..:Official 2008 NL Central Thread:..Congratulations Chicago Cubs...:

[sickickz23]

If he doesn't get benched for tomorrow's game, or play 2B, then I need to quit watching baseball altogether. Cuz I guess I am blind to bad baseball.

 

[pacmagic2002]

......If they put izzy or Anthony Reyes in...........................Good win by the cubs tonight, (Insert Dumpster pic here).

ANybody else, good game by the cubs......Nice win for the cardinals

 

[tunzophun]

Who didn't see that coming? I hate Izzy, always have.

edit: At least Kerry Wood is up in the bullpen.

 

[kiddin like jason]

I just have one word for you guys:

MCLOUTHDOUMITNADY.

 

[sickickz23]

<------eating humble pie right now. Who would've thunk it? Oh well, that's baseball. It always fools me. But I still say we're far away fromwinning this game. St Louis has all the momentum. Oh yeah, and thank you Jason Isring...whatever you spell it, thank you for redeeming Soriano.

 

[jblackcat13]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

I just have one word for you guys:

MCLOUTHDOUMITNADY.

 

[pacmagic2002]

SCHUMACHER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCREW YOU IZZRINGPOOPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE MAKE VILLONE THE CLOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sickickz23]

Sigh....Tough game to lose. Wins are wins, and erases almost all mistakes, and losses put those mistakes under a big microscope. His game tying 2 run HRshouldn't be given as a pass since we lost. His 2 missed pop flys is what I only see now. So I stand by my first statement. Either bench him, or make himplay 2b tomorrow. Rich Hill should be headed on a bus to AAA Iowa. Do it Lou!!!


Otherwise, another good game from the Cubbies and Redbirds. Another one for the ages of this storied rivalry.

 

[pacmagic2002]

I would still call it redeeming himself, he prolonged the game to at least give them a chance to win.........Not his fault they lost, he didnt give up the homerun to end the game

While i typed that i realized that the ground ruled double was with 2 outs.......soo it is his fault, HAHAHAHAHA.

Good game though

 

[am 1 fiend]

I was out last night so I was following the game by my espn updates on my phone. Cards get the win

 

[tunzophun]

Headed to good, ol' Busch Stadium right now. Hopefully we can bring home another win.

 

[pusha x vinsanity]

Is anyone watching this Cubs-Cards game...?

The scoreboard up top showed 6-0 and said "Home Run Cubs" when it was still 3-0.

Then they turned it back to 3-0 after realizing the error (I guess...?), but then the very next pitch... is a 3-run HR.

Did the dude working the board really predict/jinx that, or is the game on delay and he put it up too soon...? That was weird and wild.

And this game also sucks... C'mon Lohse...

The one time I get to see a Cards game up in Chicago and you stink it up...

 

[sickickz23]

SMH at LaRussa signaling Molina to position almost right behind Fukudome. Once is smart, but twice? Fukudome is too smart for that. Fuku made LaRussa look likean idiot.

Fukudome>>>>LaRussa on that at bat. You can't outsmart a baseball hitting genious in Fukudome.

The umpire has an inconsistent strike zone. Joe Buck is delaying his call from what the ump decides.

 

[pacmagic2002]

Damn.......got whipped today......at least it wasnt a sweep though

 

[am 1 fiend]

If we can somehow pull off a win tonight then we will still remain in 1st. That's always a good thing; I have a bad feeling about tonights game though.

 

[wisconsin 4 life]

Break out the girls sweeping picture.

 

[pacmagic2002]

...........Izzy............
...........TOP of the lineup...............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
not again.........I swear if he blows this save they need to RELEASE him, can anybody answer why they wont get somebody else to close the games out???

 

[pacmagic2002]

Originally Posted by aRog27

Originally Posted by THE SAUNA

First Place feels oh so good...

It sure does

. Nice view up here too.

Hows that view???

I must be dreaming...........Izzy struck Derrick Lee out and gets a save............Where is Alecia Keys???? She is in all my dreams..........OH MYGOSH.........IM NOT DREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[am 1 fiend]

Izzy closes out Cubs in series finale

Kennedy and Pujols knock in two runs apiece

By Nate Latsch / Special to MLB.com

ST. LOUIS -- All eyes were focused on St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen on Sunday night.

The Cardinals had a sellout crowd of 44,969 at Busch Stadium, a national television audience on ESPN and a two-run lead to turn over to their veteran closer in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Two nights after giving up a game-tying home run in the ninth, Isringhausen retired the Chicago Cubs in order on 12 pitches to secure a 5-3 victory, the Cardinals' sixth win in its nine-game homestand. With it, the Cardinals retain their hold on the top spot in the National League Central standings and get to 20 wins earlier, by date, than any other team in franchise history.

"To come in there and get three outs, that tells you all you need to know about Jason Isringhausen," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "That's why he's our closer. He's a really, really tough guy."

After 48 hours of introspection, the 35-year-old right-hander took the ball in the ninth with a new trimmed haircut and a simple approach.

"What I tried to do tonight was let it all loose and pound the strike zone," Isringhausen said.

