Game 60 Recap: Cubs 5, Braves 9
Short Starts
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W -Moylan (2-1), over-umpiring.
L - Marquis (5-3), equal-opportunity plunking.
Things to take from this game
1. The First Pitch Hudson drilled Soriano with a fastball in the armpit, which more likely than not was purposeful. Tim Tschida immediately issues a warning to both teams, and the game progresses without incident. (Other than Lou getting a bit worked up when Sean Gallagher gets hit with an errant curveball) 2. Quick exits Marquis got the quick hook after 1.2 ineffective innings. Hudson left the game after 2+ equally poor innings, but in his case due to taking a line drive off the foot. 3. The Relievers Basically, their crew was better than ours. Gallagher pitched well in his first MLB performance, save an opposite field wall-scraping HR by Renteria. But Peter Moylan shut us down for 3 innings, and three others contributed for a scoreless inning each. Eyre pitched a couple of innings as he continues to try to work out the kinks. They need some more work, as he didn't have much control. The long-awaited resumption of observational goodness, below.- Well, if you were at the refridgerator or in the bathroom, the first pitch of the game is a Hudson fastball that hits Soriano on the left tricep, up near the armpit. That's what you get for a leadoff triple, then leadoff home-run in a three-homer game, I guess. Crew chief puts the warning on for both teams. Marquis hasn't thrown a pitch, and presumably has now been neutered by the umps.
- and several close pick-off attempts then immediately follow at first.
- Pie walks, when Hudson finally gets around to throwing some pitches.
- and now, a pickoff attempt of Soriano at Second! What has Hudson got against Soriano? Brenley claims it's a form of disrespect for Soriano's, ah, powers of concentration on the basepaths....
- finally, some real action. Lee singles to the right of the second-baseman. Soriano scores, Pie takes third, Lee takes second on Francouer's throw in to third.
- Runners on 2 and 3 no outs in the 1st, and Barrett K's. Jones intentionally walked to load the bases, and DeRosa up. 3-2 count, DeRosa fists a single into shallow right-center. Pie and Lee score. 3-0 in the first, still just one out.
- Fontenot gets his first career RBI on a single to right, through the right-side hole, but DeRosa is thrown out at third as he tries to advance on the play at the plate. 4-0. Izturis then makes sure that the inning doesn't last forever, because that would be sort of inconvienient.
- With one out in bottom of first, Willie Harris singles, steals second on a strike three call, and goes to third on a very wild pitch, a spike-curve in the dirt.
- 3-2 2 outs in the 1st, Andruw hits a 2-run HR. 8 for 11, 5 HR career against Marquis. Wonder if Jones will get plunked at some point, in response to Soriano. Brenley points out that, without that warning, this would have been the obvious place for a retaliatory plunking - the other team's star OFer, who clobbers you, with 1st base open and 2 outs...
- Marquis with a throwing error to start the bottom of the second. Throw sails on him, Lee has to jump above the bag to catch it. A walk and a Hudson sac bunt, and it's runners on 2 and 3 with one out. Ground ball out scores one. Renteria single scores another. Ugly inning. Jones singles, scoring another, and we're now behind, 5-4. Very ugly. Marquis out, Gallagher in. He basically looks good, with zip on the fastball and break on the curve, but McCann nubs one off the end of the bat for a run-scoring single. 6-4 before the inning is over. Egads.
- Top of the third, and the Cubs in need of run. Lee singles to lead off, Barrett singles with Lee going to third on a bad throw. Jones then smokes one off of Hudson's shin or foot. Hudson recovers, tries to get Lee at home, but it's offline and Lee tiptoes around the tag. Hudson now has to come out of the game, due to injury on the batted ball. This is shaping up to be a wild game. 6-5 Braves, top of the third, both starters out of the game.
- Why is DeRosa showing bunt in the third inning, no outs, runner on first, and Izzy and Gallagher up behind him, when we're down by a run and facing a new pitcher? Winds up flying out, after getting to two strikes
- Fontenot rolls into a potential 6-4-3 DP, and Barrett, from second, takes an aggressive turn around third. Too aggressive, as Fontenot beats the throw to first, and Barrett now finds himself in the middle of a pickle for having rounded third too far. Being in the middle of a pickle rarely is a good thing, and Barrett is out, to end the inning. That's what you get for attending the Ruben Rivera school of base-running. [note- upon further message board discussion and reflection, this might just as easily be Quade's fault. Either way, somebody is channeling Rivera.]
- Gallagher walks Peter Moylan, the opposing pitcher with 2 ABs all year, with two outs in the third. Otherwise, a very nice third inning.
- Gallagher gets the Adam Greenberg treatment, and is hit by a pitch in his first ML at bat. It's a curveball that gets away from the sidearmer Moylan, but it still drives Lou nuts, who raises his hands and asks what's up. (Remember, there was a warning issued after the first pitch of the game.) You can hear the ump, Tim Tscheta (SP!?!?!?!?) yelling at Lou "Put your arms down! Put them down!" to tell him he wouldn't tolerate gestures designed to express frustration and contempt... Interesting, and stupid.
- Larry the Cable Guy, among others, will do the seventh-inning stretch on the up-coming homestand. Do southerners understand that what makes Larry funny is that he's lampooning southerners? I'm not sure. Oh yeah, Edgar Renteria hit an opposite field HR. It hits the yellow HR line, bounces over. Jones was running flat-out after it, leapt for it, and went crashing into the wall. Seems a bit shaken up.
- The middle innings of this game suddenly have become spectacularly uninteresting. A shame, after the wild start
- Eyre is now pitching, and throwing lots and lots of balls outside the strike zone. Renteria doubles in a run. 4 RBIs for him now, on the night. Game starting to get out of hand, 9-5 Braves
- If you're reading this far into my recap, please prove it by using the word "salami" in a message board post.
- Soriano with another assist, as he guns a runner down at home. Not even close, keeping that all-essential tenth Braves run from crossing home plate.
- According to Bob Brenly, Bob Melvin used to email pictures of his feet to Brenly. This easily is the most twistedly funny and disturbing thing ever mentioned on a Cubs telecast.
- Game ends not with a bang, but a whimper. Too bad, it was pretty fun through three.
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