Cubs and Mets clash in New York
Cubs and Mets clash in New York
In the end, 29 teams will be disappointed they didn't win the World Series. But no two teams have been bigger busts this year than the Cubs and Mets with their combined $280 million team payrolls.
While trying to dig up info on just who the Mets might throw in Game 2 of this series, I happened to stumble through their MLB.com team site and come across a story on their Sunday game promotion which is a wine tasting in the Empire Party Suites. The first thought that popped into my head was wondering whether or not both Chicago's Lou Piniella and New York's Jerry Manuel might be on hand to drown a few of their sorrows after what might be the two most disappointing seasons in the majors for 2009.
God I love this photo!
My goal a week or so back was to close the season picking games that involved the truly worst of teams, purposely looking for series and individual contests that involved a pair of sub-.500 squads. But there are none of those series on the weekend's slate, and despite the Cubs being above .500 right now by two whole games, there might not be a better series than this one as far as describing disappointing, underachieving, losing teams.
Plus I have a strong distaste for both of these teams from old stubborn prejudices and ignorance, so it will be sort of fun to talk about them as losers. My therapist says that is good for me, so it's even healthy.
Now granted, the Cubs are still in the playoff hunt just six games out of the NL Wild Card. Six games ain't no big thing...but climbing over four other teams to get there is. And with the four teams ahead of Chicago right now – Marlins Braves, Giants and Rockies – all being non-NL Central foes, it makes it tougher. The Cubs do have what might be a huge four-game series in San Francisco three weeks from now, but otherwise they have little control on beating the teams ranked just ahead of them for the best runner-up of the Senior Circuit.
The Mets? They're done, boy are they done. I've developed a bit of softness for the Amazin's in recent years having met many a good Mets fans in my travels. And in fact, ever since I started buying futures on them, they have become the Underachievin's, so I do take a little pride in that.
Jerry Manuel does his Alfred E Newman
'What, me worry?' impersonation
The Cubs come into New York after a Thursday afternoon shutout loss at Wrigley to the White Sox in a makeup game. Their offense has been slow, 10 runs in the last five games, but the arms have been getting it done for the most part since they were cracked in a 15-6 loss on Aug 25.
New York's just a mess right now, losing nine of their last 12 and four of their last six after getting out of Colorado on Thursday with an 8-3 win that kept them from a being broomed. Heads gotta' roll here; the injuries have been incredible this year, but you can't run payrolls like this even as the stepchild in the Big Apple market and keep falling short.
The pitching matchups for this set make it a very difficult three-game series to get a handle on. Chicago has the definite edge, but at the same time the matchups are funky, check it out:
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1, Fri, 7:10 p.m. (ET): Carlos Zambrano (14-8, 3.91) vs. Bobby Parnell (1-4, 5.81)
Game 2, Sat, 1:10 p.m.: Rich Harden (11-12, 4.19) vs. Nelson Figueroa (1-3, 4.50)
Game 3, Sun, 1:10 p.m.: Randy Wells (12-9, 2.90) vs. Mike Pelfrey (13-13, 5.03)
WEATHER
There's going to be a 10%-20% chance of rain in and around Queens this weekend, but nothing that will wash a game out entirely, and probably nothing that will even cause much of an in-game delay. Should be upper-70s and muggy on Friday eve, nothing to fret yourself with regarding the wind. Saturday afternoon should be nice, lots of sun and temps climbing to about 82ºF (27ºC), and Sunday maybe a few more clouds and a few degrees cooler for the afternoon high.
In the end, 29 teams will be disappointed they didn't win the World Series. But no two teams have been bigger busts this year than the Cubs and Mets with their combined $280 million team payrolls.
While trying to dig up info on just who the Mets might throw in Game 2 of this series, I happened to stumble through their MLB.com team site and come across a story on their Sunday game promotion which is a wine tasting in the Empire Party Suites. The first thought that popped into my head was wondering whether or not both Chicago's Lou Piniella and New York's Jerry Manuel might be on hand to drown a few of their sorrows after what might be the two most disappointing seasons in the majors for 2009.
