Doug Davis - wicked stuff?

[badnews]

8 strikeouts in 5 and 2/3 innings. I think a lot was made yesterday about how it took very good pitching to make our best hitters look foolish. Davis struck out Soriano and Ramirez twice each in 3 ABs, when was the last time anyone did that to Ramirez? Tip your cap to Davis and his overpowering stuff.

 

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In actuality, I'm terribly disappointed, more disappointed than I should be by now. I suppose it feels better when you think you're losing to a team that is simply far better than yours is. I don't feel that way about the Diamondbacks. They've got 90 wins, yes, but that's not 100 wins or any such thing. They've also been outscored by a decent clip for the year. Our team OPS, numbers with RISP, team ERA, and defensive numbers were better than the Diamondbacks. This is an eminently beatable team. I figure the impulse is to just crown them as a fantastic team, I don't see it and I don't buy it. We're helping to beat ourselves. This is a Diamondbacks team that has a pretty unimpressive meat-of-the-order with Eric Byrnes, Conor Jackson, etc. I haven't checked the numbers, does Eric Byrnes have the highest OPS at .813? Come on. This is a pitching staff that has Doug Davis and Livan Hernandez (in a rotten year) as their #2 and #3 starters. Add in that the Rockies look to beat the Phillies and this may be the easiest road to the World Series for the NL in years. I certainly thought the 2004 Cardinals and 2005 Astros were better teams than anyone there right now.

 

This is a golden opportunity and the Cubs are blowing it horribly.

[TruffleShuffle]

no, he's a soft-tossing lefty and the cubs went right back to their old ways of flailing away and helping out the pitcher. Though to be fair Davis gave up a few rockets that were right at people, and I think he allowed 9 baserunners in 5.2 innings, which isn't good.

[OleMissCub]

He struck out 8 twice this season. One of which was against yours truly.

[DivineBovine]

Every Cub team in recent memory has seemed to make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young winners. That's what happens when you consistently bail them out by swinging at bad pitches and are dead last in walks every single year. This is what happens when your GM is Jim Hendry.

[MPrior]

Every Cub team in recent memory has seemed to make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young winners. That's what happens when you consistently bail them out by swinging at bad pitches and are dead last in walks every single year. This is what happens when your GM is Jim Hendry.

 

To be fair, I don't think we wound up dead last in walks this year.

 

 

Or maybe we did. I'm not looking it up, but I think it was 14th or 15th, or something.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Does this mean the entire Marlins pitching staff and their bloated ERAs have wicked stuff too?

[rawaction]

That was the worst pitched game I've even seen a winning pitcher throw. Davis had nothing, and it didn't even matter.

[UK1679666180]

The Cubs have been a good FB hitting team, his did what most successful pitchers do against the Cubs, change speeds and location.

 

He was throwing 83-86 and jamming Cubs hitters on cutters, and then getting him out in on changeups and curves.

 

They were tight, Davis mixed up his pitches well enough make them become guess hitters.

 

This series has exposed the reason why the Cubs are not more than an avg. offense this year, they need another middle of the order hitter. When you're #5 hitter is either Floyd or Murton, you better get someone else, yes Soriano is there but he'll be at the top until proven otherwise.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Every Cub team in recent memory has seemed to make mediocre pitchers look like Cy Young winners. That's what happens when you consistently bail them out by swinging at bad pitches and are dead last in walks every single year. This is what happens when your GM is Jim Hendry.

 

To be fair, I don't think we wound up dead last in walks this year.

 

 

Or maybe we did. I'm not looking it up, but I think it was 14th or 15th, or something.

Yea, we were 15th, ahead of only the Pirates.

[Soul]

The way we're approaching ABs, honestly I would never throw a fastball or a strike to these guys. They'll get themselves out.

 

Davis did not have good stuff yesterday. We handed him outs just like we've been doing many times this year with mediocre pitchers.

[Backtobanks]

The way we're approaching ABs, honestly I would never throw a fastball or a strike to these guys. They'll get themselves out.

 

Davis did not have good stuff yesterday. We handed him outs just like we've been doing many times this year with mediocre pitchers.

 

Amen! Anybody that throws a strike to Soriano must be crazy. The way to pitch to the Cubs is throw a 45-foot curve ball, throw a pitch 6" outside, or throw a head-high fastball.

[rynefan]

I think those were probably 9 innings of the worst at bats I'd seen all season, on the Cubs side, I mean, of course. It was hard to get through all that BS with the Cubs batters to even get a real look at what Davis was throwing. Thanks for the embarrassment on national TV!

[MikeyLikesCubbies]

His stuff wan't good at all. There were a lot of times they just got lucky. The Cubs were hitting the ball hard but couldn't find gaps. I really hate the D-backs.

[abuck1220]

Add in that the Rockies look to beat the Phillies and this may be the easiest road to the World Series for the NL in years. I certainly thought the 2004 Cardinals and 2005 Astros were better teams than anyone there right now.

 

This is a golden opportunity and the Cubs are blowing it horribly.

 

that's the most disappointing thing. the last few years the central has been horrible. now the entire NL is horrible. a team with the cubs' resources and decent amount of cheap talent should have won 3 or division titles since '03 and coasted to the world series a time or two. it's pathetic.

[BigbadB]

I think those were probably 9 innings of the worst at bats I'd seen all season, on the Cubs side, I mean, of course. It was hard to get through all that BS with the Cubs batters to even get a real look at what Davis was throwing. Thanks for the embarrassment on national TV!

 

They did the same thing against Webb.

 

What I saw was two ineffective starters last night. One offense decided to let the ineffective starter dig his own grave. The other offense felt sorry that the starter didn't have electric stuff, and decided to swing at bad pitches all night to make him look better.

 

In the 9th, I'm yelling at the tv at Valverde because he's throwing Soriano pitches right down the middle. I'm yelling that he must be an idiot to throw a pitch anywhere other than in the dirt.

 

Throw it in the dirt, Soriano dares you.

[Derwood]

i'm less annoyed at them swinging at pitches in the dirt with 2 strikes than I am at them watching hanging meatballs go by without swinging. DeRosa saw the exact same pitch get called a strike three times in his first at bat. What was he waiting for, a written invitation to swing?

[E.J.]

I love how at one point in the game last night Aram swung and fouled off a ball that hit the dirt first. This isn't cricket! Take some pitches!

[biittner77]

Doug Davis "They helped me out by swinging at some bad pitches"

 

Alphonso Soriano "They must have had a wicked scouting report"

 

That's the Cubs in a nutshell.

 

Let the cap tipping begin.