***Official 2009 N.L. Central Thread*** Congrats to the Cardinals***

[sickickz23]

smallball prevailed today.

 

[arstyle27]

Lilly Brilliant as Cubs Win Opener
Cubs Beat Rockies 4-0
When Ted Lilly entered the seventh inning of the Cubs' home opener Monday witha no-hitter intact, the remnants of the 40,077 human popsicles who ventured out to Wrigley Field were starting to thinkthey were witnessing history.

Lilly had been untouchable, and with a strong wind blowing in from the east and a light mist in the air, conditions seemed ripe for the left-hander to joinWillie Smith and Tuffy Rhodes in the ranks of Wrigley's home opener heroes.

It wasn't meant to be, as Garrett Atkins spoiled the no-hit bid with a sharp single with two outs in the seventh.

But Lilly managed to get the victory in a 4-0 win over Colorado, and received a standing ovation as he walked off the mound.

Would manager Lou Piniella have left Lilly in to the end if the no-hitter was still intact?

"It would've been a tough decision, because it's early in the season to let a pitcher go much more than what he pitched," Piniella said."You're looking for problems."

Lilly knew he was throwing a no-hitter, though he said it never got to the point where the chance to make history took away from his focus.

"I was still trying to focus on making quality pitches, and not so much 'How am I going to protect the no-hitter?' " he said. "I justwanted to make good pitches, and felt if I did that, I like my chances.

"And I knew there was still a lot of work to do. There were a lot of outs to get."

Lilly threw 104 pitches in 62/3 innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight. It was almost as if Lilly had entered a parallel universefrom the one he had been in during spring training, when he allowed five home runs in 11 innings, and his first start,when he served up four more homers at Houston's Minute Maid Park.

Before the game, Piniella said Lilly (2-0) simply had to work on a few adjustments, adding: "Before long, you'll see him at his best."

But even Piniella couldn't have imagined that Lilly would be at his best in Monday's miserable conditions. The game was delayed by rain for 1 hour 12minutes and it was 36 degrees.

"It was a cold, raw day to play ball in, and Lilly really mastered the weather," Piniella said. "He threw strikes, changed speeds, got hiscurveball over … really an outstanding pitching performance."

A makeshift lineup without Milton Bradley (groin), Geovany Soto (shoulder) and AramisRamirez (stiff back) managed to get the job done as well, though Colorado starter Ubaldo Jimenez was his own worst enemy with six walks in 32/3 innings.

Jimenez forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk to Koyie Hill in the second, and the Cubs added two in the fourth on a throwing error that scored a run andDerrek Lee's RBI single. Kosuke Fukudome added an insurance run in the eighthwith a run-scoring single.

The Cubs left 13 men in base, but in the end it didn't matter. The large turnout didn't get to see history, but most of them stuck around to the bitterend on a pretty ugly day for baseball.

"I was rather impressed," reliever Aaron Heilman said. "We had almost a packed house to start the game and it was still very full when we endedthe game. There's no doubt about the fact Cubs fans are very die-hard, and there certainly aren't a lot of fair-weather fans around here. Youwouldn't see many games if you were."

 

[arstyle27]

Originally Posted by shabooyah1124

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

Way to go, shabooyah.

My apologizes to CP, Arstyle, Sauna, Joe Billionaire, and the other Cubbie fans on NT.

All good dude. I was at work. Didn't see much of the game, but we got that W.

 

[sickickz23]

Question: If someone gave you free CBOE seats right behind the Cubs dugout or homeplate for earlier today, and all I had to do was watch the entire gameshirtless, would you do it?

I probably would

 

[flintgrey]

Originally Posted by sickickz23

Question: If someone gave you free CBOE seats right behind the Cubs dugout or homeplate for earlier today, and all I had to do was watch the entire game shirtless, would you do it?

I probably would

I dunno man - it was pretty nasty today! Pneumonia does not equal a $200 seat! I actually passed on Opening Day tickets because I'm onlyworking three days this week (Vegas trip starting Thu!)

Snapped this pic en route to work...

Ted Lilly is a mad man. 3 of his last 5 outings he has taken a no hitter into the 6th inning....pretty amazing. And I do hope Kosuke keeps this up....

 

[sickickz23]

FlintGrey, nice pic, hope you don't mind but that's going to be my next avy.

It was a question that one of my co-workers asked me (White Sox fan). Maybe not Opening Day. But World Series? [Stone Cold]"OH HELL YEAH" I'malso trying to get seats for a May 31st Cubs game......ROOFTOP seats.

I've never experienced that.

FG I'm so *** envious that you live near the Cubs park. My parents live a mile north from Wrigley but it's nothing like living a few blocks from theballpark. And then there's the drunk idiots that bar-hop every weekend. The ones that cannot hold their alcohol.

 

[jdcurt2]

And this one belongs to the Reds

 

[pacmagic2002]

Another W..........veeeery low scoring, but great pitching tho.......a win is a win.

Pujols with a long one but only 1-4

 

[DownByLaw]

[h2]Wellemeyer's tweak helps stymie D-backs[/h2] [h3]Cardinals righty turns in solid outing after altering delivery
By Jason P. Skoda / Special to MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Less is definitely more for Todd Wellemeyer.[/h3]
The Cardinals right-hander came to Spring Training with a new delivery, one where he went above his head with his mitt, and the results were ugly.

