Game Sixty-Seven - Cubs 4 Tigers 5
WP - Brandon Lyon (3-3) LP - Kevin Gregg (2-2, BS 3) Save - None
Leading up to the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs had played one of their better road games of the season. The Cubs' offense struggled again with runners in scoring position (0-for-8) but Micah Hoffpauir's two-out, two-run homer in the eighth gave the Cubs a 4-3 lead.
Carlos Marmol struck out three of the four batters he faced in the eighth with one of his better outings over the last few weeks. The Cubs were unable to tack on in the top of the ninth but Kevin Gregg took the mound with a one-run lead.
Kevin Gregg walked the leadoff hitter, Don Kelly, on the ninth pitch of the at bat. Gregg retired Brandon Inge on a pop out to shallow right and Jim Leyland went to his bench. Ryan Raburn pinch-hit for Josh Anderson and ripped a hanging breaking ball on a 1-0 pitch from Gregg into the Cubs' bullpen in left center.
The Cubs left the field as the Tigers jumped up and down around homeplate.
The Cubs once again wasted another strong outing by one of their starting pitchers. Carlos Zambrano notched another quality start and left in line to pickup his fifth win of the season. Zambrano made only one mistake all night. He served up a two-run homer to Brandon Inge, his 17th of the year, on a 2-1 pitch in the seventh that gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
Derrek Lee extended his career-high hitting streak to 20 games with a double in the sixth that setup the go ahead run. Milton Bradley walked ahead of Lee and scored on a sacrifice fly by Geovany Soto that broke a 1-1 tie.
Lee had another good night at the plate (2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and a RBI). Not only did he drive in the first run of the game, he set the stage for Micah Hoffpauir's home run in the eighth off of Joel Zumaya ... Lee reached on a two-out single to left.
With one pitch from Kevin Gregg the Cubs went from three games over .500 to just one game above ... and all of the positives from the game were erased.
While many will point to the Cubs' offensive woes as the reason for the loss, at least on Tuesday night in Detroit they were facing a quality pitcher ... and one of the top young arms in the American League this season. However, when a team battles all night long just to see their closer serve up a walk-off home run it can have lasting effects. How the Cubs' respond on Wednesday will set the stage for the remainder of the road trip.
The Cubs took advantage of Edwin Jackson's command issues in the first inning. Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot led off the game with singles. Milton Bradley walked to load the bases ... with no outs. Derrek Lee followed with a weak grounder to short. Soriano scored and Lee beat Placido Polanco's throw to first. With runners on first and third with one out, Micah Hoffpauir struck out and Geovany Soto grounded out to short to end the inning.
One run with the bases loaded and no outs is not good production but Edwin Jackson settled down after a visit from the Tigers' pitching coach, Rick Knapp.
Jackson retired the Cubs in order in the second and third innings.
Derrek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir walked to start the fourth but Jackson settled down again. Geovany Soto and Kosuke Fukudome both struck out swinging and Mike Fontenot flied out to center on a 1-0 pitch to end the inning.
Milton Bradley was at the plate in the fifth when Andres Blanco was thrown out attempting to steal second ... and Bradley used that to his advantage in the sixth. Bradley walked to start the inning and advanced to third on the Cubs' first extra base hit of the road trip, a double to left by Derrek Lee. Jackson struck out Hoffpauir for the first out of the inning.
Geovany Soto, who was replaced by Koyie Hill in the bottom of the eighth after pulling his hand off the bat striking out to end the top of the inning, put together a very good at bat. Jackson fell behind 2-0 before getting even. Soto took ball three then flied out to right center. Bradley tagged and scored the go ahead run ... at the time.
The Cubs managed only four hits off of Edwin Jackson but the four walks and seven strikeouts ran up his pitch count. The Cubs plated a pair of runs off of Jackson ... but again it should have been more.
Wednesday is a new day and one that will tell a lot about the makeup of this version of the Chicago Cubs.
Rich Harden is scheduled to face Rick Porcello on Wednesday night in Detroit.
