Game Time: 7:05 PM ET
TV: CSN
Pitching Matchup:
Tigers- Rick Porcello (8-4, 3.54 ERA)
Cubs- Rich Harden (4-3, 5.10 ERA)
Lineups:
Cubs
1. Alfonso Soriano, LF (.224, 14 HR, 30 RBI, .715 OPS)
2. Ryan Theriot, SS (.284, 6 HR, 26 RBI, .757 OPS)
3. Derrek Lee, DH (.292, 11 HR, 37 RBI, .867 OPS)
4. Micah Hoffpauir, 1B (.262, 6 HR, 21 RBI, .778 OPS)
5. Milton Bradley, RF (.244, 5 HR, 16 RBI, .744 OPS)
6. Jake Fox, 3B (.308, 0 HR, 5 RBI, .756 OPS)
7. Kosuke Fukudome, CF (.260, 5 HR, 22 RBI, .803 OPS)
8. Geovany Soto, C (.222, 5 HR, 20 RBI, .682 OPS)
9. Mike Fontenot, 2B (.232, 6 HR, 26 RBI, .699 OPS)
Tigers
1. Curtis Granderson, CF (.263, 17 HR, 41 RBI, .835 OPS)
2. Placido Polanco, 2B (.264, 3 HR, 27 RBI, .700 OPS)
3. Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.329, 14 HR, 44 RBI, .951 OPS)
4. Marcus Thames, DH (.302, 5 HR, 12 RBI, .942 OPS)
5. Don Kelly, LF (.385, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1.005 OPS)
6. Brandon Inge, 3B (.278, 17 HR, 49 RBI, .906 OPS)
7. Magglio Ordonez, RF (.271, 2 HR, 22 RBI, .686 OPS)
8. Gerald Laird, C (.220, 2 HR, 16 RBI, .633 OPS)
9. Adam Everett, SS (.255, 2 HR, 26 RBI, .644 OPS)
Rick Porcello is a 20-year-old that is living up to the hype incredibly. He's a good one and should be a great one. He's going to throw a heavy dose of hard, sinking fastballs.
Rich Harden's been throwing too many meatballs and has yet to show the velocity he had at times last year when he was dominant. He needs to keep the ball down or this lineup can hit a few longballs off him.
This might be the best lineup the Cubs have tossed out there this year, at least without Aramis. So hopefully they can score a few runs.
Top of the 1st
Soriano grounds out to 3rd on the 2nd pitch.
2-2 on Theriot, fouls one off. Bounces out to short. So far Porcello's getting exactly what he wants with his sinker.
1-0 on Derrek Lee who brings a 20-game hitting streak into this one. Swings and misses. 1-2 pitch is a 95 mph sinker low, 2-2. Hits a groundball hard right at Everett. Again, Porcello getting what he wants, right-handed hitters trying to pull his sinker and all they're going to do is beat it into the ground.
Bottom of the 1st
1-1 count on Granderson. Now a high changeup, 2-1. 89 mph fastball fouled off. Another high changeup, full count. 94 mph fastball foul tip, strike 3. That's as good as I've seen a Harden fastball to the 1st hitter of the game this year.
92 mph fastball high on Polanco, now a changeup in for a strike, and another one that just misses. 2-1. On a full count, a 95 mph fastball misses. Lou looks angry in the dugout. If you keep putting guys on for Cabrera, he's going to really make you pay.
1-0 on Cabrera. A 1-1 fastball at 93 mph on the inside corner, 1-2. Flies out to center.
And Thames flies out to right.
Top of the 2nd
Hoffpauir lines a single into right.
Bradley loses his bat twice on swings, it's 0-2. Now he takes a breaking ball in the dirt, 1-2. Works the count full, now walks on a pitch to the backstop.
On a 1-2 pitch, Fox hits a bouncer to 3rd. Inge touches 3rd, throws to 2nd, and Polanco throws to 1st, Fox barely safe at 1st. Just missed a triple play, 2 outs.
Fukudome strikes out swinging. He's lost these days.
