Bleed Cubbie Blue - Cubs vs. Reds Sunday Game ThreadsA Chicago Cubs Fan Community Since February 9, 2005https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47557/cubbieblue.png2014-04-20T18:05:41-05:00http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/rss/stream/53687272014-04-20T18:05:41-05:002014-04-20T18:05:41-05:00Reds 8, Cubs 2: Unexpected, And Expected
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs lost another Wrigley Field series to the Reds. That wasn't unexpected.</p> <p>Sunday was one of those unexpected days in mid-April that tease you. The sun shone brightly. The usual lake breeze of the season shut off, replaced by gentle winds blowing from the south and southwest, out to the far reaches of Wrigley Field, and the temperatures rose into the 70s.</p>
<p>It's the kind of day that fools you into thinking, "Hey, summer is here already." But you know even as you peel off layers of clothing and feel the warmth, that more frigid days are still ahead, with winds howling off Lake Michigan, drizzle, fog and heavy rain are still to come, and there will be days when the thermometer struggles to get out of the 40s, perhaps even until the calendar turns to June.</p>
<p>And with the one-day cameo appearance of summer Sunday afternoon in Chicago also came a return to recent form by our North Side favorites. <a target="_blank" href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2014_04_20_cinmlb_chnmlb_1">The Cubs lost 8-2 to the Reds</a>; they still have not won a Wrigley Field series against the visitors from Cincinnati since 2011, and are now 21-51 against their divisional rivals since the beginning of 2010. This, though we hoped for a different result, was pretty expected.</p>
<p>Let's get the bad out of the way first. <span>Carlos Villanueva</span> simply does not belong in a starting rotation. He was worse as a starter in 2013 than in relief; this year, he's been bad at both, posting decisions (one win, four defeats) in his first five appearances (three starts, two relief outings). <span>Jake Arrieta</span> is making one more rehab start, Monday for High-A Daytona, and then it's time to get him back in the rotation. Villanueva threw three okay, but not great, innings Sunday and then blew up in the fourth and fifth, getting hit hard. He threw 103 pitches to record 14 outs. He needs to go back to the pen.</p>
<p>Then, there's Jose Veras. Rick(y) Renteria had said earlier Sunday:</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cubs&src=hash">#Cubs</a> Renteria says would like Veras to be closer again. First, they have to get him in a game</p>
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) <a href="https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/statuses/457906261552406528">April 20, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<script charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<p>Well, they got him into a game... a game the <a href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cubs</a> were trailing 5-0, probably a useful time to allow someone like Veras to try to round back into form.</p>
<p>Whoops. Back to the drawing board. <span>Jay Bruce</span> hit Veras' third pitch into the center-field basket for a home run. Veras managed to get two outs, then walked <span>Devin Mesoraco</span> and gave up another long home run, this one to <span>Zack Cozart</span>, who had come into the game hitting .111 with a .148 slugging percentage. It was Cozart's first home run of the year. Finally, after running a 3-2 count on <span>Billy Hamilton</span>, Veras struck him out, finishing up a 32-pitch mess.</p>
<p>I don't even know what you'd do with him. Injured? Maybe? Could you stash him on the disabled list? Veras has now thrown 4⅔ innings, allowed eight earned runs and walked nine hitters. He doesn't seem to have any idea what he's doing out there and there's no way Renteria can put him into any sort of important game situation, not now.</p>
<p>Beyond that, the Cubs once again had a ton of baserunners -- 11 hits and six walks -- and had no idea what to do with most of them. They went 3-for-15 with RISP and left 14 men on base. RBI singles by <span>Ryan Sweeney</span> and <span>Nate Schierholtz</span> were the only things between the Cubs and another shutout. <span>Emilio Bonifacio</span> had another two-hit game; <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, but none of this seemed to make any difference at all to the Cubs, who when they weren't failing to hit with RISP, were grounding into double plays, or being caught stealing:</p>
<p><iframe width="400" height="224" frameborder="0" src="http://m.mlb.com/shared/video/embed/embed.html?content_id=32235559&topic_id=6479266&width=400&height=224&property=mlb">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p>
<p>Bonifacio was called safe on the field; <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Reds</a> manager Bryan Price challenged the call, and as you can see on the replay above, Cozart put the tag on Bonifacio's leg just before Bonifacio's foot touched second base. The call went against the Cubs -- but I'm still "happy" about that, because it proved once again that, for the most part, replay review is working. In this case, they got it right and the result of the play reflected what the players actually did, rather than the opinion of second-base umpire Doug Eddings.</p>
<p>So the Cubs now go into a four-game set hosting the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>, who are doing just as poorly as the Cubs; the D'backs lost to the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dodgers </a>Sunday afternoon, running their record to 5-16, compared to the Cubs' 5-12. The resistable force against the moveable object, I'd say. <span>Travis Wood</span> faces former Reds hurler Bronson Arroyo Monday evening... when the weather will be back to normal April levels, we're told.</p>
<p>Beyond that, let's hope the games go a bit faster. Three hours, 50 minutes was way too long for something like Sunday's loss, even with the sunshine and warmth of an unusual April Sunday.</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/4/20/5634586/cubs-reds-recap-carlos-villanueva-jose-veras-mlb-scoresAl Yellon2014-04-20T16:05:02-05:002014-04-20T16:05:02-05:00Overflow Thread 3: Cubs vs. Reds, Sunday 4/20