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What a freakin waste!!!! YOU CAN"T WALK GUYS WHEN YOUR IN THE PROS!!!! I AM SICK OF THIS!
A few thoughts....
* When Guzman gets off the DL He s/b annointed closer.
* I would only let Gregg pitch in the 6 inning or after everyone else is used.
* Time to bring the shark up and say good bye to David Pattton.
Jim C. leave the Shark where he is...he needs to develop consistancy...and I don't think Lou will use him right.
Ascaino isn't getting as much work as he needs either.
I agree with Ascanio needing more work. He has shown signs of being pretty good, but also has had some really bad outings. I think the jury is still out on him, but I would like to see him get some more work to see if he can handle it.
asciano and marmol setup men and guzman closer and trade or make kevin gregg a 6th inning man
Except for Gregg in the 9th, I am proud of Team Blue tonight. They were competitive in a game with dominating pitchers and should have won. The walkoff homer in the ninth was devestating.
Regarding pitching, I like our depth and pipeline, and I posted on the prior thread that Lou will move Greg out of the 8th and 9th soon. I do think we need a good lefty reliever.
The ups and downs in baseball are simply bewildering a lot of the time. Case in point, Brandon Inge. Over the last two years, the Tigers were begging teams to take his poor performance and contract off their hands in a one-sided trade. His 4 year $24 mil deal includes about $6.5 mil per in '09 and 10. In 2008 (at $6 mil) his line was .205-11-51 and in 2007 it was .238-17-49.
Now the guy no one wanted is .278-17-49 in half a season and plays 3rd, C and the corner OF positions fairly well. He went from the outhouse to the penthouse in 90 days.
I'm with you re the vagaries of baseball.
It is what makes the sport so great.
Dog today/hero tomorrow...and vice versa....but age has a way of turning all to dogs on the playing field...their tails may still wag...but the legs and the speed...just not quite the same as they were...we have a few too many on the way to doggiehood...but maybe...just maybe with a little help....we just might do it.
A month ago...I would have killed for a
well played game (except Gregg), like we played this night.
agreed...it's kind of like the "hero today" "goat tomorrow" sort of thing, though I'd argue that Kevin Gregg has long been the goat. First of all, in 4 seasons with the Angels, he was one of their weakest links in their bullpen. In his first season, he was mostly a starter, and did fairly well posting a 3.28 ERA...then came the pen, and had a 4.21 ERA, 5.04 ERA, and 4.14 ERA, before coming to the pitcher friendly NL, where he was closer for 2 years in Florida by default. There's a reason they were going to non-tender him. When you post ERA's of 3.54 and 3.41, have high.....VERY high walk totals for a closer of 40 and 37 (15 already this year in only 32 IP), then you suck...plain and simple. In middle relief, he was even worse, giving up well over a hit per IP, and served up 10 hr his last year with the Angels.
He's essentially Bob Howry...NOT closer material. At least Kerry Wood had half the walks that Gregg gives up, and in his entire career...even as a starter, has NEVER given up more hits than IP....that's saying something...couple that with his devastating breaking pitches, and 97-99 mph fastball in the pen, and at least he can blow the fastball by people, so they can't sit on it like Gregg.
I agree with you on Inge. It was rumored the Cubs were interested in him at one point....would've been nice to have him now, huh?
But Gregg is, and always will be a bum. When you think of Gregg...think of Mel Rojas, but with less command, and less K's...don't believe me? look it up:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rojasme01.shtml
"...Gregg Blows.."
No kidding.
Gregg got to go I agree with that. Lou do not used David Patton enough so how do we ecpect to get decent results from him when he do not pitch in weeks.
oh....and almost forgot....if you have greater than a 4-run lead, it doesn't count as a blown save. So while this is like his 4th blown save of the season, if memory serves me correctly, he also blew 2 games where we had greater than a 4-run lead. Technically, he has 6 blown saves in that regard, which makes him the world's worst closer EVER....not to mention he had 9 of them last year. I wonder how many others last year were 4-run leads or more, and he blew those too....LOL...what a crock
Yeah, like I said in the live discussion, he had an ERA of 6 this year. 6 is high (but not unheard of) for a regular reliever, and is completely inexcusable for a closer who gets actual playing time like Gregg (like I mentioned with Wood, his is a bit more excusable since he only gets to pitch in a save opportunity, which rarely happens for the Indians...meanwhile, like Aaron mentioned, Gregg's actually pitched in in situations, and blown games, without there being a save involved).
