Results tagged ‘ Cubs ’
Quirk leaving for the Cubs
Jamie Quirk, who has spent the last two seasons as Astros bullpen coach, is leaving the team to become bench coach for the Chicago Cubs under new manager Dale Sveum.
“It’s just a great opportunity,” Quirk said. “When Dale Sveum was interviewing, he asked me if I’d be interested if he gets any of the jobs and he got the Cubs. I talked with [Cubs general manager] Theo [Epstein] and passed that test and called [former Astros general manager] Ed [Wade] for permission and all that. I was excited.
“It’s the Cubbies. Who wouldn’t watch that job? They have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around.”
The appeal of the Cubs was one factor, but Quirk is eager for a chance to get back on the bench and stay more involved in the game. Most of the work he did during the season as bullpen coach was done in pre-game meetings, and he worked in the bullpen during games.
“Pretty much, once the game started I was out of it,” Quirk said. “I was looking forward to the opportunity to get back in the dugout and having more one-on-one with the manager and feeling like you’re actually helping rather than sitting back and watching. I’ve done it many years before, and I kind of missed it.” <p>
Astros manager Brad Mills has already put a list together of possible replacements for Quirk.
“I’m very happy for him to get this opportunity,” Mills said.
Quirk, 57, joined the Astros two years ago after working as a professional scout in 2009. Prior to that, he had served as bench coach for the Colorado Rockies for six years (2003-08) under then-manager Clint Hurdle. He began his Major League coaching career in 1994 as bullpen coach for the Royals and later served as bench coach.
Quirk played in the Major Leagues for 18 years, appearing in 984 games, including 525 at catcher. He compiled a .240 career average with 43 home runs and 247 RBIs while playing for eight teams, including 11 years with the Royals. He was on the Royals’ 1985 World Series championship team.
Mills getting long in tooth among NL Central managers
Brad Mills and Terry Francona, former college roommates who worked together for years with the Phillies and the Red Sox, could soon be battling each other 18 times a season in the National League Central.
News reports say Francona is set to interview for the Cardinals’ vacant managerial position after he was let go by the Red Sox earlier this year. This comes after Ryne Sandberg was given permission to interview in St. Louis.
Meanwhile, the Cubs have fired Mike Quade and are going to interview Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, who interviewed in Houston before Mills go the job two years ago.
Believe it or not, Mills is now the second-longest current tenured manager in the NL Central behind Dusty Baker. Here’s a breakdown of the managerial status of the teams in the Central:
St. Louis Cardinals — Vacant following the retirement of Tony La Russa.
Chicago Cubs — Vacant following the dismissal of Mike Quade.
Pittsburgh Pirates — Clint Hurdle just completed his first season in Pittsburgh.
Milwaukee Brewers — Ron Roenicke led the Brewers to the division title in his first season in 2011.
Houston Astros — Brad Mills has completed two seasons on the job.
Cincinnati Reds — Dusty Baker took over following the 2007 season and replaced Pete Mackanin, who was hired on an interim basis.
Astros lineup Wednesday against Cubs
Here’s the Astros lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Cubs:
CF J.B. Shuck
2B Jose Altuve
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Matt Downs
3B Jimmy Paredes
RF Brian Bogusevic
SS Clint Barmes
C Carlos Corporan
RHP Bud Norris
Astros’ lineup against Cubs
Here is the Astros’ starting lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Cubs:
CF Jason Bourgeois
2B Jose Altuve
LF J.D. Martinez
1B Carlos Lee
3B Matt Downs
RF Brian Bogusevic
SS Clint Barmes
C Humberto Quintero
RHP Henry Sosa
Astros’ lineup at stormy Wrigley
It’s storming heavily at Wrigley Field this morning, the kind of storm that would make Lance Berkman dash for cover. Alas, the Astros and Cubs are scheduled to play at 1:20 p.m. today.
The Astros made a roster move prior to the game, activating outfielder Jason Bourgeois from the disabled list and sending outfielder Brian Bogusevic — a Chicago-area product — back to Oklahoma City. Bourgeois was scheduled to arrive in Chicago this morning, so we’ll see how the storms affect his travel.
Bud Norris returns to Wrigley Field for the first time since making his Major League debut on July 29, 2009. He allowed a run in three innings in relief and has gone two years without pitching at Wrigley. That will change today, assuming the weather clears up.
Here is manager Brad Mills’ lineup:
CF Michael Bourn
2B Jose Altuve
RF Hunter Pence
LF Carlos Lee
1B Brett Wallace
3B Chris Johnson
SS Clint Barmes
C Humberto Quintero
RHP Bud Norris
Lyles on his way to Astros
The Astros announced Saturday afternoon they will place left-hander Wandy Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list Monday with fluid in his left elbow joint and will purchase the contract of top prospect Jordan Lyles, a right-handed pitcher, from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Lyles, 20, the Astros’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year last year, will make his Major League debut on Tuesday when he gets the start for the Astros against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He’s 3-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 10 starts this year for the RedHawks. Lyles is also scheduled to start June 5 in San Diego, manager Brad Mills said.
