The Garza Start

Garza was dominant for five innings of one-hit, shutout ball.  He left leading 3-0.  Then the master, Dale Sveum, took over.  I wouldn't ordinarily harp on this point, but tonight's game rather illustrates some disturbing trends concerning this year's Cubs.

One thing I neglected in the earlier report card post was Cubs coaching and management.  You would have to give the on-field management and coaching a rating of near zero.  First off, as a game strategist, Dale Sveum is just simply a dunce.  Tonight's game demonstrates this fact.  Garza was sitting around 80 pitches after five innings.  He was supposedly on a pitch count of 90 so you might have allowed him to at least start the sixth.

But OK, he had a tough fifth, so I can see going to the bullpen.  But come on, Hector Rondon, who is a mop up guy?  Three of the next four batters for the Pirates were left-handed, so an obvious choice might have been Russell, but no, we go to the twelfth man Rondon.  Bases loaded.  Russell comes in to pitch around Alvarez and walks in a run.  Then we go to, that's right, to the eleventh man, Shawn Camp, who is having a truly atrocious season, but who is one of Dale's bonafide favorites of all time.  Well, you know what happens, and, of course, no one is warming up so that even after the grand slam puts the Pirates in command, we have to endure another bases loaded jam before the side is finally retired.

There were two moves. actually three if you count leaving Garza in, to be made there.  One was to go straight to Russell.  The other was to bring out Villanueva, whose turn Garza was taking, and who had not pitched in five days.  He might have given you three innings if necessary.  Go figure.

This game is not an isolated instance of certifiable dumbness.  It happens every day.  But it is not limited to just in-game decisions.  By and large, the Cubs are not improving in the field or at the plate.  Some of this must be due not merely to having dumb players, but to having poor instruction as well.  If you watch these games on TV even, you will notice that throws from the outfield rarely go to the right base or the right cutoff man.

You will also notice that the Cubs rarely score unless they hit a home run or the pitcher drives in runners who are on-base.  Similarly you will notice they rarely produce long, gritty, grinding at-bats until the ninth inning when the game is pretty much lost, but you can come in and whine in the post-game interviews about how you nearly pulled that one out, dadgummit.