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

[arog27]

Lilly had himself the best game of the season. Arizona may very well be the best team in baseball right now. We NEED to go at least 7-4 on this 11 gamehomestand, maybe 8-3.

 

[sickickz23]

Originally Posted by AM 1 FIEND

Originally Posted by pacmagic2002

izzy does it again.....how long do yiu think this will go on before they pull his $!%, this is rediculous!!!!!!!

I think Izzy has dirt on Dewitt, LaRussa or Duncan. Izzy is probably the worst closer in baseball besides Gagne. How the Cards march him out to the mound each game is downright terrible. I remember a couple seasons back Izzy had a career threatning injury, damn I wish it would have ended that worthless piece of *%$$% career.

Isn't the year he got injured was the year you guys won the World Series? Thank goodness for his injury(and Wainwright closing) or you guyswould've never gone all the way.

Lilly=

Wood=

Wood needs a few more outing like that.

EDIT! Jason Issringhauson strikes again!

 

[wisconsin 4 life]

WOW What a huge freaken win. WEEKS COMES UP HUGE. Man this is just what we needed, wow. YES.

 

[arog27]

I'm actually happy the Booers won a game.

 

[pacmagic2002]

I'm done with the cardinals man.....this dude can't even protect a 2 run lead...why do they trust him to protect 1?

I'm done with them till they find another closer....that's 4 wins if he isn't in the game....+@%#!+! shame

 

[mrprince757]

I'm tired of this %**+%. WE NEED A NEW CLOSER!!!

 

[sickickz23]

Originally Posted by pacmagic2002

I'm done with the cardinals man.....this dude can't even protect a 2 run lead...why do they trust him to protect 1?

I'm done with them till they find another closer....that's 4 wins if he isn't in the game....+@%#!+! shame

I believe it was only a one run lead!

No need to be done with the whole team when it's the closer fking it up for you guys. You and the team need to be done and part ways with JasonIsringhasun

(yes I know I spelled his name wrong. I don't what thecorrect spelling is, and I don't give a fk) if you guys have want a legimate run for the division. Which you won't cuz we got this come September.

 

[Retroballer]

Berkman

dude is a beast

 

[dmxfury]

Pirates quietly rolling along........

 

[pacmagic2002]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Isringhausen taken out of closer role for time being[/h1]
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE -- Jason Isringhausen got his wish.

After blowing his fifth save Friday night -- tying Eric Gagne for most in the major leagues -- in a 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals' embattled reliever will no longer close games, manager Tony La Russa said Saturday.

"He's still prepared to pitch important innings, but for a while we'll try to keep him out of the ninth inning," La Russa said. "There's still going to be games where you can't cherry-pick his situations because if we're playing well, you need your bullpen."

[h4]Jason Isringhausen[/h4]

Relief Pitcher
St. Louis Cardinals

Profile
[table] 2008 Season Stats [tr][td]GM[/td] [td]W[/td] [td]L[/td] [td]BB[/td] [td]K[/td] [td]ERA[/td] [/tr][tr][td]18[/td] [td]1[/td] [td]4[/td] [td]8[/td] [td]11[/td] [td]7.47[/td] [/tr][/table]

La Russa said the closing duties will be split between Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer, and that he wouldn't shy from using a left-hander in the role against certain lineups.

"We'll mix and match," La Russa said. "I think all things, everyone rested, Franklin and Springer are the guys that match up the best."

Franklin, who had been the setup man, said he hadn't been told what his new role might be, but the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 19 appearances this season.

"He gets righties and lefties out, he's very quick off the mound, so he's tough to run on," La Russa said. "He gives you a lot as a guy that's pitching important innings in games."

Isringhausen, who has four blown save opportunities in his last seven appearances and is 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA, said Saturday he met with La Russa and agreed he needed to be pulled from the role.

"It needed to be done," Isringhausen said. "It's a mental break more than anything."

Isringhausen, who leads the National League with 11 saves and is eight saves shy of 300 for his career, was clearly upset after Friday's game, putting all the blame on himself.

"I'm just getting sick of embarrassing myself and letting my team down," he said Friday night. "We should be five more wins in the win column in my mind, so we should be ahead in first place even more. But they can't keep sending me out there when I'm pitching the way I'm pitching.

"We're going to have to figure out some kind of remedy. I'm sure that remedy will give me some time off and get somebody in there that can do a better job right now. ... I'm just pitching like a second-grader."

La Russa told Isringhausen on Saturday that it's no different from when a top hitter is struggling in the lineup. La Russa's only options would be to shuffle the lineup or give a player a few days on the bench.

In Isringhausen's case, La Russa wants to keep him active and fresh, but still give him a mental break from the taxing role of being the closer.

"He's not hurting, he's just pressing and lost his confidence," La Russa said. "You go back to the drawing board a little bit on his delivery so he can locate better, and you give him some appearances and hopefully he gets people out and his confidence goes back up."

Both Isringhausen, who is 23rd on the career saves list, and La Russa believe he'll return to the closer's role once he has time to refocus.

"The last three outs are different, the most difficult," La Russa said. "It takes a special guy to do that. It's true that he's that guy, but we've just got to do what it takes to get him right."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

My prayers have been answered. I think they should give villone and Flores a chance to close the game, but ANYBODY is better than Izzy right now

 

[am 1 fiend]

^ I don't care how upset I get; I could never say I am done with the Cards

Yes Izzy is done as the closer for now, but you lost a lot of points bysaying that my man.

