Holy Cowbell: A Chicago Cubs Blog

Back-to-back no-no's? No, but close...

2008-09-15T13:11:00.003-07:00

Got home from an appointment and checked on the Cubs-Astros game. Couldn't believe it. Through 5 1/3 innings, Ted Lilly... was throwing a no-hitter.

I pinched myself.

The attempt at the first ever back-to-back no-hitters died an inning later, with a Mark Loretta single to right. But, man, what an amazing year!

Ned Yost = Axed

2008-09-15T12:53:00.006-07:00

I mused on July 27th, in a "Squeeze Bunts" post that "we still have the luxury of Piniella in our dugout, while mad scientist Ned Yost is in Milwaukee's. I'll bet on Lou any day over Yost."

We no longer have that luxury. The Brewers fired Yost today, after the team had swooned badly through September and fallen not only out of contention for the NL Central crown, but also out of what seemed like a firm grip on the wild card.

I can't blame Milwaukee management. Think about it. You have one of the best 1-2 starting pitcher combinations in baseball, sending CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets out there twice every five days. And you have two of the best young power hitters in the game, penciling in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to the 3-4 spots in every lineup. Plus, there's an assortment of other talented guys (although the bullpen is brutal). Milwaukee shouldn't be this bad down the stretch two years in a row. The skipper had to go.

So, for the Cubs, they don't have Ned Yost to count on anymore. But I think the team has built up enough of a lead that it shouldn't be a problem.

No-hitters in Cubs History

2008-09-14T22:36:00.003-07:00

Larry Corcoran, 1880
Larry Corcoran, 1882
Larry Corcoran, 1884
Walter Thornton, 1898
Jimmy Lavendar, 1915
Sam Jones, 1955
Don Cardwell, 1960
Ken Holtzman, 1969
Ken Holtzman, 1971
Burt Hooton, 1972
Milt Pappas, 1972
Carlos Zambrano, 2008

What strikes me about this list:

1. Corcoran must have been a Bret Saberhagen wannabe. Cy Young candidate one year (although, considering Cy Young was a teenager at the time, I'm guessing there wasn't an award named after him), lousy the next.

2. After four no-hitters in four seasons, it took the Cubs 36 years for another no-hitter.

3. Holtzmann's second no-hitter, as well as Hooton's and Pappas', came after the mound was lowered following the 1968 pitcher-dominated season. So these guys tossed no-no's, after losing a huge height advantage just a few years earlier.

History!

2008-09-14T19:28:00.005-07:00

A no-hitter for Carlos Zambrano!!

What a GREAT year to be a Cubs fan!!

Carlos Zambrano 9 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 10 Ks

Oh, bloody, no...

2008-09-10T10:38:00.002-07:00

The song that epitomizes the Cubs over the last week:

Tom Petty's "Free Falling."

The saving grace: As bad as the Cubs have been, the Brewers have almost been worse.

Funny -- just a couple weeks ago, my biggest fear was that the Cubs - almost assured of the best record in the NL - would have to play the NL-West winning Diamonbacks in the first round of the playoffs (meaning they might have to face a trifecta of Webb-Haren-RJohnson).

Since then:

1) The Cubs have fallen apart, putting a division collapse and even a wild card disaster within reach.

2) The Diamondbacks have fallen apart, putting them a couple games back of the surging Dodgers (which feels like 10 games to the D-Backs, who haven't been able to sustain any success out here in Arizona).

3) Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Randy Johnson have all been awful over their last couple of starts (as a fantasy owner of the first two, I can assure you of that). While I wouldn't necessarily want to face them in the playoffs, I'd be far less fearful now.

How quickly things change. Hopefully they can CHANGE again. For the better.

Because this has been painful...

I Dream Of Genie...

2008-09-03T23:16:00.002-07:00

One wish:

Stop the bleeding.

(And I heard CC Sabathia on The Dan Patrick Show today. I hate to say it, but I really like the guy. Came across like a great cat, in addition to being a great pitcher).

These are my concerns...

2008-09-02T00:14:00.003-07:00

...in no particular order.

1) The Cubs have lost three straight. At home. In lackluster fashion.

