NewsBradley eager to break out at plate
Cubs (30-30) vs. White Sox (30-34), 1:20 p.m. CT
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
06/16/09 11:50 PM ET
CHICAGO -- As far as Milton Bradley could tell, Gerald Perry didn't do anything differently than he did last season. "If anything was different, it was us not hitting," Bradley said. "I think we should all feel partly responsible for his firing and turn it around." |
Perry was let go on Sunday, and Von Joshua promoted from Triple-A Iowa to take over as the Cubs' hitting coach. He got started Monday by looking at video and was in the cage early on Tuesday.
"He's got some work to do, and hopefully he'll get these guys going in the right direction," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. Bradley has hit safely in 21 of his past 28 games, and has slowly raised his batting average from .118 at the end of April to .227. It's still far from the .321 he hit last year. "I just want to do better," Bradley said. "What I've been doing just ain't cutting it. I want to live up to all the expectations of the fans and do what they want me to do. I'm working hard every day. Come October, hopefully they'll love me." Tuesday's rainout against the White Sox gave Joshua even more time to go over videos. The two teams will open their intracity series on Wednesday, with the Cubs hoping to pick up some ground in the National League Central. Maybe having 40,000 fans screaming will spark them to get out of a team-wide slump. "If it was just one or two guys, maybe it'd be different," Bradley said. "But when you have a collective slump, it's a tough thing to deal with." He knows he has to be more patient at the plate. Bradley did lead the American League in on-base percentage last season. He says he'll figure things out "privately." "There's never been a time when I've given everything I've got and I haven't been successful," he said. Pitching matchupCHC: RHP Ryan Dempster (4-3, 3.87 ERA)
Dempster did not get a decision in his last start against Houston. The right-hander posted another quality start, giving up one run on seven hits over seven innings. He's given up one earned run over 20 innings in his last three starts. He was 1-1 with a 7.84 ERA against the White Sox last season. Dempster is 3-0 with a 4.06 ERA in five starts at Wrigley. CWS: LHP John Danks (4-5, 4.81 ERA)
Danks lasted into the eighth inning for the first time all season but was upstaged by Detroit's Justin Verlander in a 2-1 loss last Wednesday. Danks went 7 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked two. He faced the Cubs once, on June 20, 2008, and gave up one run on five hits over six innings in that game. He did not get a decision. Tidbits
No makeup date was set for Tuesday's washed out Cubs-White Sox game. ... The Cubs on Tuesday recalled Jake Fox and placed lefty Jason Waddell on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 13. ... Jeff Samardzija gave up four runs on eight hits over six innings in Iowa's 5-1 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday. Ryan Freel went 1-for-3 in his first rehab assignment. ... Casey Lambert gave up five runs, four earned, on 11 hits over 5 1/3 innings in Double-A Tennessee's 5-2 loss to Mobile. Tyler Colvin homered, a solo shot. ... Rafael Dolis gave up three runs on two hits over 2 2/3 innings in Class A Daytona's 5-4 win over St. Lucie. ... Chris Carpenter threw seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits, in low Class A Peoria's 8-0 win over Quad Cities in the first game of a doubleheader. ... Alberto Cabrera gave up four runs on four hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 5-4 win to complete a sweep. ... Desi Wilson joined the Iowa Cubs field staff as hitting coach on Monday. Wilson, 40, was originally headed to short-season Class A Boise to be the Hawks' hitting coach. Tickets
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• Thursday: Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, 4-2, 3.39) vs. White Sox (Gavin Floyd, 4-5, 4.94), 1:20 p.m. CT
• Friday: Cubs (Rich Harden, 4-3, 4.53) vs. Indians (Cliff Lee, 4-6, 2.88), 1:20 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Cubs (Ted Lilly, 7-4, 2.94) vs. Indians (Carl Pavano, 6-5, 5.73), 12:05 p.m. CT
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
