Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010
6:36 PM
By Patrick Mooney
CSNChicago.com
Mike Quade planned to cook for his family, friends and staff on Thursday in Chicago. An option quarterback as a teenager at Prospect High School, he looked forward to watching college football. It didnt matter who was playing that night.
The Cubs manager could toast his new job, even if it doesnt become permanent, as well as his teams performance since he took over, no matter that his 6-3 record is skewed by two last-place teams.
And if I have a minute or two, Quade said, maybe I find a racetrack.
After the off day, there is exactly one month left in the season. If you have seen too much of the 57-77 Cubs, you probably are ready for some football. If you are a betting man, you probably didnt have a September with Lou Piniella in Tampa, Fla., Derrek Lee in Atlanta and Ted Lilly in Los Angeles.
Thats where an organization in transition finds itself. With 17 percent of the schedule remaining, heres what to watch for:
MLB
How the rotation turns. Tom Gorzelanny is expected to miss his next start after a line drive knocked him to the ground and sent him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Wednesday for X-rays. Thursdays CT scan revealed a small incomplete hairline fracture underneath the fingernail of his left pinky finger, which is stable. Gorzelanny will likely be skipped due to the swelling on the palm of his left hand.
The situation will be reassessed once the swelling subsides, but pitching coach Larry Rothschild was already facing several decisions on his staff. Carlos Silva threw 78 pitches and gave up five runs in 4 23 innings on Wednesday night at Kane County during his second rehabilitation start for Class-A Peoria. Whether or not Silva needs another, the front office would like to take a closer look at least one pitcher from Triple-A Iowa.
September call-ups. First-place Iowa began Thursday with a one-game lead and five to play, so the organization isnt in a rush to make more promotions. The Cubs have used 16 rookies this season, gutting Ryne Sandbergs roster, and theyre expected to bring up around six players once Iowas finished. The most anticipated move will involve Jeff Samardzija (11-3, 4.02 at Triple-A) and what sort of future returns the Cubs may see on their 10 million investment.
Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro. The Cubs are stressing scouting and development and when they explain the model they point to these two homegrown players. Colvins athleticism allows him to play all three outfield positions, but he will continue to work out at first base during batting practice. Quade is hesitant to push Colvin into game action at that position, but probably will against a non-contender later this month once the rookies comfortable enough.
Castro woke up Thursday tied for third in the National League with a .317 average. He is hitting .367 since July 10, but is trailing Colorados Carlos Gonzalez by 12 percentage points, and it remains to be seen how the shortstops body will hold up through Game No. 162. When asked if Castro could win a batting title, Colvin summed up his 20-year-old teammates vast potential: Why not?
Attendance figures. Wrigley Field has been filled to nearly 93 percent capacity this season, but has also seen some of its smallest crowds in almost four years. There are 12 home games remaining, including nine against decent box-office draws (New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals), plus a Labor Day gate with the Houston Astros.
During a rare interview with four beat writers on Wednesday, chairman Tom Ricketts acknowledged the relationship between tickets sales and payroll flexibility. Ultimately, that could influence whether or not the Cubs need Colvin to play first base, or can sign a free agent like Adam Dunn.
Champagne celebrations. After a brutal 20 games in 20 days stretch in August, the schedule gets noticeably easier, with four off days built in this month. The Cubs are playing 12 consecutive games against sub-.500 teams through Sept. 12.
Maybe they can eliminate the Cardinals from contention, or perhaps theyll watch the Padres clinch a division title in San Diego (Sept. 27-30).
We get paid to play, Aramis Ramirez said. The way I look at it is there are (30) teams and only eight go to the playoffs. The other ones go home at the same time we (will). We got (28) games to go. Well try to win as many of those as we can.
The search process. From the beginning, general manager Jim Hendry has said that he doesnt want to give daily updates, and will take his time working contacts throughout the industry. Sandberg and Fredi Gonzalez are in the mix, but it is Quade we will see before, during and after every game, so publicly he will be dissected the most.
If nothing else, it will raise the profile of a 53-year-old man who spent 17 years managing in the minors, in places like Rockford and Scranton, Pa.
Its a cool deal for him, said Randy Wells, who played for Quade at Iowa. Its probably not your most ideal situation, getting your first major-league job (like this). But sometimes its a little break like that. If he shows he can do it, you never know whats in store.
Hes going (to) give it everything hes got and try to get the best out of us. Who knows what platform that will lead to?
Patrick Mooney is CSNChicago.com's Cubs beat writer. Follow Patrick on Twitter @CSNMooney for up-to-the-minute Cubs news and views.