Month: July 2004

(Listening to KRUA out of Anchorage)

When they only got two runs in the top of the 9th, I had a bad feeling. A correct one, but a bad one. It was still nice not to get no-hit. Someone should send Doug a nice present, because he didn’t look so good on that double either. And at least Prior looked okay.

SDP --- v SFG
SFG --- @ SDP
CHC 2.0 @ MIL
PHI 2.0 @ FLA (0.5 out in EAST)
CIN 4.5 v STL
HOU 5.0 v ARZ

The loss ends up costing the Cubs some ground between them and Philadelphia, the ground they made up on St. Louis, and 1 game in the Wild Card. Now that the Padres and Giants are playing again, it’s another series of going nowhere.

I’m thinking hoping the Cubs can score more in Miller Park than they did last time, but yesterday did put the questions back on the offense. So who knows. It’s Clement vs Santos tonight, and I bet Matt’s just hoping not to get loss 10. He hasn’t won since June 8th, though it’s usually not his fault.

There’s some mumbling about changing up the closer to Kyle. I don’t expect anything to happen until LaTroy serves his suspension, when they’ll have to try him (or someone else) out of necessity and see how it works out.

Philadelphia looks to have the chance to drive to push the Marlins (4.5EAST, 6.0WC) far out of the picture. I think it’s too soon to be the definitive end between the two teams, but the Marlins won the division by winning these kinda of series last year again the Phillies. These two teams don’t meet again till the last days of the season for a four game series.

This does feel like a good place for the End for the Reds. Cardinals are still playing super, Cincy’s lost it’s last 5 and is bordering on .500. They’re giving up a lot of runs (5, 13, 6, 14, 6) and facing the best hitting team in the NL.

It’s probably just a matter of right team, right time, but I don’t think Carlos Beltran’s going anywhere. A series against the Diamondbacks should keep them close enough to a playoff spot that they won’t move him before the July deadline, and he’ll be impossible to move in August. Which sucks for the rest of the Central.

Why are the Fox games late today? And all the same time? Saves me, but is strange.

SDP --- @ LAD
SFG --- @ STL
CHC 1.0 @ PHI
PHI 3.0 v CHC (0.5 out in the East)
CIN 3.5 @ PIT
MIL 4.5 @ HOU
FLA 5.0 @ MON (2.0 out in the East)

The best NL HR hitting team in one of the best HR hitting parks in the NL. A great combo! Kerry didn’t look great – I mean, 1 ER in 6 IP is nice, but he walked 4 guys and probably got lucky/good to get out of some bad situatios. He’s not all the way back is all I’m saying. I’m guessing the pitch count is off for next game.

I forgot about Wood’s suspension till they brought it up. The whole strange series of events with him trying to serve it as DL days was the most bizarre attempt to circvent a rule this year. But he’s (probably) got a miss a start and Carlos (probably) has to miss a start, and someone needs to take theirs so they don’t happen the same timethrough the order.

It’d be nice if someone unmudded Stone’s microphone. I don’t know if it was a CIU thing. The color hasn’t always seemed as good on WCIU (and really, non-WGN) broadcasts, but there was a defiite clarity issue.

Mags Ordonez going to the DL is going to hurt. Quite a bit. Ken Williams will make another crazy move, though.

If the announce team made any note of the comments in the newspaper from Thursday, I didn’t notice it. It was a very pleasant surprise. I figured it out later – while reading Dusty backing up his player (which is what Dusty does) – Alou was ripped for forgetting how many outs there were and getting doubled up early this week, and I’m sure that’s what he was upset about it. Complaining about being ripped for making a stupid baserunning move doesn’t look as good in print, though.

Today’s a National Game, but since it’s an away FOX game, the announcers will have prepped only by reading the Philly papers. We may get a reprieve.

Always pretty neat to end a no-hitter with a home run. I can’t wrap my head around rooting for the Cardinals yet, though.

Slow. Slow.

Feely’s SD! recap will go up within the hour. I’m waiting for something unrelated to get done. Which is slow.

Let’s go to the big board.

