A Victory is A Victory

Well, it wasn’t exactly pretty, but we’ll take it.  The Cubs took the first game in the series 11-6.  There were some positives and negatives to take away from this victory.  First off, the Pirates made this a lot closer game then the score indicated.  The Cubs were able to add three runs in the ninth to put the game out of reach.  Before that, the score was 8-6 and it was definately nerve racking.  Although I was happy to get the win, we should not be allowing teams like the Pirates to give us such a hard time.  Let’s look at some of the positives and negatives in the game;

Positives

-Sean Marshall looked stronger in his second start.  The kid was untouchable for four of the six innings that he pitched.  I am really impressed with his poise and his ability to keep his emotions under control whe things get rough.  The Cubs were up 2-0 in the fourth inning when the Pirates loaded the bases with 0 outs.  Marshall was able to induce a double play getting two important out and escaped the inning giving up only two runs.  He kept his cool, minimized the damage, and allowed his offense to get him the lead back.  Marshall is the only other Cubs starter with a win besides Maddux

-The offense looked great, especially Todd Walker.  Dusty cannot sit this guy down while he is hitting like this.  Juan Pierre had a hit and drew a walk, annoying the pitchers as usual.  Lee and Cedeno continue to hit the ball well.  After starting out slow, Big Red, Matt Murton, has been on a tear lately.  All we need is for Ramirez to get going.

-The veterans in the bullpen, Williamson, Howry, and Dempster, kept the Cubs from letting one slip away.  It is nice to know you can hand the ball to these guys and not blow it.  Especially strong was Willamson, who cleaned up Michael Wuertz’s mess.  I was not feeling good about Williamson at the beginning of the season, but he has made me a believer.

The Negatives

-Wuertz came in to relieve Marshall in the sixth, inheriting one base runner.  He gave up a homerun to Craig Wilson and then a monster shot to Jason Bay.  This shifted the momentum to the Pirates, who at the time were losing 6-2.  Wuertz and Ohman need to get it going. They are the young guys in the bullpen and need to prove they belong.

-Dusty Baker made some poor decisions.  I don’t like the idea of Wuertz as a long reliever.  He is a guy who, usually, is good for one inning.  I don’t understand why Dusty put Wuertz in to face Craig Wilson. Wilson was four for four against Wuertz lifetime including a home run.  I also don’t understand why Dusty called for a hit a run with a sore Ramirez on first in the eighth inning.  Ramirez is not a speedster and Dusty risked making his injury worse.

Well, now is the day that Jerome Williams proves he belongs on this team.  It will not be fair to ask him to go more than five innings.  The bullpen will need to come through again, and someone will need to throw multiple innings.  Apparently the Broke Arm Mountain Boys are getting in stronger shape, with Woods throwing a simulated game and Prior and Miller throwing off the mound.  Let’s get number two today boys.

Go Cubs!