Ted Lilly
The Lillyhammer Drops
UPDATE: Thanks to reader "The Joe" for finding the video of the collision which is at the bottom of the post.
With the Cubs in desperate need of a dominating pitching performance to take the pressure off the struggling offense, Ted Lilly delivered. 90 pitches, 8 IP, 5 H, 5 K,1 ER and a KO. All good for a 73 game score that could have been a bit higher if Lou didn't curiously go to Kerry Wood in the 9th. Padding save stats is nice and all and I'm sure Kerry's bank account will appreciate it next year, but when your team is in a funk and Lilly retires 11 straight and is only on 90 pitches, I'm not sure it's the best time to just give Kerry some work.
Nonetheless, the Cubs prevailed and our pals at TLFC couldn't be more thrilled with the performance. The other play of note was Lilly knocking over and knocking out Yadier Molina. In the theater of baseball, it was one of those plays that makes you stand up and cheer and hope it riles up the team to reel off 10 straight wins. When you think about the foolishness of your pitcher leading with his throwing arm to bowl over someone who outweighs him by 40 pounds, the shine wears off pretty quick.
But damn, it sure was fun to watch (Pictures after the jump)...
- Read more about The Lillyhammer Drops
- 63 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 136 Thread / Phillies @ Cubs (3 of 4)
- Read more about Game 136 Thread / Phillies @ Cubs (3 of 4)
- 5 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 131 Thread / Cubs @ Pirates (1 of 3)
Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview
SP | *Ted Lilly | SP | Jeff Karstens |
12-7, 4.25, 148 K, 56 W, 161 IP | 2-2, 2.25, 11 K, 8 W, 28 IP | ||
LF | Alfonso Soriano | CF | *Nate McLouth |
SS | Ryan Theriot | 2B | Freddy Sanchez |
1B | Derrek Lee | C | #Ryan Doumit |
3B | Aramis Ramirez | 1B | *Adam LaRoche |
CF | *Jim Edmonds | RF | Jason Michaels |
2B | Mark DeRosa | LF | *Brandon Moss |
RF | *Kosuke Fukudome | 3B | Andy LaRoche |
C | Geovany Soto | SS | Jack Wilson |
P | *Ted Lilly | P | Jeff Karstens |
The Cubs open a three-game set at PNC Park, concluding their 9-game stretch against the Reds, Nationals, and Pirates before they resume play against Major League opposition. (Yes, I'm tempting fate: Friday's smug game preview was just a preamble to an ugly 13-5 loss to the Nats, but 30 games over .500, I'm feeling smug all over again.)
Coming off a tough luck defeat in which he held the Reds hitless for the first 5 innings and wound up yielding just 2 hits in 7 IP, Lily has reduced his ERA to a season-low 4.25.The lefty has given the Cubs Quality Starts in 8 of his last 10 turns, and that defeat to Cincinnati was his first after five consecutive W's.
This will mark Lilly's fourth start of the year against the Bucs. He's 1-0, 5.63 in the three previous starts, with a butt-ugly 8.38 ERA in his two outings at PNC.
- Read more about Game 131 Thread / Cubs @ Pirates (1 of 3)
- 44 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 126 Thread / Reds @ Cubs (2 of 3)
- Read more about Game 126 Thread / Reds @ Cubs (2 of 3)
- 33 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 121 Thread / Cubs @ Braves (3 of 3)
- Read more about Game 121 Thread / Cubs @ Braves (3 of 3)
- 39 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 111 Thread / Pirates @ Cubs (2 of 3)
- Read more about Game 111 Thread / Pirates @ Cubs (2 of 3)
- 32 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 96 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (1 of 3)
- Read more about Game 96 Thread / Cubs @ Astros (1 of 3)
- 33 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 88 Thread / Cubs @ Cardinals (2 of 3)
- Read more about Game 88 Thread / Cubs @ Cardinals (2 of 3)
- 58 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Game 83 Thread / Cubs @ Giants (1 of 4)
Game Chat | Press Pass | BR Preview
SP | *Ted Lilly |
SP |
*Barry Zito |
5-8, 5.40, 95 K, 36 BB, 98.2 IP |
3-11, 5.91, 44 K, 48 BB, 80.2 IP | ||
RF |
*Kosuke Fukudome |
LF |
*Fred Lewis |
SS |
Ryan Theriot |
3B |
Jose Castillo |
1B |
Derrek Lee | RF |
#Randy Winn |
C |
Geovany Soto | C |
Bengie Molina |
3B |
Mark DeRosa |
CF |
Aaron Rowand |
CF |
*Jim Edmonds | 1B |
Rich Aurilia |
LF |
Matt Murton |
2B |
Travis Denker |
2B |
Ronny Cedeno | SS | #Emmanuel Burriss |
P |
*Ted Lilly | P | *Barry Zito |
Well that whole American League thing was no good...the Cubs went a paltry 6-9 against what was considered to be a soft interleague schedule at the beginning of the year.
