Posts filed under 'Ted Lilly'
September 30th, 2008
After the Cubs clinched the NL Central title on Sept. 20, some (most notably Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein from 670 Score Radio) got on Lou Piniella’s case for taking a cautious approach to the playoffs. It’s no secret that the best team during the regular season doesn’t always win the World Series. Face it, if the Florida Marlins can win two World Series in seven years, the postseason is virtually a crapshoot.
Regardless of the fact that the Cubs are the best team in the NL, Piniella had plenty of reasons to be concerned with potential NLDS opponents like the Phillies and the Mets. And now that they officially begin NLDS play against the Dodgers tomorrow, a high level of concern is still warranted.
This Dodgers playoff lineup isn’t the Dodgers lineup the Cubs faced during the regular season, where the Cubs went 5-2.
Trade deadline acquisition Manny Ramirez easily makes a case that 53 games is plenty of time shore up an NL MVP. With Manny in the lineup for the last two months, the previously 54-54 Dodgers went 30-24 (17-8 in September) on the back of his .396 batting average, 17 home runs and 53 RBIs.
Also, don’t forget that Rafael Furcal, who missed both series against the Cubs and almost all of the 2008 season, is now healthy.
Looking ahead, if Carlos Zambrano continues to break down in game 2, the idea of Dodgers right-hander Hiroki Kuroda pitching game 3 in L.A. is very concerning. A June 6 Cubs loss at Dodger Stadium saw Kuroda pitch a complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts and zero walks.
And it doesn’t matter that Rich Harden–even with his 89 strikeouts in 71 innings for the Cubs–is Kuroda’s counterpart in game 3. Cubs bats have been notorious when it comes to giving Harden run support.
But, if there’s one reason (and there are many) the Cubs will win the series, it’s because they have the 17-win Ted Lilly waiting to pitch an “if necessary” game.
September 16th, 2008
When did sports people become afraid of their own shadow?
ESPN’s John Kruk, a former All-Star, said on Baseball Tonight that the Cubs never should have let Carlos Zambrano finish his no-hitter, the Cubs’ first in almost 40 years. His reasoning: The playoffs are far more important than anything that happens during the regular season, even a no-hitter, and the Cubs need to do everything they can to keep Big Z healthy for the postseason.
That’s ridiculous.
First of all, the Cubs would have ticked off their own player — mightily — but pulling Zambrano. It’s never a good idea to irritate your own players, especially one as temperamental as Zambrano. Also, he only threw 110 pitches. Even if he hadn’t pitched in 11 days because of some arm concerns, that’s not that bad.
Besides, you can’t pass up chances for history. They don’t come along often. And the idea that nothing else counts except the World Series is insane. If that were true, why is Ted Williams one of the biggest legends in baseball history? He never won a World Series, and hit poorly in his only chance.
Recent Super Bowl losers such as the Bears, Seahawks and Panthers will be forgotten in a few years, if they haven’t been already, but people will always remember the 18-0 — oops, 18-1 — Patriots, even though they lost in the final seconds to the Giants.
What makes baseball great is the six-month-long every day journey, not just the finish. Zambrano, and then Ted Lilly, made a magical season that much greater up in Milwaukee. Besides, teams that play scared don’t win. Teams with nerve do — remember, the Giants played all their starters in their regular-season finale against the Patriots last year. The Giants lost the game, and a couple of players to injuries, but wound up shocking everyone to win three playoff games on the road, then the Super Bowl.
September 15th, 2008
Critics can argue all they want that the Astros got a raw deal in the neutral site selection and that Carlos Zambrano’s no-hitter was a direct beneficiary.
But all the hot air in the world won’t take away from what Zambrano accomplished on Sunday.
It can be almost guaranteed that even if Milwuakee wasn’t chosen as the neutral site, Cubs fans still would have outnumbered Astros fans by the thousands. It’s fair to say that considering Cubs fans even outnumber home-team fans during Cubs road games on a regular basis. And it’s nationwide: from Arizona to Cincinnati to Florida.
No matter the venue, Zambrano still would have pitched on 12 days rest. And for Zambrano, going that many days without competing while having to listen to haters challenge his ace status is like poking a unsuspecting rabid animal with a sharp stick.
May 16th, 2008
Carrie Muskat of mlb.com checks in with a story about Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly and his unique approach to hitting.
I saw the video with the story, and Lilly’s swing at the plate kind of reminded me of my short game on the links.
It isn’t a compliment for either of us.
April 17th, 2008
Ted Lilly cruised through the first three innings today. His control and low pitch count were convincing enough that his bad start to the season was out of his system.
Then came Joey Votto. With one out in the fourth, Lilly loaded the bases for Votto to clear with a double. And in Lilly’s final inning in the sixth, Votto took one deep for two runs.
Although Lilly went a season-high six innings, the damage was already done in the fourth to keep pace with his three other starts (IP: 4.1, 3.2, 4.2).
And with Jason Marquis and Rich Hill (next two starters) averaging just 4.8 innings with a combined 10.23 ERA in four starts, it’s making every Cubs fan mumble under their breath “Thank God for Ryan Dempster”.
