April 14, 2008...12:54 am
Game 12
- Sunday April 13th – Citizens Bank Park
- Cubs 6 – Phillies 5 - (10 innings)
- Record (7-5) – 3rd place in the NL Central
The skinny: Whew! I was squirming on the couch watching the Cubs play this afternoon. Not to be overly dramatic but, the Cubs needed this win against Philadelphia.
After sweeping Pittsburgh Chicago only needed a single victory against Philly to make it a 4-2 road trip and to avoid dropping to .500. Mission accomplished.
On the other hand, Jason Marquis didn’t seem to have his best stuff or control (5-BB vs. 2-K) but, he did manage to wiggle out of two early jams and lasted five innings. Plus, Marquis lowered his ERA from 9.75 to 5.23 by allowing just two runs.
There’s never enough talk about team defense in baseball. And, today’s game is a prime reason why it should be more of a discussion.
The Cubs ultimately won today’s game after Chase Utley turned a tailor made double-play ball into a throwing error (his 4th this year) giving the Cubs the go-ahead run.
Fielding errors have been a trend this season for Philadelphia with the team already amassing 15 miss-cues. Thus, I find no coincidence between Philly’s error per game average and its sub .500 record (6-7).
On the flip side, the Cubs have had their own early season fielding struggles (10 total errors) although; lately the fielding has been much improved.
In fact, Derek Lee’s ninth inning snag off the bat of Carlos Ruiz forced extra innings this afternoon. And, without Lee’s Gold Glove play the Cubs are probably swept by Philly and sitting at .500. Believe me, defense is important in baseball!
On that same note, this is why I’m rooting for Felix Pie to come around at the plate. Pie is clearly the Cubs’ best centerfielder and that will go a long way towards winning a division.
However, until Pie learns to hit the ball to left field and master the strike zone, Reed Johnson is the better fit for the team, at least offensively.
Another Cub scuffling is Bob Howry. The set-up man has been knocked around like a Ping Pong ball for 13-H, 7-ER in just 7.1 innings pitched. Yikes!
Conversely, Bob did pick up the save today but, not before he nearly gave up a game-tying shot to Utley.
Moreover, with the rotation troubles of Lilly, Hill and Marquis, it’s critical for Chicago to stay strong in the bullpen. That’s going to be even more difficult if Lieber or Marshall get transfered to the rotation.
If Howry can’t find his pitching touch through the upcoming Cincy series Lou will have to make a move. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if in four days Lieber is starting with Hill, Hart, Marshall and Marmol rounding out the bullpen.
In summary, this was a solid road trip for the Cubbies. They pushed the limits against Pittsburgh and battled against a tough Philly squad for a winning record. And more, three games went to extra innings and the Cubs won each one.
Not to mention, this win gives Chicago a little momentum heading into the Reds series at Wrigley and even better, keep the club above .500 too.
W: Wood (1-0) - S: Howry (1)
L: Seanez (0-1)
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