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Game 73 Recap: Cubs 3, Devil Rays 8
Schizo Game
W - Balfour (2-0), getting out of Tampa
L - Marmol (1-2), 7-run sevenths.
Things to Take from This Game
1. Shields was fantastic
Shields pitched a fantastic six innings before giving up a run in the sixth on a Fontenot double, and leaving with runners on 2 and 3. The relievers allowed both inherited runners to score on a bloop by Fukudome and a seeing-eye bouncer by Theriot. Though he technically gave up 3, Shields was much more dominant than that for most of his outing.
2. Gallagher was terrific
Gallagher also pitched very well, with a particularly impressive live fastball. The Devil Rays successfully extended several at bats, with the same sort of grinding approach that we've enjoyed watching the Cubs employ for most of the year. Gallagher still managed to get through six, and worked out of a couple jams. A very encouraging outing by Gallagher, who only gave up one run, and that came on a double play that followed an error by Lee.
3. Marmol and Eyre were.... uh...
Marmol comes in to protext a 3-1 lead in the seventh, and goes walk, walk, hbp, hbp. Eyre comes in and goes Grand Slam to Crawford, triple, double, sac fly, double. Marmol was missing with his slider, both the HBP coming on sliders that got too far inside. Eyre was just bad.
The "we never again have to listen to pundits pointing out that the Cubs are the only team to not have a three-game losing streak this year, there, are you happy, Cubnut?" details, below. :)
Game Recap
Inning 1 - Top
- Game begins with my FSN-Florida broadcaster pronouncing it "Fukudomo."
- Foul and strike looking, 0-2 count to begin the game on "Fukudomo" again. How unprofessional.
- Ok, at least the color commentator is getting the name right
- 9 pitches and counting, Fukudome keeps fouling them off
- Finally, a K swinging. Fukudome way, way out in front of a change up. It spun him right round. Round, round, baby.
- Theriot pops to Iwamura at second.
- Lee singles through the 4-3 hole.
- Ramirez flies to the warning track in right.
- God, I hate the wailing electric guitar sound that ends every half inning on a Fox Sports broadcast. Just shoot me.
Inning 1 - Bottom
- Gallagher hits 94 on his second pitch, blows it past Iwamura, 1-1 count
- Chop up the middle, Fontenot goes over for it. Nice, quick throw across his body for the out.
- Crawford bloops one in front of Hoffpauir in left. Hoffpauir doesn't seem to have much range out there.
- 94 again from Gallagher. And 95, moving Upton back off the plate.
- Upton flies to the warning track in right. DeRosa catches this one.
- First pitch to Hinske is a ball outside. Crawford is running, and Blanco throws him out with ease. Inning over
- That Fox Sports ending of inning sound is the Devil's spawn.
Inning 2 - Top
- Soto flies the first pitch out to center.
- Hoffpauir swings at a pitch that is maybe six inches of the ground, and dumps it into center for a single.
- DeRosa waves through a changeup for a strikeout.
- Blanco hits one through the 4-3 hole. Slow and Slower at 1st and 2nd. Neither hit the ball very hard, but fended off tough pitches.
- Broken bat grounder to third, 5-4 force.
Inning 2 - Bottom
- 3-0 to Hinske. Walks.
- Gallagher looks like he's got electric stuff tonight, but a bit of trouble harnessing it.
- Longoria lines a 3-2 fastball into left. 1st and 2nd.
- Floyd grounds one to Lee, who gets it ranging towards his right. He's going to throw to second but as he flips the ball from glove hand to throwing hand, he loses his grip on it and it pops away. Everyone safe. Bases loaded for aybar
- Aybar immediately grounds to Lee, who turns the 3-6-1 DP. Run scores.
- Navarro hits a sharp sinking liner into left-center, but Fukudome gets it for the last out.
Inning 3 - Top
- Fukudome walks.
- First pitch, Fukudome is trying to steal. Pitch out. Navarro runs right at him, eventually starting a run-down. Nice try by Fukudome, but he's out.
- Theriot rolls out to Longoria at short.
- Lee singles to right.
