Game 159 Recap: Cubs 4, Marlins 6
Flushed by the Fish
Box Score, Play by Play, Photos
W - Olsen (10-15) L - Trachsel (7-11), ridiculously high left-field scoreboards that convert homers into doubles. My efforts to will the Cubs to victory by wishful thinking. S- Gregg (31) Magic Number - 2 (Brewers have LOST 9-5) Things to Take from This Game 1. Weak Starts Olsen and Trachsel had quite similar performances - they couldn't finish off hitters with two strikes, struggled early, found something resembling "grooves" for a couple of innings before running into trouble again, and getting run from the game early. Trachsel's splitter actually got a lot of swings and misses, but nothing else was working. 2. Attempted Comeback The Cubs got a big lift in the sixth when Cabrera threw away what should have been an inning ending double play. It led to three runs. 3. Great relief work by Wood, Marlins Kerry Wood inherited a bases loaded, no outs jam from Eyre in the sixth. A strikeout and 5-3 double play later, and we were out of it with no runs scored. He hit 97 on the gun, and looked totally locked in. Provided a big lift to the dugout, but we couldn't translate it into any success against the Marlins bullpen. Pinto in particular looked very vulnerable, coming with two outs after Ramirez had doubled high off the left-field wall. He walked the first two batters faced to load the bases, but then struck out Jones. Dempster pitched a shakey eighth, giving up an insurance run. 4. Middling Infielders Derosa and Theriot went 0-9 with a run scored and ten (TEN!) combined left on base. We left a combined 19 on base - the Marlins left 16. No matter what happens tonight, we're going into game 160 in first place. The still-worrisome details, below. Game Recap Inning 1- Soriano rolls out to second, first out
- 3-0 count on Theriot, Olsen comes back to 3-2 count. Finally, Theriot walks.
- We're so going to win this game. Mark it down, now.
- Told you so. Derrek Lee doubles inside the third-base bag. Runners at 2 and 3, one out for Ramirez.
- Ramirez lines one over short stop, Theriot scores.
- Derosa flies to medium left, Lee bluffs tagging from third, holds. Throw off line.
- Soto K's swinging at what I think was a slider in the dirt.
- I'm telling you, the Cubs are going to win this game.
- Hanley Ramirez blasts one to that triangular area just left of center, where it goes out to 434 feet. Double. Most all other parks, it's a HR.
- Full count to Uggla, he pops to Theriot. Theriot struggles with the sun, but brings it in. One out.
- Trachsel and Soto crossed up on first pitch to Hermida. Soto expecting the 1, gets the 2. No harm done.
- Trachsel blows an 85 MPH "fast"ball past Hermida for strike one. Egads.
- 80 MPH splitter looks much better. Hermida waves through it for strike two.
- Like Uggla, now a full count on Hermida.
- Decent curve, Hermida lines it back to center. Ramirez held for just a moment, can't score from second base, instead staying at third. However, Jones sends the throw home from center on the fly, on a really high arc, allowing Hermida to jog into second. Really ill-advised throw byJones. 2 and 3, one out.
- Cabrera IBB to load the bases. Left-handed Jacobs up to face right-handed Trachsel.
- We're so going to win this game, it's not even funny.
- Trachsel now hitting 90 against Jacobs. 0-2 count.
- BJB observes the shadows from the flags atop the stadium are casting across home plate, as is Soto's shadow.
- Jacobs hits a high fly to medium deep right. Sac fly scores Ramirez easily, Hermida goes to third. 1-1 game.
- Trachsel's split actually looks pretty good. It's the curve that he's leaving up, and the fastball is a bit hit or miss. 0-2 to Linden after he waves at a split.
- 30 pitches later, the first inning ends with Linden striking out swinging. 1-1 game
- Monroe pops to Cabrera, even with the third base bag
- Jones launches one to right-center, one-hops the fence for a double. Nice swing on the ball.
- Trachsel with a nice AB, keeps spoiling pitches with two strikes. 8th pitch of the AB, he bounces 6-3, Jones has to hold at second.
- Soriano up, runner on 2 with 2 outs.
- Olsen also throwing a ton of pitches, can't put away Soriano with two strikes, either.
- 9 or 10 pitch at bat, and Soriano walks. Great job battling back in the count, Olsen appears unable to put away hitters. Runners 1 and 2, two outs for Theriot.
- 2-0 to Theriot. Next pitch will be Olsen's 50th, and he isn't through the second.
- Theriot winds up sending a lazy fly ball to left. No runs score from the inning, 1-1 game.
