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Game 120 Recap: Cubs 12, Reds 4
Living in Zeno's Paradox - just a half-step away...
Game Center, Play by Play, Box Score, Photos
W- Marquis (10-7) , the Pignatiello clan, division pennant races, Peter Cetera.
L- Livingston (3-3)
Things to Take from This Game: 1. The Big O Derosa went 5-5, Ramirez and Jones had 4 hits, and Theriot 3. D, J and T in particular were smacking the ball all over the yard. Theriot excelled from the leadoff spot, and Len and Bob noted on several occassions his aggressive baserunning. We ended the game with 20 hits, a high for the year. 2. Marquis settles down Marquis looked terrific in the first and horrid in the second, giving up our early four-run lead. But he shut the door from the third onward, and with the relievers gave the bats a chance to stake the team to an authoritative lead with a 7-run 8th inning. Nice work by Marquis today. 3. Pignatiello's debut I can't say that it looked pretty, but Pignatiello pitched an effective eighth inning in his major league debut. His family seemed very excited for the long-time Cubs fan. Congratulations to Carmen. With the Cards clobbering the Brewers, the Cubs are once more a half-game out of first place. Like Zeno traversing the stadium, will we ever take the final half-step? Details, details, details, below.- Marquis makes quick work of Hamilton to start off the game, getting a called strike three. An easy ground ball to Ramirez, a shattered-bat single to Griffey, and another ground ball out, and Marquis gives us a much-needed good start to the game
- Brenly commenting on how many players don't understand the double-switch, and he had to spend a spring training talk on explaining the double switch to his players, that it wasn't annything personal when they get removed from the gmae mid-inning. Can MLBers really be that ignorant of basic strategy? Upon further reflection of Cubs managers, I guess I am not so surprised.
- Theriot walks, and Derosa doubles just inside the third-base line, for a quick 1-0 lead
- Lee sends one to the warning track in right, which Griffey catches, with some difficulty, near the metal doors. Gets turned around and has to jump and twist for it. Derosa tags to third, at least.
- and Ramirez rolls one to the vines in right. Another double
- Jake Fox with the third double of the inning, this one down the left-field line again. 3-0 lead, with lots of well-hit extra-base hits. Livingston throwing some real meatballs.
- Murton works the count before flying out to deep center.
- Jones then hits one off the wall in the left-field well, another RBI double. That's four doubles in the inning, and a 4-0 lead at the end of 1.
- Take one guess at the name of the Red who hits a HR to lead off the second. 4-1.
- Hatteberg walk and Encarnacion double down the left-field line, and runners are on 2 and 3 with an out in the second.
- From an 0-2 count, Marquis walks the opposing pitcher, Livingston, loading the bases.
- Hamilton HBP, a high pitch, not that inside, that catches him on the back fore-arm. 4-2.
- Keppinger with an infield hit, Theriot does a good job going into the hole to stop it from reaching left field. 4-3. Griffey up, bases still loaded.
- Weird play. Griffey hits one off the RF wall. Fox plays it reasonably well, and when Hamilton goes back to second to tag, then holds at third, it causes a chain reaction where Griffey is caught too far off of first, needing to head back - was looking at the ball, not the other baserunners. Gets tagged out on the relay, 8-4-3, and it goes as an RBI single!
- When Phillips grounds out, we someone escape without having given up the lead. 4-4 after 2.
- After a Marquis out to start the bottom of the second, Theriot and Derosa single, starting another rally.
- Lee grounds sharply to second. With the runners going on the pitch, no GIDP. Theriot rounds third quite aggressively on the play. Runners at 2 and 3 with 2 outs for Ramirez.
- Ramirez grounds one to SS, likely an easy 6-3, but it hits Derosa on the way. Runner out, Ramirez credited with a hit but the inning is over.
- Valentin hits a fly ball towards the line in left, Murton overruns it, and when it takes a high hop, he can't field it. Ball scoots away a bit, and Valentin takes second. 2 outs in the third. No harm done in the inning.
- Jones with another opposite field double, this one right down the line. A couple of really good swings today, on those two doubles. Hill strikes out, so nothing comes of it. End of the third.
- Much-needed quick 4th inning for Marquis.
- Griffey makes an ugly-nice catch on a sinking line-drive by Marquis. MAnds hard on his knee to make it, taking a huge divot out of the Wrigley grass. Stomps the divot back into place, to the fans' approval.
- Theriot follows with a double, on base all three times today.
- and Derosa with his third hit, a single to right that scores Theriot. It appears that Quade was trying to hold Theriot. But Theriot, who has been running really aggressively all day, goes through it to score with ease. 5-4
- Griffey with another sliding catch on a sinking liner, this time on Lee.
- Griffey then doubles to lead off the fifth. DeRosa makes a nice diving catch to his left, to take a potential RBI away from Phillips. Dunn now up.
- Dunn smokes one down the first-base line, but Lee leaps and catches it. Nearly doubles off Griffey at second, but not quite. Cubs get out of inning a couple ABs later.
- Game really settling down in the mid-innings.
- Other than that 4-run fourth, Marquis has really pitched a great game. Marquis is allowed to start the seventh, but walks Keppinger. That brings in Eyre to face Griffey. Griffey is 8/22 with 4 HR against Eyre, previous to this AB
- Eyre gets Griffey to line out to right field. A botched hit and run leads to a Phillips strike out, Keppinger throw-out. Remarkably, Marquis is in line to win this game, 5-4 into the bottom of the seventh.
- Ramirez and Murton singles against Majewski put runners on first and third with one out in the seventh. Stanton in to face Jones.
- Jones rips one off of Stanton's leg, it rolls to just over the first base line, allowing Ramirez to score. 6-4.
- Hill hits a blooper just beyond the reach of Phillips in shallow right field. Bases loaded.
- Four straight balls from Stanton to Kendall (pinch-hitting for Eyre). 7-4. Peter Cetera, guest conductor, is our good luck charm.
- Theriot doubles in two runs to left-center. Peter Cetera, whatever else he might be, is a homer, cheering on the Cubs. 9-4
- Derosa then singles in the runners from 2nd and 3rd, with a bullet up the middle. Throw gets away from the catcher, and he takes second. 11-4, it's suddenly a laugher. Gosling in for Stanton, strikes out Lee.
- I'm running out of verbs that colorfully describe hard-hit baseballs. Ramirez whacks one down the left field line for a double, scoring Derosa. 12-4. Fontenot, who had pinch-hit earlier in the inning, strikes out to end it.
- Pignatiello in for his first MLB appearance. He gets to face Adam Dunn to start things off.
- Dunn grounds one to what should be the second baseman, but Fontenot is playing so deep on the shift, that he can't get there in time. Infield single. Hatteberg up.
- Pignatiello strikes out Hatteberg on a high, rolling curve ball.
- He hangs another curve, and Valentin flies out to the well in Left. Pignatiello hasn't topped 87, and hasn't shown a lot of bite on the breaking stuff.
- And he gets Encarnacion, on another rolling breaking ball. No runs scored in his debut, we'll take it.
- Jones with his fourth hit, a single, but he rolls over on his ankle a bit with the swing, comes up limping. Pie pinch-runs, and Jones leaves with a nice cheer from the crowd. 20th hit of the game for the cubs. Inning ends with a DP on the first pitch to Hill.
- Dempster closes out the game.
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