Game One Hundred - Cubs 2 Diamondbacks 9
WP - Yusmeiro Petit (1-1) LP - Jason Marquis (6-6) Save - None
Did the Chicago Cubs just hit rock bottom for the 2008 season? After scoring a total of two runs in the first three losses of the road trip, the Cubs offense continued to struggle on Tuesday night in the desert. The team wide slump jumped from concerning to alarming in the worst played game of the year for Lou Piniella's crew. The Cubs managed only 2 runs in a game that was actually closer than the final score. The Diamondbacks scored 6 of their 9 runs in the 7th and 8th innings off of Sean Marshall and Kevin Hart....but the last two innings was a total team collapse.
Sean Marshall uncorked two wild pitches in the 7th that allowed the D'Backs fourth run of the game to score before serving up a home run to Orlando Hudson. Kevin Hart walked 3, hit a batter and gave up 4 runs, 2 earned, on 2 doubles in 2/3 of an inning. Micah Hoffpauir and Derrek Lee both committed errors in the 8th as the Cubs did not in any way resemble the team that had such a solid first half of the season.
Jason Marquis turned in a quality start. He allowed 3 runs on 5 hits in 6 innings. Conor Jackson gave Arizona a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning on his 10th long ball of the year. The D'Backs added a run in the 3rd on 2 hits and a walk. Marquis hit Alex Romero on a 1-2 pitch with 1 out in the 4th and he scored on a 2-out double by Stephen Drew on another 1-2 pitch from Marquis.
Mike Fontenot and Daryle Ward drove in the Cubs two runs. Fontenot tripled home Mark DeRosa with 2 outs in the 4th and cut the Diamondbacks' lead to 2-1. Daryle Ward hit his first pinch-hit home run of the year in the 8th and made it a 5-2 game at the time. Ryan Theriot recorded two more hits and leads the National League with 40 multi hit games.
The Cubs were given every opportunity to win the game on Tuesday. Aramis Ramirez continued his slump. Ramirez was 0-for-3 with a walk and is 0-for-20 with a walk since the break. Derrek Lee grounded into his 21st double play of the year to go along with his 0-for-4 night. Lee stranded 5 runners in his 4 at bats.
The Cubs are simply trying to do too much. Before the 7th inning, it was just at the plate, but the offensive struggles carried over into the field in the last two innings.
With the loss the Cubs are 1-10 in their last 11 games at Chase Field and 13-27 all-time. For the year, the Cubs hit a season low 9 games under .500 on the road at 21-30.
Even with the loss on Tuesday the Cubs are 22-10 against the west with one game left...but changes should be coming from Lou Piniella. The Cubs' skipper appeared emotionless in the dugout during the game, and a quiet Lou should be a good sign of things to come. To have been a fly on the wall in the clubhouse following the game....
The Cubs had chances but could simply not come up with a hit with runners on base while the game was still in question.
After a 10-pitch 1st inning, Yusmeiro Petit walked two batters in the 2nd inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd and down by only 1 run, Geovany Soto fouled out to Chad Tracy and Mike Fontenot flied out to center.
In the 3rd, Ryan Theriot reached on a 1-out ground rule double to left center. Theriot's ball bounced off the barrier in the deepest part of the park and cost Theriot a triple. Kosuke Fukudome walked....but Derrek Lee flied out to the warning track in right and Aramis Ramirez flied out to the track in left.
The Cubs lone run off Petit came in the 4th inning. Mark DeRosa worked a 1-out walk and scored on a 2-out triple to right center by Mike Fontenot....the first triple of the season by Little Fontenot. Jason Marquis struck out swinging with the tying run on 3rd.
Kosuke Fukudome reached on a 1-out single to center in the 5th but Derrek Lee swung at a 2-0 pitch and grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
After Mark DeRosa was stranded at 2nd following a 2-out double in the 6th, Ryan Theriot worked a 2-out walk in the 7th. Fukudome followed with a single to left past a diving Stephen Drew but Derrek Lee grounded out to Hudson up the middle to end the inning....the score was 3-1 at the time.
The Cubs added a run in the 8th on Ward's solo home run but they would not get any closer than the 2-run deficit in the 7th....the Diamondbacks took advantage of all the mistakes and bad pitching in the last two innings. The three errors committed by the Cubs defense were their first mistakes in the last 5 games.
Forget the records, forget the standings....the Cubs need to win a ballgame. And it is up to Lou Piniella to pull the right strings to get his team playing like a first place ball club again.
Ted Lilly is scheduled to face Doug Davis in the finale on Wednesday.
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PATHETIC!!!! The Cub's Nation expects more!!!!!!
Been reading the board but haven't felt the need to comment for a while... but it feels like it's time :-)
Every team has ups and downs through the course of a year... the Cubs had a little mini run with 5 of 7 before the break - but now with dropping 4 of 5 after the break the "faithful" sound like they're drinking the kool aid already.
