For all those Cubs fans who still care about this season, we’re here for you with play-by-play of today’s game. The sinking Cubs take on the sunk Colorado Rockies in a matchup barely suitable for a random Friday afternoon in late May. They should play this one over night.
It’s stopper Mark Prior on the mound versus Colorado’s Joe Kennedy.
You’ll notice by glancing at the lineups that Corey Patterson is batting seventh today.
Baseball soon.
First inning
It was sunny this morning when I rode in to work, but now it’s clouding up a bit. There are a few green blips on the local radar and more on the way but nothing too substantial, at least to this un-trained eye. Desi Relaford takes a strike from Prior to start things. Relaford fouls one back and then Prior strikes him out with a breaking ball. Perfect through 1/3. Luis Gonzalez, not that one, bounces one to Ramirez for out No. 2. Todd Helton sends one deep to right but Burnitz runs it down to end the 1-2-3 inning for Prior.
Carmen, a reader on the message board, thanks for the reminder. We always forget to put a link to this off chicagotribune.com. I will not be muzzled! Anyway back to baseball. The grounds crew is already out futzing with the mound. Jerry Hairston pops out. Anyone want to tell me why he leads off? Besides, of course, that they have no one else to. Neifi Perez lines out to short. DJ on the message board, excellent point about the World Series preview. I’m out of it. It’s fixed now. Derrek Lee draws a walk after just missing a double down the left-field line. Aramis Ramirez takes a walk down the line, as well. Nice day for it. Former message board favorite Jason Dubois bats with two on and two outs and swings at the first pitch. Dubois walks, possibly making people on the message board reconsider. Burnitz takes a curve for strike one and then lofts one to center for the final out, leaving the bases juiced. Cue that sound when Pacman dies.
Second inning
There’s a new “Star Wars” movie? Who knew? I don’t think I would’ve known that if it wasn’t for the giant ad for it behind home plate. Prior walks Preston Wilson. Brad Hawpe walks, too. Those two at-bats were ugly. Prior may be at his pitch limit already. He’s still got the no-hitter going. Well, maybe not. Matt Holliday lines a single to left, loading the bases for Garrett Atkins. Atkins flies out to right, scoring Wilson. Mawpe takes third. Holliday stayed put and the DP still is alive, that is if J.D. Closser, the Rockies’ version of Henry Blanco, actually can put the ball in play. After an interminable at-bat Prior loses Closser and the bases are loaded again. Larry Rothschild trots out to presumably drop some knowledge on Prior or ask what he wants to eat when he’s yanked after two innings. Joe Kennedy strikes out on a bad ball and Prior is throwing a ton of pitches. Prior comes back to strike out Relaford. After throwing just eight pitches in the first I had him in the neighborhood of 30 pitches in the second.
Rockies 1, Cubs 0
No news here: Patterson strikes out. Len is wondering if that bad inning by Prior was the mound’s fault. Sure, that’s it. Blanco flies out to left. No news here: Bob agreesHey. Prior fans to end it.
Third inning
Hey, fans, look for your Nomar poster in this Sunday’s Tribune, we’re told. Great timing there. Not the but a Luis Gonzalez singles to left. Helton flies out to deep left. There’s an ad behind home plate for LG. I don’t even know what that is. Great ad campaign. Wilson lines to Harrison, who flips to Lee but Gonzalez gets back, according to the first-base ump. Now a delayed steal with Hawpe up and Blanco guns down Gonzalez by five feet.
Hairston rips one off the base of the wall in the well in left and slides head first for a double. Close play. Over the replay Brenly said he hit a two-hopper off the wall when clearly it hit the ivy on a fly. Perez bunts Hairston to third. Lee walks and Ramirez lines a single to left, scoring Hairston. Actual execution by the Cubs. I’m pretty sure Brenly just said that was Burnitz. Dubois flies out to right and Lee takes third. Burnitz hits the first pitch right to Helton at first. Nice patience there.
Cubs 1, Rockies 1
Fourth inning
Oh, my. Hawpe just lined a pitch back to Prior and it got a big piece of him. He’s down and the trainers are out. Not good. It hit him on the pitching elbow and he’s done for the day. He walked off but not much movement in any part of his arm. That’s horrible. Ramirez made a diving catch of the rebound on the fly, but that’s hardly consolation. Todd Wellemeyer comes in to pitch. Seriously, Brenly just called Ramirez’s catch “a highlight reel play.” Goodness, the ball came flush off the pitching elbow of the team’s best pitcher. I’m surprised he didn’t say, “For those of keeping score at home, that’s 1-6.” Wellemeyer gets Holliday and Atkins. As soon as WGN says what’s up with Prior I’ll let you know.
