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Lilly Out Of The Valley

Just before Ted Lilly stroked his RBI single up the middle, I said to Howard, "Man, he has about the worst swing I've ever seen." Howard agreed. Lilly had fouled a couple of balls off and flailed rather wildly at the pitches, looking like he had never stepped in a batter's box before.

And then, suddenly, with runners on first and second, Reed Johnson having been intentionally walked by Dan Haren to get to Lilly, Ted sliced a ball through the infield to score the Cubs' first run and score Mark DeRosa, who had doubled with two out and no one on (love to see that!), to tie the game. Alfonso Soriano hit the next pitch down the left-field line for a double, scoring Johnson, and as it turned out, that was all Lilly needed in the Cubs' impressive 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. I'm not sure where Lilly learned to hit -- he hit only .137 in 2007 -- but he's now 3-for-11 this year (.273) with a double and two RBI.

You could call this a "statement" game if you wish, but it may be too early to say that. Remember, though the D'backs have looked great in posting, before today, a 23-12 record for the best mark in the major leagues, a year ago at this time the Brewers were 24-10 and a lot of you were wailing, "The Cubs will never catch those guys!" And yet, they did. And though Arizona is playing well, today the Cubs and Lilly and Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood shut them down.

Lilly was outstanding -- he mixed up his pitches really well and struck out ten while walking only two and allowing only three harmless hits. OK, let's call it two harmless hits (one of which, a triple by Stephen Drew past a diving Johnson, might have been caught by Felix Pie if he had been out there), because the first one was a HR by Chris Young in the first inning -- and I was so glad to not see Lilly slam his glove down as he did in the NLDS last October. In the last ten games Young has played against the Cubs (the six regular season games last year, the three in the NLDS and today), he has homered five times. Enough, already.

Fortunately, Lilly shut down the rest of the D'backs lineup, and left it to Marmol and Wood. Marmol caught a break in the 8th when, after allowing a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda, he struck out Eric Byrnes while Ojeda tried to steal second. The throw came in over DeRosa's head and he had to leap to stop it from going in to CF. The umpires correctly ruled that Byrnes had interfered with Geovany Soto and thus Ojeda was out. No other D'back came near to getting on base after that, and Kerry Wood threw nine pitches, all strikes, in getting a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save, after Derrek Lee had hit his ninth HR to give a little more breathing room.

The crisply played game (two hours and 31 minutes) was played in crisp weather more suited to the last time the D'backs were in Wrigley Field, last October 6 (when it was 85 degrees), an official temperature of 46 at gametime, with a wind blowing in. That didn't stop the HR of either Young or D-Lee, though, and I'm sure most of the crowd of 40,236 (probably about 5,000 no-shows today) appreciated the fast pace. I know I did, along with fellow BCB readers mrcubsfan, ihatethecards, and Drew in attendance in the bleachers. Mrcubsfan and ihatethecards introduced me to a man who said his last trip to Wrigley was sixty years ago when he was fourteen years old, to which I said: "It's about time you came back!" And he got to see a nicely played win on his return, too.

Just like that, this team that looked so sloppy on the road the last couple of weeks played a sharp game today. It is possible to have a very successful season playing, say, .600 ball at home (that'd be 49 or 50 wins) and .500 on the road -- do that and you've won 90, which would likely give you the division title. This one snaps a five-game losing streak against Arizona (including the NLDS) and I'm sure the players are happy to have that proverbial monkey off their backs. And with Lilly, Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano all throwing well, can we stop stressing so much about the starting pitching?

Remember: tomorrow's game is on Fox, and the starting time has been set at 2:40 CDT. I'll post a list of cities tomorrow in the game thread -- double bad news: it's only going to 37% of the country and the announcers are Kenny Albert and Mark Grace. (Ugh.) Incidentally, I had to visit the men's room and the timing had it during the 7th-inning stretch. There's nothing stranger than hearing the disembodied voice of Mark Grace coming through the men's room speakers while visiting the troughs. Or maybe that's strangely appropriate, I don't know which.

Finally, I see that a couple of you posted game threads in the FanPost section -- and I'm not sure what happened to the main page posts. If someone could quickly summarize in the comments, I'd appreciate it.

