Blogging Bucs vs Cubs @ Wrigley

vs

It's a glorious afternoon, just perfect for afternoon baseball. And the schedule makers have been kind enough to have the Bucs playing the Cubbies from the Friendly confines of Wrigley.

The weather looks nice enough in Chitown, some cloudiness and people have jeans and long sleeve shirts on, but no jackets. The Bucs come in at 7-8 and trying to put together some wins over someone other than the Reds. If they come in and lose the series to the Cubs, much of the positive that has developed will recede, to be replaced by the same old skepticism of years past.

The Cubs come into the tilt at 9-6 and in second in the NL Central behind the Cards. They swept a 3 game series vs the Bucs at PNC earlier this year (2 of which went to extras) and have won 7 straight vs the black and gold.

Two young promising hurlers will take the mound: Ian Snell for the Bucs and Rich Hill for the Cubs. It may be a matchup featuring the shortest two names for starting pitchers in the majors, at 16 letters total. We'll be watching the WGN feed out of Chicago so we'll keep our ears peeled for the usual knocks against the Bucs that come from opposing announcers. Someone named Len Kasper and Bob Brenly, on his way down from managing and a network job, will handle the duties for us. First pitch is set for 2:20.

Wayne Messmer sings the national anthem and does a standard issue job for him, which beats out what anyone else could do. The atmosphere at Wrigley doesn't touch what it used to be like at old Chicago Stadium:

It's Derek Lee bobblehead day at Wrigley! How can the Bucs compete? Kasper tells us the Bucs slept most of yesterday after getting into Chicago at 7am.

Normal lineup, except Batista is hitting 8th. Paulino is catching, he is 7-14 lifetime vs Hill. I like how Russell (JR) moves guys around and doesn't leave them in a place in the lineup if they're struggling.

TOP OF 1ST

McLouth leads off trying to keep his 15 game hitting streak alive. It's 63 degrees, warming up. Hill is grossly wild with 4 pitches and Nate draws a walk. Kasper tells Hill not to think on the mound - as in don't think you should win this game because its the Pirates.
-Why is Rivas still playing? He looks u-g-l-y swinging and missing for a strikeout. Chris Gomez or even Josh Wilson can do better.
-Oh boy - another Bucco baserunning blunder: McLouth gets picked off and bobblehead of the day easily throws him out at 2nd. Kasper tells us McLouth has NEVER been caught stealing by a catcher, all 4 times (out of 40) have all come on pickoffs.
-Freddy pops to right, 3 outs.

BOTTOM OF 1ST

-Eric Patterson is making his second ML start ever and is leading off. Something tells me he will cause all kinds of trouble today. Brenly goes over the defense and stresses the 21 errors he Bucs have made are the most in MLB. Kasper tells us Patterson was taking flyballs before the game from an asst coach, who was hitting them "from home plate", which is better than the bleachers I suppose. Snell K's Patterson.
-Ryan Theriot is up 2nd - he has the best numbers vs Snell of any Cubbie. - and he promptly singles up the middle.
-Here comes bobblehead. He pops to Nady.
-Kasper is talking about a missed sign in the Cubs game yesterday and they are showing the third base coach. I don't think I'll ever get quite used to coaches wearing helmets. Brenly is talking about how he learned his paranoia from Roger Craig, who used to put bunt signs on then the hold sign requiring an indicator to activate it. Roger Craig was a good pitching coach, manager? Not so much.
-ARam singles through short. Off the bat, it looked like an easy grounder but Rivas is nowhere close to it. Kasper agrees and thinks Jumpin Jack Wilson would have had it.
-Fukudome is up and pops to Bay in left.

After 1 inning, 0-0.

TOP OF 2ND

-How man times do you see it? Player makes a great play to end one inning, then leads off the next? I'd say about 11% of the time. And in this case Bay didn't make any sort of sensational play to end the first. He does lead off the 2nd with a single to short that Therion knocks down. Kasper doesn't wonder if Shawon Dunston could have flown through the air and made that play.
-XMan works the count full then singles in Bay who moved to 2nd on a wild pitch, 1-0 Bucs.
-LaRoche, he of the bad thumb we'll be hearing about all year, comes up. He prevents more pain by not making any contact at all and strikes out. That makes 15 in 43 AB's for the season.
-Paulino strides to the box. As all opposing announcers will do this year, they note that JR caught Nolan Ryan's final no hitter - he's in there somewhere. Paulino pops up.
-Brenly basically admits he was so passed out drunk last night that the earthquake in the Chicago area didn't wake him. He claims he's been in worse.
-Batista doubles...but Nady can't score.
-Snell is up, sporting a rare double flap helmet, and strikes out.

