No Words: Cubs 3, Reds 4

by Al on Sep 7, 2008 3:34 PM CDT in Recaps

There's nothing I could say here that would make you, or me, feel better about today's 4-3 Cub loss to the Reds.

Nope. Nothing. Had something all planned out to write about how well Sean Marshall pitched, that ONEDEC had driven in what turned out to be the winning run, and that Kerry Wood threw well in his first appearance since Tuesday.

Unfortunately, Wood, just as Bob Brenly suggested, was overthrowing since he hadn't pitched since Tuesday (maybe he should have been in last night's game -- right, Lou?), couldn't throw strikes, and ONEDEC turned into CEDENO again, booting what might have been a game-ending double-play ball, allowing the tying run to score, and after that, well... you don't need me to tell you what happened, or how you felt afterward.

Worse, the Cubs have to sit and stew about this for more than two days, until Tuesday night in St. Louis. Then, they'll have possible worries about Hurricane Ike, which by Friday may be bearing down on the Houston area; who knows whether they'll force mandatory evacuations there and maybe the series will be moved elsewhere (speculation on my part, but this sort of thing has happened several times before, including a pair of 2004 Expos/Marlins games that wound up at the Cell, and the three-game Angels/Indians series played in Milwaukee last year).

Oh, and another thing. Can we end the Hoffpauir-in-the-outfield experiment? On the Reds' first run, scored on a fly ball to Hoffpauir, he made a valiant effort, but the throw was way off. If Kosuke Fukudome is in RF, maybe the Reds don't even run on his arm. That makes the 9th inning very different. Yes, Dome looked bad striking out in the top of the 9th and the look on Lou's face spoke volumes afterward -- I'm guessing you won't see him in the lineup anytime soon -- but there is value to his defense.

It's just not good. Not good at all. The only good news today came out of Milwaukee, where San Diego's Chris Young two-hit the Brewers and Milwaukee pitching got annihilated by the ~~Portland Beavers~~ San Diego Padres for 14 hits, two homers and ten runs. In fact, hats off to the Padres, who gave the vaunted Brewer lineup seven runs in four games while splitting the series, and helped out the Cubs in reducing the magic number to 16.

The Cubs will have to play better. Simple as that. As for me, I'm getting off the computer. Suggest you do the same, for a while at least. Shake it off and we'll get 'em on Tuesday.

0 recs | Comment 389 comments |

Read Related

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

@$%@#$%^#@$^#

n/t

by ar_hawkins on Sep 7, 2008 3:38 PM CDT 0 recs

Hmmm.

You could have saved me a lot of time. All I needed to do was write what you did.

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

by Al on Sep 7, 2008 3:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

no

We all come here for your words of assurance and advice…which today was get off the computer and try to forget this one. Which I’m going to go do…let’s get em in St. Louis!!

by ar_hawkins on Sep 7, 2008 3:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

was watching this one at work

and feeling good about seeing the number drop cause of something we did.

The reds go up to milwaukee for a 3 game set starting tommorrow. Here’s hoping the reds can take something from this series and and know around the brewers

and more importantly here’s hoping the cubs get something going in stl on tuesday.

---AC 00 00 00 - Believe

by mjk83 on Sep 7, 2008 3:39 PM CDT 0 recs

once again...

… the Cubs were unable to drive in runs in “big inning” situations. The Cubs should have been up by 6 or 7 in the ninth. It seems, though, that given a few runners in scoring position, the Cubs just have no ability to drive in runs or stay out of a DP.

Its going to be a challenge for the Cubs to blow their lead over the wild card but this problem, which has plagued them all season, will make it a particularly short October for them if things don’t change.

DmL

by dmlichte on Sep 7, 2008 3:42 PM CDT 0 recs

+1

Plenty of blame to go around for today’s implosion but the lack of situational hitting is the thing that stands to haunt us most in postseason. And there’s no reason to think it will change in Oct. Postseason only tends to magnify problems like this.

by bluekoolaide on Sep 7, 2008 3:48 PM CDT up 0 recs

time to change the line-up

Lee need to not be hitting clean-up. He has been a disaster there, simply put. I’d prefer to see Soriano there but if he won’t move, its time to move the pitcher to the #8 spot and have Theriot hitting 9th, in front of Alfonso.

