Game One Hundred Forty-Five - Cubs 4 Brewers 7
WP - Dave Bush (5-7) LP - Randy Wells (10-9) Save - Trevor Hoffman (33)
For those that thought the Cubs still had a chance at post-season play, Thursday's loss should have erased all hope. The Cubs completed their penultimate homestand of the year with back-to-back losses to the Brewers ... and finished with a 4-3 record in the last seven games.
What had been the strength of the 2009 version of the Chicago Cubs, the starting staff, had a rough final three games and appear out of gas.
Randy Wells had one of his worst outings of the year. Wells walked a season-high five batters (one intentional) in four innings and three of them scored. Wells needs to be shutdown for the remainder of the year because this team is going no where past October 4 ... but home.
Randy Wells struggled from his first pitch of the ballgame. Wells walked the first two batters he faced before giving up a single to Ryan Braun to load the bases. After striking out Prince Fielder, Mike Cameron hit a sacrifice fly to left center that gave the Brewers a one-run lead. Wells retired Mat Gamel to end the first ... but the handwriting was on the wall.
The Cubs took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first. Five of the first six Cubs' reached base against Dave Bush. The Cubs tied the game at one when Derrek Lee grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that allowed Ryan Theriot to score.
Jeff Baker delivered a two-out RBI single to right that plated Jake Fox with the go ahead run.
Randy Wells settled down until the fourth inning. Wells retired the first two batters he faced in the fourth before walking Alcides Escobar. Dave Bush followed with a single and Wells walked Felipe Lopez to load the bases.
Former Cub-for-a-minute, Jody Gerut stepped in and ripped a 2-2 pitch into the bleachers in right. Gerut's grand slam gave the Brewers a 5-2 lead and proved to be the game winner.
Micah Hoffpauir delivered a pinch-hit two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fourth that cut the Brewers lead to 5-4. The Cubs offense could not get any closer and they allowed the Brewers' pen to retire the last nine batters in order to end the game.
Milton Bradley took himself out of the game following a leadoff single to start the sixth. Reports during the game indicated Bradley left with knee inflammation.
Mike Rivera put the game away in the seventh off of Esmailin Caridad. Rivera delivered a two-out, two-run double that gave the Brewers a 7-4 lead. Six of the seven runs the Brewers scored against the Cubs on Thursday afternoon were on two-out hits.
The Milwaukee Brewers won for only the third time this season at Wrigley (3-5) and Dave Bush posted his second career win against the Cubs ... his first at the Friendly Confines. With the loss, the Cubs find themselves just five games over .500 with 17 left to play ...
Randy Wells has already surpassed his career high in innings pitched in a single season ... and on Thursday it showed. Wells struggled with his command and left after just four innings.
One of the main reasons Wells has been so successful this season has been his ability to get out of jams. In other words, he would bend but would seldom break ... on Thursday he broke.
Randy Wells escaped the first inning with allowing only one run after loading the bases with no outs. Wells walked Felipe Lopez and Jody Gerut on nine pitches. Ryan Braun followed with a single to left ... bases loaded for Prince Fielder.
With the infield back, Prince Fielder worked the count to 3-2 before striking out. Mike Cameron fell behind 0-1 before hitting a sacrifice fly into left center. Lopez scored, 1-0 Brewers. With two on and two out, Mat Gamel popped out to second to end the inning.
Wells sat down the Brewers in order in the second after his offense gave him a 2-1 lead.
Felipe Lopez led off the third with a single to left but Koyie Hill picked him off first with Gerut at the plate. Gerut grounded out to second. Ryan Braun blooped a double down the right field line and Prince Fielder was intentionally walked with two outs. Mike Cameron lined out to Ryan Theriot to end the inning.
The fourth inning would not be as kind. After Mike Fontenot made a nice defensive play on a ball hit into shallow center by Mat Gamel, Mike Rivera tapped out. Randy Wells walked Alcides Escobar with two outs and the bases empty.
