8/19 Cardinals (Wells) @ Cubs (Zambrano) 7:05 ESPN

[inari]

So despite the fact that everyone and their mother could see this game couldn't be played, they had to start it. Because of this, we complete waste our ace pitchers start.

 

Thanks MLB.

[J.R.]

Honestly the way this rain is looking, I'm wondering if they get tomorrow's game either.

They really need to or else they're in a pickle. The Cardinals don't play in Chicago any more this year, so if they don't play tonight or tomorrow that means St. Louis would need to come back to Chicago to play a make-up double header on a mutual day off. There are only two mutual days off remaining this season.

 

They could plan the game for the end of the year and hope it isn't necessary.

 

Could you imagine a one-off with the Cards to settle the division? That would be the height of insanity.

[ctcf]

This page is like attack of the giant sigs.

[J.R.]

Didn't the Giants and someone else recently only play 161 games in a season, due to lack of playoff implication? If both games are ppd, and they make up one of them on the 27th and don't have a good date to make up the other, can they not just put it off until the last day of the season and just say forget it if the outcome wouldn't make a difference in the playoff picture?

 

Similar scenarios happen almost every year.

[soccer10k]

Honestly the way this rain is looking, I'm wondering if they get tomorrow's game either.

They really need to or else they're in a pickle. The Cardinals don't play in Chicago any more this year, so if they don't play tonight or tomorrow that means St. Louis would need to come back to Chicago to play a make-up double header on a mutual day off. There are only two mutual days off remaining this season.

Didn't the Giants and someone else recently only play 161 games in a season, due to lack of playoff implication? If both games are ppd, and they make up one of them on the 27th and don't have a good date to make up the other, can they not just put it off until the last day of the season and just say forget it if the outcome wouldn't make a difference in the playoff picture?

 

A Giants-Cards game was never played last year.

[Bruno7481]

So despite the fact that everyone and their mother could see this game couldn't be played, they had to start it. Because of this, we complete waste our ace pitchers start.

 

Thanks MLB.

 

Its up to the Cubs, not MLB, until the game begins.

 

It wasn't raining at the time so it would have been really hard to justify them not starting.

[Alfonso Soriano]

Another update.

Still people there

[ctcf]

Another update.

Still people there

 

Surprisingly large number of people there.

[J.R.]

It's hard to believe that ESPN will send HD trucks to Little League games while FOX broadcasts the MLB Saturday 'B' games in crappy 'enhanced definition.'

[ctcf]

Really doesn't look like rain on the webcam.

 

http://www.cubworld.com/category/a_cubworld_cam

[NCCubFan]

Honestly the way this rain is looking, I'm wondering if they get tomorrow's game either.

They really need to or else they're in a pickle. The Cardinals don't play in Chicago any more this year, so if they don't play tonight or tomorrow that means St. Louis would need to come back to Chicago to play a make-up double header on a mutual day off. There are only two mutual days off remaining this season.

Didn't the Giants and someone else recently only play 161 games in a season, due to lack of playoff implication? If both games are ppd, and they make up one of them on the 27th and don't have a good date to make up the other, can they not just put it off until the last day of the season and just say forget it if the outcome wouldn't make a difference in the playoff picture?

Very true; I hadn't thought about that. Maybe the best thing would be for there to be enough breaks in the rain tomorrow to get one game in, but not both (to avoid the need for an emergency start), then have the Cubs build enough of a margin over second place so the game becomes moot. :D

[Alfonso Soriano]

Another update.

Still people there

 

Surprisingly large number of people there.

It must not be raining as hard as it looks.

The bleachers were almost full

[CDBears1259]

Really doesn't look like rain on the webcam.

 

http://www.cubworld.com/category/a_cubworld_cam

 

Damn, great minds think alike. I was just coming to post that. Hard to gauge the actual rainfall from that type of camera, but it doesn't look nearly bad enough to postpone the game.

[NCCubFan]

So if they called the game and scheduled a DH for tomorrow, these 2.5 innings don't count and they would start the game over, right?

Yep, and the Cubs would have to call up a pitcher for an emergency start since they will have lost Zambrano. :evil:

umm... is Gallagher ready?

I don't think Gallagher has been down for 10 days yet, so he couldn't be called back up yet.

On second thought, if necessary they could have a pitcher develop a phantom "injury" and go on the DL. Then Gallagher could be called up even without being down for 10 days. I've lost track of when his last start was, though, so I'm not sure if he'd be rested enough to go tomorrow.

[Jon]

Really doesn't look like rain on the webcam.

 

http://www.cubworld.com/category/a_cubworld_cam

 

Damn, great minds think alike. I was just coming to post that. Hard to gauge the actual rainfall from that type of camera, but it doesn't look nearly bad enough to postpone the game.

The rain will start back up shortly.

[Dirt Dog Sparly]

So despite the fact that everyone and their mother could see this game couldn't be played, they had to start it. Because of this, we complete waste our ace pitchers start.

 

Thanks MLB.

 

Its up to the Cubs, not MLB, until the game begins.

 

It wasn't raining at the time so it would have been really hard to justify them not starting.

 

Actually with this being the last time into town for the Cards, and the season starting into the stretch run, the umpires are more or less under the gun from MLB to play. If this had been back in April, its the Cubs call. Now with looking at having to work around the 20 days in a row max in the BPA its a no brainer looking to get a two hour window they are playing per MLB.

[TruffleShuffle]

just call the game, they're not going to get a complete game in unless they keep stopping and starting until about 7 AM

[Flames24Rulz]

If this game ever starts, I hope we see Marquis. Seeing that we have a day game in 16 hours or so, it would suck to have to depend on Lilly to throw 8 innings without going to the pen because of using them all tonight. At least with Marquis, you can probably get to the 8th without using your pen.

[NCCubFan]

So despite the fact that everyone and their mother could see this game couldn't be played, they had to start it. Because of this, we complete waste our ace pitchers start.

 

Thanks MLB.

 

Its up to the Cubs, not MLB, until the game begins.

 

It wasn't raining at the time so it would have been really hard to justify them not starting.

 

Actually with this being the last time into town for the Cards, and the season starting into the stretch run, the umpires are more or less under the gun from MLB to play. If this had been back in April, its the Cubs call. Now with looking at having to work around the 20 days in a row max in the BPA its a no brainer looking to get a two hour window they are playing per MLB.

That's relevant now once the game has started; it was the Cubs' decision, not the umpires' to try to play the game rather than calling it before it started.

[CDBears1259]

Hell of a catch by that little second baseman for Saudi Arabia.

[SouthSideRyan]

just call the game, they're not going to get a complete game in unless they keep stopping and starting until about 7 AM

 

Not if they're just aiming for 5. You could sneak 2.5 more innings in by midnight :)

[Alfonso Soriano]

Put in Wade Miller.

 

 

 

 

It's called sarcasm I know he is no longer with us...

[Magnetic Curses]

Hell of a catch by that little second baseman for Saudi Arabia.

 

terrible call, though.

[BCVM22]

The radar makes it look like there isn't much rain left; one more band of heavy stuff and then it dries out some. Too bad Zambrano can't continue to pitch.

[NCCubFan]

If this game ever starts, I hope we see Marquis. Seeing that we have a day game in 16 hours or so, it would suck to have to depend on Lilly to throw 8 innings without going to the pen because of using them all tonight. At least with Marquis, you can probably get to the 8th without using your pen.

Marquis just pitched three days ago; he's not going to be able to pitch tonight. It's bullpen time if the game resumes, followed by Lilly and an emergency callup tomorrow. It would have been different if there was an earlier off-day this time through the rotation.