September 25th, 2007

Teams

 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Chicago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0   2 3 0
Florida 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 X   4 9 1
W – D. Willis (10-15) L – T. Lilly (15-8) S – None
Homeruns: C. Monroe (1)

Box Score

OK, I swear I really should not sign up for any more recaps. Seriously folks, the Cubs do not win when I do these. Let’s face it, Ted Lilly, with the exception of the second inning wasn’t fantastic, but he had game winning stuff. Once he found the breaking ball, he kept the Florida batters at bay by mixing speeds nicely, as he’s done all year. It was that second inning where his inability to locate the deuce, unless you count placing it over the heart of the plate as good, that got him trouble. Two bloop hits by Dontrelle Willis and the Hermida two run double was all that was needed. Dontrelle kept the Cubs hitters equally at bay with that funky leg kick, and an enormous strike zone from Andy Fletcher (more on that later).

I’ve been flapping my gums at anyone around that wants to hear me pontificate about the Cubs, that I really believe that they’ll wrap this up on Saturday. I fear two loses in Florida, a win on Friday and Saturday in Cinci, and we’ll conclude with a loss. It’s just the gut instinct I’ve got. I don’t like the way the media and some of the Cubs seem to act as if this is a done deal. The magic number is four gentlemen, you still have five games to go. Oh, and by the way, the Cardinals are playing dead for the Brewers, so unless the Brewers shoot themselves in the foot, this is going the distance. Get out there and play ball, because tonight it certainly didn’t look like you were playing for anything. There were three or four lead off walks and the Cubs went right back to the old 6-4-3 routine that we saw so much of two weeks ago. Let’s get this thing in gear and put the beer swigging neighbors to the north away. And not on Sunday, my acid reflux is already in overdrive.

Out of the whole mess of a lackluster game, Michael Wuertz has once again found his early season form. The changeup and the slider are mesmerize hitters, and he looks like a good specialist when needed. Oh and looky here, there’s been a Craig Monroe sighting. Nice to see you Craig, that .200 average against lefties was a nice addition, glad it showed up on September 25th. If I sound a bit miffed, I am. Obviously, it’s only game one of the series, but these are all games that the Cubs should easily win. You can’t manhandle the Pirates, and not get more that three hits against Dontrelle. He’s just not as overpowering as he was a couple of years ago.

In any case, I’ve got tomorrow’s recap too. So buckle up. I’m sending the wife to the bathroom for the entire thing, and I’ll be turning lights on and off, as well as flopping back and forth on the couch. Anything to get that magic number to diminish.

Matt’s Notes:

  • I feel like I rail on this way too often, but Andy Fletcher you’re an umpire, do your dang job and stop trying to be part of the show. Call balls and strikes, that are actually IN the strike zone, and go home. As Bob pointed out, Andy is known for his enormously large strike zone, and tonight was no different. Major League Baseball needs to do some serious soul searching this off season on their current roster of umpires, and perhaps making them accountable. These guys are atrocious this year. And how the heck does a home plate ump watch the flight of a pitch and the batter’s swing? Ask for help, moron. That’s why you’re on a crew.
  • Who is in charge of advertising for Cubs baseball on TV? Good god, you can’t tell me that Budweiser, Mercury, General Motors, and the Commemorative Pavers Promotion are the only companies looking to put up ads during games.
  • I just found my Vineline postcards for resubscribing, from 2005. It somewhat saddened me that the only three players in the set that still were on the Cubs in any sort of major role are Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Zambrano.
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