 

[truthmain]

^ Dude never had points to begin with, he's in the negative now

. Go headthough pacmagic, maybe the Cards can take that second NL wild card spot

.

 

[wisconsin 4 life]

Gagne needs to take a long walk off a short pier. This team is a complete mess right now. When we hit we can't pitch, when we pitch we can't hit. People need to get their head out of their +@#*% and show some heart and pride.

 

[sickickz23]

I was telling my co-worker that FUKU was long overdue for his second HR. And low and behold.

Take that NL WEST Champs.

 

[arog27]

Good big win today. Sori was great.....finally. Clutch 6 run inning. Dempster was solid too. Goin for the sweep tomorrow.

Are the damn Cardinals ever gonna lose like 4 or 5 in a row??? Jeeeeeez, i'm so sick of them. I hate em. Damn them.

 

[pacmagic2002]

Originally Posted by truthmain

^ Dude never had points to begin with, he's in the negative now

. Go head though pacmagic, maybe the Cards can take that second NL wild card spot

.

I have a couple middle fingers for you bruh...enjoy second place(izzy isn't here to keep us from winning anymore).....you know I meant the secondand third place teams would be in the race for the wild card....... nobody can tell me that after your team did the same thing over and over again..that yousaid to yourself "eff them"(pretty sure cubs fans have said it the last hundred years in a row)

......gimme a break fb, it was just a heated momentbecause larussa kept trusting that bum, KNOWING how its gonna end.....over and over again, didn't really mean it

 

[pacmagic2002]

oh yea......a win....I hope izzy was watcing and taking notes.......then again I hope not....don't want him gaining confidence and getting back into thecloser role anytime soon

 

[mrprince757]

 

[wisconsin 4 life]

Braun hitting 2 dingers is always nice. I'll be at the game tomorrow night(1.00 hot dog and soda night

), taking 3 out of 4 would be nice.

 

[sickickz23]

 

[the sauna]

yooo.. where the pic with the girls sweeping the floor.. somebody is slackin..

 

[arog27]

Originally Posted by THE SAUNA

yooo.. where the pic with the girls sweeping the floor.. somebody is slackin..

Just got home from work fellas.

The girls say hi.....

Cubs Sweep D-Backs
Cubs Win 6-4
CHICAGO -- Daryle Ward had a two-run, tie-breaking double in the eighth to give the Cubs a 6-4 victory, and a series sweep, over the ArizonaDiamondbacks on Sunday. The Cubs trailed in all three wins over the National League West leaders.
Ward delivered his second big pinch-hit in as many games after starting the season 0-for-14 in that spot. Ward's run-scoring single in the seventhSaturday tied the game en route to a 7-2 win.

Carlos Marmol (1-0), pitching the eighth, picked up the win, and Kerry Wood got his seventh save.

Reed Johnson's first home run of the season tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh.

Aramis Ramirez singled and stole second to start the eighth, and Kosuke Fukudome executed a perfect bunt to move him over. Fukudome went to second onGeovany Soto's grounder and pinch-hitter Alfonso Soriano was intentionally walked, making way for Ward.

With heavy rain and wind deluging Chicago, delaying the start of the game by 58 minutes, both managers opted to pull their starters, Carlos Zambrano andRandy Johnson.

Cubs emergency starter Sean Gallagher shined for four innings, giving up one run and striking out six. But in the fifth, he gave up two doubles and a singleto tie the game at 2, and left after intentionally walking Chris Young with first base open.

Chad Fox walked the next two hitters, Jackson and Justin Upton, to bring in two runs before getting out of the inning down, 4-2.

Former Cubs player Juan Cruz walked Mike Fontenot in the seventh and Johnson followed with a blast to the bleachers in left-center to tie it.

Derrek Lee hit a solo homer in the third to give the Cubs a 2-1 lead. It was his 10th of the season in only his 37th game. Last season it took him untilJuly 28 to get No. 10, a span of 92 games.

Mark DeRosa scored on a wild pitch from Edgar Gonzalez in the second.

Back on top , haters.

 

[cincybcats22]

Yes last place baby!

 

[truthmain]

Originally Posted by pacmagic2002

Originally Posted by truthmain

^ Dude never had points to begin with, he's in the negative now

. Go head though pacmagic, maybe the Cards can take that second NL wild card spot

.

I have a couple middle fingers for you bruh...enjoy second place(izzy isn't here to keep us from winning anymore).....you know I meant the second and third place teams would be in the race for the wild card....... nobody can tell me that after your team did the same thing over and over again..that you said to yourself "eff them"(pretty sure cubs fans have said it the last hundred years in a row)

......gimme a break fb, it was just a heated moment because larussa kept trusting that bum, KNOWING how its gonna end.....over and over again, didn't really mean it

Stop while you're behind.

 

[tylerdub]

The Cubs needed a series like that. I was gonna be happy with a series victory but the sweep is so much sweeter. Especially with all The D-Backs are the bestteam in baseball talk going around.

Lance Berkman is playing like the best baseball player in the majors right now. He is leading or number two in 7 statistical offensive categories!!!! Wow!

Whats happening in Cincy? You guys might have a new manager by the all star break.