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I just watched it again. The Wisconsin player wasn't even trying to hit him, he was diving for the ball in case it was ruled a backwards pass. Good field goal by Illinois-keep it up Illini! I'd like another week like last week where several people in the top 10-15 go down. Maybe so, they didnt show a replay of it, but when it happened I thought the recievers knee was blown out. Yeah, the Wisconsin player dove for the ball and he rolled over to make sure that nobody could take it from him. As he rolled, his back took the receivers legs out right about when the whistle blew.

I just watched it again. The Wisconsin player wasn't even trying to hit him, he was diving for the ball in case it was ruled a backwards pass. Good field goal by Illinois-keep it up Illini! I'd like another week like last week where several people in the top 10-15 go down.

Here's an article from channel 6 in Indy on it: Hopefully that helps somebody. http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/14269943/detail.html

Anybody know what DT2 channel is? I am in one of those markets where the ND game is going to be shown on that channel (the note on the bottom), but of course I don't know if I have the channel or not without knowing what it is.

Perhaps a valid point . . . but then we're right back to veteran presence vs. offensive ability. Oh, I'm not saying Kendall starting is the right move. It's a move that should be entirely expected though. Lou wasn't going to bench him for the entire playoffs. If they've decided that Hill is going to be run on no matter what, then this is one of the best matchups to start Kendall. Sometimes you just have to be resigned to the fact that a manger is going to use these players, and simply hope that the manager puts them in their best position to succeed. If I had to pick to play Soto today or tomorrow, I would choose tomorrow. I think Soto will have an easier time hitting Owings then Hernandez, and Kendall will probably have an easier time hitting Hernandez then Owings.

It's quite possible that they feel Rich Hill is so bad at holding runners on that no catcher could throw runners out. I remember a lot of bases stolen against Hill this year without a throw. If that's the case, then most of those bases would be stolen on Kendall or Soto. Just a thought.

Well, at least Davis is at 59 pitches through 3. I'm not sure getting into the Arizona pen early will help the Cubs, but they are seeing a pretty good amount of pitches.

Lou has said a couple of times that he could easily see Soto as the #1 catcher going into next year. I think at this point that Lou will be ready to go with Soto unless they brought in some other good catcher. Since there are pretty much no good ones available, Soto will be the guy. I'm very happy with that as well. He has developed a lot from where he was when the fans got to see him for a limited time last September. The development of his power turns him from a good backup catcher to an average to good starter.

I don't think I've ever seen a player go quite so fast from awesome to terrible to awesome as Soriano does. Just a few days ago he was drilling every pitch that people put in there. Now he can't get anywhere near. I hope there's one more hot streak in him this year, and I hope the Cubs can hang on long enough to get to the next one, because when he is on he can really carry a team.

One of Murton's famous infield hits there. I still don't understand how a guy with his speed gets so many, but somehow he finds the holes.

Lilly is pitching on regular rest in game 5, so he could go up to 115-120 pitches if he needs to tonight. (I know it's mostly sarcasm, but I'm sure that has gone through the mind of a few people after last night).

Can you believe that Lilly only threw 6 more pitches than Davis that inning?

There's credence to the argument that, after flipping Riot and DeRo, you could swap Riot out for Cedeno and improve the lineup. There's credence, but not altogether great IMO. Theriot is 174 points better against left-handers than right handers in his career. Cedeno in his career is 131 points better against right-handers than left-handers. Theriot is 4/6 against Davis, and Cedeno is 0/6. I'm all for giving Cedeno some starts right now, but this is the type of matchup that is good for Theriot. A left-hander who is a nibbler, won't come inside much, and Theriot has had success against him. Cedeno meanwhile struggles against left-handers, loves the ball inside, loves fastballs, and struggles with patience with pitchers who throw just off the outside corner. He also has had no success with Davis in limited at-bats. I'd start Cedeno at least one of Saturday or Sunday, but not tonight. Does Davis really stay outside all the time? He described himself as somebody who comes inside a lot. From what I know (and this is backed up from what Chris said below me) Davis doesn't come inside for strikes very often. When he comes inside, it's off the plate inside, while he'll try to throw more pitches on the outside corner for strikes.