He came out of Spring Training with a 7.55 ERA in seven appearances and then his first start of the regular season led to 12 hits and five earned runs in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Wellemeyer eliminated the over-the-head move, and simplified his delivery between starts, and the result led to a 2-1 win on Monday over the Arizona Diamondbacks before 25,014 at Chase Field.

"I felt a lot better out there, keeping my shoulders square to the plate and not wrapping," Wellemeyer said. "It helped me out immensely."

Wellemeyer was supported by two home runs, as Albert Pujols hit his fourth of the young season in the fourth inning off D-backs southpaw Doug Davis, and leadoff hitter Brian Barden hit an opposite-field blast in the eighth to break a 1-1 tie off Davis, who fell to 0-2.

"I was seeing the ball well tonight," Barden said. "He got one out over the plate, and I got enough of it to drive that way. I was looking [away] over the plate all game. It was a cutter, and I was able to hit one at the right time."

Barden's home run was the first of his career, coming against the team that drafted him in 2002 and with which he made his big league debut in 2007.

"It's a great feeling," Barden said, "and I have no hard feelings against them."

Barden's home run made Wellemeyer a winner after he was lifted for a pinch-hitter one batter earlier.

Wellemeyer went seven innings, allowed seven hits, one earned run, struck out four and didn't walk a batter.

"He was feeling good, and he was sharp," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He has a good assortment and he used it today. He and [catcher Jason] LaRue really matched up well.

"He hit his spots most of the night, and when he does that, he's got plenty of stuff to win."

The only run he gave up came in the fourth when D-backs first baseman Chad Tracy doubled home Conor Jackson.

The D-backs' other main threat came in the third, when Felipe Lopez doubled with one out to put runners on second and third. Nothing came of it, however, as Wellemeyer induced a pop to second base by Chris Young and grounder back to the mound by Stephen Drew to close out the inning.

"That's a good lineup, and I wasn't really all that excited about facing them," Wellemeyer said. "Halfway through the game, I felt more comfortable with my delivery after going all year going over my head."

After Barden's heroics -- La Russa called it Hollywood-+*+ -- it was up to the bullpen to secure the win.

Kyle McClellan got the first two outs in the eight before giving up a single to Young, who advanced to second when Chris Duncan bobbled the ball in left field, and Dennys Reyes relieved with the tying run at second and got Drew to ground out to Pujols.

Ryan Franklin gave up a harmless infield single to Mark Reynolds in the ninth before earning his first save of the season.

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

I am liking the start of the season so far, it's the close low scoring games that really matter. The Cardinals pitching has really lookedsolid thus far.

for the douchers losing another game.

 

[flintgrey]

Originally Posted by sickickz23

FlintGrey, nice pic, hope you don't mind but that's going to be my next avy.

FG I'm so *** envious that you live near the Cubs park. My parents live a mile north from Wrigley but it's nothing like living a few blocks from the ballpark. And then there's the drunk idiots that bar-hop every weekend. The ones that cannot hold their alcohol.

Feel free to make it your avy, my good sir.

Yeah, fortunately I live on a street that doesn't have many passer-thrus. I feel you on the suburban folks that come in on the weekends. They nearlycan't walk after the 7th inning then they head to Cubby Bear, the worst bar EVER.....lol

 

[joe billionaire]

smh someone sent me a text saying lilly got a no hitter its the 7th...

minutes later a other text..."my bad"

 

[shabooyah1124]

Milton out for 3-5 weeks

 

[the sauna]

Smh

 

[CP1708]

Milton.....we traded how many contracts to get that guy?

Better now then later on I guess. But this better not end up a pattern.

 

[jdcurt2]

Did any of ya'll really expect him to make it through a entire season

I'm sure this won't be the last stint on the dl this year.

 

[sickickz23]

Originally Posted by shabooyah1124

Milton out for 3-5 weeks

doesn't surprise me one bit. Groin injuries are serious no matter how severe. But yeah, all I want from him is 120-130+ games out of him. Co-sign on thisnot being a pattern....

 

[arstyle27]

Damn it.....shoulda gotten Abreau

 

[jdcurt2]

And this one belongs to the Reds

 

[pacmagic2002]

Oh god..........Carp taken out of the game early.

They say its only a muscle strain in his rib cage.........hopefully nothing more than that.

 

[corwinator3407]

Originally Posted by jdcurt2

And this one belongs to the Reds

Bronson

Where's the Brewer fans?

 

[pacmagic2002]

He walked 2 strait batters............Shoulda just took him out the game.....oh well, cant win em all

 

[pacmagic2002]

NVM............a big ol L anyway

 

[tylerdub]

If any team can afford to have a guy go down for 3-5 weeks it is the Cubs. I am not terribly concerned. It is too bad though, a healthy Milton Bradley makesthat lineup very good.

 

[DownByLaw]

Carp headed back on the dl

 

[tylerdub]

Boy, That is trouble for you guys. He has had such a struggle to stay healthy.