Some of the easiest blogs come after big wins and big losses. Unfortunately, this is coming after the Cubs 4-0 loss in St. Louis in Game 1 of the NLDS.
I guess 9 in a row was a pretty good streak. The Cubs just couldn’t get it going tonight. It was a frustrating night all the way around. Let’s start with Lester.
The guy pitched one heck of a game. I mean, not everybody can come out and throw a complete game shutout on demand. He limited the Cardinals to 1 run through 7 innings; that should be good enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and in the 8th inning, he lost it. He served up a home run ball to Cardinal rookie Tommy Pham; that ball was launched. Then he was pulled after walking Carpenter. Mr. Strop came in and let another Cardinal rookie put the hurting on the ball. Hey, I thought we had the top class of rookies in the majors?
We even had a few plays go our way. The circus juggle by Castro turned a routine out to a replay out, but still an out. The ball Lester flubbed on the field still resulted in a 1-3 putout. We were hanging in there. It was on the offensive end where we struggled the most.
I guess I have to give Lackey some credit. It was his experience that was the key tonight. Yeah, he was getting the calls, but when it’s that close, you have to get the bat off your shoulders. I thought Kyle played a good game. His walk after stepping out of the box, his bunt single against an over shifted infield, and his opposite field hit in the 9th, showed that he was beyond his years, and definitely not afraid of this stage. As if he didn’t already prove that on Wednesday. Addison had some good at bats. Fowler just missed one. I thought that was gone… I jumped up, but… caught at the wall. Not until the top of the 9th did we get a better scoring chance. 0 runs will not win any game, I’m pretty sure of that.
Hey, this team had 100 wins, playing in front of their home crowd, where they were 29 games over .500 this year. The Cubs came in off their huge win vs Pittsburgh rolling on a 9 game winning streak overall; something had to give. We did, and the hated Cardinals got the jump on the series.
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It’s easier to write this blog because we’re still alive. If and when we get to an elimination game, and end up on the wrong side, that one will be a little rougher, although at the same time, there will be plenty of emotion flowing… not the kind I like. It’s easier to write now because it’s only 1-0, as if you thought we’d sweep St. Louis. The Cardinals needed this one more than us, and frankly, they need tomorrow’s game worse than us too. Yes, it’s never good to have your back against the wall, but with Jake sitting ready for Game 3 in Wrigley, that’s about as close to a guaranteed victory as there gets. So doing the math, if the Cubs get tomorrow, then Jake will put us up 2-1. We want that, the Cardinals don’t. Even down 2-0 God forbid, Jake will keep us alive, and Lester will throw again. I’m still liking our odds.
The thing about it is, looking at this Cardinals team, I just can’t figure out how they won 100 games. I guess the number one reason is that 0 we put up, because their lineup isn’t that scary. Yet, they win… all they do is win, and that is why we hate them. They took it to us tonight, they brought this Cubs ship earth bound, they showed us why they are who they are. Hey, that sounds familiar…
So begrudgingly I tip my cap to them for the Game 1 win. Listening to Comcast before the game, they had the St. Louis announcer who was talking about this rivalry. He said we root against each other when playing, but can go out after the game for beers. And when we’re not playing, we root for each other. Is that really how some people are? Ha! I definitely can’t relate to that, and immediately flipped the channel. Screw these birds!
What this provides for this young Cubs team is a learning opportunity. We took one on the chin. This is where this team will grow. This is where Maddon will earn his money. This is just another one of the many lessons we have learned through 164 games. That’s the key; you learn from everything, you come back out, you bounce back, and you get better. I believe this team will; they have all year.
So, we turn the page… quickly. We learn the lesson for the day, and apply what we’ve learned a short 19 hours from now. It’s playoff baseball. In our first 2 games, we’ve learned the highs and the lows. It’s time to buckle down, strap up, and get back to what we’ve done 98 times this year. Win. Go Cubs.
Mo
What was wrong with the Empire?? That inside corner to lefties was as big as Molina’s head. Lackey was getting ALL the calls as long as he aimed towards that side of the plate! Do they watch replays for the games they call? What about Strop and the hat tilted to the side…dude you can’t see strait in the mirror?
Bottom line is, our bats need to come alive and we need to stop swinging at the first pitch…basics. Chalk this lose up to inexperience.
Tough to swallow this lose, but Lackey, really, the loser from Anaheim, Boston, out pitching the 100 million dollar man, who came from Boston. If the Cubs noticed, he was tipping his pitches every time. Thanks ump, for making him look like a superstar!
bullwinkle
can’t win if u don’t score
can’t score if u don’t swing
too many good and/or close pitches went by with the bats on the shoulder
in most cases, a walk is NOT as good as a hit
when you have that lumber in your hands, use it