Patterson bounces out to Helton. Blanco sends one fould down the right-field line in Bizzaro Bartman territory and Hawpe reaches into the crowd doing what Moises Alou couldn’t and makes a sweet catch. Wellemeyer pokes one to right for his first major-league hit. Hairston hits it on the ground to third and Atkins boots it. Perez knocks in both runners with a double to the left-center gap. Lee breaks his bat, the ball takes a bad hop over shortstop Relaford’s head and into shallow left. Relaford recovers, throws home but Perez scores. Ramirez follows with a single and Lee stops at second. Dubois golfs a double down the left-field line. Lee scores, Ramirez holds at third as the Cubs extend their lead to 5-1. Burnitz, the ninth Cubs to bat in the inning, flies out to deep right. The Cubs score four unearned runs.
Cubs 5, Rockies 1
Fifth inning
Ju on the message board, my question is why say asinine things on TV in the first place? If you’ve watched Sox games while Hawk’s been out, their guest commentators, like Jack McDowell last night, say more interesting things in one guest appearance than Brenly has all season. Closser walks to start the Rockies’ fifth. Kennedy bounces into a 3-6-4 double play. No update on Prior yet and nothing from AP on the wire. I didn’t hear Bruce Levine’s report. Wellemeyer fans Relaford for the third out.
Patterson flies out to center. Blanco grounds out to Relaford and Kennedy gets Wellemeyer to end it.
Sixth inning
That’s right ts, I’m just spreading the negativity around, wait, that’s “negativety.” I guess I’m to blame for the last 97 years, too. Gonzalez hits a chopper to Ramirez, who makes a nice play and better throw to get the out. Wellemeyer gets Helton before walking Helton. Wellemeyer strikes out Hawpe. Here’s a Prior update or lack of update. I highly doubt Bruce Levine reported anything about a broken bone as some anonymous boor posted on the message board.
Hairston reaches and Perez hits a two-run homer to the first row of the left-field bleachers. That’s it for Kennedy; David Cortes on to pitch. Lee greets Cortes with a shot to the bleachers. That got out quickly. Ramirez flies out to Hawpe in right. Dubois flies out to deep center and Burnitz pops out behind home plate. Still nothing on Prior’s injury and I suspect we won’t know anything until after the game is over. The Cubs have been vague with their injury reports in the past and I don’t expect them to announce in the middle of a 8-1 victory that Prior may or may not be lost for the year.
Cubs 8, Rockies 1
Seventh inning
Wellemyer puts the lead-off batter on in the form of a walk to Holliday. Atkins bounces to Ramirez but he double clutches and there’s time to get only Holliday. Closser grounds to Lee, who flips to second for the out. Not enough time to turn the 3-6-3, so two outs with a man on first. Eddy Garabito, a 29-year-old rookie, makes his first major league at-bat and grounds out. Here’s NIU football coach Joe Novak to sing TMOTTBG.
Right-hander Marcos Carvajal is the Rockies’ new pitcher and he’ll face Patterson. Patterson jacks one that finds the pavement on Sheffield. Blanco hits one deep to center but Wilson catches up to it. Todd Walker hits for Wellemeyer and flies out to center. Hairston pops out to short but the Cubs add one more run.
Cubs 9, Rockies 1
Eighth inning
Lefty Will Ohman is the Cubs’ new pitcher and he gets Relaford to ground out to short. Gonzalez grounds to Perez in the hole who makes a low throw to Lee. It’s ruled a hit. Helton strikes out on a slider away. Wilson hits a two-run homer the other way to right. Hawpe checks one in front of the plate and Blanco takes care of it.
Cubs 9, Rockies 3
Perez bats against Jose Acevedo, who has come on to pitch for Colorado, and strikes out looking. Lee hits his second homer of the game, this one in the basket in dead center short of the junipers. Ramirez bounces one to third where Atkins back-hands and then throws it away, nearly hitting first-base coach Gary Matthews. Ramirez has to stay at first. Dubois and Burnitz go down in order.
Cubs 10, Rockies 3
Ninth inning
It’s up to LaTroy Hawkins with a seven-run cushion. Holliday pops out to Lee and Atkins strikes out looking on a nice pitch from Hawkins. Hawkins then walks Closser. Cory Sullivan bats for Acevedo and pokes a single to left. Relaford beats out an infield single to load the bases. Gonzalez squibs one to the right side and Hairston charges, bare hands and gets the runner at first. Ball game.
Final: Cubs 10, Rockies 3