Cubs Astros_ 6-5-010

Lou in the pregame said, "Theriot what.?. He had a walk on Derby Day and today is the Belmont." It doesn't sound like Lou or Theriot will be around for very much longer.

Top of first. The Riot popped out to right on the first pitch (if he'd seen 4 more pitches he might have walked)
Tyler Colvin went opposite field for a double. BUT was doubled off on D-Lee's line-drive to the SS.
Five pitches for Roy Oswalt. Lucky for us his pitch count foe todays game is set at 22 so he wont last much past the 8th inning.

Bottom of First. 4 or 5 pitch walk to Bourn. Just what you want, speed on the bases, he steals second on the first pitch.

Save Colvin and Castro, Randy Wells and a reliever or two...Andrew Cashner, the Cubs are old-slow-and unathletic. Which is what you want from a 100+ sports (see athletic) team.

Berkman singles in Bourn 1-0 'stros.

I hate the Astros. Always have. They are the great big thorn in the Cubs butt. I'm gonna go heat up a frozen pizza. Not even my own wife reads my blog. So she wont care when I complain that I've eaten the same pizza for 15 years (Jack's cheese pizza) and yet she always brings home other types and kinds. I know she is being nice, I know she is being thoughtful. But.?. I don't know if she is paying attention

I don't get why if you know the runner is running on a 3-2 count why you play behind...it is one thing about D-Lee that drives me craisin. Ground out 4-3 end of inning.

Top 2 1-0.
Marlon Bryd leads off. He has been a pleasure to watch. thick as a shithouse he runs with speed hits consistently and does about everything right. He hits a hard grounder the SS dives for and throws him out.

The artist formerly known as A-Ram, is batting 5th tonight. He's having a Paulie Konerko start (not the start Paulie is having this year, but rather his 3 year cicada start where Paulie doesn't start hitting till August.) AND goes long for a Solo HR, 1-1.

Alf pops it up to 2nd. I like Alf. They signed him to a terrible contract (not Alf's fault) but I like his attitude and think he's probably a good guy.

Castro pops to right. As Lenbob explains how Iowa boy Eric Cooper wrongly explained his missed call last night. Castro ran into the catcher on a play at 3rd base, (about which Lenbob stupidly said, "it was a good play because he was safe." It was a good play because it took a great play to get him out and he has speed and athleticism and should use it. If he is occasionally out for pressing the issue, good.) the catcher laid down on Castro, who tried to raise himself up, but couldn't...and Iowa Boy Coop said he didn't try to get up. Whoops.

Bottom 2: 1-1
Celtics Bench Coach and defensive guru has reportedly agreed to coach the Bulls. Yeehaw.
Colvin nice running catch to end the inning.

Top 3: 1-1
Hey the slow as dirt catcher bunts! "good idea." says Lenbob.
Dempster grounds to second.
The riot takes two then grounds out.
6 more pitches for Oswalt, I can hear his shoulder creaking.

Bottom 3:
Cheese pizza with salt and peeper. Fuckin' A.
The Dump has settled in nicely, the first 2 batters K to start the inning.
And he is now getting out in front of the hitters.
1-2 HR by Keppinger, so my prior comment was prescient.

Top 4: 2-1 'Stros.
I don't like those "Messing with Sasquatch" commercials although the one that just played (I didn't watch it) had a vireo calling loudly. Totally my favorite bird.

Colvin leads off...with a K.
Lee singles through the infield to left.
Byrd doubles with a blop down the right field line. (blop? okay, but lenbob just said leaned...I think I win. And it wasn't high enough to be a bloop. So bite me.) There are 7 guys on the 40 man roster under 25. They keep talking on tv about the cubs coming youth, but I don't exactly see it there.
A-ram, 2nd & 3rd (2-2 count...which is an improvement for him) singles to left driving in a run. 2-2.
Alf: 1st & 3rd 1 out. Bloops just foul..., "falls harmlessly" (who said that? I said it ass-turd.) Sac flies to deep right. 2-3 Cubs.
Castro: first pitch ground out.

Bottom 4: 2-3

An adventurous 1st out. Ty-Ty blipped a blooper in foul ground giving C-Lee a second chance. But the real A-ram is in the building. As he makes a very nice pick up with a over-threwed throw that D-lee snugged and tugged a hustling C-lee out at first.

Someone is on first somehow.
Hunter Pence. I hate you.
Other 'stros guy singles into center. First and second 1 out.
Because Dumpster picked this "shutdown" inning to get behind every hitter.

Dump pitches out of it. On a grounder to Castro. Who is a slick short stop. I am excited about this guy and not just because his middle name is "Shuttlesworth"

Top of 5: 2-3
The butt slow catcher, catches "a bad break" and was thrown out trying to stretch a single by 17 feet at 2nd base.
Theriot sees 2 pitches and is safe on a bad play by Fat-Elivs who wiffed on the throw.
Colvin grounds out on a make-up play by Fat-Elivs...which Colvin made very close at 1st.

Bottom 5: 2-3

I'm crabby. I hate Oswalt. I hate Texas. I'd like to see a brawl. But it wont happen this Cubs team has about as much fire and emotion as a fiery-emotional bagel.

The riot pulled Lee off the base and Bourn is safe at 1st with 1 out. Lee argued but Bourn looked safe to me.
4-6-3...I love me some Starlin DeJesus Castro.

