Game Fifty-Eight – Cubs 2 Brewers 3
WP – John Axford (2-1) LP – Carlos Marmol (1-1, BS 3) Save – None
What can you say? The Cubs offense was non-existent against Yovani Gallardo but scratched out two runs late and took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning. Ted Lilly put together his best start of the year but it was all for naught.
With the Cubs up 2-1 in the ninth, Carlos Marmol took the mound. Marmol hit Rickie Weeks on a 2-1 pitch to start the inning. Carlos Gomez popped up a bunt attempt on Marmol’s first pitch. Prince Fielder stepped in and quickly fell behind Fielder 2-0. Weeks stole second on ball three and the Cubs decided to put him on first.
After the intentional walk to Fielder, Ryan Braun broke his bat on a 1-1 pitch and hit a slow chopper to Starlin Castro. Castro made a solid play and threw out Braun at first. Weeks and Fielder advanced and set the stage for former Cub Casey McGehee.
Carlos Marmol got ahead of Casey McGehee 1-2 but missed two straight then McGehee singled to center on a 3-2 pitch past a diving Ryan Theriot. Weeks and Fielder scored … game over. Marmol blew his third save of the year and simply could not throw strikes. Of Marmol’s 18 pitches only seven went for strikes.
The player the Cubs let walk away for nothing beat them once again.
Ted Lilly dominated the Brewers lineup once again. Lilly threw seven innings of shutout ball and made only one mistake. Corey Hart led off the eighth and launched Lilly’s first pitch over the wall in left. Hart’s blast tied the game at one … the only run allowed by Lilly in eight stellar innings.
Ted Lilly struck out a season-high eight batters, did not walk a batter and gave up just one run on four hits … can’t ask for much better.
The Cubs offense was again was abysmal. While many will point to the fact Yovani Gallardo was on the mound, the Cubs had plenty of chances but continued playing bad baseball. Lou Piniella’s offense finished the game 1-for-5 with RISP and left eight on base.
Tyler Colvin recorded the only RBI single of the night … Alfonso Soriano pinch hit for Ted Lilly and grounded into a 6-3 fielder’s choice for the Cubs other RBI.
There are only so many ways to say it … but the 2010 version of the Chicago Cubs are just a bad baseball team.
With the loss the Cubs slipped to six games under .500 with a 26-32 record … and on the year, the Cubs are 11-20 in games decided by two runs or less. Tuesday night was more of the same for the Chicago Cubs in Twenty-Ten … another frustrating loss that could have and should have been avoided. Yes, Carlos Marmol has to close out the game and yes he picked a bad time to blow his third game of the year but the bottom line is that this team lacks the baseball intelligence and the fundamentals to win consistently.
The Cubs had multiple chances to put runs on the board and came away with just a pair.
Marlon Byrd led off the fifth with an infield single. Two outs later, Starlin Castro doubled to right on a 0-2 pitch from Yovani Gallardo. Corey Hart cut the ball off and kept Byrd from scoring.
Gallardo lost his command and walked Ted Lilly on five pitches to load the bases.
With two outs in a scoreless ballgame after the pitcher just walked to load the bases, Ryan Theriot swung at the first pitch and grounded out to short to end the inning. Gallardo was missing badly, and low to Lilly, Theriot has to take pitches in that spot … a wild pitch, a mistake on a 2-0 pitch. Theriot’s just not thinking but walking to the plate swinging.
The Cubs finally got on the board in the eighth. After Ted Lilly struck out and Theriot attempted to bunt his way on, Kosuke Fukudome reached on a single to center. With Lee and the plate, Kosuke stole second. Derrek Lee walked and brought up Tyler Colvin.
Colvin singled to right on the first pitch from Carlos Villanueva. Fukudome scored, Lee advanced to third and Colvin took second when Hart missed the cut off man. Marlon Byrd flied out to left center on the first pitch to end the inning.
Koyie Hill reached on a single to center with one out in the ninth. With the game tied 1-1, Starlin Castro singled to left center on a 2-0 pitch. Hill advanced to third with one out.
Alfonso Soriano pinch-hit for Ted Lilly and hit a weak chopper to short. Hill broke from third and scored the go ahead run. With Castro at second, Ryan Theriot struck out swinging on a 2-2 offering from John Axford.
Wednesday is a new day …
Carlos Zambrano and Randy Wolf square off at Miller Park Wednesday night.