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/4/20/5604764/overflow-thread-3-cubs-vs-reds-sunday-4-20-1-20-ctAl Yellon2014-04-20T15:20:02-05:002014-04-20T15:20:02-05:00Overflow Thread 2: Cubs vs. Reds, Sunday 4/20
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/4/20/5604754/overflow-thread-2-cubs-vs-reds-sunday-4-20-1-20-ctAl Yellon2014-04-20T14:20:02-05:002014-04-20T14:20:02-05:00Overflow Thread 1: Cubs vs. Reds, Sunday 4/20
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>----</p>
https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/4/20/5604750/overflow-thread-1-cubs-vs-reds-sunday-4-20-1-20-ctAl Yellon2014-04-20T11:30:03-05:002014-04-20T11:30:03-05:00Cubs vs. Reds Preview, Sunday 4/20, 1:20 CT
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<figcaption>David Banks</figcaption>
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<p>The Cubs have not won a series against the Reds at Wrigley Field since 2011. Could it happen today?</p> <p>The last time the Cubs won a series from the Reds in Wrigley Field, <span>Carlos Pena</span> and <span>Jeff Baker</span> hit cleanup, <span>DJ LeMahieu</span> had a 2-for-2 game and the winning pitchers (the Cubs won two of three) were <span>Matt Garza</span> and <span>Kerry Wood</span>.</p>
<p>Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? That was September 5-7, 2011, and the Cubs lost the middle game of that series in 13 innings after <span>Bryan LaHair</span> hit a two-out, game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>Just four Cubs who played in that series are still on the team: <span>Starlin Castro</span>, <span>Darwin Barney</span>, <span>Jeff Samardzija</span> and <span>James Russell</span>.</p>
<p>Could a series win happen today? Sure it could. Anything can happen, any day, in baseball.</p>
<p>Cubs lineup:</p>
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<pre>Bonifacio CF, Sweeney LF, Rizzo 1B, Schierholtz RF, Castro SS, Olt 3B, Castillo C, Barney 2B, Villanueva P</pre>
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<p>So, <span>Anthony Rizzo</span> is fine. And nice to see <span>Mike Olt</span> in the lineup against a tough RHP.</p>
<p>Reds lineup:</p>
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<pre>Hamilton CF, Votto 1B, Phillips 2B, Bruce RF, Frazier 3B, Ludwick LF, Mesoraco C, Cozart SS, Bailey P</pre>
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<table width="680" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" border="1"><tbody>
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<h2><i>Today's Starting Pitchers</i></h2>
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<a target="newwindow" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7772"><img width="320" height="480" border="1" alt="Carlos Villanueva" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2879489/carlosvillanueva.jpg"></a><br><a target="newwindow" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7772"> </a> <center>
<h2><span>Carlos Villanueva</span></h2>
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<h2>Cubs</h2>
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<td width="10%" align="center">vs.</td>
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<a target="newwindow" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7944"><img width="320" height="480" border="1" alt="Homer Bailey" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2666817/homerbailey.jpg"></a><br><a target="newwindow" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7944">
<h2>Homer Bailey</h2>
</a> <br><h2>Reds</h2>
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<h2>vs. Cin</h2>
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<td align="center" class="yspscores"><a target="newwindow" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/bvsp?playerId=28668">
<h2>vs. Cubs</h2>
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<p>Carlos Villanueva had a horrific start in his last outing, against the <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cardinals</a> last Sunday. He posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in five appearances (two starts) against the Reds last year. Current Reds are hitting .258 (32-for-124) against him with four home runs. It would be nice to see Carlos do well, as he's almost certainly headed back to the bullpen soon, when <span>Jake Arrieta</span> returns.</p>
<p><span>Homer Bailey</span> is off to almost as bad a start this year as Villanueva; he has allowed at least four earned runs in each of his three starts, for an 8.16 ERA and 2.023 WHIP. The <a href="https://www.bucsdugout.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Pirates</a> hit four home runs off him in his last outing. Last year he posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.131 WHIP in three starts against the Cubs. Did you know that Bailey's name isn't really "Homer"? It's "David Dewitt Bailey." Make of that what you will.</p>
<p>Today's game is on WCIU. WCIU games can also be seen on the following channels: Springfield/Decatur/Champaign, WCIX 49.2; Peoria, WAOE 59.1; Des Moines, WHO 13.2, Quad Cities (Davenport/Moline), WQAD 8.2 or 8.3; Ft. Wayne, WANE 15.2; South Bend, WMYS 69.</p>
<p><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/index.jsp?ymd=20130401#date=4/20/2014" target="_blank">Here is the complete MLB.com Mediacenter for today.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_04_20_cinmlb_chnmlb_1&mode=gameday" target="_blank">MLB.com Gameday</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/previews/CHC.shtml" target="_blank">Baseball-reference.com game preview</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/events/160197/pregame" target="_blank">SB Nation game preview</a></p>
<p>Please visit our SB Nation <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Reds</a> site <a href="http://www.redreporter.com" target="_blank">Red Reporter</a>. The usual caution is advised.</p>
<p>For 2014, we are going to have the same game-thread routine as 2013. Here's how it works.</p>
<p>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 class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/">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/2014/4/20/5604640/chicago-cubs-cincinnati-reds-preview-sundayAl Yellon