Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Cardinals Friday Game ThreadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2013-07-12T19:05:31-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/42647312013-07-12T19:05:31-05:002013-07-12T19:05:31-05:00Cardinals 3, Cubs 2: Playing To Win
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>The Cardinals are a better team than the Cubs. It showed in many different ways Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.</p> <p>My friend Dave said, as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">Cubs</a>' bullpen moves wound up helping to lose <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2013_07_12_slnmlb_chnmlb_1" target="_blank">Friday's game to St. Louis 3-2</a>, said, "The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> play to win. The Cubs play not to lose."</p>
<p>And that's a difference worth noting. Of course, it helps that the Cardinals can keep plugging in guys who can throw 95-plus heat from their bullpen, and the Cubs don't have that.</p>
<p>But Dale Sveum's bullpen choices helped lose this game, along with not double-switching <span>Julio Borbon</span> into the game after the sixth inning. Seriously, what is Dale thinking? If he's going to wind up pulling <span>Carlos Villanueva</span> anyway, and the pitcher's spot is due up third in the bottom of the seventh, and Borbon is going to be the pinch-hitter, why not just put Borbon in center field? <span>Brian Bogusevic</span>, who isn't the greatest center fielder anyway, had just made the last out of the bottom of the sixth.</p>
<p>Borbon might have caught the ball that <span>Matt Carpenter</span> hit for an RBI double in the top of the seventh off <span>Matt Guerrier</span>, and if that had happened, Starlin Castro's home run would have tied the game instead of leading to another agonizing one-run loss. That dropped the team's record in one-run affairs to 11-20.</p>
<p>And why is <span>James Russell</span> up and down and up and down in the pen again? His arm's going to fall off just from the warmup pitches, let alone being on pace for 80 appearances, which would be a career high. The Cubs again don't have the flexibility to play matchups, with Russell as the only lefthander in the pen. Maybe Russell should have been in the game instead of Matt Guerrier, instead of being saved for a ninth inning where his presence was almost extraneous.</p>
<p>Let's go back to the beginning. Villanueva had a tough first inning, but then settled down and retired 15 of the next 17 hitters he faced, several of them on fly balls to right field which were very difficult plays for <span>Nate Schierholtz</span> into a bright late-afternoon sun. That's yet another reason these 3:05 starts are no good -- a tough right field for fielders. Of course, that's the same for both teams. The shadow of the upper deck crossed the plate about 5:05 and crossed the mound about 5:45, 40 minutes' worth of advantage: pitcher, about two innings' worth. They never did turn the lights on; I've been told that does help infield visibility when you have shadows like that.</p>
<p>It probably wouldn't have made any difference against the Cardinals' flamethrowers; only Castro was able to solve them, hitting that home run into the left-field basket in the eighth inning. The Cubs did have a shot against <span>Randy Choate</span> in the sixth, with runners on first and second with one out, but Bogusevic's double play ball ended that threat.</p>
<p>The bottom line, I suppose, is that the Cardinals are a good team throughout their 25-man roster and the Cubs aren't -- yet.</p>
<p>Credit to Castro again today for playing solid defense and having better at-bats. He's now 20-for-67 (.299) in his last 16 games with three doubles and three home runs. Maybe the proverbial corner has been turned.</p>
<p>On a beautiful day that is one of the types of days we dream about when it's cold, rainy and windy in April, Cubs first round pick Kris Bryant took batting practice. He launched, say the ballhawks, at least nine baseballs onto Waveland or close; perhaps he was just putting on a show for the assembled media and fans watching early BP, but Bryant was easily visible even from the bleachers, at 6-foot-5. He said all the right things in his news conference, saying he'd "listen to his coach" if the team wants him to play outfield instead of third base. Here's hoping he starts his pro career the same way he ended up in college.</p>
<p>The weather brought out one of the bigger crowds of the year, and the Cardinal fans were loudly in evidence whenever their team did anything good (which, unfortunately, was often). I'd say the crowd was at least one-third Cardinals fans, but the game was about 4,000 short of a sellout, likely because this game was priced at Marquee level. Saturday's game, also priced that way, is, I have heard, sold out -- but that's Saturday, not Friday. The Cubs might have sold out this game at lower prices.</p>
<p>With <span>Matt Garza</span> and <span>Travis Wood</span> going in the next two games, the Cubs do have at least a chance to get out with a split, if not a series win. The starting rotation will be adjusted somewhat coming out of the break:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cubs&src=hash">#Cubs</a> projected rotation post All-Star break: Samardzija, Villanueva, Jackson vs <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Rockies&src=hash">#Rockies</a>; Garza, Wood open <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23DBacks&src=hash">#DBacks</a> series</p>
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/statuses/355798183458254848">July 12, 2013</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Here's hoping for some better bullpen work as the next road trip begins, too.</p>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/7/12/4519066/cubs-cardinals-recap-carlos-villanueva-starlin-castro-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2013-07-12T17:50:05-05:002013-07-12T17:50:05-05:00Overflow Thread 3: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Friday 7/12
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/7/12/4500754/overflow-thread-3-cubs-vs-cardinals-friday-7-12-3-05-ctAl Yellon2013-07-12T17:05:03-05:002013-07-12T17:05:03-05:00Overflow Thread 2: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Friday 7/12
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/7/12/4500758/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-cardinals-friday-7-12-3-05-ctAl Yellon2013-07-12T16:05:03-05:002013-07-12T16:05:03-05:00Overflow Thread 1: Cubs vs. Cardinals, Friday 7/12
