Game 33: Cubs 8 – Giants 1

box Cubs WIN!, move to 15-18 Giants lose, drop to 16-18 POTG: RF Jacque Jones (3 H, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI) Runner ups: SP Z (8 IP, 1 R, 6 K, QS, W #49), RP Ryan Dempster (1 IP, 2K), CF Juan Pierre (2 H, R), LF I didn’t want write this last … Continue reading “Game 33: Cubs 8 – Giants 1”

box

Cubs WIN!, move to 15-18
Giants lose, drop to 16-18

POTG: RF Jacque Jones (3 H, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI)

Runner ups: SP Z (8 IP, 1 R, 6 K, QS, W #49), RP Ryan Dempster (1 IP, 2K), CF Juan Pierre (2 H, R), LF

I didn’t want write this last night, and I didn’t want to write it today. I wanted to keep putting it off for as long as possible, so I could devote more time in to soaking up this win. You never know when we might get another one, you know?

What they did:

Play a bad team (note: this is the whole NL except for maybe STL, NYM, and PHI right now)
Hit very well
Pitch very well
Field somewhat better than a school of clowns.

Actually, we need to hold off on the Z IS BACK thing a little bit. Not only did he carry on the new tradition of not covering first base on a ground ball to the first base side (and the time he did try to cover 1st was something else), but the man still has some control issues, and I don’t mean emotional.

5 BB (0 IBB, though some might have been pitching around people)
110 pitches, 47 balls.

Not often a guy who’s 3 for 3 gets pinch hit for, but not surprising either. Jacque is up almost hitting 270, so we’re A-Ram getting a few more hits from not looking horrible in the Gameday lineup. (Which doesn’t mean anything, but is still nice.)

I think the lineup shuffling is a start, but…

Team OBP (33 PA min)
.448 D Lee
.375 Walker
.369 Murton
.357 Barrett
.331 Cedeno
.310 Jacque
.302 A-Ram
.282 Pierre
.273 Hairston
.237 Mabry
.219 Blanco (despite hitting .074!)
.218 Neifi
.200 Bynum

I still would really like to see Murton in the 2 spot rather than 5 or 6. You can’t drive runs in if there’s no runners on. With the current team, and how they’re playing, the optimium lineup would be something like
1) Murton LF
2) Barrett C
3) Walker 1B
4) Jacque RF
5) Cedeno SS
6) A-Ram 3B
7) Pierre CF
8) THEROIT 2B

but that’s the stuff of dreams. It’d be nicer if they bunched the good guys together rather than having that A-Ram/Jaque buffer which isn’t doing much.

Bonds does appear to be playing today; he’s willing to pass up on his nap day because he wants to get the pointless milestone ASAP (so he can immediatly retire and go far far away, I wish.) I don’t think Sean Marshall is going to punch him in the face and tell him to sit in the corner like Z did last night, but if he pitches like he’s been pitching, we’ll be all right.