Day: April 24, 2007

Brewers 13-7, clinch series
Cubs 7-13

POTG: 1B Derek Lee (2 H, 2B, didn’t leave anyone on base)
Runners Up: C Michael Barrett (2 H, 2B but E)

I was at the Bulls game for this, so I don’t have much to say of any use. I ‘watched’ the failure to score in the 2nd on my phone and was checking during the game, and did listen to the last two half innings on the radio, but it seemed pretty over by then. Eyre technically didn’t give up any runs, but he didn’t improve anyone’s confidence. I haven’t seen the highlight yet, but I’m pretty sure the DeRosa RBI was just a case of the conditions working against Mench, and the game would’ve ended one batter sooner if it hadn’t rained.

I don’t know how bad it was on the north side, but it didn’t get raining really bad till about a half hour after the game ended, so I wasn’t surprised they couldn’t bring it. (Then again, it’s not like I was looking out the windows of the United Center.)

Hill was going to look human at some point, and I guess it happened here. This loss really wasn’t his fault – from the highlights, it looked like he had good stuff and both HRs just barely got out – the Cubs have to score when they get 8 hits on a starter. This is on the batters.

John Kruk just said “What’s integrity?” on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Seems right.

Brewers 12-7
Cubs 7-12

POTG: 1B D Lee (3 H, 2B 2 RBI)
Runner Up: LF Alfonso Soriano (2 H, 2R), 3B A Ram (HR, SF, 2 RBI), CF Felix Pie (2 H, 2B), RP Ryan Dempster (2 IP, K), RF Jacque Jones (great catch)

Now we know it for sure – if Jacque is in a big situation, the Cubs lose. Either he’s fated to fail and be blamed, or he’ll make it and he’s cursed to be forgotten by someone else blowing it. Poor Jacque never gets to be the hero.

This game killed me 15 ways. Apparently it killed Lou too, though I don’t think he had as many TiVo related issues as I did.

Carlos let the team down. The bullpen had to get six innings from the starter tonight, and really could’ve used seven. And we got 5 1/3rd. I don’t know if the contract, or if he’s trying too hard to live up to his own words, but something’s gotta change and it’s gotta change quick. If Lilly, Hill and Marquis weren’t pitching out of their minds (and that’s gonna end), this team might be in a hole they couldn’t escape. I’m not ready to pitch the season, but it can’t going like this.

I think Pinella and Gerald Perry had a point, though perhaps there were healthier ways of expressing it than trying to get in a fight with the umps. They blew the call on Derek’s steal, they probably blew the call on Soriano’s HBK strike (though we never got a slowed down look at it), and the strike zone was iffy. The strike zone’s been iffy quite a few times all year.

Do you think Lou waited till after the game to blow up because he secretly picked a date in May for his first ejection in the cubscast contest?

I keep thinking, if things stayed this way, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lou walked out in, say, June. I don’t think it’d happen, but I’m sure he’s not going to get himself tied to a boat headed south. (Who ties themselves to a boat? Never mind.)

I hate Claudio Varagas. THROW THE BALL. Someone needs to put a stopwatch on him next time (though I hope there’s never a next time.)

It’d be nice if Eyre didn’t look done, but at least Demptser’s looked pretty decent lately.

I can’t remember another start to the season where the bench and the bullpen has been unloaded so frequently. There’s no quick way to total it up, but I think they’ve used 19+ players in four to five games.