Game Eighty-One - Cubs 5 White Sox 6
WP - Matt Thornton (4-1) LP - Carlos Marmol (1-3) Save - Bobby Jenks (18)
Lou Piniella's crew lost their third straight for the second time this season in disappointing fashion to the White Sox. The Cubs had plenty of chances to put runs on the board against Javier Vazquez but left a total of 10 on base, including the tying run at 3rd with 1-out in the 9th. Derrek Lee accounted for 5 of the Cubs 12 hits, drove in 3 of the 5 runs and doubled to lead off the 9th against Bobby Jenks. Daryle Ward advanced Lee to 3rd with a groundout to 1st but Aramis Ramirez grounded out to short for the second out of the inning. Jenks induced a groundout to 2nd off the bat of Jim Edmonds to end the game.
The White Sox hit 3 home runs, including the game winner by Carlos Quentin that accounted for 4 of their 6 runs. Jermaine Dye tied the game in the bottom of the 1st with a 2-run shot off Sean Gallagher. Alexei Ramirez hit his 5th of the year in the 4th that tied the game at 5 and Quentin's 18th of the season off of Carlos Marmol proved to be the game winner in the 7th.
Sean Gallagher was not sharp early on. He gave up 4 runs in the first 2 innings but settled down and allowed only 1 more run over his last 4. Gallagher tied a season-high with 8 strikeouts and struck out 3 of the last 5 batters he faced after throwing his 100th pitch in the game. With the Cubs bullpen being taxed on Friday, Gallagher gutted it out and kept his team in the game after a bad start.
Carlos Marmol made only one mistake, but it was the difference in the game. Marmol elevated a fastball on a 0-2 count to Carlos Quentin that he hit just over the wall in right. The game changing play, however, came in the 3rd inning with 2 outs, the bases loaded and the Cubs down 4-2. Geovany Soto tattooed a ball that appeared destined for left field but Joe Crede made a diving catch into the hole that ended the inning.
The Cubs lost their second in a row to the White Sox and their fifth straight on the road.
In the first two games of this series, Lou Piniella's offense has left a total of 17 runners on base. They are not coming up with the big hit, on the road, when they need it. The inability to plate those runners has a big impact, not only in the final outcome....but during the game. It puts pressure on the pitcher, it adds pressure to the defense and makes a difficult game that much harder. The entire team needs to relax, especially with the bases loaded.
Kosuke Fukudome started the afternoon against Javier Vazquez the same way he did last Sunday night....with a walk. Mark DeRosa followed with a single to left. Derrek Lee drove in Kosuke with a single to right center right over the head Alexei Ramirez. With runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs, Daryle Ward blooped a single to center on a 3-2 pitch....2-0 Cubs.
Ozzie Guillen made a trip to the mound and calmed down Vazquez. He retired Aramis Ramirez on the first pitch, struck out Jim Edmonds swinging and Geovany Soto looking to end the inning.
Derrek Lee reached on a 1-out single that short hopped Orlando Cabrera and ended up in left center in the 3rd. Ward followed with a single to right. Aramis flied out to right but Edmonds walked to load the bases with 2 outs....Geovany Soto was robbed of a game-tying single by Joe Crede to end the inning.
Mike Fontenot started the 3-run 4th inning with the Cubs first extra base hit of the game, a double to right center. Fukudome walked with 1-out and Mark DeRosa singled to left center. Fontenot scored to cut the Sox lead in half, 4-3. Derrek Lee followed with what appeared to be a home run just to the left of straight away center. The ball hit off the base of the wall, Lee ended up at 2nd with a double and the Cubs took the lead 5-4. Ward grounded out to 1st, Lee advanced to 3rd but Aramis Ramirez (hitless in the series) struck out to end the inning....a big run left in scoring position.
With the game tied at 5, Jim Edmonds led off the 5th with a single to right. Vazquez struck out Soto looking and Guillen brought in Boone Logan to face Mike Fontenot. Logan struck out Fontenot but Ronny Cedeno hit a double down the left field line. Edmonds could not score from 1st and Kosuke Fukudome struck out to end the inning.
The Sox bullpen retired 8 in a row after a bloop single by Derrek Lee in the 6th.
Lou Piniella accurately summed up the loss in his post game press conference. The White Sox beat the Cubs on Saturday afternoon. What makes this one hurt more is....one, it is the White Sox and two, the way they lost in the two games leading up to Saturday.