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Biggest victory of the season

Lilly was very good and had his best outing of the year. Wood was DOMINANT and had his best outing too. Marmol was his usual self. The offense executed. The defense was solid, particularly Kosuke and Theriot. And all against the best team in baseball and one heckuva good pitcher in Haren.

Lou, stop being obstinate...bat Soriano # 6.

by MDBNIU on May 9, 2008 5:01 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

LOL

True.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:16 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Yes

Was on the road today, picking up my daughter from college, so could not watch the game. Then read the recap and read that Soriano got booed after his first AB. What was the reaction after the double?
I am a Soriano supporter, he will get it going, just wait.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on May 9, 2008 7:49 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Cheers, of course, for the double.

The boos were a bit much, IMO.

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 9, 2008 7:55 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Wood was dominant, but he still isn't fit to be a closer, right?

Nanika Ga Okoru!

Oh, and remember, folks: Alfonso Soriano is NOT batting leadoff. He's batting first.

by dat cubfan daver on May 9, 2008 8:37 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

There's nothing better than

getting a win in the first game of a home stand on a Friday afternoon. Post that win and watch everybody else try and match it. And winning against the #1 team in the league makes it that much more sweet.

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 9, 2008 5:04 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Assessment

First off, what a great win to start the homestand. We needed this bad, getting a close win against a good team.

I have three positives to take from this game

1. Ted Lilly’s pitching performance. We’ve seen a couple different Ted Lillys so far this season, but today was a Lilly I hope to see more and more. He was under control and threw first pitch strikes. I was pleased to see after the Young HR he didn’t get rattled. Settled in and threw a great ballgame.

2. Alfonso Soriano. Yes, he’s still having issues at the plate, but he really came through for us today and provided the winning RBI. I am really hoping this will get him moving in the right direction. I don’t know who posted it earlier, I’m sorry, but they had a great point. Soriano will not continue this poor performance all year. I am willing to let his track record speak for itself and this guy can flat out play. He needs a spark and I hope today was what he needed.

3. Kerry Wood. IIRC 12 pitches ALL Strikes. Wood closed down a tight game with the swagger of a legitimate closer today. Let him round into this position. This guy has a great shot at becoming a consistent 35+ saves a year closer.

Great game, lets roll it into the weekend!

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:05 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Nine pitches for Wood, all strikes.

n/t

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:17 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Thanks

n/t

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:20 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Al

Fan post game thread was posted because the first thread was bogged down about 2:30 CT but the overflow thread did not show up until close to 3:15 CT.

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:07 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Thanks for the update.

The overflow was scheduled to post at 2:45… my understanding is that the servers are slow because Trei and the team are re-indexing everything in preparating for unveiling a new search feature soon. I’ll let you know when it’s posted.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:17 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Season ticket note.

The Cubs are now 3-0 on days when Lou’s picture is on the season ticket.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:18 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Anybody for Jim Edmonds?

Released by San Diego today. This once great player has dropped off the face of the cliff over the past year. But he is a famous Cub killer, bats from the left-side and can still play a good centerfield. Might not look bad as an option coming off the bench??? If we can get over his long-term St. Louis connection and his ridiculous diving attempts in the outfield all those years….

I got to say, I’m at least intrigued. A Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds combo in CF might be pretty darn good for a playoff push year.

Lou, stop being obstinate...bat Soriano # 6.

by MDBNIU on May 9, 2008 5:25 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Hmmmm...

...a curious possibility. If he comes in for a really low contract (where if we cut him, we don’t lose much), I’d say it’s worth a look.

Then again, can Edmonds play the field the way he used to? Because if not, I’d rather go with Lofton if we’re gonna give up this year on the Pie experiment (and I’m not sure we should give up on Pie…at least not yet, when he’s not hurting the team)

by Chadnudj on May 9, 2008 5:30 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Well...

The idea would be to look into Jim Edmonds as a dirt cheap (as in major league minimum) option off the bench. If you sign him and he continues to suck, then you turn around and release him. No harm no foul. I’d at least like Jim Hendry to look into this…

Lou, stop being obstinate...bat Soriano # 6.

by MDBNIU on May 9, 2008 5:35 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Edmonds is still a better defensive center fielder than Lofton at this point.