The light hitting Dave Bush followed with a single to left on the first pitch. Felipe Lopez walked and Jody Gerut basically ended the game with his grand slam.
After Wells was lifted, the Cubs pen did a good job keeping the Brewers off the board ... until the seventh.
Tom Gorzelanny took over for Aaron Heilman and walked Ryan Braun with one out. Prince Fielder struck out but Mike Cameron singled to left on a 2-2 pitch with two outs.
Casey McGehee was announced and Piniella went to the pen for Esmailin Caridad. Caridad hit McGehee on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Mike Rivera doubled to left on a 0-2 pitch and gave the Brewers a commanding three-run lead ...
Ryan Theriot led off the bottom of the first with a single to left. Kosuke Fukudome ended a 0-for-23 slump with a bunt single up the third base line. Theriot stole third with Derrek Lee at the plate. Lee ended up grounding into a 5-4-3 double play but Theriot scored and tied the game.
Jake Fox followed with an infield single. Dave Bush hit Milton Bradley on the first pitch. With runners on first and second with two outs, Jeff Baker singled to right on a 2-2 pitch. Fox scored, 2-1 Cubs. Mike Fontenot struck out swinging to end the inning.
After Gerut's slam, Jeff Baker reached on a one-out single to right in the bottom of the fourth. Mike Fontenot singled to center. Koyie Hill struck out looking but Micah Hoffpauir delivered a pinch-hit double to right on a 3-2 pitch. Baker and Fontenot scored ... 5-4 Brewers.
The Cubs last chance came in the sixth down by a run. Milton Bradley led off with a single to right. Bradley left the game and was replaced by Bobby Scales. Jeff Baker grounded out to third, Scales advanced to second and Mike Fontenot walked. Koyie Hill struck out against Dave Bush.
Piniella went to his bench for Aramis Ramirez down by one run. Ken Macha countered and brought in Todd Coffey. Ramirez worked the count to 3-2 before flying out to right center to end the inning.
The Cubs were retired in order to end the game ... nine up and nine down.
17 ...
Ted Lilly will face John Smoltz in the first of three against the Cardinals on Friday night.
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It does matter that the Cubs show a little spine this weekend...but the tone
they set today is dismal...we'll see.
They only thing left now is to make sure they finish above .500...and they need another 7 wins for that.
Sigh.....
heres a trade proposal for you all.
send zambrano and a prospect to the rays for B.J. Upton and andy sonnastine
then you sign akinori iwamura for 2nd base
and then trade bradley for prospects
our lineup would be,
Upton CF
Fukudome RF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Soriano LF
Iwamura 2B
Soto C
Theriot SS
what do you all think?
i have seen this trade all over the web. i know its just wishfull thinking but thought id mention it...
Mets get Zambrano,Theriot, and Mike Fontenot
Cubs get Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, and Oliver Perez
It would make sense for them to try and get rid of Theriot he has had a pretty good season and one of the few players with heart.
In a heartbeat!
However, Jose Reyes is not well liked in the NYM clubhouse from the little tidbits that I have read the past 3 years.
In all my years of being a Cubs fan, this is likely the most bizarre (and unsettling) activity that I've scene. You would never see this commotion in a Bobby Cox or Jim Leyland clubhouse. Just truly sad (on so many fronts), and another example of why we need new, fresh leadership at the manager and GM levels.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-18-cubs-brewers-chicago-sep18,0,6241197.story
Bryan, it may not happen like we want it to...but I agree.
2 things players need to do...play the best ball they can...and sell the team,
and themselves to the fans.
Bradley is failing miserably at both.
I believe Lou is worn out from this campaign...and I have no clue what Hendry
is thinking about his woeful moves.
But change is needed.
Too bad there isn't a "performance value
for services" clause in the contracts.
I sometimes wonder if Bradley is actually trying to talk his way out of Chicago.
Neil you are exactly right, the little hope that I had on Monday, is completely gone now.
Bryan, thanks for the article. I think it is time for the Ryno experience to begin.