Sean Marshall will try to salvage the series finale on Sunday night. The Cubs are 3-2 against the Sox this season and will have to beat Mark Buehrle to win the city series for the year.
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Quote of the Month.....
Scott Eyre speaking of icing his sore groin.....
"It's not the greatest area to ice by the way. It's quite chilly. I mean, holy crap...."
Props go out to Jim Edmonds......he's playing in pain and less than 100% out in CF because he knows there's nobody else available. He's sucking it up and doing the best he can. He hobbled around the bases and couldnt try scoring from first on an extra base hit...but he put it in overdrive trying to beat out the last out of the game. That's a gamer. Thanks Jimmy!! And hey....welcome to chicago!!
Hey guys I was going to save this for the playoffs but I think we need it now.
The last Podcast was skipped due to the filming of this clip. The 2008 Theme.... I give you
[los artistas] Shaun and Brian
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yidkm05VSlM&feature=related
Believe!!!We will get em' tommorrow!
A few thoughts at the half way point about baseball, the Cubs, golf and life. (Actually well into the back nine when it comes to life and not concerned about that at all.)
It's been said about golf and life and can be said about baseball, that they are not fair some of the time. That's true and can be predicted (but why do it). It's true too that preparation, integrity and optimal effort in all of these endeavors enable the stamp of success on an individual, a player and a team--however many the victories and successes and however large or small the circle of recogniton. That said, it is still winning at the highest level that is the ultimate team goal.
About baseball and life, it is possible to predict what watershed events might be or might have been--like an educational achievement, getting a career break (or not), acquiring a promising player who turns out to be an all star or having a major contributor whose injury heavily influences the outcome of a season. It is realistic to say that good luck matters. And it is also true that people and players who work hard to enable their success are luckier than those who do not work hard.
Some prediction's and expectations make only superficial, imaginary or passing sense and are not the stuff of credible, cause and effect outcomes. These endeavors can have some entertainment value when given reasonable weight and perspective. But giving such predictons and expectations undue weight becomes dis-crediting.
Fortunately, in life, golf and baseball, the seasons are (hopefully) long. Non-watershed experiences and even some events of serious import don't lock in the "final score" for a season or a live lived.
In baseball, anyone can predict that any team won't win the world series every year and be right most of the time. So it's not practical or credible to "go there" except in superficial, semi-serioius and fan-like ways. The storied Braves franchise of recent decades with multiple Cy Young award winning pitchers, all star position players and 14 division championships has won but 1 World Series. Which doesn't mean that the team's body of work isn't exemplary and to be emulated-- or that Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones and John Smoltz are not winners. Let's hope that the Cubs have or come up with enough winning players, team effort and leadership and have enough luck to win it all this year.
Speaking of the Braves and thinking of the Cubs' pitching issues, Gramps and I remember the 1948 Boston Braves who were blessed with only two highly credible pitchers: Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain. With the slogan "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain" echoing across the country, they did win the National League Pennant. They lost the series to a deeper Cleveland Indian's team, but both Spahn and Sain beat the legendary Bob Feller. They both lost a game too, and the less heralded Bob Lemon won 2 games for the Indians. That's why they play the games--as the saying goes. It's interesting to me too that Billy Southworth was the Braves manager, and that two great players with Cubs connections, Lou Boudreau and Alvin Dark were all star shortstops.
As "baseball luck" would have it, Billy Southworth is being inducted into the Hall of Fame July 28th, and my wife and I will be there. Our son and wife are re-enacting their wedding on their 10th anniversary that weekend in western Vermont. We fly into Albany, NY, and decided that we would also make our first trip to the Hall of Fame. It turned out to be Induction Sunday. I'm going to take a prized possession with me--a 1971 baseball hand signed by all of the Cubs players. That was Ernie's last year, and Billy and Fergie signed it too.
Given to plannig and preparation as I am, I'm hoping to see one or all of these guys and have a picture taken of them looking at the ball. In a perfect storm, I'll be holding a "CCO Rocks" sign and the guys will be giving that the thumbs up.
There may be a little more fantasy than reality in making all of that happen, but there is a credible amount of possibility in the goal.
As the guy on Saturday Night Live used to say, Baseball has been very, very good to me. And life too! There is also a credible amount of possibility that the Cubs can find ways to win it all this year. Nothing about the season is certain yet. We have to play the games. Good Luck Cubs and CCO contributors in the second half!!
is ryan theriot dead?
Great stuff, as always, JimK.
Jeremy....a swollen right hand has kept Theriot out of the lineup, he is expected back in the lineup tonight.