In earning his 10th save of the season, and 291st of his career, Isringhausen did just that. Of his 12 pitches -- which included four-seam fastballs, sinkers, cutters and curveballs -- nine were strikes.

"He was good," Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina said. "He was throwing the fastball a lot. That's his main pitch. If he keeps that fastball down, they're going to hit it on the ground and they're going to get a lot of outs."

The Cubs scored twice in the second inning off Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer. Catcher Geovany Soto doubled and scored on center fielder Reed Johnson's double to left. Second baseman Mike Fontenot, who had walked, scored on left fielder Alfonso Soriano's sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning with four consecutive hits off Cubs right-hander Jason Marquis.

After Wellemeyer and shortstop Cesar Izturis had one-out singles, right fielder Skip Schumaker and second baseman Adam Kennedy followed with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the score.

The Cardinals took a 4-2 lead in the fourth when first baseman Albert Pujols smacked a two-run double down the left-field line to score Izturis and Kennedy.

Wellemeyer (3-1) tossed five innings. He allowed two runs on three hits, struck out four and walked four. He threw 95 pitches, with 57 for strikes.

"I felt decent all day," Wellemeyer said. "Mentally, I was in it the whole time. I kept the ball low and that was important."

The Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh off rookie reliever Kyle McClellan, but they only scored one run on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Kosuke Fukudome to make it 5-3. Lefty specialist Randy Flores came in to retire Fukudome, and then right-hander Ryan Franklin got the final out of the inning.

"I had faith in the bullpen," Wellemeyer said.

Franklin pitched a scoreless eighth inning before giving way to Isringhausen in the ninth. McClellan, Flores, Franklin and Isringhausen combined to allow just one run on two hits over the final four innings.

All eyes were focused on Isringhausen, and he came through.

"Izzy's one of the best closers right now in the game," Pujols said. "You're gonna blow some games and you're going to save big games. To us, our job is to go out there and give him a chance every night hopefully so he can save the game. He's human. He's not a machine, so he's going to blow some games. If you look at the great closers of the past, they blow a lot of games and they save a lot of games. ... Nine out of 10 times when he goes out there he's going to save the game, so I take my chances any time with him."

Nate Latsch is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


Great game, taking 2 out of 3 is definitely

 

[Retroballer]

Why is Gagne even still in the league?

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by PUSHA x Vinsanity

Is anyone watching this Cubs-Cards game...?

The scoreboard up top showed 6-0 and said "Home Run Cubs" when it was still 3-0.

Then they turned it back to 3-0 after realizing the error (I guess...?), but then the very next pitch... is a 3-run HR.

Did the dude working the board really predict/jinx that, or is the game on delay and he put it up too soon...? That was weird and wild.

And this game also sucks... C'mon Lohse...

The one time I get to see a Cards game up in Chicago and you stink it up...

I saw that exact same thing. Only thing I can think of is they must be on a delay of some sort and the dudes got a little ahead of themselves with thetyping.

Props to the Cards, they took us down in this series.

Hopefully we can get back on track vs the Reds today.

 

[wildkycat]

JR with the web gem.

Griffey plays with a heavy heart

Reds slugger in lineup Monday despite passing of best friend

CINCINNATI -- Manager Dusty Baker tried to do a favor for Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. by keeping him out of Monday's lineup vs. the Cubs.

Griffey learned a few hours earlier that his best friend, Frank King, died at the age of 38 in Orlando, Fla., after a long battle with rectal cancer. But when he saw his name missing from Baker's lineup card and Corey Patterson batting second, Griffey made a bee-line to the manager's office.

"I'm going to go talk to him about that right now," Griffey said.

By the time Griffey had left Baker's office, he had talked himself back into the order and was hitting second again.

"I figured he wouldn't be spiritually or mentally in the state of mind to really concentrate and focus to play," Baker said. "I remember just talking to the guys [in a team meeting Sunday]. One of the things was to play for somebody sick or somebody who's family or ailing. Junior said that's what his friend would have wanted him to do. I remember the same thing happened to Barry Bonds in San Francisco. His best friend died. I think Barry ended up playing, too, for the sake of his friend."

King, who grew up in Cincinnati, was a friend of Griffey's since childhood. He moved to Orlando when the Griffeys relocated there. King is survived by his wife and their two children, ages 14 and 3.

"Everyone's asking me if I'm all right," Griffey said. "I worried about them. [My wife] Melissa, my mom and Frank's wife were with him."

Griffey entered Monday batting .228 with four home runs and 15 RBIs this season. He was 5-for-32 (.156) during the just completed nine-game road trip. Sixth on the all-time home run list, the 38-year-old has been stuck at 597 career home runs since April 23.

"It's a big deal to play for your friend, a huge deal," Baker said.

 

[wildkycat]

@ Dunn's homer.

 

[wildkycat]

*$#$ YOU FELIX PIE!

 

[bkmac]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

*$#$ YOU FELIX PIE!

You beat me to it. I was just about to post that AND the story about his best friend.

Stay strong Griffey.