All I can say about the 2009 Cubs "Good night sweet prince"
How to deal with this season's grief and what the team should do about it are our festering boils at this point. JH's Soriano and Bradley deals and the payroll maneuverings that yielded Gregg, Miles and Heilman have turned out badly. His final gambles to get past the first round of the playoffs and some significant player setbacks (especially ARAM) all worked to scuttle 2009. So we face a re-build and have some elephantine problems to digest. Boils do heal over time.
The answer to the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" is one bite at a time. So dinner likely takes two years.
Aaron's long post on the prior thread offers some culinary tools and puts a finger on the team's plan--although he doesn't focus on the team's plan. Yea, I know. Some don't think there is a plan. For all of his "take a machette to this group" he reminds us that there is no practical way to do that.
Part one of the plan is to do what contracts and budget issues permit and what may simply have to be done. I think Bradley's leaving is a "has to be done". Part two is to transition to a younger team--with a lot of emphasis on the emerging strength of the farm system. Part three is to seek assurance that trades are focused on maximizing the 2012 team, i.e., getting younger and competitive then. The realistic aspects of Parts one and two are that some contracts will not or may not be traded--but they will be gone by 2012 (excepting Sori's and Z's).
Aaron says don't bet the farm and cites ten or twelve "keepers". Five or six of them could be excellent, including a couple of outfielders (Jackson, Burke, Colvin, e.g.) I have been saying since the first of the year that, for all of his mis-steps, JH did not bet the farm. I think the expectation that we will have strong internal options for the OF in 2011-2012 means we can forget about Dunn, Crawford, Bay and Ankiel. Dunn and Bay are 30 and 31, and it would take too much of the farm to trade for Crawford. To say nothing of the $10 mil (or more) contracts commanded by Dunn, Bay and Crawford.
Aaron and I (mostly) agree on several likely "goners" after the season--to include Gregg, Heilman, Johnson, Cotts, Harden, Miles, etc. So there will be several new faces on the 2010 team. A strategic trade of a guy like Z may still be doable during the winter or early in the 2010 season. We have some young relief pitching that could get us a young position player or a top prospect.
With Lee, ARAM, Soto, (and some competent role players) as well as Lilly, Z, Demp, Wells and five adequate to possibly very good relievers, I think the 2010 team could win about 88-90 games. That assumes that ARAM and Soto drive in 80 more runs than they do this year and that DLee gives us .290-25-90 production in the final year of his highly commendable career.
Eighty-eight to 90 wins, of course, does not get the mules harnassed (as my granddad used to say). But the Cards and a couple of other teams are likely too strong next year for the Cubs to have a realistic chance--even if they could trade Z and DLee for Sabathia and Teixeira. LOL. We will be decent next year, but as Jennifer said when comparing her experience to Monica's, "Close but no cigar."
Good analysis, Jim...that assumes no more missteps by JH or his successor.
If JH is still GM,,,as it looks like he
is...the odds are 50/50 on Heilman.
This team has simply been aggravating from beginning to end. Less aggravation and a turn to the positive is all I'm hoping for.
The wheels are turning slowly downhill at
present...I just want to see the beginnings of an uphill trend.
Thanks Suzy....I would like to see Kenney and JH at least "pastured". I do think the Ricketts will have their guy in the top management mix some place. Kenney has to be some sort of a gold or silver parachute guy. He was probably smart enough to move his agreement from the Trib to the Cubs.
I didn't say (above) that we don't have a 30-40 HR guy on the farm--and it would be nice to get an affordable one. Maybe Aaron's tout, Chris Davis (1B--3B) is a reasonable bet. He's 23 and needs to get well above his .230 or so average.
About 1/3 of his AB's result in SO's but he appears to be a lock to hit 35-40 HR's with 400 AB's. He is a decent fielder--I'm thinking a younger Adam Dunn with a glove. We might get him for Caridad and Atkins (RSP) or Carpenter (RSP).