Chicago Cubs Are Suffering from Brain Cramps in September

Watching the Cubs' game tonight against the Cardinals, there were a lot of thoughts flying through my head.

-Well, we got an early lead. Excellent.

-Wow, Dempster is pitching well tonight.

-I HATE ALBERT PUJOLS! HAVE YOUR STUPID SURGERY ALREADY!

And the like.

However, as the game entered its final innings, I was fixated upon the managerial missteps that Lou Piniella had against his Tampa-area rival, Tony La Russa.

First there was the head-scratcher of a decision to have Geovany Soto attempt to lay down a bunt in the top of the eighth inning after bringing in Felix Pie to pinch run.

Now, when I call this a bad decision, just know that yes, I have the facts on my side. Soto doesn't have a single successful sacrifice bunt all season. Nor does he have the speed to justify even attempting to bunt for a hit.

Couple both of these things with the fact that the Cubs are in a pennant race, and in the late innings of a game against an archrival, and you have a recipe for disaster. Soto bunted into a double play, and any ideas of a rally were quickly squelched.

I can forgive Lou for making a decision that could have been a good surprise play if Soto lays the bunt down properly, but I can't fathom why he made his second bad decision of the night.

For the second game in a row, the opposition had runners on second and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. And, for the second game in a row, Lou opted to let his pitcher attack the hitter, and the result was the same: game over, other team wins.

This is simply mind boggling. Baseball is a game of tendencies and trends. You would think that if an event occurred the game previous, and the result was bad for your team, you would try something else. Instead, Lou's stubbornness reared its ugly head with equally ugly results.

This is not to say that I'm jumping off a bridge. Yes, the Cubs have lost eight of their last nine games, but they have only lost two games off of their division lead, and their magic number to clinch a playoff spot continues to dwindle.

There are still 18 games left in the season, and if the Cubs win nine games, the Brewers would have to go 13-4 to tie for the division title. Also, the Phillies would have to go on an incredible 16-1 to match that. So, needless to say, the Cubs' destiny is in their own hands.

All of this being said, I still believe the Cubs will make the playoffs, and I think that they have an excellent chance of coming out of the NL bracket to make it to the World Series. The keys will be to get Harden and Zambrano back, and to get back a consistent attack on offense.

That is, if Lou doesn't mismanage the stretch like he's mismanaged these last two games.