Lesson to be learned: if the Marlins are willing to give someone up, there is usually a reason for it, so don't deal with the Marlins!
I agree that the Cubs need an upgrade in the closer department. Though Gregg had not allowed a run since the Atlanta game on June 2nd, he has proved to be inconsistent at best. Ironically, he has done well against lefties, so maybe use him against lefties only.
Aaron, as much as I loved the guy, I still don't think that Wood was the answer or would be any better. He has blown more saves (and barely held one yesterday) and his health is a constant worry.
PaulK,
I was merely saying that Wood vs Gregg...I take Wood every damn time.
I don't buy Hendry's response to the Wood situation...just like I don't buy his response to the DeRosa trade, and just like I don't buy his response to the budget situation. He's contradicted himself so many times, it's ridiculous.
We probably could've signed Wood for $5 million or more and incentives, kept DeRosa, and STILL gotten a lefty bat. Fact is, I've mentioned this before...by adding Miles, Gregg, Gathright, Heilman, Bradley, the Cubs spent $20 million. If, they had kept DeRosa ($5 million), let Ascanio or another rookie have Heilman's spot ($400,000), AND signed Wood ($5-7 million would be his likely "hometown discount"), you still have $8 million to spend on that lefty bat. Couple that with the savings they got from the Marquis for Vizcaino deal, and you save another $5 million, for a total of $13 million. Am I making sense?
So, with keeping DeRosa, Fontenot still remains in the lineup, as he'd take over in RF for Fukudome if necessary, and move around as he always did if we found a lefty RF (Dunn was available). So if you keep DeRosa, Wood, AND go out and get that power lefty bat, you still have $3 million left over to get a decent reliever. Follow me?
So, that's why I think Hendry's an idiot, and should be fired. He never replaced DeRosa's production, because even in Bradley's best year last year with 22 hr, 77 RBI, he still couldn't equal DeRosa's production. It just makes you wonder what the hell the guy was thinking, and ever since then, he's been covering his ass, trying to save face for the new owner. The new owner would EASILY fire him for those offenses if he had to DFA Miles, replace Gregg, and bench Bradley. Yet, despite their horrible play in every facet of the game, they're still run out there every damn day, and if you don't think that's a directive from the top (Hendry), you're out of your mind. The reason I firmly believe that is because Piniella in 2007 and 2008 would not hesitate to bench underperforming veterans. It didn't matter if you were making $5 million or $1 million...he'd still bench you. This year isn't the case. I find it hard to believe that a guy that competitive isn't receiving orders from Jimbo to keep playing the likes of Gregg in the closer's role, Miles in the IF (until recently), and Bradley in RF, despite the fact they've done NOTHING...NOTHING to help us win ballgames. Do you realize that? When has Bradley ever had a clutch hit this year? Ditto Miles? Now, how many times have both those guys struck out in key situations? Exactly. How many games has Gregg blown? Now, couple that with the fact he doesn't actually add anything to a victory (as the starting pitching is the main reason), then you see my point.
Not for nothing, but Miles had a double a few games back that ultimately lead to a game winning (or was it game tying, who knows) run. Of course, the fact still remains he hasn't had a hit since and had way too few before, so yeah, he is pretty worthless.
Also, it's fun to re-read what you said and pretend Vince from ShamWow is saying it. Just saying.
I would agree that Wood is a much more capable closer than Gregg. Your point is well made, Aaron, and I definitely agree that Hendry is more concerned with covering up and rationalizing his mistakes than what could be done for the good of this Cubs team. I don't know how Piniella can live with himself by letting underperforming players keep going out there regardless...no accountability which is destined to keep this club at or below .500 baseball. That's pathetic and we all know it.