Cubs 1-2, 2nd (1 GB)
Brewers 2-1, 1st, take the series
POTG: RF Kosuke Fukudome (2 BB, 2B, SB, 2 R, E)
Runner Up: LF Soriano (H, R, BB, 2 RBI, SB), 3B A Ram (HR, 2 R, BB), SP Ryan Dempster (6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, W [1], QS, [1]), RP Kerry Wood (IP, H, 0 R, Sv [1])
For the record, after one half inning of the third game of the 2008 season, I got a text message from someone giving up on the season. Technically, it just said “Cubs suck”, but I’ve decided it means they give up and will use it against them for the next 6 months.
The first inning would’ve been a blip on the radar had the Cubs actually won some games before it. We’re already learning new things about this team as they start the play, and the lesson from that inning is having three outfielders with cannon arms does have downsides. I’ve never seen a Cubs team with as good everyday outfield arms in every spot, and not a single one of them believes in hitting the cut off man. Even though I have normally hate giving out an error for a batter moving up – every other ‘tough play’ is just a play – Kosuke’s throw moving Soto so far up the line and in the path of the runner, he was definitely responsible for the collision and the run scoring.
Anyway, maybe they’re going to gun some guys down, and maybe the pitchers need to be running behind the mound to better catch the throws that get away. That was the only thing Ryan Dempster wasn’t better than expected in this game. I don’t think anyone’s expecting him to be a stopper in the rotation, but it worked for one day. The walks are still going to be a problem, but he didn’t give up as many hits as you’d expect so it worked in aggregate.
I didn’t do projections because I don’t believe I’ll have anything more to accurate than the hundred already being done, but it is fun to have something to track as the season goes. The easiest semi-useful counting suggestions is Quality Starts. With a bullpen as solid as this one should be and a decent offense, 6 IP and 3 R is going to get the Cubs a win the vast majority of the time.
2007 Cubs QS
20 Ted Lilly
18 Z
17 Rich Hill
15 Jason Marquis
10 Marshall
01 Steve Trachsel
Rich Hill had a good year for a #3 starter. If Marquis got about 2 more good starts down the stretch, people probably wouldn’t have been annoyed with him. It’s the difference between terrible and bad. 17 seems a decent goal for the non-top 2 people, and I’d like to see 20-ish from Z and Lilly. Dempster has 1, Z has 1.
Nice the Cubs finally got around to torching Kendall on the basepaths. I want to see 4 SBs every game against him. Everyone ought to be running. Wood was fine in a closing situation, and everything’s feeling a bit better than it did the rest of the week.
Next series
04/04: Rich Hill vs Chris Sampson (win?)
04/05: Roy Oswalt vs Jason Marquis (bad idea game on many levels)
04/06: Z! vs Brandon Backe (Astros have no starters)