Bottom of the 2nd
0-1 to Kelly. Changeup inside, 1-1. Flies out to the wall in right, I thought it was gone.
2-2 on Inge. Full count, now a foul ball. Flies out to right-center.
Magglio with a soft liner out to Bradley in right to end the inning.
Top of the 3rd
Good to see Soto back in after being taken out of the game late last night. 2-1 count. He needs to lay off the sinker or he's going to ground out to the left side like he's done frequently this year. Doesn't lay off it here, and thankfully grounds out it foul. Takes it this time and the rookie Porcello wanted the call, doesn't get it though. Now on a full count he gets a pitch a bit more up and drives it to the corner in left for a double. Kelly fumbled the ball a time or two out there, but Soto is too slow to get to 3rd.
Fontenot hits one to the right side of 2nd, so naturally Soto is advancing, but Polanco makes a smart play and throws to 3rd, gets him.
Now Soriano grounds into a 6-4-3.
Top of the 3rd
Gerald Laird strikes out swinging.
Everett grounds out to 3rd.
Granderson rips a single into right. He'll likely be running in this at bat. Polanco bunting for a hit, the ball hits his bat, then hits him in the head, then deflects back out to the field and Harden makes a great sliding catch, called an out. Now they're changing the call as they should, it was a foul ball. 1-1 count, Granderson running as I expected him to, barely safe. Now Polanco loses his bat on a swing, 2-2.
Top of the 4th
Theriot with an infield single to 3rd, it's a play Inge should've made though.
Lee draws a walk on a 3-1 count. He swung mightily at a 3-0 pitch and came up empty.
Hoffpauir pops out in left-center, 1 out.
Bradley -crushes- one that would be a 3-run homer, but it's foul. Now he strikes out. 2 down.
Fox grounds out to end the inning, more runners in scoring position with no outs wasted by the Cubs.
Bottom of the 4th
Miguel Cabrera hits one to Wrigley, 1-0 Tigers.
Sorry I was dealing with the UPS guy, inning over somehow.
Top of the 5th
Fukudome grounds out to Polanco.
Soto drills one into left, clears the wall. 1-1! He's 2 for 2 now with a homer and double.
Soriano singles to right.
Len just said Reed Johnson is apparently going on the disabled list with his back issues, Ryan Freel going to be called up. Sigh.
I'd like to see Soriano run here to get into scoring position for Theriot with 2 outs. Well Theriot lines the 1st pitch into right-center for a single, Soriano to 3rd.
3-0 on Lee. Draws another walk. Getting nothing to hit.
0-1 on Hoffpauir as he swings and misses, now fouls one off, 0-2. Hoffpauir misses a bases-clearing double by 2 feet, I thought it was going to be fair off the bat. You knew he wasn't getting a hit after that, strikes out to end the inning.
Frustrating. Hoffpauir and Bradley just missed supplying the Cubs 6 more runs in this one. Instead, just 1.
Bottom of the 5th
Ball 1 from Harden. Ordonez strikes out.
Now Gerald Laird hits a bomb 400+ feet into left-center. Harden now allowed 13 homers in not even 60 innings this year, just 11 in 148 innings last year. He's leaving up way too many pitches.
1-2 on Everett. Now he walks him. A homer to the #8 hitter, and a walk to the #9 hitter after being ahead in the count.
Theriot catches a Granderson pop up in centerfield, 2 outs. Harden has about 1 more inning left in him, at 86 pitches.
1-0 on Polanco. 2-2 on Polanco who rarely strikes out. He singles which he does as much as anybody in the league.
Alright, this might be Harden's last batter. 1st and 2nd for one of the best hitters in the universe, Miguel Cabrera. 1-0 count. Changeup I assume because that's basically all he throws other than a fastball swung on and missed outside. Moved liked a slider though, 1-1. And again, even further outside and in the dirt, 1-2. Cabrera is trying to hit this one further than his last homer. Grounds to Fox and I get nervous, but Fox handles it cleanly and goes the short way to 2nd for the force to end the inning.
