7/29-D'backs(Vasquez) at Cubs (Prior) 1:20 CT, WGN

[dalgreen]

Wait. Neifi just bunted a popout to short? How does that happen?

 

Neifi is a pioneer of suckitude. He is always blazing a trail of new and inventive ways to fail.

 

 

Derrek needs a day off, IMO.

Then Derrek should have hinted at that.

 

Oh, wait. He did.

 

Dusty has been very un-Dusty-like in that regard this year. Any other year and he would not have been riding Lee and Burnitz this hard.

 

Dusty either ignores or is oblivious to the obvious sometimes.

 

I think the Almighty could blast a message into a stone wall with lightning right in front of him and he would disregard it if he didn't agree.

 

Are you kidding? Dusty can't catch a break. People earlier were talking about the bad lineup he's tossed out there today. Do you really think there would be lots of people okay not having Lee and Ramirez in the lineup? A good bench and you could get away with that. A bad bench and you can't. THe guy can't catch a break from some people.

 

Come on. There are better options than Macias. Neifi can play 3B for a game here or there. So can Barrett. And Lee could have been rested yesterday. I think I could put together a decent lineup w/o Ramirez and Lee:

 

1.Hairston 2B

2.Cedeno SS

3.Walker 1B

4.Burnitz RF

5.Murton LF

6.Gerut CF

7.Barrett C

8.Neifi 3B

 

Now you know Dusty would do this:

 

1.Hairston CF

2.Perez 2B

3.Walker 1B

4.Burnitz RF

5.Hollandsworth LF

6.Barrett C

7.Macias 3B

8.Cedeno SS

 

We don't have the greatest roster, but clearly Dusty really makes the worst of it, more often than not.

 

You mean a better lineup how? On paper? Or by results? I don't know....we had a good lineup out there yesterday and was shutout. We had many crappy lineups last year that scored 5+ runs.

[mhuber92211]

the 0-2 pitch was high past the letters. Glaus just tomahawked it.

[badger1679666666]

Why would Prior throw 3 straight pitches down the middle to Glaus??

 

I dunno, maybe he's tired and mislocated because he has pitched 115 pitches?

[nick23]

Why can't teams ever just tie the game against us? They always have to go up a run or two.

[Jon]

Why would Prior throw 3 straight pitches down the middle to Glaus??

Not the first time (see the game in Houston). He sometimes thinks he can just blow a guy away and tries to do so even when it doesn't make as much sense.

 

And by the way, tough error on Murton. It was a bad throw, but it took a real long hop in front of Blanco. No reason that should go to the backstop.

[samhainn77]

That was a big out. If we get out of this, I like our chances. The D-backs bullpen is awful.

 

So is our offense.

[LoneStarCubFan]

That was a big out. If we get out of this, I like our chances. The D-backs bullpen is awful.

 

Awful enough to help throw a shutout yesterday when Ramirez was in the line-up.

[Brian]

That was a big out. If we get out of this, I like our chances. The D-backs bullpen is awful.

 

Yes they were surely awful yesterday, especially valderde who has struck out 8 of hist last 9 batters.

[mhuber92211]

the team is playing like they are tired. As they should be. They have played 15 straight games.

[XZero771679666304]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

Yes, Dusty loves to wait until the animals are out to close the barn door. At the very least Prior should have been pulled after the first two men reached. Just a thought.

[jdelaney5150]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

And again with the second guessing. MrWood is the only one that said to pull Prior after the 7th. In this situation, Dusty's hands are tied. There is nobody trustworthy in the pen except Dempster and we need him for the 9th. Yesterday and today are both products of not having a decent arm in the pen. Also, you cannot expect to win too many games when you only score 2 runs at home.

[LoneStarCubFan]

the team is playing like they are tired. As they should be. They have played 15 straight games.

 

Teams with heart don't let that affect them.

[TripJ]

cubs have a 2 run lead going into the 8th. Starter comes out to pitch after throwing over 100 pitches. Starter gives up 2 runs and blows the lead. Dusty comes out afterwards cluelessly to finally pull the start.

 

Sound familiar? It should because we've seen it 2 times in the past 3 days

 

I don't disagree with you, but I don't fault Dusty for that. Seriously, who in the pen (besides Dempster) do you REALLY trust late in a 1-run game right now?

 

I can't think of one.