I understand that slumps happen. But this is a lousy time to start playing without passion and without offense. The Cubs need to right the ship before Milwaukee puts themselves within serious striking distance, just before the head-to-head match-ups at the end of the season.

2) Alfonso Soriano is the streakiest hitter in the major leagues. I just worry that he'll be on a 'down streak' during the playoffs (like he was last year against the D-Backs), and we'll have a major hole at the top of the order. If no one else is hot, we'll end up with the exact same situation as last year's sweep (no clutch hitting) and we'll be watching the NLCS from home.

3) If the Cubs can continue to hold the best record in the National League and win the Central Division, their likely opponent will be the winner of the NL West. And that would likely be the Diamondbacks. Meaning, in a short five-game series, they'll face: Brandon Webb in Game 1, Dan Haren in Game 2 and Randy Johnson in Game 3. The NL Cy Young winner, one of the game's elite young pitchers and a guy they've never beaten.

I love this team. But I don't like those odds.

These are my concens. In no particular order.

The majesty of win #81...

2008-08-26T11:40:00.004-07:00

Monday's pasting of the patsy Pirates upped the Cubs' record to 81-50.

The beauty of that number 81:

* It ensures the team will finish at or above .500 this season (even if they go 0-31 the rest of the way). As fans of the North Siders, we know not to take a .500 season for granted.

* It puts the team two games in front of EVERYONE else in the majors for most wins. Now, we should point out, Tampa Bay is even with the Cubs in the loss-column (both at 50 setbacks a piece). But it's been a long, long time since I can remember the Cubs being this late in the season and having the most wins among any team.

* It puts the Cubs five games up on the Brewers. This is a testament to how well Chicago has played since the break (given how well Milwaukee has played, minus the four-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs). The five-game lead is the largest of any division leader in the majors (except for the Angels, who play against three junior varisty teams in the AL West).

Put simply -- it is a GREAT time to be a Cubs' fan and I am LOVING it.

Fantasy Update

2008-08-20T11:13:00.002-07:00

According to yahoo!, the ranks of the Cub offensive players in terms of fantasy value this year (their pre-season ranking is in parentheses):

Aramis Ramirez -- 51st (28)
Derrek Lee -- 57th (34)
Alfonso Soriano -- 81st (48)
Mark DeRosa -- 83rd (240)
Geovany Soto -- 144th (176)
Ryan Theriot -- 145th (236)
Kosuke Fukudome -- 194th (119)
Jim Edmonds -- 674th (802)

And the pitchers:

Rich Harden -- 31st (211)
Ryan Dempster -- 40th (144)
Kerry Wood -- 73rd (184)
Carlos Marmol -- 109th (136)
Carlos Zambrano -- 133rd (61)
Chad Gaudin -- 168th (348)
Ted Lilly -- 251st (143)
Neal Cotts -- 361st (578)
Jeff Samardzija -- 486th (480)
Bob Howry -- 721st (742)
Jason Marquis -- 825th (841)

Observations: Fantasy value documents the surprising seasons of Theriot, Soto and DeRosa. It shows that the stars are playing up to their level. It shows Fukudome is not. On the pitching side, it's obvious that Rich-Harden-if-he-stays-healthy has, in fact, stayed healthy.

Nearly 30 games over .500...

2008-08-20T10:51:00.005-07:00

* Things I love seeing:

- The Cubs beating teams they're supposed to beat. That's one of the marks of a great team, rather than a good team. The Cubs-of-old (when they've been 'good' teams) haven't necessarily been able to do that. This team has.

Sweeping the Braves, taking two of three against a Florida team that we normally struggle against, and then coming out and dominating the Reds in game one of this series shows me that this team is different.

- The Cubs playing fundamental baseball, doing the small things that help you win.

Exhibit A: Geovany Soto getting down the line on Rich-Harden-if-he-stays-healthy's sacrifice bunt yesterday. Soto knew there was no one at third base. He knew he could go as far as Edwin Encarnacion would let him, then make a dash for home. It led to a crucial run.

