9/05/03 - Cubs (Cruz) @ Brewers (Sheets)

[squarepusher]

7:05 PM, CST

TV: FSN

Radio: WTMJ 620

 

Brewerfan.net / Statfox matchup info:

www.brewerfan.net/matchup.jsp

 

Luis Martinez Player Profile:

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FoxSports.com Preview:

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Milwaukeebrewers.com Preview:

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[squarepusher]

SportsTicker Game Preview:

 

Chicago Cubs (73-67) at Milwaukee (62-77) 8:05 pm EDT

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MILWAUKEE (Ticker) -- The Chicago Cubs seek their fourth

straight victory and possibly move into first place in the

National League Central Division when they open a weekend series

against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday at Miller Park.

 

The Cubs took four of five from the St. Louis Cardinals to move

within one-half game of the Houston Astros in the NL Central and

move one-half game ahead of the Cardinals. Chicago won the

series finale on Thursday, 7-6, despite the ejection of Sammy

Sosa in the third inning for arguing after he was called out on

strikes.

 

Tony Womack produced the go-ahead run with a one-out single in

the seventh.

 

Juan Cruz (1-5, 5.40 ERA) will make his fourth start and 22nd

appearance of the season for the Cubs. On Sunday, he allowed

two runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 2-0 setback vs.

Milwaukee.

 

Cruz is 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in three games against the Brewers

this season. In six career games, he is 0-3 with a 4.15 ERA in

six games, including two starts, against them.

 

Milwaukee has won 14 of its last 16 games, including the final

two contests of a three-game set against Cincinnati. In

Wednesday's 9-6 triumph, Brady Clark fell just a single shy of

the cycle, scored four times and drove in two runs.

 

Ben Sheets (10-11, 4.27) is 0-4 in six games since beating the

New York Mets on July 29. On Friday, he lost to the Cubs at

Wrigley Field, 4-2, giving up three runs and 11 hits in seven

innings.

 

Sheets is 6-1 with a 2.97 ERA in nine career games against the

Cubs.

[DHonks]

nice to see Billy Hall in the lineup

[batman]

Speaking of the lineup:

 CHICAGO CUBS MILWAUKEE AVG HR RBI AVG HR RBI Kenny Lofton CF .290 10 38 Scott Podsednik CF .316 6 44 Mark Grudzielanek 2B .310 3 25 Keith Ginter 2B .265 11 34 Sammy Sosa RF .292 32 88 Brady Clark RF .310 4 36 Moises Alou LF .288 20 84 Richie Sexson 1B .266 36 105 Eric Karros 1B .292 11 32 Mark Smith LF .320 3 8 Aramis Ramirez 3B .269 21 87 Wes Helms 3B .256 19 58 Alex Gonzalez SS .227 18 54 Bill Hall SS .282 3 13 Damian Miller C .239 8 35 Keith Osik C .242 2 18 Juan Cruz RHP .000 0 0 Ben Sheets RHP .085 0 2 (1-5, 5.40) (10-11, 4.27) 

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. This should be the lineup for the rest of the season... the only exception is that Perez will obviously split time with Osik and Conti and Zocco should get a good amount of time in the outfield. I'd say that Enrique Cruz should get some playing time, but why bother?

 

I'm assuming the days off for Clayton and Vander Wal are just one-day things... but if not, kudos to Nedley!

 

~Bill

[batman]

PRAISE MELVIN!

 

Sutton just informed us that Billy Hall is our starting shortstop for the rest of the season. Melvin met with Clayton and thanked him for playing well, apparently, and then informed him that he was going to be relegated to bench duties.

 

This has been a long time coming... and, if it isn't obvious, should make Brewers' fans very happy.

 

~Bill

[LouisEly]

Sucks that Gonzales got hit (just barely... grazed the jersey apparently) and Sheets got a warning for that. Sosa should have gotten beaned as retaliation for the Sexson HBP. Our star gets one, so does theirs. But now beaning Sosa means an ejection for Sheets. The 5th inning is too early... bean Sosa in the 7th or 8th when we are due for a pitching change. The Gonzales slide was chicken$#!%... he wasn't anywhere near the bag (and wasn't anything near a slide as well).

[Al the Thinking Man]

Means nothing to me, just win the game. All the other crap is just adults acting like babies.

[1992casey]

Any comments on the play following Gonzalez being hit by the pitch? Sutton and Schroeder were downright indignant about the so-called slide he made into Hall attempting to break up the double play.

 

When I checked out the other broadcasts, Pat Hughes and Ron Santo said little except that the umps were warning everyone to keep themselves under control.

 

Jim Powell said Gonzalez threw his body into Hall's, then threw his arm straight up, and was clearly out of the baseline. He wasn't wound up like the TV announcers, but felt the play clearly violated the rules.

 

My guess is that nothing further happened because there was no injury and the double play was turned anyway.

[Al the Thinking Man]

I have seen guys called out due to both slides like that AND for being out of the baseline. As stated, however, the out was made, so the only call that could have been made was to throw Gonzalez out of the game.

 

Ben once again put his "manly"ness ahead of the win, hitting the leadoff batter. If you do feel the need to give the other team a baserunner to "protect" your team, do it with two outs. Common sense.

[1992casey]

You're right; two outs--good idea. Jim Powell kind of implied that when he said the baserunner was exactly what the Cubs wanted.

[mothershipconnection]

Sutton just informed us that Billy Hall is our starting shortstop for the rest of the season. Melvin met with Clayton and thanked him for playing well, apparently, and then informed him that he was going to be relegated to bench duties.

 

 

http://www.ataccess.org/resources/fpic/images/tran04.gif

[DHonks]

One thing I noticed was the radar gun readings for Sheets were higher after the Gonzalez slide than they have been for the most of the year. REcently he's sat in the 88-90 range on tv, but last night he was consistently around 95...maybe the intensity pumped him up a bit.