Rich Harden pitched 6.1 innings of perfect baseball before Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz conived a walk off the right hander.  At that point, the Cubs were up 2-0.  Two batters later, Harden gave up a two-run homer and his no-hitter to Jimmy Rollins, and the game was suddenly tied.

Overall, Harden pitched a really good game.  Over 7.0 innings, he gave up two hits, allowed two runs, struck out six and walked two.  But the Cubs offense, which compiled seven hits in seven innings, could only muster two runs, so Harden got a no-decision for his effort.

In the eighth inning, Carlos Marmol came into the game and couldn’t find the strike zone.  He walked the first batter he faced  got two outs, and the hit Shane Victorino with a pitch.  With runners on first and second and two outs, Marmol walked Chase Utley to load the bases for Ryan Howard.  Marmol then walked Howard to force a run home and give the Phillies the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs played some small ball.  Kosuke Fukudome walked and was bunted over to second before Milton Bradley singled him home to tie the game.

In the top of the 12, Kevin Gregg, who was pitching in his second inning, gave up a solo shot to Ben Francisco; the first guy he faced in the inning.  The Phillies then rubbed a little salt in the wound by bringing in former Cub Scott Eyre to close out his former teammates in the bottom half of the inning.

Overall, Cubs pitching only gave up three hits in 12.0 innings.  Unfortunately, they also gave up two homeruns, five base-on-balls, and a hit-by-pitch that ultimately doomed them. 

The series continues tonight as Pedro Martinez (0-0) takes on Jeff Samardzjia (1-1).  It will be the first start this year for both pitchers.

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Is it time to do something about Carlos Marmol?  He was a great story last year, but he’s a mess this year.  Marmol has walked 52 batter in 58 innings this year, and in August, he is averaging 14.73 walks per nine innings.   While he has the potential to be special, the reality is that his lack of control is killing the Cubs.  Marmol needs to be sent to Iowa (or Arizona) to work on his control.  The stakes are way too high for him to be doing what he’s doing at the major lreague level.

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Is Carlos Zambrano the most overpaid player in MLB?  Dave Kaplan thinks so.  Kaplan, the host of CSN’s Chigago Tribune Live! and WGN Radio’s Sports Central, had this to say on his blog:

“I am so sick of hearing that Carlos Zambrano is the “ace” of the Cubs staff and that he is considered one of the best starters in the baseball [sic]. That is such a pile of garbage and it is about time people start to call this guy what he really is, a fraud.

“Zambrano is not a big game pitcher, he is not an ace, and if the Cubs can, I believe they will look to move him and his bloated contract out of Chicago as soon as possible. What qualities does a #1 starter have? How about piling up wins? Zambrano has averaged 14 wins a season since he became a full time starter in 2003. Does he play the role of leader on the club? Don’t make me laugh. He is immature, doesn’t work as hard as the Cubs would like, and he is not what one would consider a big game pitcher. Many times Zambrano has had a chance to stop a losing streak or to win a big game and he has failed a majority of those times.”

That sounds horrible, but he was just getting started:

“The facts don’t lie. The Cubs are paying for top flight performance from a pitcher who has the skills to be a big winner. However, Zambrano’s performance does not warrant such a big contract and his 18 million dollar annual salary is one of the deals that is limiting financial flexibility for the front office. Talk to the scouts that attend every game the Cubs play and they all bemoan his incredible physical talents and lack of productivity for a guy whose reputation  is that of a superstar.

“Zambrano has won all of 7 games this season. That’s it. He has had incidents with a Gatorade machine, been suspended for his outburst towards a home plate umpire, and  has had two stints on the disabled list. Seven wins for 18 million dollars and enough headaches for management to drive them crazy.”

When Kaplan goes over the top, he goes WAY over the top.  Is Zambrano a “true” ace?  No, probably not.  He’s a good #2 or #3 starter, but truth be told, he’s probably not an ace.

Is Carlos Zambrano overpaid?  Yeah, I think that’s fair to say.  When it was signed, Zambrano’s contract seemed high, but not outrageous.  Considering his performance, I think it’s fair to say that he has not lived up to the level of performance that was anticipated when he signed the contract.  So yeah, I guess he’s overpaid.

Is Zambrano the most overpaid player in MLB?  No, not even close.  Guys like Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, and Gary Matthews, Jr. come to mind for that honor.  Heck, Zambrano may not even be the most overpaid player on the Cubs.  Alfonso Soriano’s contract is almost certainly worse than Zambrano’s.