- Ramirez K's looking at what I think was a high change up
Inning 3 - Bottom
- Gross grounds to Fontenot
- Gallagher consistently at 94-95 on Iwamura. 0-2 count, Iwamura spoiling pitches
- Rays really making Gallagher roll up the pitch count tonight. Can't quite put the hitters away.
- Iwamura finaly K's swinging on a fastball
- Crawford with a weak tap out to Lee.
Inning 4 - Top
- Soto K's on three pitches, third one another fine change-up.
- Strike 3 looking on Hoffpauir. Fastball inside corner.
- and DeRosa K's swinging at a low and outside changeup.
Inning 4 - Bottom
- The Rays annoncer claims that Antonio Alfonseca should be 50% better than Mordecai Brown. This guy clearly flunked 8th grade.
- Upton grounds to Theriot.
- Hinske swings over a curve, strikes out
- Longoria grounds to Ramirez
Inning 5 - Top
- 0-2 count, Blanco flies to Upton
- Fontenot K's swinging at an absolutely wicked changeup
- Fukudome shows bunt on a pitch way inside. Nice idea, consider the groove Shields is in
- Fukudome K's on a cut fastball. 8 Ks through 5.
Inning 5 - Bottom
- Floyd with a big swing, K's
- 3-2 count, Aybar singles past Lee as he dives to his right.
- Go away, Mr. Florida Lottery Representative.
- Navarro singles to center, Aybar to third. Long AB due to a bunch of throws over to first.
- 3-2 count on Gross. Devil Rays are really drawing out the ABs tonight, much like we've enjoyed watching the Cubs do to opposing pitchers for so much of the year.
- Gross finally pops foul to Ramirez. 2 outs for Iwamura
- 2-2 count to Iwamura, who looks at a fastball outside for a ball. Rothschild not happy with the call.
- Walks on the next pitch. Gallagher isn't going to see the sixth, with a pitch count already at 94...
- Crawford with a sharp grounder, but right at Fontenot. Inning over. Nice job working out of trouble by Gallagher
Inning 6 - Top
- I'm bored, lets try using right-margin alignment
- Theriot K's swinging on a fastball.
- Lee turns on one, lining it to left.
- Ramirez fists a fly into left center, Crawford closes easily to catch it.
- Soto swings at the first pitch, flies to straight-away right.
- 3 hits for Lee.
Inning 6 - Bottom
- Gallagher still in.
- Upton flies to Fukudome in center
- Hinske hits a one-hopper to Fontenot.
- Nice 3-2 curve to Longoria, grounds it to Ramirez's right. He boots its. A shame, Gallagher was about to get out of the sixth inning, when for awhile it looked like he wouldn't get to the sixth.
- Lou comes out.
- Lou stays with Gallagher to face Floyd, even though Eyre is ready for the lefty-lefty matchup.
- 108 pitches so far for Gallagher
- Floyd grounds out to Fontenot. 112 pitches on the night, very nice work.
Inning 7 - Top
- Hoffpauir hits a changeup, up a bit, to left center for a double
- DeRosa walks. First real struggle of any sort for Shields
- Blanco chops a bunt foul of third. strike one.
- Blanco continuing to try to bunt, 2-1 count.
- Blanco pops the bunt up, Shields runs in to catch it in the air. Runners get back to their bases. No Good Came Of asking Blanco to bunt.
- Fontenot hits a deep fly to left-center. Lands on the warning track, hopes over the wall. Ground-rule double scores one, runners at 2-3. Tie game.
- Shields out, Trever Miller in. Lefty-Lefty against Fukudome. Miller with a real side-winding motion
- Full count.
- With a real defensive swing, Fukudome serves a blooper into shallow left near the line. Run scores, runners at 1 and 3, 2-1 game.
- Miller out, Grant Balfour in
- and in the switch, Phil Hughes informs me that all his games are live on mlb.tv. heh.
- Pitchout on Theriot, looking for some sort of squeeze or double-steal.
- 2-2 count
- Fontenot chops one up the middle that just does get past Iwamura. Run scores. Ball then gets away from Upton, allowing Fukudome to go to third, Theriot to second. 3-1 Cubs. Both of the runners Shields left on for the relievers have scored.
- Lee K's on a wicked slider
- and Ramirez flies to Right
Inning 7 - Bottom
- Marmol in.