I don’t know that he brings anything to the table that Sam Fuld doesn’t at this point, however.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 5:39 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Right.

Edmonds? Please. He’s done.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:47 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I've seem first hand...

the suck that is Jim Edmonds this year….trust me....his retirement is about 40 game overdue.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on May 9, 2008 5:50 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Concur 100%

The Padres are a mess right now. No hitting at all.

"Chicago baseball fans, who are composites of scar tissue and mortifying memories..." - George F. Will

by eswan9 on May 9, 2008 5:59 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Olney

on ESPN reported that the Padres feel that he has not recovered from the concussion from last year. Take it for what it is worth.
I don’t want him here, no thanks. Give me Pie and his desire, when Lou plays him.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on May 9, 2008 7:54 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Read a lot today that he has no bat speed and cant play CF anymore

that being said it might be that no one can play CF in Whales Vagina. I would look at him on a minimum priced deal

"I played with one of the best pitchers in history, Greg Maddux," Zambrano said"

by fischisgod on May 9, 2008 11:50 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Ugh.

Why? What’s the point? Years ago the Cubs used to get guys like this when they were way past done. Why do it again?

Also, I’m not sure what your point was in calling Petco Park what you did. Let’s try to tone the language down, please.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 10, 2008 4:15 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

apologize

went with the ron burgundy line for san diego

agree with your point on edmonds

"I played with one of the best pitchers in history, Greg Maddux," Zambrano said"

by fischisgod on May 10, 2008 9:06 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Yeah, pretty darn good to the tune of .178/.265/.233

Oh wait, I forgot, stats lie. My bad. Obviously Edmonds would be a great addition, just like Johnson and his sparkling .257/.336/.297. Cursed statistics! I love how Alfonso Soriano is your perennial whipping boy yet you think a platoon of Reed Johnson (awful) and Jim Edmonds (even worse) in CENTERFIELD would be a “pretty darn good” idea.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:30 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

P.S. Soriano helped win the game today.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:31 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Reading is fundamental

What I said is that I’m intrigued about looking into Jim Edmonds. Of course he has been bad, hence why he was released today. But of course you already knew that and this was subliminal attempt to instigate. But I shall rise above it.

Anyway, Edmonds will come cheap. For the major league minimum in fact since San Diego and I assume partly St. Louis are on the hook for his $10 million guarnteed salary in 2008.

Worth investigating. Definitely so.

Lou, stop being obstinate...bat Soriano # 6.

by MDBNIU on May 9, 2008 5:33 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

But

we have two center fielders who are able to cover the same ground as Edmonds. You’d really be bringing him in for his left handed bat and to me thats not worth the plane ticket.

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:35 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Edmonds would make the league minimum.

He would also probably be worth the league minimum. Your definition of “pretty darn good” puzzles me. And so let me get this straight:

Soriano has been bad so far this year, and is obviously going to continue to be bad because his numbers last season were “personal” and don’t count.

Edmonds has been bad so far this year, but could turn it around because at 38 he’s the picture of good health.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 5:36 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Reading is fundamental, cwyers.

You and your subliminal attempts to instigate. But he shall rise above it.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:48 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Worth the league minimum?

Seriously?

And I hope you’re kidding about “the picture of good health”, because he’s always an injury waiting to happen.

.178/.265/.233. Josh Kroeger could do better than that.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 5:48 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Oh, I was soooo kidding about that.

I’m just continually amused by who the Technohawk thinks are and are not good baseball players, and was pointing that out.

I think Edmonds can do better than that, too, but not by that much. Kroeger can’t really play center field. Kind of a wash. I’m picturing something along the lines of a .680 OPS, decent CF defense, pretty much the definition of replacement level. Not really useful to us at this point – we have plenty of players that can give us that sort of production.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 5:53 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

MDBNIU is Technohawk?

That explains a lot.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 6:06 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Gary Varsho pointed it out in the game thread.

I had been suspicious, but he was REAL obvious about it today.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 6:07 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Which game thread?

