Game 32: No Win for Mom

Happy Mother’s Day! To all our readers who are moms, hope you’re enjoying your special day!

So, the past two Cubs wins I recapped featured a leadoff hit. When this game didn’t, I felt a sort of superstitious-type worry come over me. Sadly, it was sound. Not only didn’t the Cubs get a leadoff hit, they didn’t get ANY hits. At least not til the 6th inning. They managed only five overall, which sounds a bit pitiful but surprisingly enough Cincinnati only had six. Kind of a snoozer, and one that didn’t end in our favor. Ryan Dempster tossed up a home run pitch to Cincinnati’s Joey Votto in the seventh with two men on (and two outs to boot) and that was that.

Win Probability

First Star: Joey Votto (WPA .473)
Second Star: Tyler Colvin (.372)
Third Star: Ramon Hernandez (.162)

The Cubs lost the series, finished the road trip with only one win in six tries, and are heading home with a somewhat dismal looking 14-18 record. Not as bad as, say, Houston (9-12) but, um … worse than everyone else in the NL Central. This is not what we wanted, to be sure. What do you think needs done? Let’s play “You Be Lou”, one of my favorite games. We’ve all done a lot of whining about what we dislike about this team, let’s hear what you would do to fix it.

Tidbits

MLB celebrated Mother’s Day with its “Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer” initiative again this year and many Cubs and Reds used pink bats and wore pink wristbands. The bats will eventually be auctioned off with the proceeds benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The Cubs’ two rookies had notable hits in the game: Starlin Castro broke up Mike Leake’s no-hitter in the top of the sixth, and Tyler Colvin hit a two run homer in the top of the seventh.
The Cubs have won only one of six away series, and only two of four home series. Overall three of ten. That isn’t going to cut it this season.
It’s funny to see Theriot on the other side of the infield, isn’t it? I like it though.
At the beginning of the season I thought Tyler Colvin looked really young. Now he looks like a senior citizen next to Starlin Castro!

I guess that’s all the tidbits. How much can you say about a loss to wrap up a losing series a month into what has so far been a losing season? Let’s hope the new week brings some new offense.

Beat the Streak

Here are the Beat the Streak standings after today’s game:

7 – Doug Bagley
7 – GV Hub
5 – youngkaren
3 – bawhite2
3 – dat_cubfan_daver
3 – Lizzie
3 – Terrelle Pryor 2
3 – Tommy
2 – Joe Aiello
2 – Nick Francone
Everyone else = 0

Doug Bagley and GV Hub are on the brink of breaking the season’s longest streak … thus far someone has had a streak of 7 five times this season: Doug Bagley and GV Hub currently, bawhite2 (streak ended 04/30), GV Hub again (streak ended 04/29) and yours truly (streak ended 04/18). Good luck!!

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Doug

OK.
I think we've learned something.
If Dempster gives us 6 innings, he then sits.

.500 – You seem so far away
http://mytimetowaste.com Rich Beckman

Earlier in the season, Lou was pulling starting pitchers when the pitch count was in the eighties, which was too soon. So now he leaves Dempster in with a pitch count over 120.

I would've sworn my streak was 9 or 10 before today. Wishful thinking I guess.

What does it say about the season when I'm more concerned about my Beat the Streak pick getting a hit than I am about the game's outcome?
Doug

OK.
I think we've learned something.
If Dempster gives us 6 innings, he then sits.

.500 – You seem so far away
http://mytimetowaste.com Rich Beckman

Earlier in the season, Lou was pulling starting pitchers when the pitch count was in the eighties, which was too soon. So now he leaves Dempster in with a pitch count over 120.

I would've sworn my streak was 9 or 10 before today. Wishful thinking I guess.

What does it say about the season when I'm more concerned about my Beat the Streak pick getting a hit than I am about the game's outcome?
http://intensedebate.com/profiles/elileah Lizzie

Rich, Fukudome let you down on May 5th too, otherwise you'd have had 10 before today!

