Tag: Pittsburgh Pirates

Cubs 29-21
Pirates 24-26

POTG: 1B D Lee (2 2B, R)
Runner Up: 3B A Ram (2H, 2 RBI), 2B Mark DeRosa (2B, 2H, R), C Blanco (2 H, R, RBI)

This was the kind of finish that makes you stop doing game summaries. It also prompts you to have long debates comparing this to Brant Brown’s catch (This was a worse drop and by a more important player, but Brant’s play ended the game and was at a far more critical time in the season.)

There’s other stuff that happened in this game that no one can possibly ever remember. Bob Brenly going off on Soriano after that play is far more memorable than anything that happened on the field, mostly because it was what everyone else was saying at home.

It’s a shame Marmol got a blown save out of this. I’m of the firm belief that balls lost in the sun should count as errors – you’re major league baseball players with sunglasses, you play in the sun all the time, you’re required to make that catch – so it’s a shame he got an earned run out of too.
tangent: good article about where Brant Brown is now. Or was last year, anyway.

Cubs 29-19, 1st (+1.0)
Pirates 22-26, 5th (-7.0)

POTG: SP Z!!!!! (4 H, 2 RBI, R; 7 IP, 6 H, 2R, BB, 6K, W [7/89], QS [9])
Runner Up: CF Reed Johnson (HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R), LF Soriano (2B, 2 H, R), 1B D Lee (R, RBI, H), 3B A Ram (3 H, 3 R, BB), 2B-3B Cedeno (2H, 2B, 2R), RF DeRosa (2 2B, 2R, 3 RBI, SF, BB)

This is the opposite of the previous game – there’s two really good choices for POTG and it’s hard to make the call. Reed Johnson had a nice day at the plate, but I think Z makes it up with the pitching. He gave up two runs in the 5th, but the game was already over. It’s funny how, for all his giant swings, all four hits were easy singles. Z must be just playing mind games with the huge cuts, that’s it.

This was a total destruction by the Cubs, and a complete implosion by the Pirates. Pittsburgh played some bad bad baseball to match their bad bad uniforms, and this one was over quick. The Pirates were more concerned about not shredding their bullpen for the rest of the series than trying to stay in this, and that allowed just to pile on some more.

I know Houffpauir is Dunn-like in the field, but he’s shown enough at the plate that the Cubs really ought to find a way of getting him in there. If Kosuke is fine moving to center and has no problems there, Hoffpauir in right with Redd and Pie coming in when the team has leads would sure be a better bet than Edmonds.

Can’t believe the season is 30% over already. Time flies. It looks like the usual NL Central split has started, though I also have trouble believing Milwaukee is part of the second pack. This season is still not out of reach for them and I can’t imagine they’ll go for much longer without really big changes.

Last 16 POTG
4 Soriano
2 Z!
1 Howry
1 A Ram
1 Marmol
1 Marquis
1 Dempster
1 Soto
1 Wuertz
1 Johnson
1 Lilly
no one 1

Season Total
7 Z!
5 Soto
4 D Lee
4 Soriano
2 Fukudome
2 Fontenot
3 Marquis
2 Dempster
2 A Ram
2 Lilly
2 Johnson
1 Lieber
1 Hart
1 Hill
1 The Riot
1 Cedeno
1 Lieber
1 Howry
1 Marmol
1 Wuertz
1 no one

Cubs 27-17, 1st (+2.0)
Pirates 21-23, 4th (-6.0)

POTG: SP Jason Marquis (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 3 K, W [2/70], QS [3])

This is one of those impossible to pick POTGs. No one did a lot, but everyone did a little bit and it was all necessary to win this 8th game on the homestand. I tend to lean towards the pitchers in these situations, so Marquis gets the nod here. You never know how many more he might get.

No way the 2007 or any other team in the 00’s wins this game. This years team had 7 different guys taking a walk. On a day where the team only got four hits, and not a single extra base one, it was absolutely necessary to get what base runners any way possible and the Cubs did awful well to squeeze out four runs from that offensive output. Everytime the team gets typecasted as one that can only win with the homerun, they can point back to at least this game.

Jason Marquis was good enough here, and the bullpen set up just like Lou wanted for this season – starter gives six innings, Howry, Marmol, Wood shut down the opposition for one each. I’m not sure what this leaves for Monday’s game, though. Marmol’s worked back to back days, and Kerry’s worked 4 of the last five. They could use a long start.