- 3-0 to Aybar
- And he walks on a 3-2 slider
- 3-1 to Navarro, now.
- another walk. Missing with both fastball and breaking stuff, and velocity looks like it's 89-92. Hoo boy.
- Lou tells Rothschild to go say something to Marmol.
- 1-2 count to Gross, a very generous called strike on a low slider
- and Marmol hits him right on the hip. Bases loaded. Slider got away from him
- LouPa is Not Pleased. Eyre warming up.
- Marmol now tuning up the fastball for strikes, 94 mph.
- And Marmol hits Iwamura on the foot with a slider. Was ahead in the count. Run scores.
- Marmol out and Eyre in.
- 1-0 pitch to Crawford, he turns on an inside pitch for a grandslam, a few rows up in straight-away right. 6-3 Devil Rays.
- I am sad.
- Upton shoots one into the right-center gap for a triple.
- Hinske lines a double down the right field corner. 7-3 Eyre has pitched the three most difficult parts of the cycle to the first three hitters he's faced.
- Hinske steals third. Huge jump off of Eyre. Tropicana is rocking, again.
- Longoria smashes a liner to left. Hoffpauir catches it, sac fly. 8-3. We've seen virutally every successful offensive play this inning other than the single.
- Floyd lines an opposite-field double off the left-field wall. Eyre is just brutal tonight. Leaves and it's 8-3
- Lieber in, Aybar grounds to Lee, unassisted, on the first pitch
- and Navarro lines out to Hoffpauir. Inning over. finally.
Inning 8 - Top
- Soto flies to right.
- Hoffpauir K's swinging at a high, 95 mph fastball. Balfour will be injured within a month, but for now he looks really impressive.
- Full count, DeRosa K's looking.
Inning 8 - Bottom
- Gross chops to Fontenot
- Iwamura singles to center
- Crawford loops a hit in to left. 1st and 2nd.
- Upton loops one in to right, DeRosa makes a nice head-first diving catch on it. 2 out.
- Hinske fists a popup out to Theriot. Inning over
Inning 9 - Top
- Gary Glover in to pitch
- Blanco K's, chasing a fastball
- Fontenot flies to Upton in left-center.
- Gross runs in to catch a liner from Fukudome, game over. gyeh.
Parachat Recap
Inning 1
- Making fun of my lag.
- Making fun of announcers.
- Longoria's D at short.
- Those dumb geico commercials with the race-car kid.
- What is Dandy House?
- Day Spas
Inning 2
- Blanco seems Ancient.
- Businesses Blanco should own.
- Hinske in the Cubs' minors
- Who will take Z's start?
- Close Cubs games.
- Z's 136 pitch outing.
- Z's pending MRI
- Are bullet points 1 and 2 related? (Not touching that one with a ten-foot cyber-pole)
- Are we worried about the Brewers? (No.)
- Crunch explains why TCR posters are the worst anywhere on the internet, except for all those other cites that are even worse. (Love ya, Crunch.)
- Elijah Dukes
- Tommy John Bobble-Arms
- Bad Dave Dravecky jokes.
Inning 4
- Talking to Sox fans.
- F'ing Nolan Ryan
- Special guest appearance in parachat by said Nolan Ryan
- and Wilford Brimley.
- Three Finger Browned
Inning 5
- Onion headlines
- Dire Cubs Predictions
- Now that's just mean. But true
- The Lottery
- Sex Offenders winning the Lottery
- We're Bored.
- Sports and franchises no one cares about.
Inning 6
- Thoughts on Theriot
- Shields is tough.
- Why a night game on get-away day?
- Cubs vs. Sox offense in the last series.
- Bored in a 1-0 Game
Inning 7
- Firefox, gyeh.
- Asking Blanco to bunt is Not A Good Idea.
- Fielder's inside-the-park HR
- Cheering.
- Who's calling for the squeeze?
- TB managers
- What's wrong with Marmol?
- Beating of breasts and gnashing of teeth.
Inning 8
- Who can we blame?
- The Sox series matchups.
- Fantasy highs and lows.
Inning 9
- RALLY CAPS
- making fun of my lag.
- hoping we don't have to re-match with the Rays in the world series
Cubs record in games recapped dives to 9-5
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