A Really Tough Loss

The Cubs and Cardinals played a tense and entertaining game Sunday night, with the Cubs eventually losing 4-3 in 11 innings. The game could have gone either way and both teams missed many opportunities and played inconsistently, making spectacular plays and boneheaded errors. A sad end to a homestand on which the Cubs should have gone 8-2 but achieved only a 6-4 record. Losses like this hurt and they all add up.

One thing you will not read in the papers is that the key play of the game happened in the 6th inning when Alfonso Soriano hit a blooper to RF, watched it for a long time, didn't hustle, and therefore got only a single that sent Byrd to 3B with one out. I listened to the radio guys tonight because I can't stand the ESPN crew, and I have to say that Ron Santo had this play nailed. I guess even he is getting disgusted with this kind of play as he kept harping on it for several innings afterward. Good for Ron. First and third instead of second and third changed the entire inning, so that instead of having Carpenter on the ropes after breaking through in the 5th, the rally was quickly killed when Soto hit into a double play on a hard ground ball.

Maybe I am carping a little, but it seems to me Lou was out-managed again in the endgame. I know he doesn't trust his rookie relievers and so he was in a bad spot tonight, having used Cashner for two the night before, but he pretty much shot his wad with Marshall and Marmol in the 8th and 9th and it was not a smart decision to send Schlitter out for a second inning after he pitched out of trouble in the 10th.

Also, I have to question the wisdom of using Baker to pinch run for Soto in the bottom of the inning. I mean, you have to run for Soto in that spot, but Baker is the only legitimate RH pinch-hitter, and he is not exactly a base-stealing threat, so you might have kept him on the bench in case LaRussa warmed up a lefty to face Fukudome and Colvin. Then if Theriot doesn't get on, you have LaRussa thinking that if he goes to Reyes, the kind of lefty that Fukudome has trouble hitting, you could counter with Baker, who kills guys like Reyes. Either way, you have a chance to tie the game, but then Lou is Lou, which means he has a pretty short attention span these days.