SB Nation Chicago - Cubs Vs. Reds: Chicago Swept By Cincinnati Over 3-Game Series

Chicago Cubs To Hold 'Kerry Wood Appreciation Day'

2012-09-20T23:00:56Z

The Cubs will hold "Kerry Wood Appreciation Day" at Wrigley Field on Sunday, according to CSN Chicago's Tony Andracki, as Chicago hosts the St. Louis Cardinals in the season finale between the NL Central rivals.

Wood, who unexpectedly retired prior to the Cubs' May 18 contest against the crosstown White Sox, will be honored in a pregame ceremony. In addition, the first 20,000 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative poster featuring the longtime Cub.

"Kid K" exited in style, striking out Dayan Viciedo of the Sox on three pitches in his final big league appearance. It capped off a rough farewell season for Wood, who posted an 8.31 ERA in 8⅔ innings, while walking nearly two batters for every strikeout.

Wood finished his 14-year career with a 3.67 ERA, and struck out 10.3 batters per nine innings.

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Reds Vs. Cubs Final Score: Cincinnati Pulls Off 3-Game Sweep With 5-3 Win Over Chicago

2012-09-20T21:32:39Z

The Chicago Cubs dropped their fourth consecutive game on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field, as the visiting Cincinnati Reds walked away with a 5-3 victory after a late surge in the series finale.

Chicago right-hander Jason Berken was masterful over six innings of work by holding the Reds to just two hits, but curiously gave way to the bullpen after tossing just 86 pitches heading into the seventh. Cubs reliever Manny Corpas was then given the ball in a scoreless tie, and somehow managed to surrender three straight RBI singles before a two-run double to Cincinnati's Henry Rodriguez that blew the game wide open.

Youngsters Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro each chipped in two-hit performances from the plate for the Cubs in the loss, while catcher Welington Castillo belted his fifth home run of the season with a solo shot in the eighth. A difficult weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals now lies ahead for Chicago, as the team will hope that Chris Volstad can keep his recent magic going strong on Friday in Game 1.

Head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue for more on the Cubs, and be sure to visit Red Reporter for more Cincinnati baseball coverage. Also check out Baseball Nation for more news and analysis from around the league.

Reds Manager Dusty Baker Will Stay In Hospital Until Friday

2012-09-20T18:34:03Z

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, hospitalized in downtown Chicago with an irregular heartbeat he felt Wednesday afternoon, will remain in care until Friday, it was reported Thursday.

Baker underwent tests but is still expected to be released Friday, when he'll fly back to Cincinnati. Baker left a lineup card for Thursday's game before being transported to the hospital.

The Reds wrap up a series with the Chicago Cubs Thursday, then go home to host the wild-card contending Los Angeles Dodgers for a weekend series. It remains to be seen if Baker will manage on Friday, but Chris Speier, who is managing the Reds in Baker's absence, says he wouldn't be surprised if Baker is back in the dugout that night.

Said Speier:

"That would be a situation that I’m sure, knowing Dusty, yes he will... But then it’ll be doctor’s orders as to what he’s specifically and probably allowed to do or not to do. This is so premature, I don’t have an answer to that. But if it was Dusty’s decision and he’s OK to go back to Cincinnati, I’m sure he’d want to be managing again (Friday)."

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Reds Vs. Cubs Lineups: Cincinnati Is One Win Away From Postseason

2012-09-20T17:13:18Z

The Chicago Cubs continue to play out the string that is the 2012 baseball season, and hope to keep the Cincinnati Reds from clinching a postseason spot for at least another day.

The Cubs and Reds play their series finale at Wrigley Field Thursday starting at 1:20 p.m. CT. A win for the Reds clinches a Wild Card spot and puts them in the playoffs.

Here are the starting lineups for both teams:

Cubs

1. David DeJesus CF

2. Darwin Barney 2B

3. Anthony Rizzo 1B

4. Bryan LaHair LF

5. Starlin Castro SS

6. Luis Valbuena 3B

7. Welington Castillo C

8. Dave Sappelt RF

9. Jason Berken RHP

And now, the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds:

1. Xavier Paul LF

2. Miguel Cairo 1B

3. Henry Rodriguez 2B

4. Todd Frazier 3B

5. Chris Heisey RF

6. Denis Phipps CF

7. Ryan Hanigan C

8. Didi Gregorius SS

9. Johnny Cueto RHP

For more on the Cubs, check out Bleed Cubbie Blue. Head over to Red Reporter for more on the Reds. For news and analysis from around the MLB, check out Baseball Nation.

Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano Reaches 30 Home Runs, 100 RBI

2012-09-20T16:34:33Z

The Chicago Cubs have had few bright spots in Theo Epstein's first year of command. They're 30-plus games back of the NL Central lead and have strung together losing streak after losing streak. There's one bright spot of particular note though: Alfonso Soriano, as Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago notes.

Soriano hit his 30th home run of the season on Wednesday, though the Cubs did eventually lose, 6-5, to the Cincinnati Reds. This goes hand-in-hand with his 100-RBI mark, which was reached over the weekend. He had a slow start to the season, and didn't belt a home run over the team's first 30 games. As Padilla notes, Soriano is just the second player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs after not hitting one over the first 30 games.

While the Cubs may not make that leap to competitiveness in a season or two, Soriano is proving to be a great example for the young players that Chicago is investing in. Guys like Josh Vitters and Anthony Rizzo will look to Soriano and his success and hopefully emulate it going forward to help put this team on the map.

One Year Later, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts At Peace With Franchise's Future

2012-09-20T16:23:07Z

The Chicago Cubs may be 32 games back of the National League Central lead and officially out of any kind of MLB Postseason race, but team owner and chairman Tom Ricketts is pleased with the direction the team is headed, regardless. David Kaplan of CSN Chicago asked Ricketts about the long-term outlook of the franchise on Wednesday, and we've got the quote below:

I think we are headed in the right direction. Theo immediately came in and built out a great team of guys and we are continuing to improve on that team and we are doing the right things and really building a foundation that will carry us into the future. I sleep well at night knowing that we have great guys running the show.

"Theo" is referring to Theo Epstein, the team's general manager, who few thought the Cubs would be able to recruit in the offseason. Ricketts fired then-general manager Jim Hendry and the team began interviewing GM candidates. To coincide with this, Epstein was having many issues with the Boston management, and was looking for a new opportunity.

Leave it to a long-struggling franchise to offer a man whatever he wants, as Epstein saw the control he'd have with the Cubs and signed on the dotted line. Now, the team has one of the most prestigious men around running it, and a lot of key players moving forward. Jorge Soler and Albert Almora figure to be the building blocks for a successful franchise, but if one thing has been made clear by Ricketts and everyone else: it's a process and will take some time.

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Reds Vs. Cubs Final Score: Cincinnati Tops Chicago In 11 Innings

2012-09-20T14:15:28Z

The Chicago Cubs dropped the second game of the series to the Cincinnati Reds with a 6-5 loss in 11 innings on Wednesday night. A Drew Stubbs RBI single drove home Brandon Phillips in the top of the 11th, and the Cubs were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning. Phillips reached based thanks to a David DeJesus error, who overran the ball allowing Phillips to reach second. Alberto Cabrera (0-1) picked up the loss for the Cubs.

The Reds took an early lead in the game with a three-run first inning and had a 5-1 lead in the sixth inning when Alfonso Soriano hit his 30th home run of the season to narrow the gap to 5-3. Chicago got one more run in the sixth and one in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5 and had a chance to get the win with the bases loaded in the tenth inning but failed to do so.

The Reds magic number to clinch the NL Central is now three. The Cubs (58-91) need five more wins to avoid hitting 100 losses on the season.

For more on the Cubs, check out Bleed Cubbie Blue. Head over to Red Reporter for more on the Reds. For news and analysis from around the MLB, check out Baseball Nation.

Cubs Vs. Reds Preview: Chicago, Cincinnati Wrap Up Series

2012-09-20T14:04:09Z

The Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds will wrap up their season series on Thursday afternoon. On the mound for the Cubs will be Jason Berken, and he'll be opposed by Cy Young candidate Johnny Cueto.

Berken, a Baltimore cast-off acquired by the Cubs in September, will be making his second start for the team. In his first start on Sept. 15 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, Berken allowed two earned runs in four innings pitched. He allowed eight hits, struck out two and walked one.

Cueto, meanwhile, will be looking to strengthen his case as the National League's top pitcher. Cueto, though, has been skidding of late, having allowed 14 earned runs over 15.1 innings in his last three starts. In three starts vs. the Cubs this year, Cueto has dominated Chicago, posting a 1.21 ERA in 22.1 innings.

Thursday's game will start at 1:20 p.m. and will be broadcast on CSN.

For the latest on all things Cubs, check out Bleed Cubbie Blue. For more news, notes and analysis from around MLB, check out Baseball Nation.