The Baltimore Orioles had taken a 7-1 lead. I looked over to my brother and we agreed we'd rather watch the game at home and hope for a comeback there.
After getting some more wings to go (Oh, how I love Buffalo Wild Wings) we hopped in the car and turned on Pat and Ron.
Derrek Lee got a base hit. Aramis Ramirez got a base hit. And then something happened that gave everyone hope again, Jim Edmonds hit the long ball to left center-field, pulling the Cubs within three runs with two more innings to play.
I started honking my horn and put the pedal to the metal to get home to watch the Cubbies pull off a come-from-behind win.
I hate it when they get my hopes up; it felt like they had lost a playoff game, that's how disappointed I was.
I realize it's just a game against the Orioles, and the Cubs still have a 3.5 game lead over St. Louis, but there was something majestic about a team who hadn't been beaten at the Friendly Confines in 14 games, and I just couldn't believe that it would ever come to an end.
It almost didn't. In fact, it shouldn't have ended.
It's the bottom of the ninth. Geovany Soto got a base hit. DeRosa walked. Daryle Ward got a base hit. Bases loaded with NOBODY out.
A base hit would tie the game (at this point it was 7-5), an extra-base hit would win the game. There was no one out, how could the Orioles possibly escape unscathed from such a patient Cubs team?
Cedeno set the tone for the following two hitters. He swung at every single pitch and struck out. Then something happened that I knew sealed the deal, Kosuke Fukudome, the most patient of the patient Cubs hitters, struck out swinging.
While I was still upset when Blanco struck out after Fukudome, I wasn't surprised.
It was almost like it was a completely different batter from the man who had hit such a long home run in the bottom of the fourth. Fukudome had done so well earlier in the game that I thought there was no way we could possibly lose with him coming up.
On a positive note, a pleasant surprise, in my opinion was Sean Marshall. In four-and-two-thirds innings, he struck out seven, but did give up seven hits. For a pitcher making his first big league start of the season, I give Marshall a thumbs up.
Eric Patterson possibly was the second-biggest disappointment (next to Fukudome striking out in the ninth). Along with doing next to nothing at the plate—to the point where he was lifted for Blanco to pitch hit in the ninth—he came in and called off both Edmonds and DeRosa for a ball DeRo clearly had, and then he dropped it to give the Orioles yet another person in scoring position.
Had the Cubs been more patient in the bottom of the ninth, my drought of not seeing a Cubs win in nearly three weeks would've ended last night, hopefully tonight will be different.
The Cubs home streak ends at 14...Let's start a new one tonight. Go Cubs!
7 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Sam Wenk about 1 year ago
Nice article Andy and it figures the first game you watch after being gone for so long the Cubs lose at home. Thats life in Cubdom. I agree with your point about Marshall, he was impressive and racked up a good amount of strikeouts. Its always disappointing when there are no outs, bases loaded, and we can't even score a single run.
Hopefully we can take the next two and sweep the White Sox again beginning Friday
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Andy Miller about 1 year ago
I thought for sure that they could pull it off again, it didn't seem possible that with the bases loaded and no one out that they could not come back.
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Bob Warja about 1 year ago
Good job Andy. Yes, I also though Marshall pitched better than his box score might indicate. I liked the 7 Ks against only one walk, that had to please Lou. But 88 pitches in less than 5 innings is disappointing. He doesn't have the stuff that a Rich Hill has, his fastball is a couple clicks slower, so he really has to be on to be successful. I hope we get another starter soon.
It figures that Brian Roberts would hurt us - 3 hits after an offseason where he was rumored to come to the Cubs practically every day.
Those last 3 ABs in the ninth inning were awful. You load the bases w/no one out and you should score at least one and actually two.
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Andy Miller about 1 year ago
Well, you have to figure that Marshall could be a lot better, I mean after all, that was his first major league start, he was probably pretty nervous. I think he'll be just as good as Rich Hill, if not better one day.
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L.J. Burgess about 1 year ago
During the National Anthem did you hear the big "O"? Maybe a little "Birdland"? A touch of "Oriole Magic"?
Sherrill had to fill the bases to get to the hitters that he knew he could K. He does this, it's a plan.
Brian Roberts got his 1,000th hit !
This was, hopefully, a watershed game for the O's.
Thanks for the hospitality.
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Andy Miller about 1 year ago
Fukudome is NOT by any means a typical strikeout candidate, especially swinging. So take your O magic and keep it in Baltimore!
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L.J. Burgess about 1 year ago
Sherrill is not your typical closer ... obviously
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