It's always been my observation that Cub teams of the past would never be the squad doing the small things; it would always be other teams doing them to us. We would just sit back and wait for a home run. Now, we're doing the little things that can get you runs, just in case D-Lee, Soriano, A-Ram and Edmonds aren't smashing bombs. It's wonderful to see.

* Carrie Muskrat's 'Mailbag' has always been a source of derision for most of the Cub blogosphere, which I never understood. Look, the lady is just trying to do a job; if you don't like the feature, don't read it.

There is, however, a curious answer in this week's 'Mailbag.' Muskrat is asked which outfield position is easiest to play, sent in by a woman who has told her husband it is center field because he has the right fielder and left fielder to back him up. Muskrat goes to Reed Johnson for the answer:

"I think left field is the hardest of the three," Johnson says, citing the difficulties of playing balls over his head in left.

I'm going to have to call BS on that one.

If left field were the most difficult position to play, Alfonso Soriano would not be playing it. Believe me.

It's the shortest throw to third and home. It's the least ground to cover. You have a center fielder, usually one of the best athletes on the team, next to you helping you cover ground. It's not the most difficult.

I just can't buy Reed's answer.

* Interesting decision by a Cub fan.

Couple of notes...

2008-08-12T11:37:00.005-07:00

* Interesting article on one of my favorite players growing up: Doug Glanville. One of the smartest people to ever don a Cubs' uniform.

(By the way, the picture is from the 2003 NLCS. Glanville stroked a triple in Game 3 to propel the Cubs to an extra-inning win over the Marlins, his biggest hit as a Cub).

* If the playoffs started today:

AL East winner -- Tampa Bay
AL Central winner -- Chicago/Minnesota (tied in loss column)
AL West winner -- Anaheim
AL Wild Card -- Boston
HOME FIELD: Anaheim

NL East winner -- Philadelphia
NL Central winner -- Chicago
NL West winner -- Arizona
NL Wild Card -- Milwaukee
HOME FIELD: Chicago

Left out: Both New York teams.

* Down on the farm, the big-hitting Micah Hoffpauir smacked four - yes, FOUR - home runs in one game. I'm looking forward to having his bat off the bench come September call-ups.

Since last we met...

2008-08-12T11:06:00.003-07:00

...the Cubs played well, yet still gave up ground to the Brewers. (1)

...Scott Eyre was traded, meaning Lou Piniella no longer needed to find new ways to pretend he didn't exist down in the bullpen. (2)

...the Brewers pulled a Zambrano-Barrett. (3)

...Lou said if Kosuke Fukudome doesn't start hitting, you can expect a Fontenot/Johnson platoon (with some position manuevering) to replace him. (4)

****

(1) The Brewers were feasting on some bad baseball teams. They've won six straight by demolishing the powerhouse Nationals (four times) and the juggernaut Reds (twice). Not exactly a declaration of superiority, although you do have to give them credit for taking care of business against lousy teams.

I still think the division will come down to those six games in September between the Cubs and the Brewers.

(2) Believe me, I never felt comfortable with Scott Eyre on the mound. I know he had some good outings when he played in Chicago, but I guess I was never watching when they happened.

But, while I'm not sad to see the hefty Eyre in Philadelphia, I am a little concerned that this means the Cubs are getting into bed with Neal Cotts and Sean Marshall as their two lefties out of the 'pen.

Marshall's more of a long-man than a situational lefty, and I just don't buy Cotts. I don't think he's a guy that Lou can trust to get outs against quality NL lefties in the playoffs (think Chase Utley, Prince Fielder).

(3) Fielder, meanwhile, has really shown some immaturity this year. His hissy-fit in the last game of the Chicago series was foolish, and his shove at Manny Parra (just because Parra was not going to watch the game from the dugout) was pure silliness.

I reiterate: the Brewers are the slobs of the National League.

(4) I don't blame Lou for the proclamation about Spider-Man. Fukudome is 3-for-his-last-24. His average has plummeted as the season progressed:

April 10 = .371
May 10 = .321
June 10 = .295
July 10 = .282
August 10 = .269

The old adage in baseball is 'if you hit, you play.' Fukudome is not hitting. And while not having him in right field would be a considerable loss defensively, part of me thinks it would be worth it to get a decent stick in the lineup.