DmL

by dmlichte on Sep 7, 2008 4:00 PM CDT up 0 recs

You mean 3rd, but point taken.

Move Lee down and DeRosa up.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 4:11 PM CDT up 0 recs

I say go for it

If we’re going for a shake up, go all the way.

Missing Milton...

by halfblindcubbiegirl on Sep 7, 2008 5:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

And that, fellow Badger, is the real problem

Stop leaving runs on the bases.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 3:52 PM CDT up 0 recs

A-Frickin'-Men!!!

Now if we can only get that message across to the Cubs

by bluekoolaide on Sep 7, 2008 3:57 PM CDT up 0 recs

Koolaide, answer this

Koolaide, do you or anybody else have access to the stats that show how often the Cubs leave runners on 2nd base with no outs or 3rd base with less than 2 outs. For a team that people say has a great offense, I disagree. They might lead the league in run differential, but I think it is important to get runners in when you have them on 2nd base with no outs and/or on 3rd base with less than 2 outs. I know that you can’t get those runners in all of the time, but I would think that a team, that some claim is a world series contender, should do it a lot more than they have. My guess is that they are in the bottom half of the league in getting those runs home. If anybody has stats like that I would love to see them. I don’t want to know the BA with RISP, but rather the percentage of runners that score when they are on 2nd base with no outs, and/or 3rd base with less than 2 outs. In my mind, teams that are considered world series contenders (the cubs) should score those runs more often than they have this season. It seems like the cubs score less than 50% of those runners, and I think a world series contending team should do it closer to 80% of the time. Heck, the way the cubs have been playing lately, I would be happy with 50%

Call me a “hater”, but I prefer the term “realist” I think the Cubs are a poor fundamental team when it comes to moving runners over and hitting a fly ball when needed. Today’s game is a perfect example. Ramirez leads off the 8th with a double and he dies there. That run would have made a difference in how the bottom of the 9th played out. Soto’s double play earlier in the game with the bags juiced also hurt. There are countless examples of this, especially lately.

by chipdowski on Sep 7, 2008 5:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

Great questions 'Dowski

and I’m almost afraid to find out the answer. Granted 90% of my baseball viewing probably revolves around the Cubs and so their failures at those times might tend to stand out a bit more but, still, it DOES seem like they strand runners with less than two outs more than I would expect a genuine World Series contender to do.
as i said above, it doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence re; the playoffs.

by bluekoolaide on Sep 7, 2008 7:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

Thanks

Kool-aide! But give me some statistics. Can you? Or maybe somebody else can!

by chipdowski on Sep 7, 2008 8:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

My pet peeve was just described vary well by you...

No stats…but I do believe that that was a huge issue w/ the offense last year and that they are much better this year save the last week or so at not wasting opportunities….

The other thing to keep in mind is that when you lead the league in OBP (not sure if cubs do or not….but I’ll bet their close) you are naturlly going to leave runners on base….

I like looking at the ratio of total runners left on (look at ESPN box scores) vs. runs scored….

IOW…..I don’t mind seeing 20 runners left on base when an offense scores 10 runs….It’s really aggravating when say 15 runners are left on while only scoring 3 runs…

Just my $0.02

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:35 PM CDT up 0 recs

They really have been burned been the two out RISP hit this week

They have not been able to get one and other teams are doing it against them…

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico." -- Harry Carey

by TheRiot Police on Sep 7, 2008 10:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ouch

I missed the last two innings. I was all ready to read a puppy dogs and rainbows recap.

But no! Hopefully someone will step up and stop the bleeding.

by Dave in the basement on Sep 7, 2008 3:52 PM CDT 0 recs

As anyone who really knows the game

Like anyone who knows the game I see a team 29 over 500 who had a bad week.