“He’s been pitching well,” Mills said. “His last outing [Wednesday] was six shutout innings and he only threw 77 pitches. He’s put some pretty good outings together. Everyone’s excited with the way he threw in Spring Training for us and we’re exited for him. This will be a good time to see him pitch.”
Rodriguez underwent an MRI on Saturday morning because of discomfort in his elbow. He was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against Arizona, but was scratched on Friday. Rodriguez is 3-3 in 10 starts this season with a 3.41 ERA, and is 3-1 in his last seven starts with a 2.16 ERA.
In Lyles’ last seven starts, he has been one of the top starting pitchers in Triple-A, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.00 ERA. In that span, he has allowed two runs or less in six starts and one run or less in four starts.
Lyles, the club’s 38th overall pick in 2008, dazzled the Astros in Spring Training, posting a 1.98 ERA in five appearances while competing for the fifth starter’s job – a spot that eventually went to Nelson Figueroa.
To make room for Lyles on the 40-man roster, catcher Jason Castro will be transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
Astros can’t catch a break
Things could have been so much different for the Astros on Wednesday. Had Wandy Rodriguez been able to get an inning-ending double play in the first — instead of having to settle for a fielder’s choice — the Cubs wouldn’t have later erupted for five runs in the inning.
Had Brett Wallace been able to clearly see Bill Hall’s blooper drop in right field and been able to get to second base, he wouldn’t have been forced out and perhaps would have scored on Matt Downs’ ensuing home run.
The Cubs scored three times in the ninth against the Astros bullpen to break the game open and win 9-5, but you couldn’t help but wonder what if?
“We fought at the plate and bounced back,” Downs said. “I feel like we fight to the end every night. We just haven’t caught some breaks here and there.”
Astros starter Wandy Rodriguez (0-2) nearly got an inning-ending double play in the first when he coerced Marlon Byrd to hit a one-out comebacker to the mound. Rodriguez threw to second for a force out, but shortstop Angel Sanchez’s relay throw to first base was late to keep the inning alive. The Cubs went on to score five two-out runs to take a 5-0 lead.
The Astros scored five times in the sixth to get within a run, 6-5, and could have pushed another run across the plate in the sixth and possibly tied the game. But first baseman Brett Wallace was an easy force out at second base after retreating to first on a blooper by Hall that fell between right fielder Tyler Colvin and second baseman Darwin Barney.
Wallace thought Colvin caught the ball and went back to first, where he was greeted by Hall urging him to scurry to second. The Cubs gladly took the force out as Carlos Lee crossed the plate to make it 6-3. Downs followed with a two-run homer that could have been a three-run homer.
“Just from that angle with the second baseman going back, you’re basically blocked out,” Wallace said. “It was just a ball that I have to be far enough to get to second if he doesn’t catch it, but in the same sense if he catches it and throws me out at first there’s point to being off. It was really just judgment. I couldn’t see the baseball and it looked like Colvin scooped it up.”
After watching the replay, Wallace thought he would have been thrown out at second anyway had he seen the ball drop.
“[Darwin] scooped it pretty cleanly and made a pretty good throw to second,” he said, “but it definitely would have looked a lot better if was making the out at second.”
Johnson out of Astros lineup
Third baseman Chris Johnson is not in the Astros’ starting lineup today, presumably because he’s nursing a sore left arm. Johnson was hit by a pitch on the back of his upper left arm Tuesday and told me after the game he was having trouble moving the arm. We’ll know when we get to visit with manager Brad Mills.
The Astros will try to win consecutive games for the first time this year when they send Wandy Rodriguez to the mound to face Carlos Zambrano, who’s dominated the Astros in his career and even through a no-hitter against Houston in 2008. He’s 14-8 with a 2.63 ERA in his career against the Astros. Rodriguez is coming off a strong start, allowing eight hits and one run Friday against Florida.
Here is the Astros’ starting lineup:
ASTROS
CF Michael Bourn
SS Angel Sanchez
RF Hunter Pence
LF Carlos Lee
1B Brett Wallace
2B Bill Hall
3B Matt Downs
C J.R. Towles
LHP Wandy Rodriguez
Astros have grand night at Minute Maid
Astros manager Brad Mills was forced to watch Tuesday’s 11-2 win over the Cubs from a suite at Minute Maid Park after being suspended earlier in the day, but the view had to be sweet no matter where he was sitting.
The Astros pounded out 16 hits for the second time in three games and reached double-digit hits for the fifth consecutive game – their longest such streak in nearly two years. Michael Bourn, Angel Sanchez and Hunter Pence went a combined 9-for-15 with seven runs scored and seven RBIs.