Patience. Harden has looked like the second coming of the Red Baron in '84 and Fonzie is coming back. Baseball America just released a rundown of their picks for the playoffs and said that the Cubs are far and away both the most talented and the deepest team in the NL. Granted that doesn't always translate into wins, but it's simply a matter of everyone slumping at once right now. It's obvious watching Lee and A Ram that both of them are pressing a LOT both trying to carry the team and break out themselves. A Ram hitting the ball to the track and throwing his bat and helmet in frustration kind of said it all there tonight... but once Fonzie gets back I look for things to click and the offense to relax and get back to having fun playing baseball again.
Do I think they're looking good right now? No.
Am I overly worried about it? No.
If it keeps up for another week I will be (smirk) but right now it's just a normal team slump that every team hits at one point or another.
Who the hell is Yusufaly Pettit? Oh wait, he's the guy from Romania who just made "the best offense in the majors" look like a bunch of little leaguers.
I don't know about Lou Piniella... he's too quiet. Maybe that means he's about to drop the f-bomb on the squad, but what if he's lacking that passion that we so diligently blame the players for also?
Gary J, thank you for the refreshing post this morning.
I really think with Soriano coming back will it re-energize the team. It will take pressure off of Lee and Ramirez and hopefully move Fukudome back to the 5 hole where he hit best and Theriot in the 2 hole.
Last night in a post or two and even a few threads back, a few people said that not having Soriano is no excuse, while it might not be an excuse, it sure the hell doesn't help the situation. The first thing Lou said when Sori went down was "this is going to hurt us" well it is starting to show.
Look at the numbers with Soriano in the lineup compared to when he is not.
With 32-17
Without 26-25
The numbers don't lie.
He changes the whole dynamic of the lineup. If you took Pujols out of the Cards lineup for six weeks and Fielder or Braun out of the Brewers for six weeks, would it eventually start to hurt them? Hell yes it would.
Starting today we will hopefully be back to full squad, so let's take a deep breath and take a step back from the ledge and starting kicking some ass again.
let's go Cubs!!!
Gary J, Well said!!!
Eliot, Petit was once a very highly regarded prospect in the Mets and Marlins systems. He had a coule dominant seasons in the minors and was traded for Carlos Delgado. He's a solid (albeit unproven) pitcher and has pitched pretty well in limited major league time this year.
Interesting reading all the diverse banter the last several days.
For me, I'm amazed as to the lack of intensity from this team since the all-star break. While the Brewers and Cards have come out of the break "with a purpose", we have this tired look that's just odd after a 5 day rest.
Sports is all about momentum, and candidly folks this team currently has none. And I don't drink the koolaid a bit to think that Soriano's return is the answer.
There is a mental and physical aspect to the game. I can't understand how guys in their 20's and 30's just look so "spent" in playing a game for 3 hours a day.
I'm not totally jumping off the bandwagon, but this group has real "makeup" issues currently. And some how, this team needs to figure out how to get their act in major gear on the road.
-We need to get back home.
-We almost need to drop out of first to maybe light the fire again.
-Aram needs a day off
-When Sori comes back please put him in the 3 hole and move Lee down to 5.
-Minus last night, the pitching is still above average.
-We suck in the desert. We have now lost 8 of our last 9 at Arizona.
-I was at the game and there is not a single player who is not in a funk right now. This is a team thing.
-If we can win get-away day, beat up the Marlins, we will be positioned to put the Brew-crew in their place.
-If we can not do the before-mentioned, then we watch the Brewers run away with this thing and battle ST. Louis for the wildcard.
-The wildcard may not be that bad because we won't have to play Arizona in the first round.
-Last week I thought this was about heart and pride, now I think it is a team that has lost its way, better now than in september or october.
-Go Cubs.
Bryan...amen!
I'd like to be paid millions, have a 5 day rest period, and then come back to work lackluster. Nice team and individual pride!
Also, can someone please nail Fukodome's feet into the batters box. I am so tired of watching his bail and flail routine.
Boy, did the league figure this guy out.
Gary, great post!
It is amazing to read some of these comments. I like to think that we are playing our worst baseball of the year and we are still in first place. We all know this team is better than it has been playing. Any team will look uninspired when they are in a funk. The good thing is that we are getting good pitching. The bats will come around.
One thing I don't like about some of the comments is when they start calling my team "F'ing idiots". This site is more classy than that. I am sure the Cubs are trying very hard to win. Nobody likes to lose. This happens to be a down time in the season but with Soriano coming back and if the pitchers can keep doing the job they are doing, I am sure everything will be good again. Hey guys, keep the faith! GO CUBS!
P.S. Yes I am a kool aid drinking Cubs fan. I enjoy my time watching and rooting for them. I think we all have to remember that this is a pasttime, not real life. Do I get frustrated? Sure! But remember that every day is a good day if the feet hit the floor in the morning. Once again, keep the faith.