People that don’t call them pathetic. this week they have played pathetic but they are not a pathetic team.

Go Cubs

by cubstoseriesby100 on Sep 7, 2008 5:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Theriot, Fonty, and Johnson = The Scrappy Pyramid of Victory

by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Sep 7, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

Pathetic?

Where did I call them pathetic?

by Dave in the basement on Sep 7, 2008 8:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

So glad I was at work and watched the carnage

only on game day. There are on;y 75 TV’s around me, but I didn’t tune a one to WGN. Thank heaven for hunches.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Sep 7, 2008 3:52 PM CDT 0 recs

17 LOB?!?

Hopefully I misread that. Ouch again.

by Dave in the basement on Sep 7, 2008 3:53 PM CDT 0 recs

No.

Everyone wants to add up the individual LOB’s in ESPN.com’s boxscores. You can’t do that, because they count that with less than two outs — example — bases loaded sac fly, that box score adds two LOB. Not accurate.

The Cubs left 10 on base.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 3:55 PM CDT up 0 recs

10 is still too many.

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

by Al on Sep 7, 2008 7:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

No argument there

I’m just tired of overly dramatic responses — not necessarily Dave. By the logic that the box scores use, if you load the bases with none out, two batters strike out and the next hits a grand slam, the team left 6 on base — in one inning.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 9:06 PM CDT up 0 recs

Unless you are scoring 10

n/t

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

You did misread it

I read 18.

by WittyUserName on Sep 7, 2008 3:54 PM CDT 0 recs

Total is 10

Per above

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 3:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

No you read right.....

I disagree w/ many others here…..the official box score total was 10…BUT … I do like the ESPN box score of adding up total runners left on…..it gives you a real good idea about how well the offense is “hitting in the clutch”

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

KC, answer me this

If you load the bases with none out, two batter strike out and the next hits a HR — you really think that should count as 6 LOB? Really??

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 10:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Or if #8 hitter leads off with a hit

The pitcher sacrifices. That’s one LOB?

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Sep 7, 2008 10:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

It doesn''t.....

Look at how ESPN calculates…….In case 1….that is 0 runners LOB b/c they scored…..bases loaded no outs …3 strikeouts…thats 9 LOB

Case 2…te runner is only LOB if he/she doesn’t score.

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 11:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

This team is falling apart.

Lou gets paid to stop this crap.

He might be getting red faced but he needs to do he F-ing Job.

Theriot, Fonty, and Johnson = The Scrappy Pyramid of Victory

by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Sep 7, 2008 3:57 PM CDT 0 recs

Agreed

He’s certainly trying – ask Dome.

But I hope he can figure this out faster than he figured out the way to Cincinnati.

by 08Cubs on Sep 7, 2008 4:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

Trying - whatever

Lou’s taking it out on a guy that’s disappointed him by not having the power he never was going to have, but Lou expected. If Lou was trying, the ABs would be going to Fontenot instead of Swingnmiss Micah.

The author of this post is not a certified scout, doctor, agent, statistician, manager, or journalist, nor was he ever a very good player, though he tried very hard to be like Ryne Sandberg and was about as scrappy as it gets (in T-ball). Any opinion expressed above should in no way be confused with fact, truth, or reality and is hereby qualified in the following ways: 1) The author does not know as much about baseball as Lou Piniella. 2) The author does not know as much about baseball as Jim Hendry. 3) The author does not know as much about baseball as either Dusty or Darren Baker.

by DGU on Sep 7, 2008 4:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

was the Hoff

0-for again today?

Our 2008 Chicago Cubs -- FINDING WAYS TO WIN!

by drewishdrewid on Sep 7, 2008 5:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

1-3, 1 BB, 1 run scored, no K's

The only stats I care about are the ones on the back of a baseball card

by carmen_fanzone on Sep 7, 2008 5:19 PM CDT up 0 recs

Dometastic.

