Welcome to a morning version of From the Cubicle, featuring a battle between the Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates for right to claim sole possession of third place in the National League Central. Needless to say, there’s a lot on the line. Let’s get right to it.
As is our usual drill, we bring you live play-by-play coverage of each one of Glendon Rusch’s starts on his march towards Cooperstown. Former Sox hurler Kip Wells goes for the Pirates.
The Cubs are looking for their first sweep of the season. Granted it’s only two games, but they’ll take anything at this point. And as long as Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon keeps pitching to Derrek Lee like he did last night in the ninth inning, they have a chance.
If you look at today’s lineups you’ll notice Corey Patterson in the six hole for the second straight day and Jose Macias at third in for Aramis Ramirez, who’s been plagued by a bad back.
We’ll have baseball soon.
First inning
Jerry Hairston hits one right at Jason Bay in center for the game’s first out. I’ve been told PNC Park in Pittsburgh is really nice. It looks it on TV. Beautiful day in the Steel City. Neifi Perez rips a double down the right-field line. Here’s the red-hot Lee. More fuel for the Dusty Baker fire. The Cubs manager considered giving Lee the night off yesterday. Instead he played and went 4-for-4, with two homers, including the game-winner. Today Lee strikes out swinging in his first at-bat. Nebraska Cub, a reader on the message board, hate to break it to you but Cedeno was optioned yesterday. Burnitz fans after working the count to 3-0.
Matt Lawton lofts one to left and message board favorite Jason DuBois makes a running catch. Jack Wilson rips one to left beyond a diving message board favorite DuBois. The ball rolls to the wall and Wilson slides in with an easy triple. Rusch walks Jason Bay on four pitches. Daryle Ward sends a high pop into foul territory behind third base. Neifi Perez makes a running catch and Wilson tags from third. The Cubs appeal to third but nothing doing. Wilson didn’t leave early. Jose Castillo flies out to message board favorite DuBois but the Pirates get on the board on a foul ball.
Pirates 1, Cubs 0
Second inning
This poor man’s Keanu Reeves on this Ford commercial who keeps telling the clueless sales rep that the car is “clutch” is a prime candidate for a wedgie. Michael Barrett hits the first pitch he sees for an out to left field. Patterson batting sixth sounds about right. He can strike out without jeopardizing the entire inning, like he did there. It’s only 1-0, right? Comcast’s scoreboard says the game is 1-1. Quality work there. We’ll see how long it takes before they fix that. MBF DuBois walks. Comcast just fixed the score. Macias lofts a fly ball to Bay and that ends it.
Rusch walks Ty Wigginton on four straight pitches. Michael Restovich digs in a takes a strike. Restovich rips a single to left. Humberto Cota walks and that prompts a visit from Larry Rothschild. Rusch strikes out his counterpart Wells for just the first out. Lawtson sends one to deep center, not deep enough to drop in but deep enough to score Wigginton. Restovich moves to third. Rusch walks Wilson to load them up again and Rothschild picks up the phone to get Todd Wellenmeyer up. Rusch goes full to Bay before striking him out swinging. Rusch walks a ton but gives up just one run, a moral victory of sorts.
Pirates 2, Cubs 0
Third inning
Rusch flies out to left. I guess it’s hard to walk someone with a bat in your hand. Hairston takes a pitch off his hand and he’ll probably be out for two months. He’s in serious pain. Welcome back Ronny Cedeno. After all that, Hairston stays in the game. I’m sure he’ll steal second or, at least, try. He stays put and Perez grounds into a snappy 6-4-3 double play.
More bad car commercials. I’d like to know who in the Curtis Mayfield estate approved the use of “Move on Up” for a Toyota commercial. Ward bounces one to Perez at short for the first out. Castillo follows suit with another grounder to short. Two outs and Wigginton at the plate. Rusch fans Wigginton looking for his first 1-2-3 inning of the game.
Fourth inning
Lee strikes out for the second time today, chasing a bad pitch there. Burnitz pops out to Wilson in shallow left. Three words for Scott, the big Sox fan on the message board, it’s JON Garland. Get it straight before attempting to talk trash. Barrett drives a single to center. However, I’ve got to say Garland is no fluke. He was in the majors before he was ready and struggled with a few things. He really hasn’t come out of nowhere. The trade for Karchner was one of the worst trades in Cubs history and basically cost Ed Lynch his job. Patterson grounds out.
At least Dontrelle Willis finally lost. That those two guys are at the top of the win column in each league has to be kiling Cubs management. Adam, the guy on the message board, I like the suggestion for the song for DuBois. Anytime you can work songs from the “Footloose” soundtrack into the game I’m all for it. Meanwhile, Rusch strikes out the side and has sat down seven straight.
Fifth inning
Bob and Len are very excited that Jennie Finch will sing TMOTTBG during Friday’s seventh inning stretch. Very excited. Here’s MBF DuBois. Let’s hear it for your boy strikes out. I think any Public Enemy song with Flavor Flav would work, too, for DuBois’ theme song. Yeah, (du)Boyeee!. Macias rips a single the other way. Rusch grounds out and Macias advances. Seriously Cubs broadcasts have turned into the Bob Brenly career retrospective hour. Enough. No one cares. Hairston flies out to end the inning.