If I'm managing, Harden is done. 96 pitches, and he just had to work hard in hot conditions. I don't want to risk he gets hurt and it's too early in the season. Bring me Ascanio for a couple innings.
Top of the 6th
Should be a 3-1 count, but an awful call on a 1-1 pitch now has us at 2-2. Full now. He walks. His on-base percentage up into the .360 range now.
2-0 on Fox, bullpen getting up quickly for the Tigers. Drills a single into left, 1st and 2nd, no outs. That's it for Porcello.
Lefty Nate Roberston in for the Tigers. Ideally you pinch-hit for Fukudome here, but can't really do that with Reed unavailable of course. I want him bunting here, get 2nd and 3rd for Soto.
Fukudome showing bunt, takes a ball. Bunt rolls foul, 1-1. Bunts through a pitch right down the middle. Now he has to swing. Wow. A slider that he somehow reaches and pokes into left, bases loaded for Soto who has been the Cubs' offense tonight. Leyland going to bring in a right-hander to face him.
Zach Miner in, he's pitched very well lately. Getting a lot of groundballs and that's what they want here. Soto swings and misses at a breaking ball. Slider doesn't move, almost hit Soto actually, 1-1. Now a hanger and he has a great cut, fouls it straight back. Wants that pitch back. Takes a pitch low, 2-2. Slider in the dirt, nice block by Laird, full count. Takes strike 3 on the corner.
Incredible. Fontenot takes a curve outside, 1-0. 92 mph sinker low and outside, 2-0. Bounced to 1st, called foul. Cabrera had thrown home and that would've been the 2nd out. Not what you want on a 2-0 swing. 3-1 now. Grounds weakly to 2nd, and they get the force at 2nd, but too slow to turn 2, run scores, 2-2.
Soriano pops out weakly to center to end the inning. He took a fastball for a strike on the inner half, where he likes it. Then he swings at a slider. I swear he just decides before each pitch if he's going to swing.
Bottom of the 6th
Harden is still in, I don't like this.
Nowhere close on the 1st 2 pitches, 2-0. Now Soto drops a pop up for an error. 3-1 on Thames. And the walk. Lou goes out to visit Harden but is leaving him in.
Kelly fouls off a hit and run. Another hit and run, and he pops out to Theriot.
2-1 on Inge, and 3-1. This is just frustrating to watch. He should not be in the game still. Ball 4 nowhere close. NOW Lou is out there. This is on him.
Aaron Heilman in to face Magglio. 0-1 count. Jam shot into right, Bradley dives, misses it, and hurts his wrist in the process. Bases loaded, 1 out for Laird. Hits a line drive as hard as you possibly can, but right at Fox at 3rd. 2 outs.
2-1 on Everett. Tiger fans getting loud. Groundball to Fox, fields it running to his left, falls down, and throws late. A normal 3rd baseman makes that play. Instead, Tigers lead 3-2.
1-1 on Granderson. 2-2 count now. And Granderson walks, 4-2.
Polanco grounds to Theriot, inning over.
Top of the 7th
This game is way more frustrating to me than last night's game.
Theriot takes a ball from Miner. Theriot ends up walking.
Lee realizes he has a hitting streak on the line and swings at a strike right away, grounds it into left for a single. 21-game hitting streak for Lee, longest Cubs hitting streak since Jerome Walton had a 30-game hitting streak 20 years ago.
Very tough matchup here for Hoffpauir against the new pitcher, lefty Bobby Seay. 1-0 count. Takes a fastball strike. Fouls off a 1-2 fastball. Hoffpauir appears to have a single into center but Granderson has him played perfectly and makes the catch.
Another pitching change here. Brandon Lyon in to keep Bradley left-handed, which is the side he's batted from all night. 0-1 count. Big swing on the next pitch, but can't catch up to the 93 mph high fastball. Curveball in the dirt and the count is now 2-2. Cutter just misses inside, and Bradley barely did not swing. Full count. Nice sing on the 3-2 pitch, fouled it straight back. Bet he'll climb the ladder here. Cutter inside again actually, Bradley's 3rd walk.
