Game One Hundred Forty - Cubs 0 Astros 4
WP - Randy Wolf (9-11) LP - Ryan Dempster (15-6) Save - None
After posting seven consecutive wins a week ago, the Cubs lost their fifth in a row for the first time this season and completed a miserable week on the North Side of Chicago. Not only did the Cubs lose, but they were shutout for the second time in the series and the fifth time at Wrigley this year. The Cubs offense scattered 6 hits, all singles, against the veteran southpaw....with no runs. Randy Wolf recorded his first complete game shutout since April 24, 2004 in Montreal with pinpoint command and a very liberal strike zone by the home plate umpire.
The Cubs offense tried to lift the ball against Wolf and with the wind blowing in they simply did not hit the ball hard enough to do any damage.
Ryan Dempster did not bring his A-game, but deserved a better result than he received. Dempster only made a few mistakes but the Astros did all of their damage with 2 outs. Hunter Pence reached on a 2-out hustle double to left center in the 2nd and scored on a single by Humberto Quintero. In the 5th inning the Astros put the game away after a 2-out single by Michael Bourn and the first hit of the series by Ty Wigginton....a 2-run homer to left center that the wind did not hold in the park.
The Cubs offense made Randy Wolf look like Cy Young. Wolf struck out 8 on a night the Cubs appeared very lifeless in the field and at the plate.
The Cubs were swept at home for the first time this season and will have a long off day and a trip to Cincinnati to think about the last week.
With the Brewers struggling just as bad as the Cubs, the standings in the Central Division between the top two teams remain the same as they were on Sunday afternoon.
After looking like a first place team for the seven games leading up to Saturday afternoon's match up against the Phillies, the Cubs looked equally as bad in the last five games. Poor fundamentals, little to no patience at the plate, poor defense and every other way a team can play poorly on a diamond.
Following the game Lou Piniella said they were beaten. No excuses. They were out played and will have to find a way to get out of their slump. Piniella added every team will deal with adversity and right now the Cubs are dealing with it.
The Cubs only scoring chance came in the 5th after Ronny Cedeno led off the inning with a walk. Ryan Dempster sacrificed him to 2nd base (Dempster's second of the night and 18th of the season, a new franchise record). Alfonso Soriano followed with a single to left but Ty Wigginton threw out Ronny Cedeno at the plate....Alfonso Soriano remained at 1st base as the throw went home. Soriano must run hard out of the box, he could have drawn a throw that allowed Cedeno to score. But instead he looked at the throw when he should have at least been at 2nd base with 2 outs for Ryan Theriot....
For the second time this week, this will be a short recap for obvious reasons....nothing to report.
Here is one interesting stat....before tonight only five teams in both leagues had not lost five games in a row this season. The Marlins, the Rays, the Angels, the Yankees and the Cubs.
The Cubs are off on Thursday and will try to get back on track on Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Ted Lilly versus Bronson Arroyo....
Its about time to turn this BS around.....
D. Lee has been sucking it up recently --- but unless we can get a bonafide 35HR 100 RBI guy to replace him, his defense alone is better than any Hoffpower or Dubose or other guy in the minors....
I agree -- if we do get that 35-100 guy, or a guaranteed Gold-Glove caliber defensive player (Hoffpauir has promised neither!) go ahead an d trade him for prospects..... till then, keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.
Why do you have to tell people to keep their mouth shut? Opinions can't be expressed on this website unless they are in agreement with you? Wow... you must be a superstar genius...too bad your not managing the Cubs.
Baron, I refuse the command to shut up because what you asked was easy to find.
Mark Teixeira: currently 29HR and 106 RBI
There would be teams out there that I could see wanting DLee to play 1B for them: Indians, Yankees (Giambi could DH), Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, A's
So how does this work in practice? Do you sign Tex first and then every team will know you need to deal Lee so you will end up with a poor package for him? Or do you deal Lee first and then get into a bidding war for Tex cause Tex's agent knows you need him. Neither approach sounds like a good idea to me.
D. Lee is good. Enough said. He is having an "off" year, maybe an "off" two years, but he's good, he'll be fine, we'll be fine! I think he's hitting in the wrong spot personally...move him down in the order until he start smoking the ball like he did early in the season and we'll be fine.
Lows...you're assuming that DLee would return to smoking the ball like he did the first 2 months...the past 3 months he hasn't smoked the ball..and in this final month he doesn't show anything of smoking the ball...nor did he show signs of smoking the ball most of last year as well...perhaps he may not return to that form