Bucs 1-0

BOTTOM OF 2ND

-Rich Hill was so excited to strike out Snell that he twisted his ankle on his follow through. Brenly calls it a "scary moment".
-DeRosa leads off with a double to left. Kasper tells us that the Cubs, like the Bucs, have a double in every game this year. The Dodgers are the only other team that has done it.
-Soto ground to Batista, one out. Bad AB by Soto to not get DeRosa to third.
-Kasper mentions the 'P' word about the Bucs. Every year, they have the potential to do well. Then he proceeds to explain how the Bucs have committed an error in 14 straight games, their longest streak since 1946 and if they make one today, it will be the longest streak in the NL in 20 years. Now that is how to use your potential.
-Johnson flew out to Nate and Hill the pitcher is up.
-He's not limping so maybe things weren't as scary as Brenly thought. His strikeout is ugly though.

Bucs 1-0

TOP OF 3RD

Marisa Miller threw out the first pitch. Why didn't this make the broadcast?? Brenly says the Cubs were fighting to play catcher on her pitch.

-McLouth hits a deep drive to center that Reed Johnson jogs under and makes a nice back to the infield catch.
-Rivas tries to bunt, forgetting he is slow, and Hill makes the play and tosses him out easily.

-Sanchez flies out I think. Too busy cataloging Marisa Miller pics on the net.

Bucs 1-0

BOTTOM OF 3RD

-Patterson K's to start the inning but Kasper doesn't care, he's more interested in Paulino's yellow and grey color scheme that he's wearing so he asks Brenly, a former catcher about it. Brenly calls it an improvement over the "aluminum trash can" look Paulino wore last year but it's still not attractive.
-Theriot triples. Doubles really but XMan plays the ball off the wall poorly.
-Lee grounds back to Snell who has to jump to make the play. He does and Theriot stays at third.
-ARam falls behind 0-2 and flies out. Kasper and Brenly tout tonight's matchup between Hamels and Santana and hyperventilate about all the changeups we'll see. Sounds like something worth paying for right?

Bucs 1-0

TOP OF 4TH

-Bay foul pops to Lee.
-Text question is about which Wrigley no hitter is your favorite? Milt Pappas is an option so we're voting for him.
-Nady fouls out the Fukudome. Kasper calls out another scary moment as he stumbles a bit over the bullpen mound. That's two already and we're only in the 4th!
-LaRoche, again afraid to make contact and hurt his thumb, walks.
-Paulino grounds out to SS.

Bucs 1-0

BOTTOM OF 4TH

-Fukudome triples to center off McLouth's glove. Looked a lot like the play Johnson made in the 3rd.
-Some local newsguy is in the booth promoting WGN and its history. He says we're going to get a lot of Bozo. Then he starts calling out people in the stands.
-DeRosa flares a single to center, Fukudome scores. 1-1.
-This guy mentions the Pappas no hitter and how he was arguing with the umps in the 9th inning. Not sure what he's promoting, but if you're from Chicago, it sounds like a snore. National City is sponsoring the show (apparently it's a TV show), hope they get their money before it's sold. Kasper says working for WGN is a labor of love. Group hugs are mentioned - yikes.
-Soto singles DeRosa to third. This inning could get out of control unless Snell can get Johnson and Hill out.
-Johnson grounds to short. DeRosa scores. And Johnson is safe at first? What? how did that happen? Replay shows Rivas playing very deep, barehands the ball and double clutches before throwing to first. Not an error, but not a major league play. 2-1 Cubs.
-Hill thinks Rivas stinks so chops one his way. Rivas almost botches it but flips to Sanchez for an out at 2nd. Hill is safe at first. The pitcher Hill is better at hitting than Rivas is a playing defense.
-Oh boy. Rivas is really struggling. How can JR keep running him out there? Is Bixler that bad? Patterson grounds one to Rivas who flips to Sanchez for one, but Patterson beats the relay, Johnson scores. 3-1 Cubs.
-To be fair, Sanchez's arm isn't exactly 100% and his relay was not Dunston-esque.
-Patterson steals second. He overslides the bag but is safe. Kasper chides about Nyjer Morgan's claim that he has to adjust his sliding because the dirt in major league parks is so good.