There's credence to the argument that, after flipping Riot and DeRo, you could swap Riot out for Cedeno and improve the lineup. There's credence, but not altogether great IMO. Theriot is 174 points better against left-handers than right handers in his career. Cedeno in his career is 131 points better against right-handers than left-handers. Theriot is 4/6 against Davis, and Cedeno is 0/6. I'm all for giving Cedeno some starts right now, but this is the type of matchup that is good for Theriot. A left-hander who is a nibbler, won't come inside much, and Theriot has had success against him. Cedeno meanwhile struggles against left-handers, loves the ball inside, loves fastballs, and struggles with patience with pitchers who throw just off the outside corner. He also has had no success with Davis in limited at-bats. I'd start Cedeno at least one of Saturday or Sunday, but not tonight.

I think 2 outings is a little small for declaring he's not the same. In fact, it's just as likely that Marmol had too much rest before each outing and was too strong (he had 3 days of rest before the Florida appearance and 2 days before last night). His stuff wasn't bad at all last night, he was just overthrowing and missing badly with his slider because of that. The Diamondbacks were sitting on his fastball. The point is, it's not known for sure right now what was the reason for Marmol's bad outing, and it certainly couldn't be known to Lou when he made the decision last night. He put in a pitcher who had allowed runs in 1 of his last 20 outings. There wasn't any reason to believe that Marmol would not be effective-one 2 home run by Miguel Cabrera doesn't change a couple months of work. I agree with the Ward comment. As for the catcher thing, it was a decision that was definitely questioned by parts of the media. It makes sense that they would chime with their opinion that he made the right decision.

From the way that answer was worded, it sounds like Colvin has just enough speed to play CF right now (they already said in his writeup that the routes he takes are excellent) and as he grows he will have to sacrifice some of that speed for power, which will push him to a corner. That sounds pretty good to me. Either he doesn't add to his frame and remains at CF, or he will likely gain more power which will make his numbers look better in RF.

Hmmm. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one. If the Cubs somehow won the next two games, I doubt that the D-Backs would risk their season on a rookie pitching against Zambrano, IN Chicago. My guess is if the Cubs are up 2-1, Webb is pitching on Sunday. If Arizona is up 2-1, Webb pitches on Tuesday in Arizona. It would be real nice for the Cubs to be up 2-1 in this series rather than down 2-1 come Sunday. I think it would be a terrible decision for the Diamondbacks if they moved Webb up. He has never pitched on 3 days rest in his career, and the Diamondbacks have no real reason to move him up like the Cubs do. The difference between Micah Owings and Doug Davis is a lot smaller than the difference between Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The D-Backs would be giving themselves less chance of winning the series just to give them a greater chance of winning game 4. I hope they make that decision, but I doubt they will. But if the D-Backs are facing elimination, the difference between Webb on short rest versus Owning/Davis can be quite significant. Personally, the only way I see Arizona NOT using Webb in game four is if they're up 2-1. That way they can hope to clinch the series at Wrigley with Ownings/Davis or use Webb on regular rest at home. They are facing elimination in game 5 too. What does it matter if it helps them win game 4 but causes them to have a smaller chance of winning the series? It's better to give yourself the best chance to win the current game and hope you can cobble something together in the next one. If you don't win this game, it doesn't matter what you have saved up for game 5 (or, in the Cubs case, what ace you have saved up for game 4 :x). Why is it better though? Basically you're taking a known (Webb pitching well in game 5) and turning it into an unknown. Your chances of winning game 4 might be better, but if you can't win game 5 it doesn't matter. Basically, you have two games left. You can pitch Webb on short rest and Davis, or Webb on regular rest and Owings. Which is more likely to get good performances out of both? IMO, the second. The order of the games doesn't matter. Why is Webb pitching well in Game 5 a "known" - he's never had a bad game on an extra day of rest? If Webb pitching on short rest in Game 4 will (certainly or VERY likely) result in a bad outing and/or loss, then you save him for Game 5. That would be true if the Dbacks were thinking of pitching him tonight. But I don't think that's nearly the case. Especially since the alternative is an extra day of rest - which, in some cases, messes up a pitcher as much as short rest. Is he more likely to pitch well on 5 days rest than 3? If he's never pitched on 3 days rest, how can you possibly know (or even have an educated guess)? I have to figure a team would rather have their ace in a must-win Game 4 and their #2 in a must-win Game 5 than their #4 in a must-win Game 4 and their ace in Game 5. Especially when your ace is the best pitcher in the league. Their #4 is a more effective player then their #2. When you combine their pitching and hitting this season, Owings has been a lot better than Davis.

I'm with you if just because I think Owings is their 2nd best chance to win. If the D-Backs are down 2-1, you're going to use Webb at some point. You can bring him back on 3 days rest where he'll in all likelihood pitch worse than he would on full rest, or you can give him full rest and go with a similar pitcher in game 4(Owings) that you would have in Davis. Now if the D-Backs had Livan slated for game 4, I could understand cause Livan is the D-Backs' Marquis. Agreed with everything, especially the last point. If you're replacing Livan, it's entirely different, because he's not nearly as good as Owings on the mound or at the plate.

Hmmm. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one. If the Cubs somehow won the next two games, I doubt that the D-Backs would risk their season on a rookie pitching against Zambrano, IN Chicago. My guess is if the Cubs are up 2-1, Webb is pitching on Sunday. If Arizona is up 2-1, Webb pitches on Tuesday in Arizona. It would be real nice for the Cubs to be up 2-1 in this series rather than down 2-1 come Sunday. I think it would be a terrible decision for the Diamondbacks if they moved Webb up. He has never pitched on 3 days rest in his career, and the Diamondbacks have no real reason to move him up like the Cubs do. The difference between Micah Owings and Doug Davis is a lot smaller than the difference between Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The D-Backs would be giving themselves less chance of winning the series just to give them a greater chance of winning game 4. I hope they make that decision, but I doubt they will. But if the D-Backs are facing elimination, the difference between Webb on short rest versus Owning/Davis can be quite significant. Personally, the only way I see Arizona NOT using Webb in game four is if they're up 2-1. That way they can hope to clinch the series at Wrigley with Ownings/Davis or use Webb on regular rest at home. They are facing elimination in game 5 too. What does it matter if it helps them win game 4 but causes them to have a smaller chance of winning the series? It's better to give yourself the best chance to win the current game and hope you can cobble something together in the next one. If you don't win this game, it doesn't matter what you have saved up for game 5 (or, in the Cubs case, what ace you have saved up for game 4 :x). Why is it better though? Basically you're taking a known (Webb pitching well in game 5) and turning it into an unknown. Your chances of winning game 4 might be better, but if you can't win game 5 it doesn't matter. Basically, you have two games left. You can pitch Webb on short rest and Davis, or Webb on regular rest and Owings. Which is more likely to get good performances out of both? IMO, the second. The order of the games doesn't matter. It will to the manager (in reference to what I bolded). The order does matter in that there is no game 5 if you don't win game 4. Sure, you've got a tougher time winning whenever Davis or Owings or whomever pitches, BUT you take the more sure thing to force the deciding game if you have the chance. Yeah, I agree that it will to the manager. The D-Backs might get desperate and pitch Webb game 4. I hope they do because that just makes it more likely the Cubs will win the series.

I think tonight you'll see: Soriano Theriot Lee Ramirez Murton Derosa Soto Jones Lilly Theriot is 4/6 against Davis, and Lou doesn't like using hitters with his lack of power in anything but the 2 or 8 spot. Since Jones is going in the 8 spot automatically, that means Theriot will bat 2nd. Kendall might start, but I see Soto starting against the left-hander like normal and Kendall getting the start in game 3. Derosa and Murton might be switched in the order-those are the only 2 I'm really unsure about.