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<figcaption>Brian Kersey</figcaption>
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https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2013/7/12/4500764/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-cardinals-friday-7-12-3-05-ctAl Yellon2013-07-12T13:00:10-05:002013-07-12T13:00:10-05:00Cubs vs. Cardinals Preview, Friday 7/12, 3:05 CT
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The weather is spectacular in Chicago this weekend. That's something new, at least this spring and early summer.</p> <p>If you are of "a certain age" you will remember the San Francisco-based psychedelic era band "It's A Beautiful Day" and their one hit <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNgQ03D2qA" target="_blank">"White Bird"</a>.</p>
<p>I'm not sure why I thought of them, except for the weather forecast today, one of the best days we've had all year. With the weather being so miserable through most of the early part of the 2013 season in Chicago, we deserve days like this. I expect that today's weather will result in a large walkup sale and one of the bigger crowds of the year.</p>
<p>With today being one of four Friday games being set as 3:05 starts, in advance of the Cubs doing this on a regular basis starting in 2014, I thought I'd go through the schedule and post the starting-time splits for 2013:</p>
<blockquote>
<pre>12:05: 3
1:20: 33
3:05: 12
6:15: 2
7:05: 29
TBD: 2</pre>
</blockquote>
<p>The two TBD dates are Sundays that could be taken by ESPN (8/18 vs. Cardinals, 9/1 vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a>). Most likely, both of those wind up as 1:20 games. The 1:20 start is an endangered species; with the additional Friday 3:05 starts and more night games starting in 2014, there will likely be more night starts than 1:20 starts.</p>
<p>Personally, I like the 1:20 starts. But tempus fugit. It's 2013. If this is what the team has to do to compete, do it.</p>
<p>Cubs lineup:</p>
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<pre>Valbuena 3b, Castro ss, Rizzo 1b, Soriano lf, Schierholtz rf, Bogusevic cf, Barney 2b, Castillo c, Villanueva p </pre>
</blockquote>
<p>Cardinals lineup:</p>
<blockquote><pre>Carpenter 2b, Jay cf, Beltran rf, Craig lf, Molina c, Adams 1b, Freese 3b, Kozma ss, Kelly p</pre></blockquote>
<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" width="680"><tbody>
<tr class="yspsctbg">
<td class="ysptblhdr" align="center" height="18"><center>
<h2><i>Today's Starting Pitchers</i></h2>
</center></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="ysptblbdr2">
<table class="yspwhitebg" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="680"><tbody>
<tr>
<td colspan="3" height="3">
<spacer type="block" height="1" width="1"></spacer><spacer></spacer>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="yspscores" align="center" width="45%">
<a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7772" target="newwindow"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2879489/carlosvillanueva.jpg" alt="Carlos Villanueva" border="1" height="480" width="320"></a><br><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7772" target="newwindow"> </a> <center>
<h2><span>Carlos Villanueva</span></h2>
</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/9212" target="newwindow"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2904895/joekelly.jpg" alt="Joe Kelly" border="1" height="480" width="320"></a><br><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/9212" target="newwindow">
<h2>Joe Kelly</h2>
</a> <br><h2>Cardinals</h2>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<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=28466" target="newwindow"><center>
<h2>vs. StL</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=31992" target="newwindow">
<h2>vs. Cubs</h2>
</a></td>
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</tbody></table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix">
<table class="zebra">
<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>Carlos Villanueva</span>
</td>
<td>2-4</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>9</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>74.1</td>
<td>66</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>28</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>57</td>
<td>3.39</td>
<td class="td-last">1.16</td>
</tr></tbody>
</table>
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<hr class="widget_boundry_marker">
<div class="pane sports_data_widget player_stats clearfix">
<table class="zebra">
<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>Joe Kelly</span>
</td>
<td>0-3</td>
<td>25</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>43.1</td>
<td>48</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>13</td>
<td>34</td>
<td>4.15</td>
<td class="td-last">1.41</td>
</tr></tbody>
</table>
</div>
<hr class="widget_boundry_marker">
<p>This is a real intriguing matchup. Both of today's starters have gone back and forth between rotation and bullpen this year. Carlos Villanueva had a good start against the Cardinals <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201305080.shtml" target="_blank">May 8 at Wrigley Field</a>; that game was lost due to bullpen meltdown. Villanueva also has a scoreless relief outing against the Cardinals this year.</p>
<p>Joe Kelly has mostly bullpen work this year, including one scoreless relief outing against the Cubs <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201306180.shtml" target="_blank">June 18 in St. Louis</a>, the only game the Cubs won in that series. He has made two starts, most recently <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201307060.shtml" target="_blank">July 6 against the Marlins</a>. The Cardinals won, but Kelly gave up two homers. He's allowed seven HR in just 43⅔ innings this year. Perhaps the Cubs can turn on the power bats this afternoon.</p>
<p>Today's game is on WGN.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp?ymd=20130401#date=7/12/2013">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_07_12_slnmlb_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/118033/pregame">SB Nation game preview</a></p>
<p>Please visit our SB Nation <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a> site <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Viva el Birdos</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 StoryStream™, 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 StoryStream™. 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/2013/7/12/4500638/chicago-cubs-st-louis-cardinals-lineups-preview-fridayAl Yellon