Now that Jeff Samardzija's season is over, let's take a moment to look back and express amazement that for about half the season Samardzija was the guy you most wanted to see on the mound for the Cubs. Well, assuming you weren't rooting for the Cubs reverse standings position. Here's his final numbers on the season. Player GS IP …
Matt Garza leaves game with forearm injury
Matt Garza left tonight's game after 3 innings with a forearm injury. It's probably not serious, but here are some other players who have had not so serious forearm injuries: Kerry Wood, Randy Wells and Angel Guzman. more into to come
The Children Are The Future – Cubs Minor League Update Sponsored by Cookies Bar “B” “Q”
Iowa Cubs Brett Jackson was 1-4 and struckout twice. He has an astronomical 33.8% strikeout rate, but is still managing a wOBA near .370, which is good for a wRC+ of 113. It's not as good as his stint in Iowa last year, but it's still above average. Josh Vitters was 1-3 with a walk and is now sporting a …
A 2013 Cubs Contender, Part 1
RC has been insistent about wondering how the Cubs may contend in 2013. I've been meaning to write something about it for some time, but can't help but think the Cubs are a long way away from contention. 2013 doesn't seem possible, but it's always possible. How can they do it? After thinking about this post for awhile I finally …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (15-26) at Houston Astros (18-23)
We knew that the Cubs would stink this year, but seeing the Pirates and Astros above the Cubs in the standings still takes some getting used to. At least we have the Hope Monster to remind us that the Cubs are only seven games back!!! It's gonna happen! The rest of the NL Central kind of stinks right now. The …
The Children Are The Future-Cubs Minor League Update Sponsored by Acapulco Taco Pie
Iowa Another day another Anthony Rizzo HR. He decided to pair his 13th shot of the year with a triple and kept his average at .359. Brett Jackson on the other hand is really scuffling right now as he slipped down to .226 after another 0-4 day. Randy Wells got shelled and has a 7 + ERA right now. He is …
Where We Stand Now: Starting pitching
I already took a look at the team batting numbers, and now we'll look at the bright spot in the Cubs roster: starting pitching. Here's how the seven pitchers who have started games thus far have performed. Player GS IP K/9 BB/9 HR/9 GB% BABIP ERA FIP xFIP Ryan Dempster 4 28.1 9.21 2.86 0.32 41.2% .191 0.95 2.32 2.94 …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (6-13) at Philadelphia Phillies (9-10)
The Cubs finally got their first series win of the year! Things are looking up….except that they just barely avoid having the worst record in the NL (mostly due to opportunity – the Padres are 6-14). It already feels like forever since the last Cubs game. The series was the Cardinals was a nice reminder that not every game will …
Minor League Update 4-6-12
I'd like to make this a daily feature here at Obstructed View, but have you looked at the minor league rosters? I'd suggest you avoid doing so if you haven't looked already. I'm not going to tell you about the game. Who cares if the Daytona Cubs won? I'm not even sure they do. Maybe there are a few fans …
Other transformed Cubs
With Jeff Samardzija's "transformation" I thought it would be fun to find other Cubs player who have transformed this spring. Joe Mather: With a .412/.455/.745 batting line through today, he's established himself as a completely different ballplayer. We know this because he's had 55 plate appearances and that's absolutely enough to know whether or not a transformation has taken place. …