Jake Fox up with the bases loaded. Swings at a slider/cutter nowhere close, 0-1. Now breaks his bat on a sinker inside. They'll go back outside again here and that will likely be strike 3. Fox drives one deep to right, caught on the track by Ordonez. 4-3.
Curveball for a strike to Fukudome. 0-2 to Fukudome. He's not getting a hit here. Sinker misses, 2-2 count. Fukudome grounds out to 1st to end the inning.
10 left on base, 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
Bottom of the 7th
Cabrera immediately singles into center.
0-1 on Thames. Zumaya going to come in again for the Tigers. Thames flies out to left.
0-2 on Kelly. It's getting so bad Brenly's pulled out Frosted Flakes/Tony The Tiger jokes because of who/where they're playing. Kelly strikes out.
2-2 on Inge. And he strikes out.
Top of the 8th
Soto, Fontenot, and Soriano to face Zumaya.
Soto takes a nasty curve to start the at bat. Now it's high, 1-1. Soto flies a 101 mph fastball out to right.
Fontenot swings through a 101 mph fastball now, 0-2. The WGN gun gets him at 104 mph again, Gameday has him at 103 mph. Anyway, he eventually strikes out.
Soriano hits a 101 mph one into left-center for a single, he can hit that, just wouldn't hit the breaking ball. Gotta get him on the move.
Theriot takes an insane curve for a strike. Same on the 2nd pitch, 0-2. Takes a slider outside. Holds up his swing on high heat, barely. 2-2. 101 mph over his head and he has zero chance, that'll end the inning.
Bottom of the 8th
Ordonez has a 1-1 count. Jose Ascanio is the new pitcher. I wanted him in to pitch the 6th and 7th innings. Bounces a single into left.
Crazy play. Bunt by Laird perfectly placed between Ascanio, Fontenot, and Hoffpauir for a hit. However, Josh Anderson who was pinch-running for Ordonez, for some reason tried to get to 3rd even though the ball was still in the infield, Fontenot threw him out. So still a runner at 1st, but 1 out now.
2-1 on Everett. Hit and run count and that's exactly what Leyland calls, but Everett fouls it down the right field line.
Ascanio pulled, Marshall in. He's the 11th pitcher of this game. 0-2 on Granderson. Strikes him out.
Now ANOTHER pitching change, the 12th pitcher of the game is Carlos Marmol. 2-0 on Polanco. If this game goes to extras, going to be really interesting to see who is pitching.
And here we go again with Marmol. Walks Polanco, now 3-1 on Cabrera. Cabrera swings as hard as he can and misses on a fastball, 3-2. And another walk. Unreal. 35 walks in 33.2 innings pitched. 5-3 Tigers.
1-0 on Thames, now 1-1. 1-2 count, and he gets Thames looking at a slider.
Top of the 9th
Fernando Rodney in , and like Marmol, he's struggled with control. 3-0 on Lee. He walks, 4th time he's been on base tonight. I wish Aramis were around to drive him in(crying).
0-1 on Hoffpauir. 2-1 now. Singles into left-center. 1st and 2nd, no outs.
1-1 on Bradley. He's due for a bomb. High strike call, 1-2. Not so sure about that one. Now he has to chase it, Bradley swings through it. 1 out.
Fox also due for a homer. Now that's an awful call for a strike, 0-1. Fox thinks he just hit a 3-run homer into right-center, but not at this park. Granderson catches it with plenty of room, 2 outs.
1-1 on Fukudome. Takes a fastball that splits the plate, what the hell? 1-2. Full count, runners will be moving with 2 outs. Delaying the inevitable. Pitch #8 I believe on the way. Strikes out looking, looked like ball 4 to me and that's what Kosuke thought. Brenly agrees.
Awful call to end the game, but I highly doubt they would've still come through after that anyway. 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position, unacceptable. This team continues to struggle to get clutch hitting, and it's why I wanted Raul Ibanez so much on this team after they were terrible at it the previous 2 playoffs. Aramis Ramirez cannot come back soon enough. Hopefully the Cubs are still within about 5 games of the division lead when he does.
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