SDP --- (@ LAD)
SFG 1.0 (@ STL)
CHC 2.0 (@ PHI)
ATL 3.0 (@ NYM) tied NL East
PHI 3.0 (v CHC) tied NL East
CIN 3.5 (@ PIT)
FLA 5.0 (@ MON) 2.0 NL EAST

So, if the Cubs win, they either make up some ground on the Wild Card or on the Cardinals. Sounds likes a great idea.

If I’m CIN or FLA, this looks like a great weekend to make up some ground.

That broken elbow yesterday looked ugly. I don’t know how you come back from that. And like Texas needs to lose a hot pitcher at this point.

Prior starting Sunday (let’s hope) or not, the Cubs are bordering on some post-modern six man rotation situation, as he may pick up another start during Carlos’ pending suspension. Everytime Rusch gets sent to the bullpen, he ends up in the rotation again.

Alou went off on the media yesterday for not giving enough credit to the hitters and just talking about the (starting) pitchers.

Runs scored, by game
7/1 5 (W)
7/2 6 (W)
7/3 4 (W)

7/4 2 (W)
7/5 0 (L)
7/6 2 (L)
7/7 0 (L)
7/9 1 (L)
7/10 2 (L)

7/11 8 (W)
7/15 4 (W)
7/16 2 (L)
7/17 5 (W)

7/18 2 (L)
7/19 4 (L)
7/20 8 (L)
7/21 5 (W)
7/22 13 (W)

At least he picked the 13 run day to say it.

What’s always bad about this situation is he particularly mentioned Chip and Steve. If you critize the Media in general, TV guys will mention it early, and then later if it the particular situation comes up or they’re really bored. But if you critize the TV Guys, the TV Guys will always talk about it for half the game. And you don’t want that.

Obviously, I need a quote category.

“You don’t want sympathy,” Baker said, “but at least some understanding to what’s happening and where we are. I looked at it today and we’re two games out of the playoffs if we stop today. That’s a pretty good position as badly as things have gone.” – cubs.com

The whole article is great, because Dusty uses a metaphor (always great fun) and we stay up to the same time thinking about these things. Maybe he should give me a call – I’d totally come in the city to talk lineups.

This is quite a game. Too soon to celebrate because of Tuesday. But quite a game. It’s raining pretty bad at moments everywhere around here, but not long enough to end this game early.

To whoever asked – Wendell Kim already had the bad rep. People were writing things when he came over from the Giants, and then he made his typical 3-4 really bad calls last season to the point where everyone starts to worry whenever there’s a possible play at home. He’s knew he was going to get ripped – because of the Tuesday game and people moving on to giving up the season, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be – and the apology before the radio starts picking it up is always a good move in those situations.

Today, I think all the papers had a Jim Hendry quote about waiting till off season before coach decisions are to be made, as to explain why he wasn’t fired, say, Monday night. But everyone’s presuming he’ll now be quietly let go over the winter – it’s probably take a WS appearance and some massive pull from Dusty to keep him around.

There are kids singing the 7th inning stretch. They actually did a bit harmony. They can actually sing. They actually know all the words! Who let them in here.

Remember when I said staying up far too late on Tuesday would cause me to sleep Wednesday away? SCORE ANOTHER PREDICTION RIGHT. Thanks for day games.

Let’s see how many days in a row I can remember to do this before relevant games start (an 11AM CST game? What the heck)

NL Wild Card (5 games)

SFG **** vs SDP
SDP **** @t SFG
CHC -2.0 vs CIN
CIN -2.5 @t CHC
ATL -3.0 vs PIT
MIL -4.5 @t STL
FLA -5.0 vs PHI
NYM -5.0 vs MON

You can pretty much throw out the NL East teams at this point, since they’re all two games close to first than than to wild card lead. But five games is five games.

I hear the Mets got their own messiah yesterday. Big ups to them. Hope he doesn’t get crucifxed in New York.

A Cubs win today (Lidle vs Maddux going for 298) puts them 1 game out of the Wild Card. (Edit: Huh? No. 2 back. I confused myself.) Not bad for the low point of the season.

I still can’t believe Beltran for Leister and Wellemeyer getting out of a two men on in a critical part of the game situation happened yesterday. I’m just happy we got out of it.

They really should’ve stopped the game before Sammy’s at bat – the home run was all due to the footing or non footing Von Poppel got, and it cost them the game.