This Astros series is looking bigger than I would’ve thought, with Berkman carrying the team to striking distance. The rotations issues are still there, as seen in this series

05/19: Lilly vs Brian Moehler – bullpen pitcher pulled into the rotation due to Wandy Rodriguez’s injury. Hasn’t made it past five innings.

05/20: Dempster vs Chris Sampson – got lit up by the Giants last time out. The Giants! Gave up 5 ER in three of the last four starts (the other being an inexplicable shutout of the Dodgers.)

05/21: Gallagher vs Shawn Chacon – Shawn Chacon is still in the league, who knew. Somehow has manged to start 9 games and not get a decision yet.

Lots of scoring to come.

Pirates 21-22, 4th (-5.0)
Cubs 27-16, 1st (-2.0)

POTG: LF Soriano (2 HR, 2B, 5 H, 2 R, 2 RBI)
Runner Up: SS Ryan Theriot (2 H, RBI), 2B Mark DeRosa (2 H, 2B, R), RP Michael Wuertz (2.2 IP, H, K)

This was really disappointing. An average start, not even an average Z start, gets the Cubs their eight straight win versus the Pirates. It easy to say he went off the rails after breaking his bat over his knee, but he’d already given up more than usual before things broke down in the 5th. Everyone’s entitled to a few bad starts out of the 35-ish they have, but it’s still disappointing when it happens.

Same thing for Marmol. He was due, it just was a bad time.

Soriano’s carrying the team right now. It’s incredible the Cubs scored 8 runs in this game with not much help. 3-4-5-6 went a combined 1 fo 15. This game isn’t close if Soriano doesn’t explode.

Pirates 66-90, -17
Cubs 83-73, +3.5

POTG: SP Z! (6 IP, 3 H, 0R, 3BB, 6K, W[17/81]; 2B, R)
Runner Up: SS Ronny Cedeno (HR, 3H, 3 RBI), C Geovany Soto (2 H, R, RBI, SF), RF Matt Murton (2 2B, 3 H, R), 1B Derek Lee (2B, HR, 2R, 3RBI), 2B Mark DeRosa (2H, R, RBI, 2B), RP Kerry Wood (2 IP, 0R, 0H, BB, 3K), RP Michael Wuertz (IP, 0R, 3 K)

I don’t want to be in the position of defending cramps, but it was a 6-0 lead against a dead Pirates team. They didn’t Z in there any longer and it’s for the best to save that inning for a little bit longer.

It’s so tempting to make Ronny Cedeno player of the game, because that may never happen again. This was quite a day for a guy who only exists to play if Theriot asks out of a game – and that was never before the back spasms on Sunday. Ronny got one more chance for the season and made a whole lot out of it. Ronny had a good day before the home run, but that clinched his chance to have more good days this season. I think, coupled with any questions about Theriot’s back, Cedeno hit his way onto to the first round playoff roster.

This was a fine day for the Iowa Cub taxi squad. I don’t know if Mr. Soto is dressing in Michael Barrett’s locker, but it seems like he’s completely taken over every other part of Barrett’s role at the start of the season – strong hitting catcher in the six spot – and improved upon it by showing the rare ability to throw baserunners out. He’s become the hybird of Barrett and Blanco everyone wanted from day 1, and the Cubs had him all along. I don’t know if it can keep up, but it’s great right now.

Meanwhile, having Matt Murton around to do nothing but platoon versus left handers is the greatest advantage of a short pitching staff in the playoffs. The Cubs can use everyone they put on their roster and they will use everyone.

Everything’s coming together at the right time. The hitting for power for the bigger guys has been talked about and will be talked about more. It’s also the guys like Murton hitting, it’s Wood and Wuertz being very sharp, it’s everything peaking at the right time.

Cubs ought to finish this in Miami and take the weekend off. Not sure it’s going to quite work out that way, but it’d be excellent.

