After seeing the Chicago Cubs in action the first two games of this series I am more than convinced that they are indeed the best team in baseball this season. The Cubs have all areas covered, pitching, defense, and the ability to score in multiple ways and all of those pursuits were on display in game two of the series.
Joe Blanton took the starting assignment for the Phillies and did not pitch badly as he went five and 2/3 innings giving up two earned runs on two hits. Blanton’s problem was control as he walked five batters including the bases loaded in the sixth inning. The Phillies had spotted Blanton an early lead as Chase Utley scored in the first inning on an RBI single by Pat Burrell. The Phillies went up 2-0 in the top of the fifth as Utley scored on a throwing error by Cubs right fielder Fukodome. Ryan Howard had singled to right field and Fukodome hit him in the back rounding first on his throw to the plate. Utley had actually stopped at third and advanced home on the errant throw.
The Cubs got a gift run back in the home fifth as Mark DeRosa scored on pinch hitter Darryl Ward’s ground ball that was scored as a fielders choice. In truth Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins blew a sure fire double play as he tossed the relay throw over Howard’s head at first base. Rollins throw was made errant by the slide of Henry Blanco going into second base. Blanco slid late and rather than put the throw between his eyes Rollins tried to avoid him with it and tossed it high to first. Old school shortstops would have put Blanco in the hospital!
In the home sixth the Cubs tied the game as after Blanton had loaded the bases Scott Eyre came on in relief and promptly walked in the tying run before recording the final out. The Cubs are very patient at the plate and make pitchers work to get them out. On numerous occassions they worked the count deep and actually collected seven walks in the game.
Chicago took the lead in the seventh as Alfonso Soriano belted a Clay Condrey fastball deep into the left center field seats. The Wrigley wind was blowing in so Soriano truly smoked this pitch to cut thru the teeth of the wind! Carlos Marmol pitched in both the eighth and ninth innings to close out the game for Chicago and encounted no problems whatsoever as he sat down every batter he faced. He has a nasty slider and is a strike thrower, Cubbies did not use Kerry Wood at all as he was given the day off, Marmol is an all-star himself so there was no need.
Examples of Chicago’s complete game efforts were the exempliary play of first basemen Derrick Lee who dug various balls out of the dirt at first base, made an over the shoulder running play on a pop up down the right field line in the ninth and on every occassion where he had to throw made perfect tosses to the receiver! Chicago pitching was dominant in all areas, starting, middle relief and closing. The offense was patient, worked the count and played to situations, hitting the ball to the left side to move runners, waiting for pitches that allowed them to do so and then jumping on pitches when afforded the opportunity. This team is the real deal and should indeed break that Chicago curse!
Chatter
The umpiring in this ballgame left alot to be desired for both sides. The home plate umpire was brutal on balls and strikes and showed no consistency whatsover. He caught grief from both sides all day long! The first base umpire blew two consecutive calls, on the first he called Utley safe on a double play where the ball clearly beat him but on the very next play he called Howard out on a play where Howard did beat the throw! At second base on a steal play a Chicago runner was called safe on a tag omission when the replay showed that Rollins indeed tagged him. It was the first game this season where I actually noticed the officiating, I know my Mets counterpart writer on metshomeplate.com has stated she has seen differently this year but for the most part I have thought officiating has been good this season, not in this one though! Buster Olney of ESPN reports that Matt Stairs will be coming to the Phillies from Toronto and that recently recalled Fabio Castro is the player being sent to the Jays by the Phillies. Castro warmed up in the game in the ninth but did not get in. If the Mets win tonight at Florida they will go two up on the Fightins. I have a hard time seeing the Phillies beating the Cubbies in the next two so that Division title may be slipping away again! They proved me wrong against the Dodgers so maybe they will again here……………… the Dodgers are not the Cubs though as after they left Philly they went to Washington and got smoked by the Nats! We will see…………stay tuned.