- Olivo singles back up the middle to start the bottom of the second
- De Aza doubles, one-hopping the wall in left. Surprising opposite field power. Olivo scores, as the ball bounces off the rubber warning track then high up off the scoreboard.. 2-1 Marlins.
- Olsen sac bunts to third. De Aza advances to third.
- Kevin Hart warming up, infield coming in for H. Ramirez, with one out.
- Ramirez sac flies to Monroe, medium-deep right field. 3-1 Marlins, 2 outs no one on.
- What's weird is that Trachsel still is getting swings and misses on the splits. But everything else is pretty weak.
- Uggla grounds to Ramirez, 5-3
- It has taken 55 minutes to play 2 innings.
- Lee grounds to Cabrera, who fields it behind third, at the foul line. Nice long throw to get Lee.
- Ramirez breaks a bat, ball drops in, in from of De Aza. Single.
- How many times can Derosa get caught looking on borderline strike three calls in one series? This is one over the plate, but perhaps low. Swing the bat, Derosa!
- Soto lines sharply out to Linden in left, inning over. 67 Pitches through 3 for Olsen, he'll have trouble getting past the fifth at this rate.
- Hermida strikes out swinging to start the third. Guess what the pitch was.
- Cabrera with a soft liner to Jones. Trachsel gets past the two big bats in the order with ease, wow.
- 0-2 count on Jacobs, who swings through another splitter. Strike three swinging on the splitter, a nice 1-2-3 inning for Trachsel going through the heart of the order.
- Monroe flies to medium-deep center.
- Jones grounds to center.
- Trachsel soft liner to right. Olsen, like Trachsel, with a very easy half-inning.
- Trachsel with a nice play fielding a bunted ball by Linden.
- Jones with a nice diving catch, coming in and a bit to his left, on a sinking Olivo drive. A bit of an awkard half-dive and landing, seems to be smiling in pain as he gets up.
- Don't look now, but Trachsel has retired the last nine batters as De Aza grounds out to second.
- Soriano drives one down the right field line, lands at the base of the fence, foul three feet. Eventually K's swinging.
- Theriot rolls to Uggla, makes a nice bare-handed play on it.
- Lee K's swinging. Don't look now, but Olsen also has settled down.
- After striking out Olsen, Hanley Ramirez crushes a ball to dead center for a Home Run. 4-1 Marlins. So much for 10 consecutive outs by Trachsel.
- A person without my clairevoyance might be alarmed by the current situation, but I'm telling you, we're winning this game.
- Uggla walks.
- With Hermida coming up, LouPa goes to Ohman. Cubs fans booing Trachsel as he leaves.
- Hermida flies out, deep. One step from the wall in right. 2 outs.
- Kevin Hart in to face Cabrera. Cabrera waves through a great slider for strike one.
- Not a great slider on the second pitch. Just does catch the foul line in short right field, for an RBI double. 5-1.
- Ok, so maybe we're not going to win this game.
- Lee very unhappy with the fair ball call. LouPa comes out to argue. Arms folded across his chest, seems to be pretty upset. Gets over it, and walks back.
- Upon further review, I think that it was a fair ball. Run charged to Trachsel, gave up 5 in 4.1.
- Eyre up. Jacobs Strikes out swinging. 5-1 after 5.
- Aramis Ramirez with a broken-bat single, again, to center. Three for Three.
- Derosa flies to left.
- Soto bounces one just out of Cabrera's reach as he dives towards Short. 2 on, 1 out.
- Monroe grounds sharply to Cabrera, just a couple feet off of third base. Instead of running to third, "which would actually require some physical activity by Miguel Cabrera" as BJB puts it, Cabrera throws low to second, botching the potential double play. Run scores, 5-2, runners 1 and 3
- Jones chops one back up the middle, just out of reach, another run scores. 5-3
- Did I mention that we're going to win this game?
- Olsen comes out, Lindstrom in. It's Monroe on 2nd, Jones on first, and a pinch-hitter to replace Hart....
- Murton in to hit. (Why not Floyd against the righty, Lindstrom?)
- Murton K's swinging at a fastball. Two outs. Soriano up.
- Soriano laces one high off the left-field wall. Monroe scores, Jones held at third. 5-4, runners on 2 and 3 with 2 outs for Theriot.
- Theriot hits one to Uggla, who fields a tough short-hop and throw Theriot out. Theriot running very hard on the play, nearly beats what should be a routine play. Comes up hobbling a bit. 5-4 Marlins
- Eyre in. Linden should have been called out on the same strike three pitch on the outside corner that was so prominent in game 1. It's called a ball, and he singles through the right-side hole on the next pitch.