Top 6: 2-3
Lee lines a 2-bagger to left.
Byrd doubles in Lee: 2-4. It was not a pretty double, Kinda a shithouse double, just like we like him.
A-ram is back! popping up the SS.
Alf pops the 1st pitch up the right.
Lenbob are talking about eligible 'stros for a trade. Now here is where the Cubbies could make some Hay. Theriot, Fontenot, Nady, Gorzelany, any of our starters aside from Wells, Lee, A-ram, Fukudome, Soto. I would trade everyone of those guys...and some of them I would give away...pay away if I had too.
Obviously, no one is trading for Alf or Z's contract (probaly not Lily's or Demp's either but I don't know how long they've got) but all the rest of the guys would have value and could help a winning team. That is the bad thing about A-ram's divorce (I mean bad start...I don't know he's having personal problems, just that he is playing like it.) it hurts his market value.
The Cubs could maybe get some good young talent back from trading Lilly or Lee or A-ram...and I get rid of them all.

Bottom 6: 2-4
Dumpster is 40-40 as a cub and making 13.5 mil...and Chicago is not a racist town? lets see Big Z might not have ever won more than 12 games but he's 106-72.
3 up 3 down, I think.

Top 7: 2-4
The always exciting Butt Slow Hill is up to bat and even my dog Macy knows to gag.
Hill walks.
Dempster with a classic bunt.
And The riot swings at the first pitch, happily he misses.
The riot waits for a 2-2 count...pops to right, Hunter Pentz thought it was out 3...but butt slow Hill made nothing of it.
Ty-ty needs a 2 out base-hit.
AND THERE IT IS! a 2run HR to right field: 2-6
Lee flies to straight away center. I've always said he had warning hill power.

Always nice to put up an easy 6 on Oswalt (who I wont forget beaned Michael Barret showing Cub fans that the team wouldn't stand up for Barret and he needed to stand up for himself...making the 'stros mad and driving them to pass the disintegrating Cubbies)

Bottom 7: 2-6
Fly to rt.
Quintero: solo HR -- 2nd of year.
By easy 6 I mean scoring in multiple innings.
[One of my theories of why the Cubs suck historically, is that they give up more HR's to non-home run hitters, and in more bad situations, then other teams. Look at today, it was Keppinger's 1st and Q's 2nd]
That's it for Dempster. 3 runs in 7+ innings.
Sean Marshall in. 2 quick outs. He and Marmol are keepers.
What my theory indicates is that the Cubs lack concentration. You can see that this year in their records against quality opponents is better than against losing teams.

Top 8: 3-6
Oswalt is gone. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Katy and the kids made it to Madison safely. Which is nice. I love them.
Byrd singles up the middle.
A-Ram has 2 hits tonight. In fact 2-5 have 9 hits. That is a nice and unusual sight so far this year.
A-ram laces a single to right and Shithouse runs pleasantly into third. It is fun watching Byrd run, because you know he is fast, but he doesn't look fast, and he is a perfect rectangle with feet.
Alf is up, with an O'ffer. and Lenbob call HR300. we'll see.
Instead he walks to load the bases for Castro.

No outs bases-loaded. I don't care what happens I just want to see Castro run, he is the opposite of Byrd, so fast he hardly seems to move. They said, Pie and Patterson were fast...This kid IS fast. 5-2-3 dp, fast. On a 1-0 count after Alf had walked. Not good.

Butt slow Hill needs a 2 out knock. And they change pitchers on an 1-0 strike...giving perspective to Castros failure.
Hill doubles down the left field line. 2 runs score: 3-8.

Sean Marshall bats. This I think is a mistake. He's been in 28 games, with a 5 run lead lets let him rest... and get Drew-Drew Cashner into the game. He K's, backwards.

Bottom 8: 3-8
I'm tired. But it is only 8:30. And with 2 outs in the 8th Lou comes and gets Marshall...What the hell is that? 4 up 4 down let him just finish it out. Or pinch hit for him and have Stevens start the 8th. This seems like, "over-managing stupidness."

Top 9: 3-8
An incredibly stupid, melodramatic commercial for "ice road truckers" I'll have'ta catch a viewing of that later.

The riot: Looks at 2 strikes. Good eye. Works to 2-2, 3-2...And down the stretch we come, and a meaningless walk in a 5 run game.
Ty-Ty facing a lefty. Tops a grounder to first and is barely beaten to the bag by the pitcher.
D-Lee: K's after being up 3-0.
Byrd: just out a 1st, too.

Bottom 9: 3-8
The riot stupidly celebrates his meaningless base on balls. That is the stuff that aggravates the hell out of me. He's supposed to be the scrappy, plays the game the right way, player and he celebrates the fact he can't draw a walk?

"Castro with a nice pick, the spin, the throw, the out." --Lenbob... That is actually exactly what happened. The Riot might be pissed he lost his SS job, but that play-- among others shows why.

The Riot's 2nd error of the game...although he was not charged with the first throw where he pulled Lee off the bag...on a quick flip from Castro that he flat out dropped. Quintero hits into a ground-rule double--Lenbob. It is a ground-rule...Different grounds have different rules-- and Marmol is getting ready in the pen.
I love love love Carlos Marmol. He is another guy who everyone should shut up about...wildness and wet or not. Let him pitch, love him, and go home.
2 quick outs and the Cubs win: 8-4. Easy and quick.

And now I'm gonna talk to my wife and kids.