Last night’s game was big to three groups. Â Obviously, the Mets needed a win to keep their lead in the wild card. Â The Brewers needed a Mets’ loss to get back into a tie for the wild card lead. Â And Carlos Zambrano? Â He needed to pitch well to solidify his spot at, or near, the top of the playoff pitching rotation.
For a whopping two innings, he did just that. Â He worked fast, he threw strikes and he was much more like the early season Carlos than the one who has been walking and yelling at people since sometime in August.
Then? Â Then he started walking people, and yelling, and really, this act is just old and tired. Â He pitches on the best team in the National League, one that has gotten to that point because a) they’re good and b) they act like a team. Â Other than Alfonso Soriano hitting singles off the wall and diving outfielder’s gloves, you don’t see much of the “me” stuff that every Cubs’ season since the Paris Peace Talks has de-evolved into. Â But there it was, on the mound last night.
In some ways, it makes the decision easier for Lou Piniella now. Â When the Cubs open the playoffs next Wednesday (or whenever it stops raining on the east coast so the season can end) Ryan Dempster will start game one, Rich Harden will pitch game two and if he’s lucky, Carlos will pitch game three. Â He might not even get that start, it could very well go to Ted Lilly.
Managers like Dusty Baker would blindly just start Zambrano in game one. Â Dusty would dazzle us with some bullshit like, “Z’s our ace, dude. Â You got to go with your ace.” Â
Lou isn’t ranking his rotation by salary. Â Sure, the Cubs are paying Carlos $91 million to pitch. Â But they’re paying Lou to win. Â You want an example of how much better the 2008 Cubs are than the 2007 Â Cubs? Â Last year, Lou felt his only chance of beating Arizona in the first round was to concoct a way to get him two starts in the series, so he pulled him early in game one.
A year later, Carlos might not even get a start in the NLDS.
(Granted, it says just as much about Carlos’ performance as it does the additions of Dempster and Harden to the rotation.)
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You watch the Brewers and Mets play and you can’t help but wonder that if they tie and have a one-game playoff on Monday, would anybody really win?
We thought the Brewers bullpen was terrible…and then we saw the Mets bullpen. Â What’s a word that means worse than terrible? Â (Other than Jock.)
Let’s just put it this way, things are so bad in New York that if Derrick Turnbow were on their staff, he’d be their best option at closer.
I don’t even think I’m kidding.
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There have been a lot of great moments during the season, but an underrated one for me will always be the look on Tony LaRussa’s face when he realized his Cardinals were going to lose to a Cubs’ team with a starting lineup that included such luminaries as Casey McGehee, Koyie Hill, Ronny Cedeno and Micah Hoffpauir. Â Oh, and not just lose to them, but lose 5-1. Â
Proof once again, that the Cardinals were good enough to finish fourth in the NL Central and maybe third in the Pacific Coast League.
Look, we’re trying to win a playoff series here. I think the move is to put Lily in game 2 to give a different look in between righties, then start Zambrani or Harden in game 3.
You say Zambrano, I say Zambrani. It’s all the same. I love to hear the song “Go Cubs Win” after the games and how it resonates off the ivory.
I am sure that CC will be ready to pitch in the one-game playoff.
I love Go Cubs Win and I love American blue jeans hamburger happiness!
“You watch the Brewers and Mets play and you can’t help but wonder that if they tie and have a one-game playoff on Monday, would anybody really win?”
That’s Gold, Jerry, Gold!
The Crew might have to start Yovani Gallardo in the one game playoff. CC would likely have to pitch on Sunday to get them into the game in the first place.
Yes, the same Yovani Gallardo who tore up his knee in April when Reed Johnson dove towards first base. Although, Gallardo would be pitching on three day’s rest, old Dale Sveum seems not to care.
Anyone get a little concerned watching me resemble Cuba Goodings Jr.’s character from Radio while trying to play defense last night? If there’s gonna be another “goat” this year, ala Alex Gonzalez, good money says it’ll be me.
I can see it now…instead of those commercials that would say, “What makes him so Old Mutual?”…”Man, those Reds are just so…just so ‘Jock'”.
“Only the mediocre are always at their best.”
I understand the concern, however, I think we will all see a much more composed and dominant Z in the post-season.
Ah, “Post-Season”
It has such a pleasant, calming, enveloping sound to it.
Let’s Kick their Fucking Asses!!!
What the Fuck?
Andy, have you noticed that the name does not appear on the left even if you type something in.
and since when are you sponsored by Disney?
If I type FUCK I expect to see F U C K.
What the god-damn, mother “loving” shnit is going on here?
Someday I’ll tell my grandkids about the night I singlehandedly ended the Mets’ season and Pedro Martinez’ career
Funny stuff here
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/2ebdbf7133
this is pretty irrelevant to this article, but im just throwing this out there. Im a cubs fan but i randomly watch part of a sox game and it never fails, every time a close call goes against the sox, the sox announcers pretty much blame the umpires for a loss. And im watchin this game now and its gettin pretty hard to watch. hawks been talkin for about 5 min about how this ump isnt good enough to be umping this game. hawk needs to change his tampon and quit bein a bitch
Hawk needs to die soon, at the hands of Darrin Jackson and then Jackson needs to kill himself
HAHAHAHA I couldn’t agree more!!
fuck shit bitch
Remember that thing I said a couple of days ago about taking Howry over Samardzija? I think I changed my mind again.
Which playoff game is Rich Hill starting?