Game 161 Thread / Cubs @ Brewers (3 of 3)

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SP Angel Guzman SP *C.C. Sabathia
0-0, 7.04, 6 K, 4 BB, 7.2 IP (NL)
 10-2, 1.78, 121 K, 24 BB, 121.2 IP
       
LF Alfonso Soirano CF Mike Cameron
SS Ryan Theriot 2B #Ray Durham
1B Derrek Lee LF Ryan Braun
3B Aramis Ramirez 1B *Prince Fielder
CF Reed Johnson SS J.J. Hardy
RF *Micah Hoffpauir RF Corey Hart
2B Ronny Cedeno 3B *Craig Counsell
C Henry Blanco C Jason Kendall
P Angel Guzman P *C.C. Sabathia

 

First, Paul Sullivan writes that despite his recent travails (5.40 ERA in September), Jeff Samardzija has made the post-season roster and that Chad Gaudin will likely be a spectator.

As for today's game, Mark DeRosa (calf strain) was hoping to get in a few swings so he
didn't have to go into the playoffs cold. Alas, he is not in the starting
lineup. Geovany Soto (sore hand) is also sitting.

The Brewers begin play tied with the Mutts for the Wild Card, with a one-game tiebreaker tomorrow at Shea in the teams' futures if things don't get settled today. (As I post this, the Marlins and Mets are waiting out a rain delay at Shea.)

 

"It's not going to matter because, well, it is going to matter but it's not going to matter,"

Translated into English, it means that Lou Piniella decided that Carlos Zambrano would not pitch the first inning or two of today's regular season finale at Milwaukee and Angel Guzman will.

Translated into Sullivanese...

...what Piniella was trying to say was that whoever his starter was, he
was only planning on pitching him an inning or two anyway, having
decided already that Sunday will be a "bullpen day" when almost
everyone on the playoff roster will get one final chance to throw
before Game 1 on Wednesday. Guzman makes his eighth career start as a Cub, his first since in 2007.

 

(According to cubs.com, Zambrano, the scheduled Game 2 starter in the NLDS, would actually prefer "to throw on the side Sunday, then have a bullpen session Monday at Wrigley Field.")

Soon-to-be free agent Sabathia makes his 17th and most likely last regular season start as a Brewer. Though his NL numbers are sparkling, and the Brewers wouldn't even be within sniffing distance of a post-season spot within him, Sabathia has been entirely mortal in his two starts against the Cubs: 13.2 IP, 18 H, and 7 ER, plus a loss and an ND.

Guzman has appeared in five games for the Cubs, all losses. One of the appearances was against the Brewers at Wrigley,in which he hit Ryan Braun before yielding consecutive hits to Fielder (single), Hardy (double), and Hart (single).

 

Tags: 
Gameday Open Thread
Carlos Zambrano
Angel Guzman
Submitted by Cubnut on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 8:13am
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Comments

Submitted by Jeff_Pico
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 3:43pm

Home Run Howry strikes again. Please please assure me that Howry will come nowhere near any type of crucial game the Cubs play in the playoffs unless its past the 14th inning? Can I at least ask that? Thanks.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 3:50pm

4-2 Marlins in the top of the 9th, Wsux win, twinkies up 4-0 in the 7th

Submitted by Jeff_Pico
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 3:51pm

At least we might get 1 extra game of White Sox vs Tigers...I'll take it I guess going to take a nice comeback from the Mets to force a playoff with the Brewers.

Submitted by Mister Whipple
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 4:07pm

Wow, am I happy about this loss. CC getting worn down, LA probably our first round opponent, Howry probably out of work in all but the most ridiculous blowout in the playoffs.

Submitted by Jeff_Pico
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 4:12pm

You would think thats the case but I'm still worried about Lou, over and over and over again he has went to Howry as a chance to 'get him right' hopefully that won't be the case in the playoffs. Bob might have pitched his last game as a Cub today.

Mets lose! 2 years in a row lose to the Marlins on the last day of the season to miss the playoffs, thats gotta hurt.

Submitted by The E-Man
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 6:34pm

guess Santana doesn't have to worry about going on three days rest now.

Submitted by johann
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 5:24pm

He likes Howry because he doesn't make excuses or some crap. It will certainly be a salve to our wounds when he loses us the World Series and then doesn't make an excuse for it. That will make everything better.

Submitted by Charlie
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 5:35pm

Lou put Howry in to pad his statistics, clearly. He just wanted to make sure the guy got a chance to cough up another home run and take another loss, and Bob didn't disappoint.

Hey, remember that time, a couple years ago, when Howry was good? Yeah. That was awesome.

I feel for the guy. Seems very hard working. But he just hasn't gotten it done this year and there is little reason to believe he would be any more effective pitching in October than in the previous six months.

Who's on the 11 man pitching staff now?

Dempster, Harden, Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Marmol, Wood, Cotts, Marshall, Samardzija, and one of Gaudin/Wuertz/Howry/Guzman. For what it's worth, of those final 4 Wuertz has the lowest ERA.

Submitted by 10man
on Sun, 09/28/2008 - 8:14pm

If we were to base it on Lou's post-clinch auditions, then Wuertz would get the callback.

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