Hmmm. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one. If the Cubs somehow won the next two games, I doubt that the D-Backs would risk their season on a rookie pitching against Zambrano, IN Chicago. My guess is if the Cubs are up 2-1, Webb is pitching on Sunday. If Arizona is up 2-1, Webb pitches on Tuesday in Arizona. It would be real nice for the Cubs to be up 2-1 in this series rather than down 2-1 come Sunday. I think it would be a terrible decision for the Diamondbacks if they moved Webb up. He has never pitched on 3 days rest in his career, and the Diamondbacks have no real reason to move him up like the Cubs do. The difference between Micah Owings and Doug Davis is a lot smaller than the difference between Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The D-Backs would be giving themselves less chance of winning the series just to give them a greater chance of winning game 4. I hope they make that decision, but I doubt they will. But if the D-Backs are facing elimination, the difference between Webb on short rest versus Owning/Davis can be quite significant. Personally, the only way I see Arizona NOT using Webb in game four is if they're up 2-1. That way they can hope to clinch the series at Wrigley with Ownings/Davis or use Webb on regular rest at home. They are facing elimination in game 5 too. What does it matter if it helps them win game 4 but causes them to have a smaller chance of winning the series? It's better to give yourself the best chance to win the current game and hope you can cobble something together in the next one. If you don't win this game, it doesn't matter what you have saved up for game 5 (or, in the Cubs case, what ace you have saved up for game 4 :x). Why is it better though? Basically you're taking a known (Webb pitching well in game 5) and turning it into an unknown. Your chances of winning game 4 might be better, but if you can't win game 5 it doesn't matter. Basically, you have two games left. You can pitch Webb on short rest and Davis, or Webb on regular rest and Owings. Which is more likely to get good performances out of both? IMO, the second. The order of the games doesn't matter.

Hmmm. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one. If the Cubs somehow won the next two games, I doubt that the D-Backs would risk their season on a rookie pitching against Zambrano, IN Chicago. My guess is if the Cubs are up 2-1, Webb is pitching on Sunday. If Arizona is up 2-1, Webb pitches on Tuesday in Arizona. It would be real nice for the Cubs to be up 2-1 in this series rather than down 2-1 come Sunday. I think it would be a terrible decision for the Diamondbacks if they moved Webb up. He has never pitched on 3 days rest in his career, and the Diamondbacks have no real reason to move him up like the Cubs do. The difference between Micah Owings and Doug Davis is a lot smaller than the difference between Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The D-Backs would be giving themselves less chance of winning the series just to give them a greater chance of winning game 4. I hope they make that decision, but I doubt they will. But if the D-Backs are facing elimination, the difference between Webb on short rest versus Owning/Davis can be quite significant. Personally, the only way I see Arizona NOT using Webb in game four is if they're up 2-1. That way they can hope to clinch the series at Wrigley with Ownings/Davis or use Webb on regular rest at home. They are facing elimination in game 5 too. What does it matter if it helps them win game 4 but causes them to have a smaller chance of winning the series?

Hmmm. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one. If the Cubs somehow won the next two games, I doubt that the D-Backs would risk their season on a rookie pitching against Zambrano, IN Chicago. My guess is if the Cubs are up 2-1, Webb is pitching on Sunday. If Arizona is up 2-1, Webb pitches on Tuesday in Arizona. It would be real nice for the Cubs to be up 2-1 in this series rather than down 2-1 come Sunday. I think it would be a terrible decision for the Diamondbacks if they moved Webb up. He has never pitched on 3 days rest in his career, and the Diamondbacks have no real reason to move him up like the Cubs do. The difference between Micah Owings and Doug Davis is a lot smaller than the difference between Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis. The D-Backs would be giving themselves less chance of winning the series just to give them a greater chance of winning game 4. I hope they make that decision, but I doubt they will.

I don't understand how you can say Lee's ball wasn't hit well. That ball was through the infield pretty quickly. Theriot's was definitely a cheap hit, the only ball the Cubs didn't hit well that fell in all night. I agree with the Ramirez fly ball comments. I think people are more talking about the line drives. Z's line drive, Floyd's two line drives, Soriano's liner. The Cubs had at least 6 line drives last night, and only 2 of them dropped down for hits. That isn't very good luck, even if you take out the Ramirez fly balls, the Soto ground ball, and the Jones grounder.

Webb isn't pitching on Sunday. Z is, but Webb is going in game 5 on Tuesday.