Our 2008 Chicago Cubs -- FINDING WAYS TO WIN!

by drewishdrewid on Sep 7, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

Poop

Well…this team has hit the trifecta of ways to lose games during this losing streak

1)Blowout (Friday Night)
2)Middle Relief, No Clutch Hitting (Tuesday Night)
3)Blown Save (Today)

I don’t think they can get much lower….

"Aw, how could he (Jorge Orta) lose the ball in the sun, he's from Mexico." -- Harry Carey

by TheRiot Police on Sep 7, 2008 3:59 PM CDT 0 recs

I disagree...

It shouldn’t have come down to that……no clutch hitting…..SCORE MORE RUNS

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

ugh

In a few hours, we get to watch the Bears.

Turning in to a long Sunday. I knew after Cedeno’s error that we used up our mulligans and the game was over.

by thermal54 on Sep 7, 2008 4:02 PM CDT 0 recs

that's the one thing that can save my day :)

by sackings108 on Sep 7, 2008 4:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

SURE DID

n/t

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

Im over it.

Entourage starts tonight so I got that going for me.

"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip

by Hammer on Sep 7, 2008 4:20 PM CDT 0 recs

Exactly!

The resuscitation of Vinnie Chase’s career begins tonight!

(I’m so glad I didn’t follow the game thread today. Looks like the last overflow thread degenerated into adolescent name-calling and overreacting almost immediately after the error on Cedeno. Sad…)

"It's Happening..."

by Goodie1969 on Sep 7, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yes, it got ugly

fast in there.

by sue369 on Sep 7, 2008 5:26 PM CDT up 0 recs

TWSS

by zm1217 on Sep 7, 2008 5:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

fail

Hey Chicago, what do ya say....

by halfblindcubbiegirl on Sep 7, 2008 9:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

vultures waiting for the carcass

This is the time now where people that are getting the job done are the people that are going to play. Plain and simple. -- Lou

by Emelie on Sep 7, 2008 6:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

glad I missed it.

Our 2008 Chicago Cubs -- FINDING WAYS TO WIN!

by drewishdrewid on Sep 7, 2008 8:23 PM CDT up 0 recs

thanks for the reminder!

have to put that one on my record list

This is the time now where people that are getting the job done are the people that are going to play. Plain and simple. -- Lou

by Emelie on Sep 7, 2008 4:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

Can't wait for this

"This is why Major League Baseball does not need instant replay, because then every single play will then be reviewed." -- Joe Morgan, 5/18/08, referring to an umpire ruling a Carlos Delgado homerun foul when replays showed it hit the foul pole.

by CubsBall2202 on Sep 7, 2008 4:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

Don't forget

New HBO series “True Blood” starts tonight, too. I’m almost as excited for that.

But yes, I can’t wait for E and the boys and the endless hot-ass women.

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

by dtpollitt on Sep 7, 2008 5:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Absolutely agree re Hoff in RF

As much as Dome’s hurting offensively, his defense in RF is second to none. Hoff adds nothing. Also, I put responsibility for this loss on Wood. He walked ’em on. What happened afterwards was salt in the wound.

This is the time now where people that are getting the job done are the people that are going to play. Plain and simple. -- Lou

by Emelie on Sep 7, 2008 4:26 PM CDT 0 recs

Responsibility's on Lou

for forgetting Wood was in his pen for a week and for putting Hoff in RF and a half dozen other things. I thought this would be impossible but…

Lou Piniella was outmanaged by Dusty Baker.

Lou needs a few days off.

by DGU on Sep 7, 2008 5:01 PM CDT up 0 recs

Outmanaged?

You’ll have to explain that one to me. What exactly did Dusty do besides fill out a lineup card?