Bourn went 2-for-4 with a double, two stolen bases and a career-high four runs scored, Sanchez tied his career high with four hits and drove in a pair of runs and Pence went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. The Astros were 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
Brett Myers, who had a rare chance to pitch with a big lead, went seven innings and allowed one run and eight hits to improve to 6-0 with a 1.74 ERA in his last seven starts against the Cubs. He’s also 10-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 20 games (18 starts) in his career at Minute Maid Park.
“That’s how you win ballgames,” Myers said. “You’ve got to have pitching and defense and you’ve got to score some runs. We played well at everything – defense, pitching was good and we swung the bats really well, too. Last night’s game had a lot to do with how well we played. We showed ourselves we could fight back with any team no matter who was in there. They came out from the get-go swinging tonight.”
Here are some postgame notes:
- The Astros have recorded double-digit hits in each of their last five consecutive games and are hitting .339 in that span. The last time the club had a streak of five games with 10 or more hits was May 1-5, 2009.
- The 11 runs scored by the Astros on Tuesday are the most since Aug. 3, 2010, at St. Louis, when the team scored 18 in an 18-4 win.
- Astros starting pitchers have posted a 2-1 record and a 3.32 ERA since April 7. In the first five games of the season, Astros starters combined for an 0-4 record and a 9.62 ERA.
- The Astros have five triples this season and entered Tuesday’s game tied for first in the Majors with Texas and Toronto with four.
- Astros starting pitchers are hitting .381 (8-for-21) this season, including Brett Myers’ 1-for-3 performance on Tuesday. Myers is hitting .429 (3-for-7) in 2011.
- Astros pitchers did not allow a run from the fifth inning Monday night until the seventh Tuesday, a span of 11 innings, marking the longest scoreless innings streak by the club this season.
- RHP Brett Myers allowed one run in seven innings, lowering his season ERA to 1.77. Myers owns a 6-0 record with a 1.74 ERA in his last seven starts vs. the Cubs, and in his 14 career starts against the Cubs, he is 11-2 with a 2.16 ERA.
- Myers is 10-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 20 games, 18 starts, in his career at Minute Maid Park.
- SS Angel Sanchez tied his career high with four hits Tuesday for the second time (also Aug. 3, 2010 at St. Louis). Sanchez has five hits in his last seven at-bats with four RBIs in that span (.714). In his last last games, he is hitting .526 with five RBIs.
- C Humberto Quintero tied his career high with three hits for the fifth time.
- CF Michael Bourn scored a career-high four runs in the win. His previous high was three runs, accomplished four times. He also stole bases on consecutive pitches.
- RF Hunter Pence’s four RBIs were his most since Aug. 17, 2010, vs. the Mets, when he also drove in four.
- CF Michael Bourn and 2B Bill Hall each extended their hitting streaks to a team-leading seven games on Tuesday. During their streaks, both players are hitting .333: Bourn is 10-for-30 and Hall is 8-for-24.
Lineups for Tuesday’s Astros-Cubs game
The Astros will try to snap even their series against the Cubs when they play the middle game of the series at 7:05 p.m. today at Minute Maid Park. Brett Myers will start for the Astros in search of his first victory of the season, but he’s put together a pair of quality starts.
Myers has a 10-3 career record and a 2.21 ERA against the Cubs and has posted quality starts in 12 of his 13 career starts against Chicago. He was 3-0 with a 1.21 ERA in four starts against the Cubs last year and is 8-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his Astros career at Minute Maid Park.
Facing a left-hander, Brett Wallace is out of the lineup.
Here are the lineups:
ASTROS
CF Michael Bourn — Has hit safely in six consecutive games, going 8-for-24 with three walks and two stolen bases.
SS Angel Sanchez — Leads the team in batting average (.342), RBIs (6) and multi-hit games (4).
RF Hunter Pence — Snapped a three-game hit streak Monday. He hit .429 (6-for-14) with three RBIs during the streak and has hit safely in seven of his 10 games this season.
1B Carlos Lee — Making first start of the season at first base.
LF Jason Michaels — Making first start of the season.
2B Bill Hall — Hit his sixth career pinch-hit homer in the seveth inning Monday night and is one of six players with a pinch-hit HR this season.
3B Chris Johnson — Has hit safely in four of his last five games.
C Humberto Quintero — Has started six of the Astros 10 games, including both of the club’s wins, and has hit safely in three of his six games.
RHP Brett Myers
CUBS
SS Starlin Catro
2B Darwin Barney
CF Marlon Byrd
3B Aramis Ramirez
1B Carlos Pena
LF Alfonso Soriano
C Geovany Soto
RF Tyler Colvin
LHP James Russell
Brian McTaggart
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