Saturday, August 14, 2004 |
Cubs 2, Dodgers 0
Penny might miss three starts and the Dodgers are talking about DL time for him. Those two starts are 8/19 against Atlanta, and 8/24 against Montreal. While Dodger Stadium is a notorious pitcher's park, Stade Olympique plays as a neutral park (or close to it).
Which brings us to today's game. Ishii did well -- by the scoreboard -- in a Wrigley Field distinctly attuned to the pitcher. The wind blowing in from center kept the ball in the park. Had the wind been blowing out, Ishii would have been gone in the fourth. As it is, Tracy will be tempted to use Ishii again in circumstances where he might not be the best choice.
Lots of excellent defense on both sides, including a very good double play by Nomar. I won't use the superlatives the Fox announcers used, because, as Dodger fans, we expect to see Izzy turn those four and five times a game. Kerry Wood and Cory Patterson provided all the offense the Cubs needed, but the scary part for the Cubs has to be the silence in the middle of their order: a collective 2-13 between Garciaparra, Sosa, Alou, and Lee.
I should mention one other thing: Beltre got stiffed on the strikeout call in the eighth. I'm sorry, that was not a swing.
Swing or not, the bat crossed the plate. That's why they appeal.
With Prior you got your wish tomorrow. I just say, be careful what you wish for. The Dodgers aren't hitting much against starters. The Cubs are just another team proving the value of a strong bullpen by not having one and it remains to be seen how much of theirs the Dodgers traded away.
I fear for the next few weeks. Green is still pathetic, I doubt Finley will hit .500 for the rest of the season and several Dodgers just aren't producing. I'd say it was a slump, but I'm more inclined to believe they were over achieving in the first place. I think the Giants are toast but if the Padres get within four games or so by the time the last few series roll around, it could get interesting.
Rick
: 8/14/2004 06:58:00 PM1) Keeping Choi out against lefties means he'll see 80% of the playing time at 1B.
2) He's young, so there's still a good chance he'll improve his hitting against lefties.
Agreed the bullpen hangs on a thread. But the only way this trade turns into a disaster is if Penny is lost for the season, which I doubt.
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