuke Fukudome.

Let's move past that ridiculous lack of hitting to something far more disturbing.  The pitching was atrocious.  Ryan Dempster, the invincible force at Wrigley Field this year, had no clue how to pitch with any sort of efficiency or effect in Game 1.  7 walks in 4.2 IP is not good, as you probably have figured already.  Add in one VERY fat pitch to James Loney, and you have a recipe for absolute disaster.  Carlos Zambrano actually did not pitch that bad.  2 ER out of the total 6 R they put up on him, and he threw a ton of pitches for a defense that let him down.  More on the defense later, but he did whatever he could in that fateful 2nd inning, and it is totally unfair to ask him to get 6 outs in an inning.  He made several pitches that could have limited the damage to 1 or 2 runs, but the errors absolutely killed him.  By the time Russell Martin stepped up, the bases were loaded and Z fell behind 3-1.  He had to throw a pitch over the plate, and all the credit in the world to Martin for crushing it into the gap.  He did what any respectable hitter should: sit on a pitch over the plate and don't miss.  By the time Game 3 rolled around, Rich Harden had no realistic chance to bring the Cubs back after giving up 2 early runs.  While Harden wasn't really that bad, it was too little (4.1 IP), too late (Game 3 on the road).  The strength of the 2008 Chicago Cubs, their aces in the hole, were trumped by superior hitting by the Dodger and a total lack of run support.  Ted Lilly, arguably the strongest pitcher down the stretch for the Cubs, never threw a pitch.  A 17-game winner, riding the pine when the Cubs needed pitching.  Lou Piniella should be ashamed.

Continue reading "6 months, down the drain"

iano

2B Mike Fontenot

1B Daryle Ward

3B Aramis Ramirez

CF Jim Edmonds

C Geovany Soto

RF Kosuke Fukudome

SS Ronny Cedeno

P Ryan Dempster 

Bottom 1st Inning ---- Moehler just used his hand to write something in the dirt on the mound before his first pitch. I didn't know the game was at the beach.... Kaz Matsui also thinks it is playtime..... he just slipped and went to his knees on the dirt chasing a groundball... basehit for Fontenot. Boring inning for the Cubs... Fontenot is stranded on first.

Continue reading "LIVE game talk Cubs-Astros 8/4"

                                                         

Continue reading "CUBS vs. ASTROS Game Preview -- (Mon. ..."

well in the outfield, and Alfonso Soriano is still about a week away from returning, at best, while Kosuke Fukudome is 7-42 in July, and could use a rest now and again.

Hoffpauir undoubtedly has a future with the Cubs, and will certainly be up again when the rosters expand, but this call-up (barring further injuries or a setback to Soriano’s rehab) is likely a brief one, and doesn’t indicate much more than the Cubs’ desire to use Hoffpauir as the first guy they look to call up when filling a need for their outfield bench. With their big swap for Rich Harden already finished, there aren’t any more big trades likely down the pike for Chicago.

Continue reading "Roster Tinkering: What's it Mean?"

And one of the biggest names coming into MLB this season is Kosuke Fukudome, the right fielder who's at the heart of the Cubs' impressive lineup this year, and one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year. If he receives this award, he'd follow in the footsteps of countrymen Hideo Nomo, Ichiro Suzuki, and Kaz Sasaki (Hideki Matsui was edged out by Angel Berroa, a laughable omission in hindsight). And like all of them, Fukudome isn't "really" a rookie.

Continue reading "Japanese Rookies of the Year"

It has been a while since my last post, which was bitter to say the least. A month and a half later I can hardly find much to complain about when it comes to the Cubs. They look like the best baseball team in the National League right now (obviously their record doesn't disagree), and after a 7-0 homestand this week, my baseball excitement is at its peak. I can't miss a Cubs game anymore. I make a point to try to watch or listen to every game, and I went to two games during the undefeated homestand. They have just been so entertaining to watch. Their play has been solid all around, and their offense has just been hilarious. Geovany Soto has been incredible, and he looks like he is going to be a legitimate NL all star catcher for years to come in the shadow of Mike Piazza.

Continue reading "Cubs Tearing Up the National League"

Geovany Soto and Kosuke Fukudome have not looked their best lately, but both make alot of contact. Soto's sac fly last night was a great at bat with Saito and Fukudome beat out a throw to first

Continue reading "Good times at Wrigley"

Derreck Lee started with a single to right followed by an Aramis Ramirez walk. Kosuke Fukudome who had recorded the only two hits leading up to the ninth came to bat. As the soldout crowd of 41,089 rose to their feet, Fukudome delivered by sending a 3-1 Gagne fastball into the rightfield seats tying the game at 3.

Continue reading "Cursed Start?"

DER

Lance Berkman

MVP

Matt Holiday or Lance Berkman

CY YOUNG WINNER

Roy Oswalt

TOP FLOPSKosuke FukudomeMiguel TejadaJohan Santana?

 COMEBACK SPECIAL

Mark Prior will regain

Continue reading "2008 Major League Baseball Preview: ..."