This article documents a current sporting event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports, scores, or statistics may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
The Chicago Cubs' 2007 season has begun with the Cubs trying to rebound after a season in which they finished last in their division for the first time since 2000.
| 2007 Chicago Cubs | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:Chicago Cubs Logo.png | ||
| Division | Central Division | |
| Ballpark | Wrigley Field | |
| City | Chicago, Illinois | |
| Owners | Tribune Company (Final Season) | |
| Managers | Lou Piniella | |
| Television | CSN Chicago Superstation WGN WCIU-TV | |
| Radio | WGN (AM) 720 | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
| ||
Offseason
In an attempt to rebuild the team, the Cubs were very aggressive in the free-agent market, signing a number of players with the goal of overtaking the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in a competitive NL Central to win the World Series for the first time since 1908.
The first change was with a new manager. On October 17, 2006, Lou Pinella signed a three-year deal with an option for a fourth season to manage the Cubs - the 50th manager in team history after Dusty Baker was not offered an extension of his contract following the 2006 season.[1]
On November 14, 2006, the Cubs improved their depth by signing Mark DeRosa to a three-year, $13 million contract.[2] DeRosa had played several positions for the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves earlier in his career.
The Cubs made the largest acquisition in their teams history on November 20, 2006, as Alfonso Soriano agreed to an eight-year contract worth $136 million, an average of $17 million per year.[3]
The Cubs added two starting pitchers to the rotation, starting with the signing of Ted Lilly on December 15, 2006, to an four-year, $40 million deal.[4] This was followed on December 19, 2006, with the signing of Jason Marquis to a three-year contract worth $21 million.[5].
Regular season
The Cubs ended the first half of the season 4.5 games out of first place, behind the Milwaukee Brewers, with a record of 44 wins and 43 losses.
The Cubs got off to a good start in the second half by sweeping the Houston Astros at home and taking three of four from the san Francisco Giants. In those series Ted Lilly won his third and fourth starts in a row, helping pitch the Cubs to 9-3 and 9-8 victories.
In-Season Trades
On July 16 the Cubs acquired Jason Kendall from the Oakland Athletics for fellow catcher Rob Bowen and minor league pitcher Jerry Blevins.[6] At the time of the trade, Kendall had the lowest on base percentage (.261) and second lowest slugging percentage (.281) of any starter in major league baseball for 2007.
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 85 | 77 | .525 | — | 44–37 | 41–40 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 83 | 79 | .512 | 2 | 51–30 | 32–49 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 78 | 84 | .481 | 7 | 43–38 | 35–46 |
| Houston Astros | 73 | 89 | .451 | 12 | 42–39 | 31–50 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 72 | 90 | .444 | 13 | 39–42 | 33–48 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 68 | 94 | .420 | 17 | 37–44 | 31–50 |
Game log
Current roster
| 40-man roster | Non-roster invitees | Coaches / other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
|
Manager Coaches
60-day injured list
40 active, 0 inactive, 0 non-roster invitees
| |||
References
- Team Roster: Chicago Cubs Roster on ESPN.com
- Batting Statistics: Chicago Cubs Stats on ESPN.com
- Pitching Statistics: Chicago Cubs Pitching Stats on ESPN.com
- Crosstown Classic: Cubs vs. Sox since 1997
- ^ Lou Pinella Bio], MLB.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007
- ^ DeRosa cashes in on career year, to sign with Cubs, ESPN, Retrieved on July 18, 2007
- ^ Muscat, Carrie, Cubs complete blockbuster with Soriano, MLB.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007
- ^ Cubs, Lilly make four-year, $40M deal official, ESPN.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007
- ^ Cubs officially add Marquis to retooled rotation, ESPN.com, Retrieved on July 18, 2007
- ^ Urban, Mychael (July 16, 2007). "A's deal catcher Kendall to Cubs". MLB.com. Retrieved 2007-07-16.