Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Mets Sunday Game ThreadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2013-05-19T17:17:31-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/40982232013-05-19T17:17:31-05:002013-05-19T17:17:31-05:00Mets 4, Cubs 3: No Margin For Error
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<figcaption>Brian Kersey</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs lost another tough and close game. After the loss, we learned who's going to be leaving the roster when Matt Garza returns.</p> <p>I want you to look closely at the photo at the top of this recap.</p>
<p>In it, you can clearly see <span>Ryan Sweeney's</span> hand touching third base, and <span>David Wright's</span> glove <i>not</i> touching Sweeney. Third base umpire Manny Gonzalez -- who is in his first full major-league season -- appears to be in proper position to call this play.</p>
<p>But he got it wrong. Loud boos came from the portions of Wrigley Field that could see the replay of this mistake on monitors below the upper and lower deck roofs. Gonzalez blew the call. Here's yet another reason we need replay review -- it was that obvious, and could have been overturned within a minute or so. (Frankly, I was surprised Dale Sveum didn't make even a token appearance on the field to protest this obviously wrong call.)</p>
<p>Instead of having a runner on third and nobody out in the fourth inning of a scoreless tie, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a> had nobody on and one out. Now, you can make a legitimate argument that Sweeney should have just been happy enough with a double down the right-field line and stayed there, already in scoring position. The Cubs might have had a decent-sized inning and chased <span>Dillon Gee</span> from the game. It didn't happen, as the next two hitters were easy outs. We'll never know what might have happened to Sweeney if he'd been on base, as he properly should have been.</p>
<p>But seriously, MLB. Get the calls right. This isn't that difficult.</p>
<p>The Cubs fashioned a 2-0 lead on a home run by <span>Travis Wood</span>. Wood's a good hitter. That doesn't mean we shouldn't have the DH -- Wood's the exception, rather than the rule, for a pitcher. His two-run shot (his second Cubs homer, after one last year, and fourth of his career) made Waveland Avenue; it was crushed. Sweeney sort of made up for his baserunning mistake by homering in the sixth, giving the Cubs a 3-1 lead that Wood came oh-so-close to preserving.</p>
<p>I dunno. I can't really argue that much with Sveum's decision to let Wood stay in the game to fave <span>Juan Lagares</span>, the last guy on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a>' bench who started in center field Sunday, Lagares had doubled earlier and grounded out, but came into the game hitting .139 (5-for-36). Probably the last thing anyone expected -- even Mets fans -- was for Lagares to smash his first major-league home run into the left-center field bleachers. Lagares didn't hit for much power in the minor leagues -- 31 home runs in 2,400 minor-league at-bats.</p>
<p>It makes little sense. But then, things like this seem to happen to the Cubs all the time.</p>
<p>Even after that, the game was still tied. The only thing I'll say about <span>Scott Hairston's</span> pinch-hitting appearance, in which he flied routinely to left field, is that I might have left Wood in to hit for himself, even though it was clear he was coming out of the game. Maybe he'd have done better.</p>
<p><span>Kyuji Fujikawa</span>, who's been pretty good since he returned from the DL, wasn't. The first batter he faced, <span>Daniel Murphy</span>, homered; again, this isn't really a power hitter doing that. Murphy had two home runs coming into this series; now he has four. Wrigley Field is his favorite home run park outside of New York; he's got four career homers at Wrigley in 42 career at-bats at the Cubs' home. Maybe the Cubs should look into acquiring Murphy, who's been the starting 2B for the Mets but can play multiple positions.</p>
<p><span>Carlos Marmol</span> threw an effective inning, although he gave up a single. He struck out the first two batters he faced on six pitches, and <span>Ruben Tejada</span>, who singled, was caught stealing. Unfortunately, the Cubs couldn't do anything with Mets closer <span>Bobby Parnell</span>, and thus, their chance to win their third straight series was ended with <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2013_05_19_nynmlb_chnmlb_1" target="_blank">a 4-3 defeat</a>, dropping the team record in one-run games to 6-10. It was another gorgeous weather day, but I'd have traded that -- mostly -- for a win.</p>
<p>After the game, we learned what's going to happen to the roster when <span>Matt Garza</span> returns Tuesday:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Cubs">#Cubs</a> to DFA <span>Michael Bowden</span> to make room for Garza. Tough call. Bowden has outpitched some others in pen.</p>