I see Soriano is supposed to be back in the lineup tonight (ESPN, Yahoo, Rotoworld). Hopefully if nothing else it'll at least give our offense a mental boost.
Neal,
Any possibility we'd try to deal for Randy Winn? I'm guessing he could be had a for a couple mid-level prospects and he'd give us an upgrade in CF and a very solid #2 (or lead-off) hitter with speed and a little pop.
In spring training we never would have traded Hill, Pie and Ronnie "woo woo" Cedeno for Brian Roberts. We would have loved that now...but the "shine" is unfortunately off all 3 now.
Who wants Randy Winn or Brian Roberts. Were is the upgrade???? Grass is always greener. If you started to watch Randy Winn everyday you would not want him on this team.
that was cook, david spelled neil like seal (neal). I think you should get that legally changed. :)
There is karma for ya, I spelled cool as cook. :)
So who is this Soriano guy playing for Iowa?
This is not an excuse. But do remember that our several all stars had zero days off when you add their travel to and from the game and rejoining their teammates on the road. I worried at the time that the Yankee Stadium/NY hoopla would not help our stars at all.
What, exactly, is Lou going to do?
Nothing.
What...he is going to bench Lee, or Ramirez, or Soto? Do you think the "untouchable" Hoffpauir at 1B, DeRosa at 3B, and Blanco at C would be a good shake-up?
Of course not.
Do you take Zambrano, Lilly, Harden, or Dempster out of the rotation? Of course not. You could argue abour Marquis, but he is the problem during this slump, so that won't fix anything.
Soriano being hurt is a HUGE part of the problem, because it causes a top player to be replaced by an average or mediocre player.
If I am a GM, I will put Soriano in my lineup, every single time, over Fontenot, DeRosa, Cedeno, or Chad "BTS" Johnson.
We don't need lineup changes...we need Soriano back, and consistency with the everyday lineup and batting order.
The only actual upgrades we could make to this team would be in the bullpen, the bench, CF, 2B, or SS.
Right now, DeRosa has been adequate, and Theriot has been amazingly resilient. If you look at his stats as a Cub, Edmonds has good power numbers, a .380 OBP, and a .280 avg. Add in his decent defense, and I can't say Edmonds is the problem.
So maybe you beef up your bench and bullpen...ok...especially the bullpen.
But the bullpen doesn't hit.
Bottom-line is that the Cubs are all slumping at the same time, and that might actually be a good thing, because the odds are against this happening again. If we can stay in 1st, and play awful, we are in good shape, as a winning streak is due any day now.
The wind blows out the 2nd half at Wrigley. We should continue to dominate at home, and with a healthy Soriano, and a dominant (and healthy) Harden, we are really positioned well.
The cream rises to the top. Don't sweat the Cards (not enough talent). The Brewers can help themselves the wildcard.
David....I have not read or heard anything about the Cubs being interested in Randy Winn lately. There was the false internet rumor a couple of weeks back, but that was it.
I am not hearing or reading anything about possible trades the Cubs are considering.....just JimK's rumor yesterday.
OK Blue, Here is the Cubs grade for the 10th ten game sequence of the season: FAIL!!! We won 4 and lost 6. We stand at 58-42 after 100 games--a 58% pace that projects to 94 wins. But for the year we now stand at 2 high passes, 3 passes, 2 kiss your sisters and 3 fails.
Mr. Obvious says that we have to have a team resurgence and go 36-26 the rest of the way to win 94 games. That is our magic number, I think, to reach the playoffs with a good chance to win the NLCS.
Show Offs during the last 10--when runs were hard to come by--were DeRo with 7R, Fontenot with 6R and Edmonds with 5R. Fontenot and Edmonds had 2 HR each. Theriot had an amazing 19H but scored only 4R. Harden, D, Z and Gaudin pitched very well-with indifferent results.
The No Shows were too numerous to mention. The good news is that for some of them, the only way left for them to go during the next grading period is up. Soriano's return should remind us that he has missed 49, FORTY-NINE, of our first 100 games. Had he played half the games he missed, we likely would have 5 or 6 more wins. He, Lee and Rameriz are not saviors every day as individuals--but they and Z, D, Harden, Marmol and Wood have to collectively carry us the rest of the way. If 3 of those 8 are mediocre or worse in the last 62, we'll save big bucks on post season tickets and blood pressure medications. But there are ample reasons to suggest that they can and will carry us.
I leave tomorrow for our son's 10 year, wedding annivrsary celebration in western VT and a first-time visit on Sunday-Monday to the Hall of Fame. My 1971 Cubs baseball signed by the members of the team, including Hall of Famers, Ernie, Billy and Fergie is going with me. I'm hoping to say hello to them again and get a picture of one or more of them with me and the ball.
The rest of you are in charge tonight and for the next few days. Carry on with class would be my suggestion.