Clark & Addison Blog - CubHub.net

In their past 5 games, the Cubs have left 34 runners on base, leading to losing 4 of those last 5 games. In the game they won, the stranded 4 base runners; in the losses they stranded 30.  A team can’t leave that many runners on base and expect to win very many games.

After Derrek Lee grounded into two key double plays yesterday, he redeemed himself today by going 5 for 5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs. Still, in the 9th inning today against a mortal looking Bobby Jenks, Lee represented the tying run at 3rd base with 1 out and we couldn’t find a way to get him home.  A decent sac-fly from Ramirez, a bloop single from Edmonds… nope, the clutch hitting just wasn’t there. 

The team is a little banged up, but we have to find a way to get runners in once they reach base if we want to get back on track. 

Last year, catcher Jason Kendall threw out something like 2 of 50 baserunners trying to steal. That’s a 96% failure rate. But even as aggressive as Lou’s boys have been on the base paths this year, for whatever reason they don’t run on Kendall. Why is that? With the dozens of Cub baserunners in the Brewers series, there were about 4 attempts by the Cubs to steal a base. Doesn’t Lou have these stats available to him? Has he forgotten how inept Kendall is at gunning down runners? Last year it seemed teams routinely would swipe 4 or 5 bases per game against Kendall. But for whatever reason not the ‘08 Cubs.

The Cubs are managing to win tight games, sometimes in creative ways.  And Lou simply outmanaged Phillies acting-manager, coach Jimy Williams (Phils skippper Charlie Manuel was tossed arguing a fair/foul home run call) by running up Felix Pie as a decoy pinch-hitter.  With the game on the line in the 8th, Piniella sent in struggling rookie Felix Pie to pinch bat (hard to call him a pinch-hitter) for catcher Henry Blanco.  This was a genius move to chase Tom Gordon and force the Phils to bring in another pitcher - JC Romero - to face Geovany Soto.  The move paid off big as Soto hit a check-swing single to tie the game.  Well done Lou, you out-classed ‘em today.

Off Monday then back to the Friendly Confines Tuesday.  …I wonder how Dusty Baker’s return to Wrigley will be…?

The beloved Cubs have won their first game of the young 2008 season.  It played out just like the scripted it in spring training.  Middle of the lineup delivered, we got a quality start, Marmol in setup and Woody closed it out without (too much) drama. Nicely done. 

And who’d a thunk it would be Ryan Dempster who played stopper to halt the losing at 2 games and put a W flag up at Wrigley for the first time in ‘08!