Game Fifty-Five: Cubs (33-21) vs. Rockies (20-34)
Game Time - 1:20pm C.T.
Coverage - TV: Comcast SportsNet - Radio: 720 WGN, XM Radio Channel 185
Location - Wrigley Field, Chicago
Ted Lilly (5-4, 5.23/1.34) vs. Aaron Cook (7-3, 2.82/1.20)
Weather permitting the Cubs will try to win the second game of the series today behind Ted Lilly. Lou Piniella's crew has won 4 in a row and entering play today have a game and a half lead on the Cardinals in the division. With only 3 games left before the Cubs hit the road for the month of June, every game at the Friendly Confines is very important. After Sunday the Cubs play 23 of the next 32 games on the road.
Aaron Cook ended the Cubs season long 6 game winning streak the last time he faced them on April 24th in Denver. Cook allowed only 2 runs on 4 hits in 8 innings of work and will make his first career start at Wrigley today. The Cubs will need a good outing from Ted Lilly and as a team they must make Cook work or could be a very short afternoon on the North Side.
After stringing together 4 very good starts, Ted Lilly took a step back last Sunday in Pittsburgh. Lilly gave up 4 runs on a season high 10 hits in 6 innings with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. He also served up 3 home runs, another season high, to the Pirates....one with a little controversy. While Lilly struggled against the Pirates, his performance was still not close to the ones at the start of the season.
Lilly must keep the ball down today against an organization he has struggled with in the past. Lilly is 2-1 in 3 career starts against the Rockies with a 6.59 ERA and a 2.12 WHIP....last year, Lilly was 2-0 against Colorado with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP.
- Garrett Atkins - 3-for-5 with a double
- Todd Helton - 1-for-4
- Scott Podsednik - 2-for-5
- Cory Sullivan - 2-for-3
- Willy Taveras - 2-for-5 with a home run
Aaron Cook has become the ace of the Rockies' staff. Cook is coming off his first complete game of the season....a 4-1 win against the Mets. Cook held the Mets to just a single run on 4 hits with 3 strikeouts and walk. Cook had two difficult outings against the Diamondbacks and Giants before the gem against the Mets. Cook appears to be back on track and that could be trouble for the Cubs.
Cook has pitched very well outside of Coors Field this season. He is 4-2 in 6 games with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP.
In 4 career starts, 5 games, Cook is 3-1 against the Cubs with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The offense must make Cook work, if he gets comfortable on the mound, he could end another winning streak.
- Ronny Cedeno - 1-for-3
- Mark DeRosa - 0-for-6
- Jim Edmonds - 7-for-13 with a double and 2 home runs
- Mike Fontenot - 2-for-7
- Reed Johnson - 1-for-3
- Derrek Lee - 3-for-10 with a double and 4 walks
- Aramis Ramirez - 0-for-10
- Alfonso Soriano - 1-for-4
- Ryan Theriot - 0-for-8
Let's Talk Cubs Baseball....
Today's lineup:
Soriano - LF
Fontenot - 2B
Lee - 1B
Soto - C
Fukudome - RF
Edmonds - CF
DeRosa - 3B
Cedeno - SS
Lilly - P
Hmm. Interesting lineup. I hear the wind is blowing out so hopefully we can take advatage of that.
I am in the south loop and the wind is coming from the South and has picked up quite a bit in the last hour... so the balls should carry well today.
Giveth and taketh away:
Rockies went on an incredible winning streak last year.
This season they are experiencing a monumental decline equaling that winning streak from last season..
Good to see Cedeno and Fontenot giving Theriot and Aramis a day off. This is a good day for them.
OK...Edmonds has good history against Cook....might be make or break for him today.....
Lets Go Cubbies!!!!!!!!
DeRo flashing the glove!
After all that to get the first two outs..
Geesh..
Oh well, it just means we have more time to secure one of those signature comebacks.
Kosuke has to stay in right field.
Lilly?!?!? Has to get that ball down. That's number 11 he has served up this year.
Looks like another we are going to need another come from behind win. Come on Ted lets go!
Judas Priest. Get this last out.