God I love this photo!
My goal a week or so back was to close the season picking games that involved the truly worst of teams, purposely looking for series and individual contests that involved a pair of sub-.500 squads. But there are none of those series on the weekend's slate, and despite the Cubs being above .500 right now by two whole games, there might not be a better series than this one as far as describing disappointing, underachieving, losing teams.
Plus I have a strong distaste for both of these teams from old stubborn prejudices and ignorance, so it will be sort of fun to talk about them as losers. My therapist says that is good for me, so it's even healthy.
Now granted, the Cubs are still in the playoff hunt just six games out of the NL Wild Card. Six games ain't no big thing...but climbing over four other teams to get there is. And with the four teams ahead of Chicago right now – Marlins Braves, Giants and Rockies – all being non-NL Central foes, it makes it tougher. The Cubs do have what might be a huge four-game series in San Francisco three weeks from now, but otherwise they have little control on beating the teams ranked just ahead of them for the best runner-up of the Senior Circuit.
The Mets? They're done, boy are they done. I've developed a bit of softness for the Amazin's in recent years having met many a good Mets fans in my travels. And in fact, ever since I started buying futures on them, they have become the Underachievin's, so I do take a little pride in that.
Jerry Manuel does his Alfred E Newman
'What, me worry?' impersonation
The Cubs come into New York after a Thursday afternoon shutout loss at Wrigley to the White Sox in a makeup game. Their offense has been slow, 10 runs in the last five games, but the arms have been getting it done for the most part since they were cracked in a 15-6 loss on Aug 25.
New York's just a mess right now, losing nine of their last 12 and four of their last six after getting out of Colorado on Thursday with an 8-3 win that kept them from a being broomed. Heads gotta' roll here; the injuries have been incredible this year, but you can't run payrolls like this even as the stepchild in the Big Apple market and keep falling short.
The pitching matchups for this set make it a very difficult three-game series to get a handle on. Chicago has the definite edge, but at the same time the matchups are funky, check it out:
- Friday -- You've got Crazy Charlie Z against Bobby Parnell, with both arms hammered in the series between the two last weekend in Chicago. Zambrano took the loss in a 4-1 game on Sunday, lasting just 3.1 and giving up 11 hits, three earned runs. Parnell was bombed on Saturday, an 11-4 Cubs win (4.2 IP, 8 ER).
- Saturday – Now that the Mets have made the call to pitch Nelson Figueroa in this one instead of some dude named Undecided, we have more of a clue how to analyze the game. Or do we? Rich Harden goes for the Cubs.
- Sunday -- Two young hurlers making their first starts against their respective foe. Randy Wells is throwing well. How well? Well let me tell you: When a starting pitcher earns 15 straight decisions and has a sub-3.00 ERA on the season, they are throwing well. Mike Pelfrey, well, he's not throwing so well, certainly not as well as all those swell preseason publications trumped him. Oh well.
PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1, Fri, 7:10 p.m. (ET): Carlos Zambrano (14-8, 3.91) vs. Bobby Parnell (1-4, 5.81)
Game 2, Sat, 1:10 p.m.: Rich Harden (11-12, 4.19) vs. Nelson Figueroa (1-3, 4.50)
Game 3, Sun, 1:10 p.m.: Randy Wells (12-9, 2.90) vs. Mike Pelfrey (13-13, 5.03)
WEATHER
There's going to be a 10%-20% chance of rain in and around Queens this weekend, but nothing that will wash a game out entirely, and probably nothing that will even cause much of an in-game delay. Should be upper-70s and muggy on Friday eve, nothing to fret yourself with regarding the wind. Saturday afternoon should be nice, lots of sun and temps climbing to about 82ºF (27ºC), and Sunday maybe a few more clouds and a few degrees cooler for the afternoon high.