- Soto with a nice block on a slider in the dirt, keeps Linden at first. And then another.
- And ball four to Olivo. 2 on to start the inning, really don't want to give back the runs we just scored.
- De Aza up. Trying to bunt. After bunting through strike two, Soto throws behind the runner at second. Badly one-hops Theriot, who manages to grab it as he's falling down backwards on a big hop. Phew.
- Aza now swings away with two strikes, singles solidly to right. Bases loaded. No Outs.
- Kerry Wood in. Jason Wood to pinch hit. Biggest appearance of the year coming up for Kerry.
- Foul, then foul tip on a rising 95 mph fastball. Strike 3 swinging on a 96 mph fastbal. Wood looks locked in, focused. Huge, huge out.
- Ramirez up. Bases still loaded, one out. Wood doesn't seem to even be blinking.
- Foul, strike one, 97 mph. Ball low, 94, 1-1.
- Ramirez chops one to Aramis Ramirez, right next to third base bag. Steps on it, is deliberate in setting up for a strong throw to Lee. Double play ends the inning, no runs score. HUGE performance by Wood.
- I'd LOVE to see the replay at first - Lee was so excited to catch the double play throw, he seemed to be leaving the bag and pumping his fist, jogging to the dugout, before he'd actually caught the throw.
- Ok, he was on the bag. Just me worrying. Kerry and the rest of the dugout totally pumped up after the inning. High fives all over.
- Lee swings through a slider that would have been ball 4. 1 out.
- Miller really working quickly to Ramirez
- Ramirez doubles high off that left-field wall, 4-4 today.
- Derosa lunges for a slider, strikes out.
- Floyd to pinch hit for Soto, and lefty Pinto in for righty Miller. Interesting call on the pinch-hitting.
- 3-0 to Floyd. Ball four. Runners 1 and 2, two outs.
- Pinto keeps throwing sliders and fastballs into the right-handed hitters batter's box. So far, no wild pitches. 3-1 on Monroe. Monroe walks.
- Jones up. Pinto stays in due to the lefty-lefty matchup. Bases loaded, two outs.
- Another slider in the righty batters box, ball 1. That's ten pitches, one strike, says Len. Jones takes all the way on the next pitch, for s atrike.
- And then waves at another low and outside ball. Ugh. 1-2.
- Crowd on its feet. Jones fends off what was probably a ball, on an emergency ugly swing, all wrists. Strikes out swinging on next pitch. Bases left loaded. 5-4 still
- Blanco in to catch, Wood still in, and Uggla flies out to left.
- Hermida softly lines one off of Wood's rightfoot, kicks towards Blanco. Wood gets there first, fires a rocket to Lee, but well late.
- Cabrera lines one down the left field line, foul. Goes to a 3-2 count. Check swing on a slider, ball four, runners now on 1 and 2, one out.
- Jacobs grounds into the 6-4-3, no harm done. Two nice innings by Wood.
- Lights turned on for the eighth. Lee Gardner in to pitch. Game is being delayed until lights take full effect.
- Fontenot in to hit for Wood.
- Fontenot K's looking at a nice back door slider.
- Soriano rolls one up the middle for a single. Hanley was way over in the hole, normally might get to that ball.
- Theriot bounces sharply to Gardner, who very quickly turns and fires for the 1-6-3 DP. End of inning.
- Dempster in to pitch the EIGHTH!
- Dempster wild high with the fastball, walks Linden to start the inning.
- Abercrombie to pinch-run
- Olivo pops foul to Lee.
- Ambercrombie runs, Blanco one-hops the throw just slightly. Theriot can't handle the hop, otherwise would have had Ambercrombie. Runner on 2, 1 out.
- De Aza K's swinging on a very nice splitter.
- Cody Ross pinch hits for Gardner. Looks like Kevin Gregg will make his first appearance in quite a while.
- Ross clobbers one off the top of the huge left field wall, towards the 434 sign. Double, run scores. 6-4.
- Ramirez grounds out to end the inning
- Heart of the order will be up for the Cubs.
- Gregg in.
- 2-0 to Lee. Goes to full count.
- Lee lines one hard to straight-away center. De Aza badly misplays it, and has to make an awkward against-his-body diving catch. Almost looked like he had trapped it, but no.
- Ramirez bounces to Cabrera on the first pitch. 2 outs.
- And Derosa flies to Hermida on the first pitch. Game over.
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