The other alternative is to drop him to eighth in the batting order and allow him to use some of his other talents to help the club (taking pitches, bunting, hit-and-runs). That would take some of the burden off of him to produce numbers, and hopefully get him back on track.

Right now, I'd prefer a combination of both. Sit him against lefties for sure. Then let him play some games against righties, but not put him in crucial spots in the order (2nd, 5th, or 6th).

In any case, it's obvious that the Cubs have to count on Jim Edmonds, Mark DeRosa and Geovany Soto to pick up the slack in Fukudome's stead.

The worst free-agent signing EVER...

2008-08-02T12:20:00.004-07:00

A funny thing happened while I was watching "Baseball Tonight" earlier this week...

...Andruw Jones got a hit.

It was just an RBI single to left. Nothing big. But it was striking to me for a reason:

It was the first time all year that I had seen a highlight involving Andruw Jones in which he had done anything positive. First time ALL YEAR. And I watch a lot of "Baseball Tonight."

So I looked at Andruw Jones' statistics for the year:

.161 avg

2 hrs

13 rbis

.260 obp

.241 slg

73 ks in 199 abs

Can anyone think of a former All-Star with that horrible of a stat-line... who is not at the end of his career? (Andruw's only 31, by the way).

Wow. Just brutal.

And then look here. It's ESPN's article when Jones signed his 2-year, $36.2 million contract this past off-season. Says he became the player with the fifth-highest average salary among all MLB players.

Fifth-highest - and he's putting up those numbers??

I think it's official. Worst free-agent signing ever.

I really do think the Dodgers should consider biting the bullet and just cutting Jones and eating the massive salary. Because he's a gigantic hole on the roster. And the outfield is full with the trade for Manny Ramirez (joining Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Juan Pierre).

Andruw Jones: what a waste of talent.

Cubs dismantle Brewers, make statement

2008-08-02T12:09:00.002-07:00

Awesome series against the Brewers. Best of the year, to be sure.

Playoff atmosphere.

Phenomenal starting pitching

Above-average hitting.

Class and professionalism, while the other team's behavior turned boorish and child-like.

Interesting poll over at 'Hire Jim Essian,' wondering if this series was better than the 2003 Cubs-Cardinals series (which the Cubs swept in four games).

The other one had more playoff implications, being in September of that season. But this one had more of a stick-it-in-your-ear atmosphere, shutting up the Brewers, that I'd vote for this one.

Positives from a dominating 7-1 dismantling of the Brewers...

2008-07-29T23:54:00.005-07:00

1) Every starter (including Big Z) had a hit. For a team that has gone for a couple weeks with about half the line-up in a slump (and it's not easy to score with that many holes in your starting nine), that's a heck of a good sign.

2) And the hitting came against Ben Sheets, the NL's starting pitcher in the All-Star game. Quality hitting against a good pitcher on the road. Got to be happy about that.

3) For the first time in the last couple weeks, Kosuke Fukudome had some decent at-bats. In fact, his triple to left (badly misplayed by Ryan Braun, who would make one heck of a designated hitter) was probably his third best at-bat of the game.

I preferred his line-drive to the gap in right (off a left-handed pitcher) and his hot shot to second base (that moved a runner to third). Good swings out of a guy who has looked pretty brutal at the plate for the last month.

4) Carlos Zambrano proving he absolutely deserves a spot among the NL's elite pitchers. Great pitchers show up in great games and give you strong outings. Zambrano was filthy. That's clutch.

5) One of the things I love about Lou Piniella is that he's not a stubborn man. He's willing to change his batting order to react to situations, slumps, and opponents.

Tonight, Geovany Soto batted eighth. He had hit as high as 5th, but obviously Lou recognized Soto hadn't been swinging it well and would probably be better suited for the eight-hole against a tough righty in Sheets (plus he could go left-right-left-right-left with Fukudome-DeRosa-Fontenot-Soto-Zambrano). It worked. Geo had two hits and the Cubs scored seven runs.