I’ll take a look through.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 6:07 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It would appear so.

Same rhetoric, same diction, same self-righteousness….and cwyers is right, it was in the first game thread, not long before first pitch, IIRC.

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 9, 2008 6:10 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Man, I can't keep up with the teenager-like activities...

...on this blog. I have a hard enough time keeping up with CUBS-related activities! Why’s there always gotta be someone to stir the pot?

I remember Blue Mike, but not Technohawk…and I’ve been around for a long time!

Dan

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on May 9, 2008 6:19 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Technohawk has never posted here under that name.

However, I have seen his posts on other Cubs blogs. To say they are frightening is an understatement.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 6:22 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It's like "Sympathy For The Devil."

A whole lot of names for the same face.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 6:22 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It reminds me of

Fernando Pessoa, who created, it is rumored, 72 heteronyms in some of the leading literary journals of his day. He would have one “person” attack Pessoa, another defend Pessoa, and so on. Then, he, Pessoa, as himself, would sometimes intervene. If Technohawk were more creative, he could work it this way and it would be hilarious.

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 9, 2008 6:35 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

On second read...

...I wasn’t referring to you, gary varsho, in my above post. Didn’t want you to think that.

Dan

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on May 9, 2008 6:25 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

No offense taken.

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 9, 2008 6:28 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

25K's in 79 AB's also

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on May 9, 2008 7:56 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Worth investigating.

I would investigate Bonds before I investigated Edmonds. Actually, I already did. It took me 5 seconds to figure out the Cubs don’t need him nor would he do anything but block Pie.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:49 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I'm still shocked

no one has picked up Sosa. Take him over Bonds any day. Not for the Cubs, but there’s gotta be a team out there thats looking into it.

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:54 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Bonds could still hit last season, and is left handed.

Sosa is right handed, and could really only hit lefties. Both of them have roughly the same amount of defensive usefulness. Bonds is probably MORE of a hassle, but it’s six-dozen of the Ringling Brothers and a half-dozen of the Barnum and Bailey’s at this point.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 5:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

The nagging question is...

if Bonds is available at the deadline…and we can get him cheap (yeah right)...would the dagger in the heart of the team chemistry be worth his bat off the bench?

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on May 9, 2008 5:59 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Off the bench?

No way in hell, if by “off the bench” you mean as a Daryle Ward sort.

by cwyers on May 9, 2008 6:06 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

There's no "deadline" for Bonds...

... since he’s a free agent.

The answer is no. He’s pretty well worthless to the Cubs except as a pinch-hitter.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 6:06 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I was referring to the trade deadline in the respect that...

if we felt we needed a left-handed power bat and couldn’t get one via a trade, what would the reaction be to Bonds.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on May 9, 2008 6:11 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

My reaction is still no.

n/t

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on May 9, 2008 6:23 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

never.

2008: The year we put it all together.

by drewishdrewid on May 9, 2008 8:45 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

if soriano is injured i would get him or if god forbid

derek lee got injured. Im sure bonds could play first.

"I played with one of the best pitchers in history, Greg Maddux," Zambrano said"

by fischisgod on May 9, 2008 11:53 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

FJM

suggests an answer.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 6:07 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Just to be clear, my “him” refers to Edmonds.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:58 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Well, Bonds certainly has been "investigated."

Nanika Ga Okoru!

Oh, and remember, folks: Alfonso Soriano is NOT batting leadoff. He's batting first.

by dat cubfan daver on May 9, 2008 8:41 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

so what if he's cheap

if he’s no GOOD?

2008: The year we put it all together.

by drewishdrewid on May 9, 2008 8:43 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Whats in a name?

IMO Edmonds is just that, a name… his batting average has been decreasing every year since 2004. He’s an aging center fielder, who couldn’t make it in Petco Park, let alone in Wrigley. I’d rather stick with Pie who is young, plays great defense and has a much better upside than Edmonds.

"What a great call! Your doing a fantastic job, but people expect me to come out here and be upset. So I'm gonna kick some dirt, you understand?" - Lou Pinella

by Lou In Blue on May 9, 2008 5:32 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

LSA

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on May 9, 2008 5:32 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs