5/27/11 Pittsburgh Pirates 4, Chicago Cubs 2

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Game 1 of 3

A sad footnote to the Doug Davis Series...his 300th career appearance, his 280th MLB start, and another forgettable performance...

However, a rather startlingly remarkable one from Kevin Correia.  The buccos nearly shut the Cubs out, and would have if not for a 9th inning 2-run blast from Alfonso Soriano off of reliever Joe Beimel.  The Pirates give the ball to Joel Hanrahan, who strikes out the side to end the game, sad trombone.

4/16/11 Chicago Cubs 8, Colorado Rockies 3

Coors Field, Denver, CO
Game 2 of 3



Well, what ELSE could I call this pair after this game?!?

We came into this game mighty fearful (c’mon, you know it’s true!), facing the Rox whilst they sported a formidable 7-game winning streak and enjoying the best W-L record in the MLB. This streak was effectively blasted by the fighting Cubbies…the Rockies went 0-for-12 with RISP, Casey Coleman pitched 5.2 very good innings, and Starlin Castro…really?!?

AJ Walsh is probably not sure why I don’t LOVE Castro yet, but as we joked during this game, I am enjoying this period of lust…I’m afraid if I express my LOVE, the relationship might go ‘foul’ and I am really enjoying this ride a bit too much to break up the party!



Troy Tulowitzki wasn’t exactly reserved but he wasn’t exactly hot either (2-for-4, R, 2 flyouts)…my private tears fell for Ian Stewart, the current lump on my fantasy league roster. Chris Iannetta pwned the Rockies offense today with a solitary 1 out 2-run HR (the Rockies’ only other run driven in by Seth Smith).

Casey Coleman (4H, ER, 3BB, 3K, 2HB, 96 pitches total; 51 strikes, 7 balls in the air, 7 on the ground) was near-deadly during his outing but not exactly lights out…and that’s just fine with me, he challenged the best team in baseball and he WON. With help from the Rockies, who stranded 13 total in the game. And with help from the CUBBIES.

He hit 2 batters, Rockies starting pitcher hit 1 in response. That’s OK, it’s baseball. And the benches didn’t clear. NICE. I love this stuff.

As for this guy, Starlin Castro…if there’s one Cub on the roster that’s going to get me off of my Carlos Marmol Tums Addiction, maybe he really will be the one. Dude went 4-for-5 with a run scored, 3 driven in (on a most excellent 3-run HR), and a groundout in his final plate appearance. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: Darwin Barney with back-to-back doubles and Alfonso Soriano with a solo HR! Kosuke Fukudome came up with a dazzling Broken Bat RBI Single. Was I pinching myself? Quite.

I love the CUBS. I really like this team…it’s only April, but you know what…I’ve already began the process of believing that there’s more to Castro than the “Cuban Hustle Crisis,” I have re-acclimated myself to the fact that Carlos Zambrano is a great pitcher, I still believe that Matt Garza is AWESOME, and I don’t find myself caring about Carlos Pena’s Mendoza numbers right now (mostly because I think I didn’t expect them to change). The Cubs are NL Central contenders in April…they weren’t in April last year, so THIS is an improvement. I am still worried about the Cardinals…I am a Cubs fan, that’s the way it goes. This is a marathon.

I just realized I forgot to tally the Pena Shift on my scoresheet; the shift was on in 4 of his 5 plate appearances, but was not effective in his first at-bat, a single to (where else?) the second baseman.

Strike up the band…no doubt about it…the CUBS are on their way.

4/2/11 Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Chicago Cubs 5

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
Game 2 of 3

So, the Pirates pwned the Cubs last year…and they pwned us on Opening Day, thanks to Ryan Dempster and “Cubs Nemesis” Neil Walker. Certainly, this pwnership just cannot last. And what of Carlos Pena?



Believe it.



The Pirates score one run each in the 1st, 3rd, and 7th innings. Carlos Zambrano does very well (he is a GREAT pitcher, fact…) but when he leaves the 7th inning after giving up the solo shot to Garrett Jones, the Pirates pwn us again and the Cubs are scoreless.

Enter Evan Meek…and a wild 8th inning…5 runs are scored by the Cubs and what do you know…we WIN!

Len and Bob, recalling his grand salami on Opening Day, refer to Neil Walker as “Cubs Nemesis Neil Walker,” so I will too.

