Cubs 58-54, -1.0
Astros 50-63, -9.5
POTG: LF Matt Murton (HR)
Runner Up: none
It’s not so fun to watch a game on tape when you heard someone discuss the in progress score a couple hours before and the score didn’t sound good. I was at another baseball game – a game I’ll surely never get around to writing about – when someone in the next section loudly told a friend it was 4-1 Astros. There goes avoiding the score on my phone for 4 hours.
After I got home and started zooming thru the game, the top of the 1st was both excruciating and pre-emptively depressing. I kept hoping I misunderstood, flipped the score in my mind, and the Cubs had actually made something of a bases loaded no out situation. I was pretty sure I heard right, and so was mostly stuck watching the Cubs fritter away the best chance they had, sticking around for the odd shot they might get lucky later on. Murton’s home run was a promising sign for the long run, but sure not enough here.
I think Sean Marshall pitched okay, but he pitched for me mostly with two and three arrows on the fast forward. The results were there – a better performance from the bullpen would’ve made it stand up a bit better. Even there, I wasn’t too worried about Kerry’s work. Sure would’ve preferred him not giving up Marshall’s runs, but he’s still just coming back, and he looked fine in the 7th.
I was wondering if we should be reading into Dempster coming in the 8th, when there could’ve (theoretically) still been a save situation to come. I’m thinking no, not yet.
Ohman getting sent down was pretty shocking. It’s probably for the best, but it’s just not something you’ve seen down. He’s exactly right in saying he just had two bad games, but it’s just a really bad time to have bad games – two weeks ago, Lou would’ve just buried him and brought up Gallagher in the AAA swing spot. Now that’s Wood, and the bar’s been raised a bit. I wonder if Ohman was even aware he could be sent down – I wasn’t until I read about this weekend. If Ohman had blown up two weeks later, he’d be safe as well. Bad bad timing.
The problem is still not enough hits, not enough big hits. Soriano surely would be helping, but it’s not like he was on fire before he left. The guys who need to pick up this week are mostly the same who needed to pick up next week.