[LoneStarCubFan]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

And again with the second guessing. MrWood is the only one that said to pull Prior after the 7th. In this situation, Dusty's hands are tied. There is nobody trustworthy in the pen except Dempster and we need him for the 9th. Yesterday and today are both products of not having a decent arm in the pen. Also, you cannot expect to win too many games when you only score 2 runs at home.

 

You can't expect your starters to throw complete games every day.

[katway]

the team is playing like they are tired. As they should be. They have played 15 straight games.

 

I always wonder how tiring it is to play baseball when you are at home and the other team has been traveling. The team has no excuse for its lackluster efforts as of late.

[badger1679666666]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

:roll: :roll: :roll:

 

Would you be bitching if Prior struck out the side?

 

 

Sometimes Cubs fans just irritate the hell out of me.

[XZero771679666304]

 

You mean a better lineup how? On paper? Or by results? I don't know....we had a good lineup out there yesterday and was shutout. We had many crappy lineups last year that scored 5+ runs.

 

You can't predict results, but the responsible thing to do is to field a lineup that satistically gives you the best chance of winning. Dusty rarely does this.

[dalgreen]

Why would Prior throw 3 straight pitches down the middle to Glaus??

 

I dunno, maybe he's tired and mislocated because he has pitched 115 pitches?

 

If we had even an average bullpen we could've taken Prior down for a pinch-hitter. As I've said, we need a two-run lead per every out needed in order for the bullpen to hold a lead.

[jdelaney5150]

the team is playing like they are tired. As they should be. They have played 15 straight games.

 

Teams with heart don't let that affect them.

 

So when the Marlins collapsed last year in September like the Cubs that means they have no heart? I love when a team's shortcomings get blamed on a completely abstract concept. Objectively, their offense is tired and their bullpen is bad.

[TripJ]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

And again with the second guessing. MrWood is the only one that said to pull Prior after the 7th. In this situation, Dusty's hands are tied. There is nobody trustworthy in the pen except Dempster and we need him for the 9th. Yesterday and today are both products of not having a decent arm in the pen. Also, you cannot expect to win too many games when you only score 2 runs at home.

 

You can't expect your starters to throw complete games every day.

 

No, but in a close game, a tiring Prior couldn't be much less effective than our trainwreck of a bullpen, could he? That's not Baker's fault.

[mhuber92211]

the team is playing like they are tired. As they should be. They have played 15 straight games.

 

Teams with heart don't let that affect them.

 

So please provide these amazing "heart" stats. Just silly. Being Tired effects EVERYONE no matter how big your heart is. Apparently Prior has no heart cause he threw 115 pitches and gave up the lead cause he was tired. Oh well, the "heart" beats us again :roll:

[katway]

cubs have a 2 run lead going into the 8th. Starter comes out to pitch after throwing over 100 pitches. Starter gives up 2 runs and blows the lead. Dusty comes out afterwards cluelessly to finally pull the start.

 

Sound familiar? It should because we've seen it 2 times in the past 3 days

 

I don't disagree with you, but I don't fault Dusty for that. Seriously, who in the pen (besides Dempster) do you REALLY trust late in a 1-run game right now?

 

I can't think of one.

 

I get the feeling Baker is just accentuating this teams faults to force a trade situation. there is not other explanation I can think of and I'm not saying that's a good one.

[Coach C]

*whew*

 

Nice barehand grab and throw by Blanco to end it.

[XZero771679666304]

that's 2 times in 3 days that baker has completly F$$%ED up. Why bat than pitch prior in the 8th inning. There is no point. This is getting ridiculous. There is no defending baker .

 

And again with the second guessing. MrWood is the only one that said to pull Prior after the 7th. In this situation, Dusty's hands are tied. There is nobody trustworthy in the pen except Dempster and we need him for the 9th. Yesterday and today are both products of not having a decent arm in the pen. Also, you cannot expect to win too many games when you only score 2 runs at home.

 

You can't expect your starters to throw complete games every day.

 

No, but in a close game, a tiring Prior couldn't be much less effective than our trainwreck of a bullpen, could he? That's not Baker's fault.

 

I have no problem with Prior coming out for the 8th. I do have a problem with Dusty leaving him in there after he gave up two hits to start the inning.

[rickrolled]

I guess we can just hope for a DLee solo HR in the 8th to tie it.