"I'm trying to figure it out," Morgan said. "I've got to get used to the dirt up here. These are better playing surfaces than in the minor leagues. They're more pristine surfaces. I need to go to the lab and figure it out -- maybe slide earlier. It's kind of frustrating when you take your team out of a rally. You feel like you're letting the boys down."

We're really missing Littlefield's stress on fundamentals right now. Aren't we?
-Theriot lines to Nate to end the inning.

Cubs 3-1

TOP OF 5TH

-Batista strikes out ugly.
-Hill walks Snell.
-McLouth, the team's hottest hitter is up with a chance to put some pressure on the Cubbies. He pops up to Lee, but not before Lee and Theriot collide, a touchy but not scary moment.
-Ahhh Rivas. Flyout to right. end of inning.

Cubs 3-1

BOTTOM OF 5TH

-Holy Sanchez! Take that bad defense! Great over the shoulder sliding catch in short right by Freddy makes bobblehead Lee the first out.
-The wind has shifted. Breanly ells us the wind is now warm and blowing straight out at gale forces. Something tells me Brenly is judging the wind by putting his hand right in front of his mouth.
-Snell responds by not letting ARam get one up in the jet stream and strikes him out.
-Fukudome fouls one off Paulino's chin guard and the ball disappears behind Paulino's yellow/gray chest protector. Brenly recalls a superhuman play Johnny Bench made in the 70s involving a foul tip. If you take Brenly literally, and you can't, Bench lept out of his crouch, flew through the air and caught the ball halfway to third base. With his facemask.
-Fukudome strikes out. That's a 1-2-3 inning folks!!

Cubs 3-1

TOP OF 6TH

-Lieber is in, replacing Hill. Sanchez leads off. Kasper loves the move. Thinks Hill finished strong and will feel good about his performance. I don't think "finishing strong" can be applied to a pitcher who leaves after only 5 innings.
-Sanchez pops out.
-Bay singles up the middle.
-Jon Lieber was 38-47 for the Bucs from 1994-1998. He was 11-14 on the "Why Not Us" 97 team.
-Nady K's. And the pitching wheel begins. Sean Marshall comes in to replace Lieber. WGN shows a stat about how the Cubs bullpen has thrown the 2nd most innings so far in 2008 (the Bucs are 4th). Pulling Hill and replacing him with Lieber for only 2 batters, despite holding a 3-1 lead is an example of overmanaging and overusing the bullpen. Remind me again who the Cubs manager is? That's right, it's Sweet Lou Piniella, he of the win at all costs managerial style, pitcher's arms be damned.
-LaRoche grounds out to bobblehead.

Cubs 3-1

BOTTOM OF 6TH

-DeRosa flies out to Nady
-Pappas wins!! His no hitter was texted the favorite no hitter in Wrigley history among those who are watching the game, have a cell phone nearby, know how to text, remembered the number to text to, an give a damn. That must be about 5 people or so. Brenly's favorite no hitter will be the next one. He's not supplying any analysis so why not make jokes?
-WGN shows workmen climbing down a ladder across from Wrigley, looking like their day is over. Kasper thinks it's Miller Time too. It's only 3pm in Chicago.
-Snell walks Soto.
-Johnson smacks a broken bat single to left.
-Daryle Ward lives!!! Sighted last week at PNC Park and now confirmed at Wrigley. DWard, the only man to hit a ball in the Allegheny on the fly, will pinch hit for Marshall. Of course he hit his blast as an Astro, not a Bucco. He pops out to Bay.
-Patterson grounds out to Snell. So that's 6 innings, 3 ERs for Snell, 89 pitches and he's due up 4th in the 7th. Not great, but not bad. He was betrayed by some shaky defense.

