Game 40 Recap: Cubs , White Sox
Pagan Worship
Game Center, Box Score, Play by Play, Photos, Game Chart
W - Lilly (4-2), Paganism, newspaper editors in need of another round of inane puns L -MacDougal (1-1) S - Dempster (9) Things to take from this game 1. The other Chicago team can play ugly ball, too. Four errors, passed balls and wild pitches. The Cubs capitalized on a very sloppy game by the Sox. 2. The other Chicago team's bullpen can blow games, too. Buehrle left with a 3-1 lead, and MacDougal tacked on two more runs to Buehrle's record. MacDougal had no control at all today, and wasn't helped by catcher Toby Hall, who was playing his first game from coming off the DL for shoulder injuries and spelling A.J. against the lefty. 3. The Bullpen strikes back. Howry and Dempster pitch 2 spotless innings, with 4 K's. Man, did we need that. 4. Lilly struggles through Lilly didn't have the dominant curve or sharp command of his fastball, but managed to pitch out of trouble all game. 5. Pagan's big game. It wasn't just the hitting (3-5 with a triple and 2 RBI), it also was the energy. His triple was on a ball that didn't get passed the spot on the first-base line where the outfield wall juts outward, and he then scored on a wild pitch on what would have been an impossible play for a slower runner. The details follow.- Lilly with an easy 1-2-3 start to the game. We needed that.
- Can hear sox fans gooing "ohh" at a Buehrle pitch off the corner, called a ball.
- and Buehrle also goes 1-2-3 in the first.
- Rough top of the second. Konerko single, Iguchi walk, and now Lilly and Barrett are getting crossed up on back to back pitches, the second one resulting in a wild pitch. Runners on 2 and 3, no outs, Uribe up. Sac fly to Soriano scores Konerko, 1-0
- Small victory, getting out of an ugly second inning with only one run allowed. Buehrle ends it with a slow bouncer to second.
- Barrett homers in the second, a solo shot a few rows deep into the LF bleachers. 1-1
- Dye responds in the top of the third, hitting a very pedestrian Lilly fastball further back into the LF bleachers. 2-1 sox.
- Aramis doubles down the RF line to lead off the 4th. Barrett K's, then Dye makes a nice back-handed, sliding catch on a DeRosa blooper, keeping Aramis at second. Doubtful Aramis could have scored on a hit, as he couldn't have run with the crack of the bat. No damage done after the leadoff double.
- Lilly hasn't looked especially sharp up to now, but he strikes Dye out looking in the sixth, on a nice backdoor slider.
- Pagan singles to start the 6th, and with an out, advances to third on a slow roller to the left of Iguchi at second. Very nice running by Pagan, and Ramirez is also safe on the play. Runners at 1st and 3rd, one out. From there, Barrett flies to Dye, who throws a laser-beam in to home, keeping Pagan at third. Hall can't handle the one-hop throw, and Ramirez advances to second. Both RISP, two outs, DeRosa up. Should they have sent Pagan on the throw? Personally, I say no. But he would have scored, in spite of Dye's perfect throw, since Hall couldn't hold on. In any case, DeRosa grounds out, and we don't score.
- 7th inning, Lilly rather upset he didn't get a called strike 3 on Hall, and Hall then doubles down the LF line. Soriano boots the ball around for awhile, but likely would have been a double, anyway. Hall still on second with two outs, and a full count on Erstad. Everyone is on their feet. Erstad lines a shot over Soriano's head. Again, Soriano doesn't look to good, sort of belatedly jumping for the ball and then misjudging it, whiffing on his attempt to catch it. 3-1
- With Fontenot sent down and Lee hurting, it's Blanco as the only right-handed pinch-hitter against Buehrle in the 7th. He draws a walk, and Theriot singles, chasing Buehrle from the game with two outs in the seventh.
- MacDougal in, and Pagan serves up a triple down the shallow RF line on the first pitch. Blanco scores, and Theriot scores as well. One of the shallower triples you will see that wasn't misplayed. 3-3
- Pagan then races home on a wild pitch. 4-3. A slider in the dirt, but not unblockable by any means. (Later changed to a passed ball) This game has turned around on a dime, it seems. Soriano procedes to single.
- It should be noted that Pagan slapped the plate with his hand, when he scored. Was this a response to AJ's plate-slap, last year? Personally, I don't think so. As he was sliding, his front leg got blocked out of the way by MacDougal, who was standing there to cover home. His back leg barely grazed the plate, and it was questionalbe whether he had actually tagged home at that point.
- Wrigley continues to be abuzz. It's been electric, all game.
- Soriano on third, Ramirez on first with two outs and Barrett up. He K's, end of inning.
- Remember, Blanco has already been used as a pinch-hitter, when Barrett gets his throwing hand knicked by a foul ball. He had his hand out, when receiving a pitch, and it got dinged. Mercifully, we don't have to go to the Emergency Backup Catcher.
- Wrigley's just going bonkers, as Howry retires the side 1-2-3 in the 8th.
- Cubs half of the inning, DeRosa and Murton single, Izturis tries to bunt, but Hall throws the ball into center trying to pick DeRosa off second after a pitch in the dirt had gotten away from him. Rough day for Hall. Izturis strikes out, so good thing we got the runners moved up, by other means.
- Floyd pinch-hitting for Howry, grounds a ball to Uribe who recognizes his only play is trying to get Murton advancing from second to third. Ozuna, at third, tags murton out but then drops the ball. DeRosa, meanwhile, scores on the play, everyone safe.
- and Theriot beats out a potential 5-4-3 double play, scoring Murton. 6-3!
- Dempster in to close, again today. No problems, Cubs win 6-3. Really good to see Howry and Dempster close the game out without incident.
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