Pirates 66-89, -16
Cubs 82-73, +2.5

POTG: LF Soriano (2HR [31/239], 3 H, 5 RBI, BB)
Runner Up: 1B D Lee (4 H, HR [19/235], 2 R), 3B A Ram (HR[26/222], 2H, 2RBI), SS Ryan Theriot (3 H, 2 R, SB), LF Sam Fuld (BB, OF A [1/1])

This win and Brewers loss isn’t IT, but it’s very very close to being IT. For the Cubs to end up even in a tie, one of these would have to happen

(Brewers get unnaturally hot)
Brewers go 8-0, Cubs go 5-2
Brewers go 7-1, Cubs go 4-3

(Cubs collapse in a horrible fashion)
Brewers go 6-2, Cubs go 3-4
Brewers go 5-3, Cubs go 2-5
Brewers go 4-4, Cubs go 1-6
Brewers go 3-5, Cubs go 0-7

The Brewers can only lose one more time the rest of the season if they expect to have a shot, and they have much too hard of a schedule to expect something like that happened. You can’t call it over because of what happened in 2003, with just about the same length of lead and time, but yesterday’s events moved the Cubs a lot closer to having non meaningful games versus the Reds.

Since the start of the month, I’ve been looking for the Cubs main hitters to start pulling their power numbers a bit closer, and it seems like they’ve done it all in one week. Soriano’s right about where you’d think he’d be and Ram’s almost there despite the time both of them spent out. While Derek’s probably going to have a disappointing (sub 25) HR total, he’s still making a lot of ground.

I’m a bit worried about the bullpen, because they’ve had a lot of innings to fill of late and that’s going to take a toll. Only 4 of the last 10 starts have gone for six or more innings and the prime bullpen guys have pitched a lot of those makeup innings because the games have been so close. Z finishing off his regular season starts in Wrigley (and possibly his regular season starts entirely if the lead grows a little more) with a 7-8 inning start would be a nice break.

Cubs 81-73, +1.5
Pirates 66-88, -15.0

POTG: 3B A RAM (2 HR, 6 RBI)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (HR, 2 H, 2 R), 2B Mark DeRosa (H, 2R), 1B Derrek Lee (3 H, 3 R, 2B), RF Matt Murton (2 H, R), C Geovany Soto (HR, 2 H, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), SS Ryan Theriot (2 H), RP Keith Hart (2 H, 2 BB, 3 K)

This is one of those games I was expecting to happen on the road trip. The Pirates delivered in awful team pitching performances where the Cardinals mostly held off. Ram was so close to getting three home runs here.

Meanwhile, the Cubs bullpen was mostly solid after Ohman got out. Dempster pitching the contact because of a big lead is always fraught with danger, but it didn’t really matter this time. Wood was dominant, Eyre snuck in another win, Marmol was good as usual and Hart’s going to be on the playoff roster if he keeps this up.

Soto’s started the month as a guy somewhat lucky to be on the roster (he deserved to be, but it wouldn’t shock if they had went back to Koyie as the third catcher) to a guy who might make the playoff roster to a guy who might make the starting lineup for the most of the playoffs. It’s a new rule: if you hit 464, good things will happen for you.

Two out of three for every series will get the Cubs thru. With the Pirates best pitcher on Sunday and Carlos having trouble in Wrigley, it’d be great to get it out of the way today and keep the pressure on the Brewers.

Cubs 72-70, -1
Pirates 63-80, -10.5

POTG: RP Scott Eyre (1.2 IP, BB, 3 K)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (HR, 2 RBI), C Jason Kendall (H, 2 RBI), LF Matt Murton (2 H, R)

To be honest, I jumped out of this game the moment Jacque cut the wrong way on a ball, and tried to make up for his mistake by diving when he should’ve. There were too many other things going on for a game that sure seemed dead at the moment. I checked in occasionally, as they crawled to 7-5, but then Wood blew and that was that.

Trachsel is now 1 for 2, and that may be it already. Seems fast, but the bigger problem is the people in charge having absolutely no idea what they want to do with the rotation, past the Cardinals game. You’d think they would’ve settled on a plan, but both Hill and Tracshel blowing up does make it a bit tougher.

Trachsel – BAD
Hart – eh
Pignatiello – eh (also needs a nickname)
Marshall – good!
Wuertz – eh
Eyre – very good! He’s back on the When Ahead squad (you’ll note known of them were close to coming in)
Wood – BAD
Ohman – okay

I’m not worried about the team being one game behind the Brewers, just because it’s not like any of these teams has shown any ability to pull away. It’ll be close for a while. It’s amazing the Cardinals have found some way to fall 3 back, because I didn’t know it was possible to lose games the way the Cubs and Brewers were playing.

TWENTY TO GO.