Lawton reaches somehow. I wasn’t paying attention because I was looking at jenniefinch.net. Jack Wilson lines a single to left. Lawton walked before. First and second with no outs and Wellenmeyer is up in the pen again. Bay bounces the first pitch into a 6-4-3 double play. Ward grounds out and Rusch escapes after putting the first two batters on.
Sixth inning
After an interminable at-bat Perez draws a lead-off walk. Lee bounces one back to Wells, who makes a nice play, turns and starts the 1-6-3 double play. Perhaps Dusty should’ve given Lee the day off today. Burnitz bounces one back to Wells, who makes another nice play to get the out.
OK, the Sox game has started. I’m flipping channels. You’re on your own, people. I’ve been told to put the Cubs game back on. Castillo strikes out and Wigginton flies out for a quick two outs. Rusch is cruising now. Too bad they don’t start the games in the third inning. Yes, I am a jinx. Restovich rips one over DuBois’ head for a ground-rule double. They’ll put Cota on to get to Wells. Rothschild makes his third visit to the mound today. Brace yourselves, Cubs fans: LaTroy Hawkins was spotted throwing in the pen. Wells squibs on to Hairston, who has to make a nice, charging play to get the pitcher–barely–at first. Yeesh.
Seventh inning
Barrett pops one to center for out No. 1. Patterson tries to drag a bunt for a hit, but Wells pounces and throws him out. Let’s Hear it for DuBois strikes out.
Enter LaTroy Hawkins. Lawton rips one to center but right at Patterson. Wilson pokes a single to right. Bay grounds into a 6-4-3 DP and Hawkins stunningly avoids any damage.
Eighth inning
Wells stays on to start the eighth and why not? He gets Macias to ground out to second on the first pitch. Ben Grieve bats in the pitcher’s spot. Grieve draws a walk. Hairston bounces a single through the hole between short and third and Grieve hustles to third. First and third with one out. Mike Fontenot was running for Grieve. Sorry for the mixup. Hairston steals second. Perez lifts one to center and Bay’s throw home is off line. Fontenot scores. All three runs today have scored on sac flies. Excitement. First base is open and the Pirates again will pitch to Lee. Lee check-swings and pops out to first.
Pirates 2, Cubs 1
Cliff Bartosh comes on to pitch and gives up a single to Ward. That’s it. Tough outing there. One pitch. Dusty Baker comes out to lift Bartosh for Michael Wuertz. Castillo bounces back to Wuertz who starts the double play. Wuertz then strikes out Wigginton. Nice inning there. Jose Mesa will come on to try and do what he didn’t do last night, close the game out.
Ninth inning
It’s up to Burnitz, Barrett and Patterson in the ninth. Burnitz walks. During Barrett’s at-bat, Burnitz takes off for second, the Pirates pitch out and Burnitz is out by 10 feet. Genius! Barrett rips one off the wall in right for a double. To Another Sox fan on the message board, you’re mixing up your drunken yahoos. William Ligue Jr. was not a Cubs fan. That was the guy the next year who tried to attack the first-base umpire at the Cell. The Pirates put Patterson on and Todd Hollandsworth comes out to hit for DuBois. Hollandsworth, 0-for-6 lifetime against Mesa, rips one off Ward’s glove at first. The ball bounces into right field and Barrett scores the tying run. Patterson goes to third. Two straight days on Mesa. In fact Mesa is so flustered he just tried the ol’ fake-to-third-throw-to-first pick-off move that only fools Sammy Sosa. Macias hits a fly ball to right that is deep enough to score Patterson with the go-ahead run. Ryan Dempster is up in the pen. Aramis Ramirez comes up to hit in the pitcher’s spot. Ramirez strikes out and goes back to his heating pad in the dugout. But the Cubs take the lead.
Cubs 3, Pirates 2
Len Kasper just said the Cubs are 7-for-14 as a team in save opportunities. Wow. And way to think positive, Len. Tike Redman pinch hits and rips a double down the right-field line. That’s brings up another pinch hitter Rob Mackowiak. Henry Blanco has replaced Barrett behind the plate for the Cubs and Lefty Will Ohman is up in the pen just in case. Dempster walks Mackowiak. Freddy Sanchez will hit for the Pirates. Rothschild walks out to talk to Dempster. Sanchez bunts, they get the runner at third but the throw to first is off. Second and first with one out. Lawton hits it on the ground to Hairston, who boots it then complains the runner got in his way. No dice. Bases loaded with one out for Jack Wilson. Wilson hits the first pitch into an game-ending 6-4-3 double play. The Cubs tired to blow this one, but couldn’t. Game over. Cubs win 3-2.
Final: Cubs 3, Pirates 2
Thanks everyone for stopping by and reading. A boring game got suddenly interesting at the end.
(By the way, etown, I fixed the error on my bio page.)