A couple days ago, Fukudome hit eighth. I think a lot of managers would have never hit Fukudome eighth, given how much money he's being paid. They'd think 'hey, he's our $40+ million-dollar-man. He's gotta hit top-6 at least.' Not Lou. Fukudome deserved to hit eighth. So he did. I like that.

Two to go. Let's keep it going, Cubs!

Live Blogging (Cubs v. Brewers)

2008-07-28T20:30:00.001-07:00

It's done!

6-4 Cubs. They take game one of this series.

Team showed A LOT of spunk today.

That felt good...

Live blogging (Cubs v. Brewers)

2008-07-28T20:13:00.004-07:00

I take back all the bad things I said about Derrek Lee in the below post.

5-4 Cubs in the 9th inning on D-Lee's double.

I would love some more cushion for Carlos Marmol in the 9th!

Live blogging (Cubs v. Brewers)

2008-07-28T19:38:00.004-07:00

Top of 8, it's a 4-4 tie...

I'm sweating and pacing like it's a playoff game.

Thoughts:

* Lou, at some point, has got to stop putting Bob Howry into close games. How many outings is that in a row with a home run allowed? FOUR?!? (Fact-checking myself: It's three of the last four, and five of his last six outings have been BRUTAL).

* Rickie Weeks is Uggla-esque @ 2nd base. CC Sabathia could have gotten out of that seventh inning unscathed (and should have) if Weeks hadn't booted Kosuke's hit, then had that awful double-play turn on D-Lee's ball.

* I love Derrek Lee. Always have. Classy guy and a great leader for the Cubs. But I'm starting to get tired of him topping balls to short in clutch situations. He did it when I went to the game in Arizona (in the 9th off Chad Qualls), and he did it again here today against the Brewers. What's going on?!?

* If the Cubs can win this division, that will be an impressive feat. These Brewers are good. I get sick to my stomach every time Ryan Braun comes up; you just always have this awful feeling he's going to deposit one into the seats (which he did during Ted Lilly's lousy 6th inning).

* I'm not normally inclined to rag on people. I think we, as a society, have become obsessed with ripping people just because we can (beauty of internet anonymity). I try not to do it. But I have to make an exception with Eric Gagne. Every time I see him, in all his sloppiness, I can't help but think: STEROIDS. LOUSY WORK ETHIC. A GUY WHO CAN'T GET IT DONE WITHOUT THE HELP OF PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS. And, at least in baseball, there aren't many qualities worse than that, in my mind.

* All right, bottom of the 8th, heart of the order for the Brew-Crew. Chad Gaudin is on. Fingers crossed...

Squeeze Bunts...

2008-07-27T16:15:00.005-07:00

* It was not Hector Carrasco that got the call-up to replace Kerry Wood. Instead, it was Jeff Samardzija (pictured, during spring training, at right), who I said wasn't ready. I was wrong.

Samardzija looks great and, HOPEFULLY, will be an asset to that bullpen (which needs it, as Carlos Marmol has fallen back to earth, Bob Howry has been brutal of late, and no one else has stepped up).

On Sunday, the former Notre Dame receiver threw two scoreless, CLUTCH innings, striking out three.

I'm impressed. And I don't think Hector Carrasco could have done that for me.

* Give credit to Jason Marquis. That wasn't a great outing on Sunday, to be sure. But I know Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild made it very clear to Jason that they were not taking him out of the game (because they need to save the bullpen for Milwaukee). He had two choices: either figure out a way to keep the ball down and get some outs... or get smacked around inning-after-inning on national television.

Marquis deserves some praise for pitching well enough to keep Chicago in it.

* Jerk of the weekend award: umpire Rob Drake. Bad enough he immediately tossed Matt Sinatro after Saturday's questionable call at first on the Mark DeRosa grounder (why DeRosa slid, I'll never know). But then, on Sunday, the silliness continued.

Drake's umpiring behind the plate. Watch what he does when the umpires get together to discuss Mike Jacobs' homer into the right-field basket:

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200807273207897&c_id=chc

If you missed it, he held his mask up above his mouth... to make sure no one could read his lips while they discussed the situation (ala the catcher, when talking to the pitcher)!

