Cubs-Sox/Bad Calls/Piniella

A response to a friend:

I did hear the Sox’ color guy, Chris Rongey, after the game answering a caller who talked about these pitch calls, and he said the Sox also benefited by a number of bad pitch calls during the game. This was the Sox’ guy talking. Two nights before that, Kosuke walked on a high/outside 3-2 pitch to load the bases with the Cubs down 5-3 to the Tigers with 2 outs in the 9th, meaning a hit ties the game. Unfortunately, since the pitch was catchable, the ump called it a strike and the Cubs lost. I also wanted to remind you of the 2 key times last year in Cub-Sox games where the Cub hitter clearly beat the throw to first but was called out. Replays confirmed the bad calls.

If these games don’t point out the necessity of having an automated strike zone, I don’t know what does. Take today’s game. Cubs are down 3-0, and the Sox didn’t score in the bottom of the 5th despite having second and third with one out. Any time a team fails to score in an inning when they had a man on third with less than two outs, the other team is almost guaranteed to score the next at-bat because the momentum changes. So, the Cubs probably get back in the game. The Cubs do have a man on third, one out, in the top of the 6th, and Bradley walks on a 3-1 count to put runners on first and third, one out, Derrek Lee up. However, the ump decides to call it a strike, and Bradley, having already thrown his bat and headed to first has to come back and strike out. They then walk Lee, the Cubs load the bases, but don’t score. The Cubs had a man on third with less than 2 outs and didn’t score, so the Sox are almost guaranteed to score. The Sox do get 2 runs in the 6th, and the game is basically over. So, the umps cost the Cubs getting back in the game, and gave the Sox the “cushion” runs. An automated strike zone would end this.

I know Sox fans felt the Cubs won the first game of this series due to Sox errors. Let me point out the Cub errors. The same way I call punting in football a turnover, I call managerial errors the same type of errors that players make. Both lead to runs or cost runs. Piniella doesn’t have a clue. In Friday’s game, Wells has a 5-2 lead and is pitching great. I think he had a 6-pitch 1-2-3 7th inning. You have to bring him back in the 8th. Not only is he pitching great and frustrating the Sox hitters, but EVERY time Wells has been taken out with a lead, crazy things happen to cost the Cubs the game. Piniella needs to know this and know it’s in the back of the players’ minds. So, what happens? Piniella brings in Marmol. He starts walking guys that bat in front of the middle-of-the-order guys, Soriano crashes into the shortstop causing the ball to drop, Derrek Lee drops a ball (according to the radio announcers) which becomes a 2-run double, etc. How do you take out a guy who is coasting? If Wells said he didn’t have anything left, I take this all back, but I really doubt that’s the case. If Piniella was awake, he would have noticed that in the series in Wrigley, Floyd pitched a 4-hitter through 7, threw only 89 pitches, and was shutting the Cubs down. What does Ozzie do? He brings in Linebrink to give up 4 runs in the 8th. I know they were unearned, but he still got bombed. When will managers learn that if you have a hot pitcher, stay with him? Taking out a hot pitcher also gives the other team new life.

Now let’s look at Piniella’s moves on Saturday. Again, I consider all of these errors and just as damaging as fielding miscues. The Cubs would easily have won this game if Piniella hadn’t been there. The Sox got their first run in the first, I believe, because they pitched to Dye, a hot hitter, with first base open and he drove in the run. When it was 3-3, A.J. was up with the bases loaded and 2 outs. I’ve said for years that he’s a low-fastball hitter and you can’t throw him low fastballs (the same way Crede sat on curves). What do the Cubs do? Throw him a low fastball, and he singles in 2 runs. Now, the Sox, down 6-5, have Podsednik up with first base open and a runner in scoring position. He was already 3-3 with a HR, won the game 2 days prior, and was very hot. Instead of walking him, they pitch to him and he ties the game. What was Piniella thinking in all these situations? Now, I know when a fielder throws a ball badly, it’s an error. Well, when a pitcher throws a ball badly to the catcher, it’s also an error in my opinion. Cub pitchers were walking guys in terrible situations because they couldn’t throw strikes (these are errors), and not walking them when they should (see above). If not for Piniella, the Cubs win Saturday by a nice margin. In addition to that, why not bring in Marshall for 3 innings and win the game and series? Guzman is on the DL, so Marshall is the reliable guy. Would you rather save your lefty for the key situation in a game and pitch guys like Heilman and a wild Marmol, knowing you’re going to give up runs, or pitch a guy who you know will give you a few quality innings and keep the game under your control? In addition, Milton Bradley is hitting .125 lower as a lefty and strikes out basically every time, but Piniella continues to let him switch hit. He also continues to let Soriano butcher fly balls and ground balls in left. Why not put Soriano at second, where he hits better anyway, Hoffpauir in left and Fox in right (or vice versa) when Aramis comes back?