Game 49 Thread / Cubs @ Pirates (2 of 3)

Thanks Kerry for burning out our bullpen.

Just frustrated with another hit lead-off batter biting us.

What a poorly played ballgame.

Wood...Theriot...meh.

well that sucked.

Yeah, they pissed that one away. And why pitch to Bay there?

and I'm not happy about the Piniella brain cramp of double switching with Blanco for DLee, had a feeling that would bite em in the ass...why not sacrifice the earlier inning with a pitcher batting (Wuertz batted in the 14th anyway) and why take a HR threat out of the game in extra innings

I know its 'only' been 3 times with the HBP to lead off the inning..but it almost seems like a mental thing...hopefully that can be the last one. Very strange. Good news is that Capps should be unavailable for them tomorrow. That guy owns us.

Ok, so Wood with 4 blown saves now? Excellent, thank god for the switch.

i would love to see the text question of the day for today be:
"which play was most responsible for turning friday night's champs into saturday night's chumps:"
a. derosa can't get a ball in play with the bases loaded
b. soriano gets picked off 2nd base
c. wood hits his first batter (again)
d. theriot can't remember which first baseman he is throwing to.
e. lou outsmarts himself with 1 too many double switches

the beauty of all this is that lots of knuckle-headedness gets spent in only 1 game. and they play again today with a fresh start (albeit not a fresh bullpen) against a team they have had in a choke-hold all season.

i think my vote would be "b". maybe. i think.

A Jones out for the Dodgers 4-6 weeks to get his knee scoped...that's money well spent (Ned Coletti, master of the 3/44). We play the Dodgers starting monday.

I'd have to agree, the DLee double switch hurt us the most. Lee makes that pick in the 14th with no problem and the Pirates don't score. Not to mention his bat....

Another big one--Blanco not getting a good bunt down, but that's not entirely his fault because I would have to believe he's just not a very skilled bunter.

I tend to think that Fonzi's mental cramp on 2nd base was the worst gaffe of the evening (he almost made a worse one the night before). Granted, their catcher made a hell of a throw, but you just don't get thrown out in that situation. We have some disturbing tendencies on the basepaths, don't know what the problem is. You look at the replay, and the ump was already predisposed to call him out on that play, his arm was cocked way back before the throw even made it out there.

and it's not popular to be critical of Theriot these days but can someone tell him to please stop gettiing thrown out stealing? 8 CS vs 9 steals is really bad.

I also agree about Theriot's baserunning inefficiency this year - last night wasn't his fault, but that's a terrible percentage for success. Either he's telegraphing his move to 2B, or he's not as fast as we believe. Brenly and Kasper mentioned a Pirate last night who's something like 7 for 7 on the year so far, after he'd just stolen a base on Marmol. That sounds like a player who knows how to pick his spots.

yes, that was also Jason Bay (one man Cub killer) in the 8th. Walked, stole 2nd...then Zeus regained the strike zone and the icewater in his circulatory system.

also on the telecast Brenly was vehement about walking Bay in the 14th to load the bases, saying Bay wasn't hot the first trip to Pittsburgh but was way too hot to risk the game in that spot. LaRoche was next, but I suspect Lou didn't have confidence that Wuertz in that situation with the bases loaded would be able to throw enough strikes...so that was Piniella's choice. It's only second guessing at this point (except for Brenly, who was first guessing).

wrong thread