Starting this season, I will welcome Carlos Pena to the team by documenting the Pena Shift…you can see on my scoresheet, for every plate appearance, look for the circled “22,” that means the shift was on. The shift was on for 2 out of 4 plate appearances. The shift is REAL.

Alfonso Soriano received a considerable amount of flack from the Wrigley crowd on what was seen as a baserunning blunder in the 7th inning on a perceived dropped 3rd strike. Soriano stuck out swinging, and the ball was dropped on a wild pitch. No need to boo Fonzie here, the ruling and play are as follows, per Bob Brenly:

With less than 2 outs, 1st base covered, the batter is out automatically, regardless of whether…the pitch gets by the catcher. With 2 outs, this is not the case. Fans were encouraging Soriano to RUN, but he was OUT.

The 7th Inning Stretch was led by Ferguson Jenkins. Go CUBS.

5/15/10 Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Chicago Cubs 4

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Is this truly bliss, or are we just sliding down a pole with razor blades at the bottom (again)?

It's hard to believe I have such a sense of celebration over a WIN that avoids a sweep by the Pirates AND finishes a 3 game series with a loss, but that's what we Cubs fans have been used to this season so far.

PIT 3 6 1
CHC 4 8 1

The Buckos have won their games against us by scoring in the first inning. This is still true, as they did not score in the first (they waited until the 2nd, thanks) and subsequently did not win. The key seemed to be 'don't let McCutchen hit safely'...he did hit safely but was subsequently caught stealing (1-3-4)and that was really the end of his offensive threat.

Soriano...flied out once, hit safely twice, scored a run, stole a base (going on a wild pitch, snagging an extra base in the process), drove in a run, and was walked. Nice! Derrek Lee with 2 hits, an RBI...Fukudome, a hit and a run, Byrd (2 for 4)...Fontenot was walked and scored the tying run on a wild pitch by Evan Meek (whom we had feared when we was "throwing up in the bullpen")...Xavier nady delivers his first pinch hit RBI as a Cub, and suddenly our offensive power is easily matched with our ability to cross the plate. Defensively, the most honorable mention has to go to Fukudome's amazing catch in the top of the 7th, robbing Ross Ohlendorf's potential extra-bases drive with 2 men on base; this would have blown the game to a 5-1 advantage for the Pirates had Fukudome not reached the ball as efficiently as he had. As for Ohlendorf, see my post about Latos...moments like these don't -and can't- happen in AL games.

Yes, even if only for one afternoon...the nicest W of all is one that was fought for valiantly, and after such a dry spell.

I want to also comment that this year's Pirates really don't look or smell like last year's Pirates...they aren't really playing like the cheapo AAA team they have been for the past few years, so maybe they have the advantage in 2010 games with us 5-1 partly because we aren't performing as well as we should be, but also maybe because they are performing a little bit better than others have expected them to. Like they stole some of that 'mysterious spoiler mojo' from the Brewers (who could use some this year so far).

Lilly looked fine, but I still don't know what the hell happened in the 2nd inning. Sean Marshall = YES, and hey Carlos Marmol is effective as a closer in a Save situation. Theriot sat out the game due to a sore elbow from being hit by Carrasco yesterday.

WGN-TV broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly did their broadcast from the bleachers (with a visit from Bleacher Veteran Tom Ricketts as well) and no, this wasn't the first time they've done it but the weather was beautiful, no homers to catch out there today, and all is well.

4/7/10 Chicago Cubs 2, Altanta Braves 3

Turner Field, Atlanta, GA
Game 2 of 3

ARRRRRGHGHHHGHGHHHH

I was worried (mostly) about Ryan Dempster's performance...5-point-plus ERA in Turner Field, 0-8 record there as well.

Dempster was GREAT, a truly solid performance and he deserved at least one RBI, but didn't get it. The 5th inning was astounding, I felt vindicated as a Cubs Fan 2010 when that inning ended. Soriano's bloop double was awesome. I was even hooting Sean Marshall after his stellar performance in relief.

Good Grief, here comes Chipper Jones. Just when I felt like 'hey, our offense may be on its way up' the future HOF-er chops a reminder that this is only 'Opening Week' (hey, we dropped a BUNCH of games early on in 2007 as well) and that adjustments need to be made.

I'm also developing a bad taste for the Braves, but that's only envy right now.