Cubs Season Couldn’t Get Any Worse, Until Last Week Of Course
Last week may have been the worst week the Cubs have had in 5 years. Sure, there have been some losing teams in that period, but no one week where the wheels just came off like they did here. The record alone– 1-6 –makes the week look better than it actually was. Here’s a little recap of the week from hell:
Monday: The Cubs went to Atlanta for a one-game makeup. The Braves are a decent team this year, but definitely not a team that should scare the Cubs. The Cubbies, however, did something amazing that hasn’t been done by a Cubs team in 20 years. They got 10 hits but scored no runs in a 9-inning game. The last time that happened was against the Astros on August 29, 1990. Oh and this completed a 4 game stretch for Dempster in which he was 0-2 with a 2.10 ERA. So at least he’s not the problem. Milton Bradley: 0-1, 1K.
Tuesday: The Cubs head to Detroit to play a 3-game set against a tough Tiger squad. The only good thing in this game was Marmol’s 1-2-3 inning. Gregg blew the save on a walk-off home run to Ryan Raburn and the Cubs lost a nailbiter 5-4. Milton Bradley: 0-2, 2BBs, 1K.
Wednesday: Okay, so the Cubbies lost the opener but it was a close game. Well they lost a close one on Wednesday too, but this time they stranded 13 runners, which makes me sort of nauseous. Carlos Marmol was back to his walking ways, walking in a run and throwing only 7 of his 16 pitches for strikes. Tigers won 5-3. To this point in the week, the Cubs had scored 7 runs and left 31 men on base. Yikes. Milton Bradley: 0-2, 3BB, 2Ks.
Thursday: Would the Cubs get swept by the Tigers? The answer should be obvious at this point. One thing before I get all negative about this game. JAKE FOX! That kid can rake. Lou needs to get him in the lineup as soon as possible and as often as possible. He was 3-4 with a home run and a double. Hoffpauir also had a big home run. The Cubbies lost, however, 6-5. The bullpen held up alright, but Lilly gave up 6 runs which was insurmountable with this Cubs offense. Also allegations of Soto’s marijuana use came to the front this day. Lou admitted he’s tried pot one time, but “couldn’t tell you the difference between a steroid and reefer.” Milton Bradley: Day off.
Friday: The Cubs headed to the South Side for a crosstown showdown with the White Sox. This was actually the one game the Cubbies won this week, although it may have been the worst game of the week for Cubs fans. Marmol was flat out awful. He could not find the strike zone, or even come close. He went 2/3 of an inning, with 2 hits, 3 walks, and 2 earned runs. Only 10 of his 24 pitches were strikes. Soto did homer (hell he can get high everyday if he’s going to hit like that), and Fox hit another bomb to help the Cubs overcome Marmol’s trials. The big story, however, was Milton Bradley. After flying out in the 6th, he expressed his anger about his struggles by doing what all Cubs seem to do, taking it out on the Gatorade cooler. Lou had had enough though, and told Bradley to change and leave the ballpark. Great. Milton Bradley 0-3, 2Ks.
Saturday: Lou decided not to discipline Bradley any further, putting him back in the lineup. He was hardly the story, though, as this game was an exciting one down to the finish. In a game the Cubs lost 8-7, no home runs were hit by either team until Podsednik’s walk-off in the bottom of the 9th. Marmol of course struggled, as did Marshall and Heilman (not Heilman so much, but he did give up a run). Milton Bradley: 1-5, 1K.
Sunday: At least Zambrano made this one interesting, although its not exactly professional to bean one guy because another guy stole home on you. Though “class” hasn’t exactly been our M.O. this season so far, Z usually takes the cake. I would be pretty upset if I was him too. Its got to suck to know your team won’t give you the run support you need, and that a 4-0 hole is pretty much a loss. They ended up losing 6-0. Oh and good news everyone, Chicago favorite Mark DeRosa, who should never have been dealt and is having a very good year in Cleveland, was traded to the Cubs arch-rival St. Louis Cardinals. Hooray. Milton Bradley: 0-3, 1BB, 2Ks.
What a terrible week. Marmol is losing it, Gregg blows a key save, the offense only scores enough runs to lose, Soto smokes pot, and Bradley can’t hit anything except a Gatorade cooler. In a battle between on-field issues and off-field issues, I’m going to have to give a split decision to off-field issues this week. Somehow the Cubs have managed to hang around .500. Before this last week, it felt like if they hung around long enough, eventually things would turn around. This week definitely made me feel much worse about it, though. Someone needs to slap Bradley and make Marmol do 100 push-ups every time he throws a ball.
Loading ...