Who on God's green earth is he trying to prevent from reading his lips?!?!?!?!? I don't really think secrecy has any place... in umpiring! I think it'd be fair if they were miked up! Lunacy...

* Obviously, the Cubs aren't playing well. After dropping two of three to Houston and Arizona on the road, they could only manage a split back in the Friendly Confines against the Marlins (who they never seem to play well). As a Cubs' fan, you can't be wild about how they're playing going into the crucial series against the Brew-Crew.

But... at least the starting pitchers have remained solid and the defense has been fine. If they could just get some consistency at the plate, they could easily return to the level they were playing at in the first half.

And don't forget, we still have the luxury of Piniella in our dugout, while mad scientist Ned Yost is in Milwaukee's. I'll bet on Lou any day over Yost.

Observations from the ballpark...

2008-07-22T10:37:00.005-07:00

The jinx lives.

I have attended four Cubs' games in my life (two in ATL ('96, '05), two in AZ ('07, '08). They have now lost every single one. (No, I have never been to Wrigley, one of life's biggest disappointments to date. It will be rectified soon).

The fourth was yesterday's 2-0 demoralizing loss to the Diamondbacks. Here are my thoughts:

1) Rich Harden deserves better. In 12 1/3 innings with the Cubs, he's given up only one run, striking out 20 while walking only five and giving up less than a base-runner an inning (0.89 WHIP). Yet, he is also now 0-1. Thank you, bullpen. Thank you, offense.

2) The offense was a combination of unlucky and undisciplined yesterday. The team hit so many seeds yesterday, yet not one fell. Give credit to Arizona centerfielder Chris Young; he ran down a lot of balls. But it's fair to say the Cubs did have far more well-hit balls than the Diamondbacks did.

However, the team was undisciplined too. SPECIFICALLY, Derrek Lee's horrifying at-bat in the ninth. With the tying run on-base and nobody out, Lee had the 2-and-o green light... and grounded meekly into a 6-4-3 double play. When you're swinging 2-and-0, the pitch better be a belt-high fastball and you better belt it a mile. Inexcusable that that didn't happen.

3) Aramis Ramirez looked lost at the plate. Same way he looked during last year's NLDS in Arizona. Maybe he doesn't like the lighting at Chase Field. But it's frustrating to have your 3-4-5 hitters (specifically the No. 4 man) look so terrible at the plate.

4) I'm highly concerned about the bullpen. It's starting to have a 2003 feel to it, when Dusty only trusted three guys down there. And what's worse, I don't think Lou even feels like he can trust these three anymore:

Kerry Wood is likely headed for the DL.

Carlos Marmol has been throwing gas on a fire recently.

And Bob Howry is NOT the pitcher everyone believes him to be. His best ERA so far this year has been 4.35 (on June 3), he's allowing way more than a hit an inning (57 hits in 47 innings) and I don't feel comfortable with him out there in clutch situations.

This 'pen needs Howry and Marmol to get right, Wood and Scott Eyre to get healthy, and Neal Cotts, Michael Wuertz, Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart, etc., to start pitching meaningful innings. Otherwise, it will be an early exit from the playoffs, if the team even makes it there.

5) Even on a day when the Cubs lost, it's still great to see so many Cubs' fans in an opposing team's ballpark. Chicago fans probably outnumbered D-Backs fans two-to-one yesterday. And I loved this sign one Cub fan brought.

Wood to DL; Ivy Leaguer to the game...

2008-07-21T11:02:00.003-07:00

* Kerry Wood will be returning to a familiar place: the disabled list. Multiple outlets reporting that Wood's blister problem with land him on the DL. The recently-shaky Carlos Marmol will close in his stead.

I would have had no problem with Marmol closing during the first quarter of the season. Now I'm a little terrified. Hopefully the solid All-Star outing and the mop-up inning Sunday against the Astros have helped him right the ship.

* I'm curious who the Cubs will bring up to replace Wood on the roster. I'm guessing it will be a pitcher, but there don't seem to be a lot of great candidates down in Iowa.

Rich Hill? Still brutal.

Carmen Pignatiello? Has continued to spiral downward since spring training.

Jeff Samardzija? Impressive, but not ready. Yet.