I think a lot of Cubs fans are frustrated with Zambrano.  As Kaplan points out, Z has been on the DL twice this year, he was suspended for bumping an umpire, and he threw a tantrum that fatally injured a Gatorade machine.  But when he’s on the field, he does his job fairly well.  He only has seven wins through the middle of August, but he has a respectable 3.35 ERA, the lowest it has been since 2005, and his K/9 rate is up from last year. 

Kaplan’s hissy fit seems to be much more about garnering attention for its author than it does about making a salient argument about Carlos Zambrano being overpaid.  I especially like the last paragraph of his article:

“It is time for the Cubs to find a taker for the antics and the talents of Carlos Zambrano. I know that he has a no trade clause but perhaps Zambrano would also like a fresh start in a new city. He may have a golden arm but we have seen far too many other “qualities” from the man they call “Big Z” to call him an ace or a reliable starter on a team with championship aspirations. Pack your bags Carlos, it’s time to take your act to another team. We’ve tired of you and your immaturity.”

Thanks, Dave, for speaking for all of us.  You could have said “You’re” tired of Carlos Zambrano and his immaturity, but instead, you drug us all into your ridiculus tirade.  In the future, if you’re going to say something so indefensible, please leave “us” out of it.

Grabow is more than just a LOOGY.  In the past, he has worked as both a set-up man and as a closer (not in the same game).  He will likely serve as a middle relief guy for the Cubs.  The 30-year old Grabow will become a free agent at the end of the year.  He signed for $2.3 million in 2009.  He projects to be a Type-A free agent.

Initially, there was some thought that the Cubs were looking for a left-handed reliever who could be used to shut down left handed hitters.  If that’s what they were looking for, that’s not what they got.  This year, right handed batters are hitting .234 against Grabow while lefties are hitting .275.

Twenty-seven-year old Gorzelanny was a terrific pitcher in 2007 for the Pirates, but kind of fell apart in 2008.  Some people have blamed overuse in 2007 for Gorzellany’s poor performance in 2008.  Whatever happened, he has seen very little action for the Pirates this year and was pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis when the Cubs acquired him.  For Indy, Gorzellany was 4-3 this year with a 2.48 ERA.  He’ll report to Iowa for the Cubs and will try to work his way up to Chicago.

The Cubs gave up Kevin Hart, who not only was having a good year, but was having a good game at the time the deal was made.  Hart got the win today against the Astros going 6.0 inning, giving up six hits, three earned runs, striking out four and walking two.  He found out after the game he had been traded to Pittsburgh.  That was a better fate than what happened to the pitcher he faced.  Houston pitcher Russ Ortiz gave up nine earned runs in 2.1 innings and was released immediately after the game.

Hendry sold high on Hart, who was 3-1 with the Cubs and was sporting a 2.60 ERA.  He has had a good year so far in 2009.  In fact, he’s done better than just about anyone expected.  That’s why it was smart to trade him now.  He’s worth more now than he has ever been and it’s likely he won’t  be worth as much as he is now any time in the future. 

Jose Ascanio, in my opinion, is a run of the mill right handed reliever.  He’s not terrible, but he’s easily replacable.   

Josh Harrison is a man without a position at the moment.  The Single-A infielder doesn’t have the power to be a third baseman, and he doesn’t have the footwork to be a good middle infielder.  Unless things change drastically, Harrison will likely never be more than a utility infielder, a position the Cubs have in spades. 

Overall, I really like this trade.  Hendry did a good job of getting one piece that the Cubs need now (Grabow) and another piece that, if he returns to form, could help in the future.  In exchange, he didn’t give up much that will hurt the team either this year or into the future. 

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If you want to see a great defensive play, take a look at the video at this link.  Delwyn Young is the player that makes the great barehanded catch.  The ump made the wrong call on the play, but the Pirates got their man any way.

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In other trades of note yesterday and today, the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee and OF Ben Franciso from Cleveland, the Dodgers acquired LHP George Sherrill from Baltimore, and the Giates acquired 2nd basemenFreddy Sanchez from Pittsburgh.

Friday at 4:00 PM ET is the deadline to make trades.  Other rumor out there are the Rangers and Dodgers still working on a Roy Halladay trade (Is anyone else besides me surprised that the Rangers are in this conversation?), the Red Sox are trying to find a way to land Adrian Gonzalez,  the Yankees are looking at the Royals Brian Bannister, and the Giants are kicking the tires on Mark Teahan.