Now it's back to the NL and back to the NL West, whom the Cubs have collectively beaten at an 18-5 clip. They'll get the offensively-challenged Giants tonight and it'll be up to Ted Lilly to try to keep them challenged. Lilly's overall numbers have been disappointing this year, but he's managed a 3.21 ERA in June up to this point. Most of his struggles this year can be attributed to a tendency to give up the gopher ball, but there's some hope that'll correct itself.
- Read more about Game 83 Thread / Cubs @ Giants (1 of 4)
- 28 comments
- Log in or register to post comments
Recent comments
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Walker was a complimentary piece who was well past his prime. Edmonds, Holliday, Ozzie Smith and a few others were good trades. Notably, they have almost always been quiet in the free agent market. But the fundamental workings of the organization were always based primarily upon the constant output of a well oiled minor league organization. That organization has ground to a halt. And when did that hard stop start to happen? Right at the beginning of the Goldschmidt/Arenado era, perpetuated by the Contreras signing, followed by the rotation purchases during the last offseason. The timing is undeniable and, in my mind, not coincidental.
Again, we are all saying that player development became deemphasized. I’m just linking it directly to the recent trades and involvement in the free agent market. I don’t see how the two concepts can be decoupled.
Charlie (view)
The Cards also traded for both Jim Edmonds and Larry Walker. It's the developing part that has fallen off. Of course, it could also be the case that there are no more Matt Carpenters left to pull out of the hat.
Childersb3 (view)
Cubs sign 28 yr old RHRP Daniel Missaki. He was in MiLB from his 17yr old to 19yr old years and did pretty well.
He's been in Mexico and Japan the last four years and has done well also.
He's supposedly Japanese and Brazilian.
Interesting sign. We obviously need to RP in the system
Injuries are mounting everywhere!!
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Sure, they made generally short term trades for established players to enhance what they already had or traded for players early enough in their careers that they were essentially Cardinals from the start. What they never did was to try to use the more established players as foundational cornerstones.
Essentially we’re saying the same thing. They have given up on player development to the point that even their prospects that make it to the bigs flop so that they have to do things like buy most of their rotation and hope for the best.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
I don’t buy that. They had been doing that for years.
They did it with Matt Holliday. They did it with John Lackey. They did it with Mark Mulder. They did it with Jason Heyward, who had a great year for them. I’m sure there’s more but those come to mind immediately.
I attribute it more to a breakdown in what they’re doing in terms of development than a culture thing.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
They won those trades and sacrificed their culture. That’s exactly their problem.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
The other part that’s kind of crazy is they made two very high profile trades, one for Goldschmidt and one for Arenado, and they very clearly won those trades. They just haven’t been able to develop players the last handful of years the way they usually do.
I guess the moral there is it’s hard to stay on top of your game and be good at what you do in perpetuity.
TarzanJoeWallis (view)
Marmol was extended at the beginning of the year. Two years I believe.
crunch (view)
Jesse Rogers @JesseRogersESPN
Craig Counsell doesn’t have a timetable for Cody Bellinger who technically has two cracked ribs on his right side. CT scan showed it today.
Dolorous Jon Lester (view)
Thought it might have been David Peralta given the open 40 man spot and how PCA has played so far.