For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint.

by Less is Walrond on Sep 7, 2008 5:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

I think he was saying

Its more what lou did then what dusty did. Lou left Wood in the pen without using him for too long and it hurt us.

by cubsfaninatl on Sep 9, 2008 6:43 AM CDT up 0 recs

I was hoping to head to

St. Louis this week with a series win….
Marshall pitched well…

I'm a reader not a poster, but I'm also a poster so don't get any ideas.

by cozmotaylor123 on Sep 7, 2008 4:30 PM CDT 0 recs

I was too cowardly to watch

as soon as there was a runner on 2nd and 2-0 count on the batter I just switched to
Dogers/D’backs. I had a VERY bad feeling. Way too many blown chances but Marshall did pitch well and one bit of good news, tomorrow the brewcrew faces Volquez. Bad news he has not pitched all that well lately. Overall the Padres really shut the brewers down, they won 2 games out of 4 by one run. I also saw Ned going out the mound and seeming to have some kind of disagreement with Parra, not sure what it was but he looked pissed.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Sep 7, 2008 4:42 PM CDT 0 recs

This team may make the playoffs, but...

… they will be three and out in the first round the way they are playing now. Every aspect of the game has been declining over the last 30 days.

I hang this one on Wood, though. Overthrowing? You are a vet and there is simply no excuse. This is about mental toughness. Simply throw strikes. If you can’t get the job done, tell the boss and step aside for someone who can.

Pathetic.

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this? -Oysterband

by Ross on Sep 7, 2008 4:49 PM CDT 0 recs

Go root for the Brewers

go root for the Brewers.

It is not uncommon for closers to struggle when they don’t pitch for stretches of time.

Overreaction to a bad week. If you knew the team you’d know this was a good team who had a bad week.

Pathetic teams aren’t 29 over 500.

Go Cubs

by cubstoseriesby100 on Sep 7, 2008 5:12 PM CDT up 0 recs

Theriot, Fonty, and Johnson = The Scrappy Pyramid of Victory

by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Sep 7, 2008 5:15 PM CDT up 0 recs

Overreaction not anymore

Losing 2 to Phillies- OK, they are good.
Swept by Astros- OK they are a hot team.
Losing 2 of 3 to Cincy and giving as many runs as we did to them in 3 days is not acceptable.

BUT everyday is a new start and they can turn it around.

by ak123 on Sep 7, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

Please don't tell me what to do...

This isn’t May. It isn’t June. The Cubs in May or June would easily beat the Cubs of August/September.

I know the team, and I can see what is wrong. And what is wrong are several of the same problems that the Cubs have struggled with all season.

I am not rooting for any other team, nor am I rooting for the Cubs to lose. However, I am frustrated when professionals can’t do the fundamentals to get wins. Over throwing? Take a breath, step off of the mound.

The game was pathetic. Kerry Wood’s performance was pathetic. If you want to try to point the blame somewhere else, or be an apologist for the team’s failure, then be my guest.

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this? -Oysterband

by Ross on Sep 7, 2008 7:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

However, Brenly was correct.

Sometimes pitchers overthrow when they haven’t pitched in a few days, and just stepping off the mound wouldn’t help.

Lou should have used him on Saturday night. So what if he pitches Saturday AND Sunday? They have almost two days till the next game.

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

by Al on Sep 7, 2008 8:00 PM CDT up 0 recs

Then quit watching

If you think this is hopeless, why are you paying attention?

by Not Bruce Froemming on Sep 7, 2008 10:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

The Cubs blew games by wasting opportunities in May and June too

It was just less noticeable then.

The best defense is a good offense

by kcjones on Sep 7, 2008 10:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

Or they make the

playoffs and get hotter than hell and win it all.

by sue369 on Sep 7, 2008 5:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

That would be nice...

I hope you are right. It is quite possible that this team could do just that.

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this? -Oysterband

by Ross on Sep 7, 2008 7:54 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wood and Days off

When Wood came in and couldn’t throw strikes to the first batter, it was just a matter of time before something bad happened, and it did. How many times do we have to watch Wood not get work in three or four days and come in and struggle?

A Cub fan in Cardinal territory.

by FSArkCubsFan on Sep 7, 2008 5:07 PM CDT 0 recs