Good inning for Lilly
Cut Edmonds now.
hey, can anyone describe the Edmond's error...the game's blacked out where I'm at, and I have no clue what transpired
He called off Soriano in the gap on the warning track and tried to basket catch it around his waist. Sort of on the run, but he was slowing down. Just hit his mitt and fell out.
It looked like him and Soriano were going for it but Edmonds called him off and tried to make a basket catch and dropped it.
This would certainly be the comeback of all comebacks. Lilly, just sad out there today. He and Marquis just reinforces our serious need for another key "not 5th" starter. Who would have thought that Dempster and Gallagher would be pitching more effectively than Lilly and Marquis.
WOW, I think Ted might actually be walking up there and putting the ball on the Tee for them.
Well, let's see if we can take advantage of the wind blowing out.
Ummmm, Patience anyone??
Luckily, this defecit feels more like a 4-0 one with the wind as it is.
Wished we had Aramis in there now, though.
Lets get it goin!
Matt I was thinking the same thing.
OMG
Well....best to get the crap game out of the way while they have their best pitcher on the mound. Hopefully we can kick ass the next couple days.
We should have a pitcher in the pen that can spot start and is primarilty a ground pall pitcher for days when the wind is like this....Lilly was doomed from the start beign a fly ball picther.
Come on DeRo!
1 run at a time...
It's a bad sign when lilly gets bombed by a lineup of helton and a bunch of bench players. It just seems to me that lilly and marquis do not even give us a decent chance in the games they start. When i look at a score and see us down 3 or 4 runs in the first 2 innings i automatically know that one of those 2 are on the mound. I understand that a #5 starter usually gives up 4 or 5 runs a game on most teams but, we need to decide which is the #5 starter and trade the other. Hill was sent down for pitching the same way Lilly and Marquis have pitched the entire season. I say give him another chance because he is young enough to improve while the other 2 guys are not getting any better.
Except for today (barring a miracle) Lilly is 4-0 this month, and the way he pitched last year, I wouldn't say he is in the same category as Marquis.
HOFF-POWER, that guy can hit.
FUKUDOME!!!!
Fukudome!! Nice job.
EDMONDS!!!!! and still no outs!!
Hollywood just saved his job for at least a few days.
HANK WHITE!!!
BLANCO!!!! Come on Cubs!!
The HOFF strikes again!
JIM EDMONDS!!!!!!
HOLLYWOOD!
DERO!!!!!!!!!, Have I mentioned today I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!
DERO MY HERO!!!
What the fuck is going on with this game? OO;
Indeed the comeback of comebacks!!
WOW!!!!!
DeRosa!!!! Unbelievable!!!!!
WOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO
GAME OF THE YEAR!!!! Lilly must be dancin in the clubhouse!!!!!
Maybe the old guy matters. I plugged into CCO after a few hours of chores knowing nothing about the game, and the Cubs were down 9-4. A half hour later we're up 10-9. I hope I'm a good luck omen at least most of the time!!! GO CUBS!!!
We were down like 8-0 at one point...OO;
LOL Aramis must be SO pissed for not getting to hit into this wind..
Welcome Dilbert.... Marmol is "White Castle" better check your drawers there boys...
This Cubs team is NEVER out of a game. They truly believe they are entitled to win. I just love it...the best Cubs team of my 45 year life.
this game might go in the history books as one of the greatest comebacks ever....
wow Marmol striking out the side
we all eat crow for Edmonds
this is great!!!!!!!!
As a reliever Marmolade has 50 something odd strikeouts...the league leader has 76...in Edinson Volquez..
As dominating as Marmol was in the 8th, I almost dread seeing Kerry Wood walk out to the mound in the 9th. And I'm a Kerry Wood fan and supporter!
Sup to you do Douchebag in STL.
Holy Mother Fuckudome Cow!!!
Hey Brian...click here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-DcNPFWhbk
Comon' Kerry...Texas Holdem'......One time baby!!!
Wood-y, Wood-y, Wood-y..... how bout 6 K's in a row... 3 in the 8th, 3 in the 9th....
UNBELIVEALB! Fontenot's nice catch then Fuk... CUBS WIN!!!