So I'm wondering if perhaps 38-year-old Hector Carrasco might get the call. The veteran has a 5-2 record with a 2.89 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings for Iowa.

* Heading out to the Cubs-DBacks game today in steamy Phoenix. Thankfully, the retractable dome will not be, um, retracted. And I couldn't be more excited about the pitching match-up: the new Cub Rich Harden against the (very) old DBack Randy Johnson. Hopefully the Cub offense can put an even bigger frown on Johnson's surly face.

Live Blogging: Cubs v. Astros (Friday)

2008-07-18T19:34:00.002-07:00

Cubs lose 2-1 on a walkoff single by Hunter Pence, who followed a double by Miguel Tejada. Ugh.

Can't blame the pitching. They gave up only two runs. But the hitting was deeply concerning. The team fell into some of the bad habits that plagued them in past years. Most importantly, they lacked the same kind of patience they displayed in the first half and it made things easy for Houston starter Brian Moehler.

Particularly bad, at least on this night, were Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez. (And, as mentioned before, Kosuke Fukudome is really, really slumping).

Let's hope the Cubs can turn it around this weekend in Houston.

Live Blogging: Cubs v. Astros (Friday)

2008-07-18T19:02:00.003-07:00

Carlos Lee just tattooed a ball into the left-field bleachers. Awful location from Ted Lilly. Worst of the game by far. Just left it up and out over the plate.

Game is now tied 1-1. The Astros failed to score another run after loading the bases. Lilly showed some pluck getting out of the jam by inducing a fielder's choice from Kaz Matsui to end the inning.

Interesting story of the day from Len Kasper: Daryle Ward is often looked to by his teammates for batting instruction. Apparently, Jeff Bagwell often consulted Ward when the big fella was with the 'Stros. Mark DeRosa says if young hitters are looking for a guy who swings fundamentally-sound, they should watch Ward.

Just one more reason to like Ward, one of my favorite Cubs...

Remembering Wood's 20 K Game...

2008-07-18T18:32:00.004-07:00

Bought a terrific DVD set called 'Chicago Cubs Legends: Great Games (Collector's Edition),' which has eight great games in team history. Each contest spotlights a Cub legend in one of his best games.

Today, I watched Kerry Wood's strikeout game, which celebrated its 10-year anniversary this May.

Five things that stood out to me:

1. Wood pitched the most dominant game I've ever seen. Something to remember: Roger Clemens' 20-strikeout game came against a horrid hitting Seattle Mariner ballclub. Wood was facing a great hitting Houston Astro team that included Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou. And Wood made them look terrible.

2. Few people probably know this, but after three innings Shane Reynolds had more strikeouts than Wood. Reynolds had struck out seven through three innings, while Wood had only fanned six (Reynolds had given up a run on three hits though).

3. This game really highlighted what a terrible player Kevin Orie was. He looked brutal at the plate, getting busted inside the entire contest. And then, of course, there was his weak effort on the Ricky Gutierrez grounder that cost Wood a no-hitter.

4. There has been plenty of discussion about whether the Gutierrez grounder should have been ruled an error on Orie. Interestingly, Chip Caray harped on the scorer's decision for a couple innings, before Steve Stone saw a replay, declared it a hit and the matter was dropped.

5. I forgot how close this game came to being rained out, or at least rain delayed in the late innings. Wood threw most of the 7th and 8th innings in a sharp rainstorm. Can you imagine Jim Riggleman's difficult decision if Wood had 18 K's at the end of eight innings, and then the game went to a two-hour rain delay before the 9th inning? Would you dare bring Wood - then just a rookie - back for the 9th?

Live blogging: Cubs v. Astros (Friday)

2008-07-18T18:29:00.003-07:00

Welcome back from the All-Star break!

It's 1-0 Cubs right now in the 6th inning. Jim Edmonds popped a shot the other way over the left-field wall, producing the only run of the game so far.

Ted Lilly has looked sharp.

The Houston Astros have looked fundamentally unsound (J.R. Towles and Hunter Pence specifically).

And I'm officially worried about Spider-Man (Kosuke Fukudome), whose average is falling fast.