Cubs 3-1

TOP OF 7TH

-Sweet Lou goes crazy with his lineup and moves everyoe around. Let's just leave it at this: Marmol is on the hill and the Pieman is in center.
-Paulino bests Batista for teh ugliest strike out of the day. He gets jammed says feh!
-Now it's Batista's turn to take back the crown from Ronnie. Well, it was ugly and it was a strikeout, but he didn't swing. Paulino still holds the crown.
-Seems like some Blackhaws will sing Harry Carey's Take Me Out to the Ballgame in teh 7th inning stretch. They play a song called "Here Come the Hawks" that sounds like it was written in the 1950s. Which is appropriate because the Hawks started televising their home games just this year.
-Morgan K's.
-Patrick Lalime is one of the 4 singers representing the Hawks. They're all bad. Lalime still holds the NHL record for longest unbeatne streak by a goalie at the start of a career, going 14-0-2 with the Pens in 1996-97.

Cubs 3-1

BOTTOM OF 7TH

-Ossorio is in, replacing Snell.
-makes a play!! He throws out Theriot.
-Kasper and Brenly get Hawks sweaters as gifts. Brenly holds his at arms length and looks around for a trash can.
-Bobblehead breaks his bat, but Rivas makes another play!! Two straight for Luis.
-a Hawk is in the booth for this half inning. He says the players are excited to be on TV finally. Only 40 years after every other team.
-ARam pops out to....Rivas!!! 3 up; 3 to Rivas; 3 down!

Cubs 3-1

TOP OF 8TH

-Nate leads off and homers to center, taking advantage of the wind that is now blowing out. 16 game hitting streak is alive and it's 3-2 Cubs.
-Rivas is not so good. 1-3.
-As all announcers do, they believe that all players love coming to their city. This time, they show Bucs coach Gary Varsho and mention how he loves Chicago.
-Freddy K's. Too easy for Marmol.
-Bay walks.
-39,118 is the "paid crowd on a glorious afternoon" per Kasper. He thinks it's great to start the weekend off with a nice day and a win. Brenly thinks players don't even know when weekends are. Ok.
-Nady singles. That gets Kerry Wood up in the pen.
-"Upright Adam LaRoche stands very tall in the batter's box", is up. LaRoche takes a look at a beer vendor down the right field line while swinging and missing at a Marmol fastball down the pipe. Brenly doesn't think LaRoche can catch up to Marmol's fastball, advises to avoid the curveball. LaRoches fouls off a fastball, then fouls off a curveball. What now Brenly? Slider. Swing and miss. Down and in, just like every other pitch LaRoche has missed this year. Can we get Mike Gonzalez back (I know he's been hurt for over a year)?

Cubs 3-2

BOTTOM OF 8TH

-At least he can field! Fukudome taps an easy roller to LaRoche. One out.
-DeRosa lines out to Nady.
-It'll be Paulino, Batista and a probable pinch hitter for the Bucs in the 9th. If those three don't scare you, what would? Actually, it will be interesting to see if JR uses Doumit as the PH in the 9th. He is the obvious choice and should be used, but managers have an aversion to using up their catchers. Even at the expense of losing the game. That's baseball!
-Soto walks.
Kasper says managers have to look at the big picture, which is why Piniella took Hill out of the game in the 5th, to give Hill a positive feeling about his performance. And overusing your bullpen is not part of Lou's big picture.
-Theriot flies out to Nate. 3 outs, top of the 9th coming up.

Cubs 3-2

TOP OF 9TH

-Kerry Wood is on for the Cubs
-Doug Mientkiewicz pinch hits for Paulino - interesting. Replace a hitter who has been ok so far this year with a bad one. Obviously, Doumit will hit for the pitcher. Doug grounds out to bobblehead.
-Batista takes some mighty hacks vs Wood and goes down on another awful swing against a tight slider. Tough pitch but you have to lay off of it. Batista should be sent to the pine.
-Doumit is indeed pinch hitting, but he grounds the first pitch to DeRosa at second. That's the ballgame.

3-2 Cubs

-A song with the words "Go Cubs Go" is played to celebrate. It includes the words: "Hey Chicago, whattya say, the Cubs are gonna win this day, baseball time is here again, you can catch it all on WGN." Really cheesy.
UPDATE: Apparently, they love this song in Chitown. It was written by someone named Steve Goodman who died in 1984 before the Cubs won the division.


And that wraps it up. To be fair, Kasper wasn't too bad as an announcer, Brenly was his usual idiot.
-There are few better ways to spend an afternoon then in the sun at Wrigley.
-Bucs fall to 7-9. Cubs move to 10-6.