— Bruce Miles (@BruceMiles2112) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceMiles2112/status/336239205787267072">May 19, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
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<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Bowden had, as Bruce notes, pitched all right. The Cubs will hope he clears waivers so they can send him to Iowa, or possibly, someone will be interested in trading for him.</p>
<p>The Cubs will take Monday off before opening a three-game series at Pittsburgh Tuesday night. This means we've got 48 hours until the next game; there will be plenty here the next couple of days to discuss, so don't go away!</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/5/19/4346432/cubs-mets-recap-travis-wood-ryan-sweeney-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2013-05-19T16:05:03-05:002013-05-19T16:05:03-05:00Overflow Thread 3: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 5/19
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/5/19/4336992/overflow-thread-3-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-5-19-1-20-ctAl Yellon2013-05-19T15:20:01-05:002013-05-19T15:20:01-05:00Overflow Thread 2: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 5/19
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/5/19/4336982/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-5-19-1-20-ctAl Yellon2013-05-19T14:20:06-05:002013-05-19T14:20:06-05:00Overflow Thread 1: Cubs vs. Mets, Sunday 5/19
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/5/19/4336980/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-mets-sunday-5-19-1-20-ctAl Yellon2013-05-19T11:30:08-05:002013-05-19T11:30:08-05:00Cubs vs. Mets Preview, Sunday 5/19, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs have gone 12-10 since April 25, and are going for their third consecutive series win Sunday afternoon. This team is actually starting to look pretty good.</p> <p>The Cubs begin Sunday's action with a run differential of -2 (170 runs scored, 172 allowed). (It would have been 0, if not for the home run allowed by <span>Hector Rondon</span> in the ninth inning Saturday.)</p>
<p>This gives the Cubs a Pythagorean record of .500 -- that's three wins better than their current actual record. Those of you who have studied this sort of thing know that most teams don't have a differential of three wins or losses from their Pythagorean number for an entire season, much less only a quarter of one.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Nationals</a>, for example, have a run differential of -8 -- and are three games over .500. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/">Giants</a> are at 0, and are five games over .500. We know the primary reasons for the Cubs' poor record despite a decent run differential -- bad bullpen work early on, iffy defense, and inability to hit with RISP. Still, their 170 runs scored stands just below league average going into today's game (173) and their runs allowed total (172) is the same amount better than league average (175).</p>
<p>League average isn't something to aspire to, but it's a step. The Cubs are 13-11 since their low point of the year (5-13). They appear able to keep up this pace. Steps in the right direction, if nothing else.</p>
<p>Cubs lineup:</p>
<blockquote>
<pre>DeJesus CF, Castro SS, Rizzo 1B, Sweeney LF, Schierholtz RF, Valbuena 3B, Castillo C, Barney 2B, Wood P</pre>
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<p>A day off for <span>Alfonso Soriano</span> and a chance for <span>Ryan Sweeney</span> to show what he can do.</p>
<p>Mets lineup:</p>
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<pre>Murphy 2B, Turner 1B, Wright 3B, Byrd RF, Duda LF, Recker C, Tejada SS, Lagares CF, Gee P</pre>
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<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="700"><tbody>
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<td class="ysptblhdr" align="center" height="18"><center>
<h2><i>Today's Starting Pitchers</i></h2>
</center></td>
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<tr>
<td class="ysptblbdr2">
<table class="yspwhitebg" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="700"><tbody>
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<td colspan="3" height="3">
<spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></spacer><spacer></spacer>
</td>
</tr>
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<td class="yspscores" align="center" width="45%">
<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8630" target="newwindow"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2200343/traviswood.jpg" alt="Travis Wood" border="1" height="480" width="320"></a><br><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8630" target="newwindow"> </a><center> <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8630" target="newwindow">
<h2>Travis Wood</h2>
</a> </center> <br><center>
<h2>Cubs</h2>
</center>
</td>
<td align="center" width="10%">vs.</td>
<td class="yspscores" align="center" width="45%">
