Braves: 32-23
Cubs: 22-31
POTG: SP Rich Hill (7 IP, 1 ER, BB, 6 K, QS; 2B)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (HR, 2 H), 3B A Ram (2 H, BB + run driven in on an error)
The disappointing thing isn’t the fight. I guess I’d rather players on my team not get into multiple fights and have to go to the hospital for stitches, but I think we’d all be feeling different about it if they were 10 games over 500 instead of the other way. The disappointing thing is this:
2006: 21-32
2007: 22-31
When thing collapsed last year, at least there reasons for the collapse and ways the Cubs could be fixed for 2007. Dusty’s gone. Lee’s healthy. There’s more experience in the starting rotation. They got another OF. They’ve got a sane closer.
If the season ended right now – and it’s awful close to be over from a meaning standpoint – I have idea what you could do to fix this. You can’t fire the manager, you just got the manager. You can’t really cut bait with Eyre or Howry any more than then you could now, since they were both signed thru ’08. Barrett probably goes (though I’m less sure of this than I was yesterday), but there’s no one – including the suggested Pudge signing – that could turn this around.
Would the Cubs really want A-Rod added to this? As if it wasn’t a circus enough.
My point is there’s definitely problems here, but there’s not definite easy fixes, and that makes this season even more frustrating. It’s not a matter of waiting until the next season clicks in and things get reset in our favor, it’s not like we’re counting down the seconds for a master plan of prospects and money to come to fruition. This is supposed to be IT, and if IT is as horrible team as it seems, then team is very lost with no hope for the future.
It can’t be that bad. It sure feels like it’s that bad.
This was yet another in a never ending string of games where the Cubs could’ve played better to win, and didn’t, and lost. Pagan really had to make third if he was going to try it, and he didn’t. Hill had no business stretching to third and was lucky to make it that close. Ohman wasn’t good, Wuertz was good too late, and the offense shut down early.
I think Alan Trammell will get a chance to improve his win/loss record, because Lou is likely to be sitting for a few games. Maybe Trammell’s cursed? It’d explain this, his Detroit teams (and the team getting really good once he left), the lack of respect on the HOF ballot for him AND Lou Whitaker.