CUBS WIN!!!!
GAHHHHH!!
Go Cubs Go Go Cubs Go WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a roll teh cubs are on! How many times this year have we dropped a 6 spot in one inning?
I thought Lou gave up pulling Lee and especially Soto...at least Hoff-Power could match Lee but Blanco for Soto?? And then Henry goes YARD!!!!
GREAT GREAT WIN!!!!!
I...I..Love you guys...sorry I'm sentimental.
What a Comeback!!!I'm still in shock.
Jim[tp]... we await!
And note my first post of the day that I called it would be a make or break day for Edmonds that he had a good history against Cook..... Let's hope it turns him around.
May we now call Micah "Whole Power" and Marmol "Doctor K"?
Fuk and Fontenot got us really good defense. This type of plays is something the pitching staff must always count (especially on a windy day with the starting pitchers in trouble).
Boy, seeing that "W" rising and waving is ... grace.
I was even telling my friends online about 5th inning, that if the Cubs can turn this over, a 8-run behind, since what? since 1998 or the 80s when we ever could overcome this deficit? and win it? If we win it, I'm gonna call a girl I knew in college and ask her out because I never did...
:-D
Such a dei miraculum.
WHAT A GAME!!!! GREAT COME BACK!
I love this TEAM!! And I am still very excited!!
Unreal game. We'll remember this one in October. DeRosa's bomb was the loudest I've been all year.
It shows the overall makeup of the team -- including the bench.
I stand by the negativity I've brought towards Edmonds ... three runs scored after he didn't catch the fly and his HR was a pop-up.
Still, he's overall my only problem with this team. Bar none the best I've seen in my lifetime (I'm 30). Looking forward to remembering this victory as we play in October as the point when we knew you could never count out these Cubs.
This was an unbelievable win!
Not sure if it's the last, but here is a game I remember....1989, Cubs were down 9-0 to the Astros after 6, and came back to win 10-9 in 10 innings:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN198908290.shtml
Dwight Smith delivered the winning hit in the 10th.
Smith and Walton finished #1 and #2 in ROY voting...could Soto/Fuku do that this year?
Yeah, I remember that game quite clearly, Keith. In fact, it made my 10 favorite games of all time list. I'd probably have to bump something and include today if I made the list now.
Show and Keith and history. When I was 30, Show, the year was 1967 and the political and economic worlds were in even worse shape than they are now. We were assinating our leaders back then and the Reds were a militant, nuclear threat not based in Cincinnati.
We did have an excellent Cubs team led by Leo D instead of Lou P. We know what the Cubs have now. Back then, we could watch 4 Hall of Famers, Ernie, Billy, Fergie and (almost there) Ron. Lefty Ken Holtzman too was an outstanding pitcher. Not bad! The Cubs finished 3rd in the NL that year--87-74.
Several posts mention Edmonds dropping of the fly ball....I'm not sure that can be fully blamed on him....he and Soriano BOTH looked confused out there. Edmonds looked away to Soriano (becauase Soriano was still going for the ball)at the last minute and couldnt pick the ball back up. Jimmy deserves alot of the heat he gets--but he can't be held alone on that one.
NATION REPRESENT!
CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!
Are you kidding me????
Man,this club is turning into the Captain comeback kids!!!!
Anybody see that Rothchild missed the game due to family obligations? Is Lilly that tied him that he blows up when his pitching coach is away?
Anyway, living in Denver and going through that magical run last year with the Rockies (I was at the play-in game, best sporting event I've ever been to), it really is tough to watch this team disintegrate since they have some very talented players. You know when the leadoff sports story in Denver are QB workouts and the Denver Lacrosse team, you've fallen pretty far from the top.
This team reminds me of the 2002 Anaheim Angels. I saw them play when I was in LA on business and saw a game similar to the one the Cubs played today. Just amazing. A great day to be a Cubs fan. I love it.
BREAK OUT THE RALLY MONKEY!!! That actually gets the stadium rocking when the rally monkey appears on the jumbotron in Anaheim....
As for the Rox...they will be like the Baby-Backs next year as they get a chance to play and gel.