<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8816" target="newwindow"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2634665/dillongee.jpg" alt="Dillon Gee" border="1" height="480" width="320"></a><br><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/8816" target="newwindow">
<h2>Dillon Gee</h2>
</a> <br><h2>Mets</h2>
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<td class="ysptblbdr2" colspan="35">
<spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></spacer><spacer></spacer>
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<td class="yspscores" align="center"><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp?playerId=30515" target="newwindow"><center>
<h2>vs. NY</h2>
</center> </a></td>
<td class="yspscores" align="center">--</td>
<td class="yspscores" align="center"><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp?playerId=30139" target="newwindow">
<h2>vs. Cubs</h2>
</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</td>
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<div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix">
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<thead><tr>
<th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th>
</tr></thead>
<tbody><tr>
<td class="td-name td-first">2013 - <span>Travis Wood</span>
</td>
<td>4-2</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>53.1</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>13</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>17</td>
<td>36</td>
<td>2.02</td>
<td class="td-last">.92</td>
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<th></th> <th>W-L</th> <th>G</th> <th>GS</th> <th>CG</th> <th>SHO</th> <th>SV</th> <th>BS</th> <th>IP</th> <th>H</th> <th>R</th> <th>ER</th> <th>HR</th> <th>BB</th> <th>K</th> <th>ERA</th> <th>WHIP</th>
</tr></thead>
<tbody><tr>
<td class="td-name td-first">2013 - <span>Dillon Gee</span>
</td>
<td>2-5</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>39.2</td>
<td>53</td>
<td>28</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>27</td>
<td>6.13</td>
<td class="td-last">1.74</td>
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<p>Travis Wood, as you know, has been very good this year -- the Cubs' most consistent starter. (Who would have guessed that would be the case, when spring training began?) He made two starts against the Mets in 2012 and gave up just two earned runs in 13 innings (and the Cubs won both games). Current Mets are hitting .234 (11-for-47) against him. I feel good about this one.</p>
<p>Dillon Gee started against the Cubs <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201207070.shtml" target="_blank">July 7, 2012 in New York</a> and threw one of his best games of last season. After the game he was rushed to the hospital with a rare blood clot syndrome that put him out for the rest of the season. This year he's been inconsistent; he's had a couple of good outings, but several bad ones and hasn't gone beyond the sixth inning since his first. Current Cubs are hitting .343 against him (23-for-67). His former teammate <span>Scott Hairston</span> has never faced him. Could this be the day Hairston starts to hit?</p>
<p>Today's game is on WGN.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp?ymd=20130401#date=5/19/2013">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_05_19_nynmlb_chnmlb_1&mode=gameday">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/CHC.shtml">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/117281/pregame">SB Nation game preview</a></p>
<p>Please visit our SB Nation <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/">Mets</a> site <a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazinavenue.com/">Amazin' Avenue</a>.</p>
<p>Here's the scoop on game threads for 2013. You'll find the game preview -- like this one -- posting as the first link in the StoryStreamâ„¢, which will then contain all the overflow threads and the recap. The recap will also be on the front page as a separate post; once I post a game recap, the stream for each game will be retitled "Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of Week) Game Threads" so you can go back and find every thread related to that particular game.</p>
<p>In general, game previews will post two hours before game time. Exception: for day games after night games, that will usually be 90 minutes.</p>
<p>You will also be able to find the First Pitch Thread and all the overflow threads in the box marked "<a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chicago Cubs</a> Game Threads" at the bottom of the front page (<a href="http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/game-threads">you can also find them in this section link</a>). They will also appear in this StoryStreamâ„¢. As I've done for each regular-season game for several years now, we'll have the First Pitch thread at five minutes before game time (moved up from actual game time per your requests), then an overflow one hour, two hours and 2:45 after game time.</p>
<p>Discuss amongst yourselves.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/5/19/4333454/chicago-cubs-new-york-mets-preview-sundayAl Yellon