I understand your philosophy there … sometimes your streak pick getting a hit is the only good thing to come from these games!
mastrick

Way to go Lou! Absolutely brilliant move staying with Dempster in the 7th with the lefthander Votto up, men on first and third and lefthander Sean Marshall ready in the pen. This guy is incredibly smart and on top of his game, let's give him a three year extension with a pay raise, he makes all the right moves!
http://intensedebate.com/people/TP2 TerrellePyror2

Piniella really needs to just quit and go run out the clock in Tampa
Tommy

Sure glad I'm not playing in a Tampa Bay Beat the Streak game. Last couple of times I picked Theriot I think he got a hit in his last ab.

You can't say enough about Dallas Braden of the A's. On Mother's Day he throws a perfect game. Dalls lost his mom in HS from breast cancer.

Hey you think Lou is bad, look what Joe Girardi did tonight, he left A.J. Burnett get rocked for 9 runs.
Doc Raker

So this was the road trip against Pit and Cinci that the Cubs were going to fatten up on, get over .500. Surprise, not so. Lou needs to move Lee and Aram down in the order, 5th time I have said this. How does a team with 5 guys hitting over .300 struggle to score runs? Answer- hit 2 guys hitting .150 and .220 in the middle of those 5 guys and that should kill any real rally potential.

Joe- The graph is pretty useless, kinda of like Aram's bat. You have a great blog but the game graph is just taking up space, kinda like Lou's fanny in the Cubs dugout.
http://twitter.com/dat_cubfan_dave @dat_cubfan_dave

I wish I had some ideas for this team. One might be for Lou to start playing his late-game pitching matchups a little more conservatively. If the only lefty he had available had been James Russell, I could maybe see him sticking with Demp. But Marshall has been virtually Marmol-esque out of the pen so far this year – he has an 11.81 K/9 right now! So why would you risk the game on a starter who'd thrown 100+ pitches vs. one of the best hitters in the NL Central? In any case…I'd like to see more Tyler Colvin. That's really my only idea. Lou needs to restart that outfield rotation system he supposedly had in mind when the season began. Otherwise, the Cubs just have to continue to grind it out – my expectations and morale are really at an all-time low at the moment. So whatever happens, happens. Just let Castro and Colvin get as much playing experience as they can.
http://twitter.com/dat_cubfan_dave @dat_cubfan_dave

I wish I had some ideas for this team. One might be for Lou to start playing his late-game pitching matchups a little more conservatively. If the only lefty he had available had been James Russell, I could maybe see him sticking with Demp. But Marshall has been virtually Marmol-esque out of the pen so far this year – he has an 11.81 K/9 right now! So why would you risk the game on a starter who'd thrown 100+ pitches vs. one of the best hitters in the NL Central? In any case…I'd like to see more Tyler Colvin. That's really my only idea. Lou needs to restart that outfield rotation system he supposedly had in mind when the season began. Otherwise, the Cubs just have to continue to grind it out – my expectations and morale are really at an all-time low at the moment. So whatever happens, happens. Just let Castro and Colvin get as much playing experience as they can.
Seymour Butts

What was the question? Oh, yeah, Mothers Day. I'm not a mother, but am routinely called one, or something similar.

Note to Joe, Red buttons to rely make this Cub fan's blood boil. Can you make them blue?

When do we start the debate about who replaces Lou? Ryno, or no?
http://intensedebate.com/people/kuma32478 Joe Aiello

Tried the blue buttons. Don't like em because they're not a dark blue. If I was able to customize the shade I would. As a result, boil that blood my friend.
Seymour Butts

What was the question? Oh, yeah, Mothers Day. I'm not a mother, but am routinely called one, or something similar.

Note to Joe, Red buttons to rely make this Cub fan's blood boil. Can you make them blue?

When do we start the debate about who replaces Lou? Ryno, or no?
http://intensedebate.com/people/kuma32478 Joe Aiello

Tried the blue buttons. Don't like em because they're not a dark blue. If I was able to customize the shade I would. As a result, boil that blood my friend.
http://intensedebate.com/people/kuma32478 Joe Aiello

Doc,

I like the graph because it shows how game changing various key plays were in the game as well as the general flow.
Doc Raker

Funny, that's why I watched (or listen) to the game.

Of course I am half kidding about the graph being in a sour mood after watching these Cubs. I pay no attention to it but understand others might. Others who might be challenged to understand the various key plays in a game that make up it's general flow. Half kidding again

Game 32: No Win for Mom

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