Another game, another sloppy, listless effort with the same result, although this time, since Wells ran into a few troublesome jams, the game was not close. Now I do not suggest that the Cubs were likely to beat Cliff Lee, one of the best left-handers in the league, but they should have made some kind of effort to play something that resembled baseball. They got the first two runners on base on numerous occasions with allegedly good hitters coming up, but they did nothing. Nady, who is an abomination in any position, played 1B (badly I might add), but he saved the real stuff for the batter's box, grounding into two DPs and striking out twice. Quite a night. Not to be outdone, however, by Derrick Lee, who pitched in with a strike out and a DP of his own. Really all of these guys just get bug-eyed when they come up with men on base and start swinging for the fences. It was an interesting contrast to see how the Mariners played the innings where they had a chance to score. Quite a contrast.
I keep harping on this whole issue with Piniella's platoons because it just bugs me no end. This lineup does not perform well against left-handers despite the fact that it should and it contains a lot of dumb, defensively challenged players who wind up allowing runs and opportunities. Now given these facts, I would rather play a lineup that included some other players, even left-handed hitters who have some idea of how to play baseball. Maybe they will go 0 for 4, but then, the right-handers are going to go 0 for 4 as well, so what is the difference. As an aside, I would point out that Tyler Colvin, a left-handed hitter, provided the only offense in the form of a home run.
Steve Rosenblum, in his Rosenblog, has a biting and largely correct analysis of the Cubs in his latest entry. Well worth a read. Curiously enough, the Cubs answer to this whole disaster of a season, the second in a row, is to shop Kosuke Fukudome with some sort of agreement to pay most of his salary. I know it is an unpopular position to take, but Fukudome, even though he is overpaid for his production, is a baseball player who catches the ball, throws to the right base, runs the bases with some degree of sense, takes pitches, and gets on base. These are rare qualities in a Cub, so I guess he doesn't fit in very well.
What should the Cubs do? Fire Hendry and Piniella. Right now. Rosenblum makes so much sense here. Trade Lee, Lilly, and Nady. These are players who do not fit into next year's plans and are not under club control next year. Lee and Nady are contributing nothing right now. Lilly is inconsistent and can easily be replaced by several players already on the roster. Do everything possible to move Alfonso Soriano. No team will ever win a championship with Soriano as an everyday player. Stop picking up one-dimensional players: Soriano, Baker, Nady, etc.
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