*RED ALERT THREAD* 8/28/07 Brewers (Suppan. 8-11, 4.85) at Cubs (Hill. 7-7, 3.67) 7:05 CT

[davego]

Well, I guess this does sort of let one bring out the old 'must-win' phrase. I'd suggest that you could apply that to the next two games. Leaving Chicago .5 back allows the race to continue. Going 4.5 back...not so much.

[brewcrewkid14]

The Brewers are just what Zambrano needs to get out of this slump. He comes in pretty confident against them every time he pitches. They really needed this game. Oh well. Badgers' football starts in four days and Packers start in 12.

 

I was hoping I didn't have to say that this year.

[HOF4canrake]

While everyone is to blame for this loss, and I have remained mostly neutral on Yost, he showed tonight his ineptitude to make an important decision in a key spot. There was nothing wrong with Suppan hitting in the top of the 7th considering the runner was not in scoring position. However, his decision to yank Soup after hitting Floyd made little sense.

 

Apparently, Yost made up his mind that if one guy gets on base, Suppan is out. However, pulling Suppan for letting one pitch get away is equal to yanking him because a defender made an error on a routine play. If Floyd would hit a weak grounder and someone boots it, no way should you punish Soup. Had he hung a curve or laid a fastball down the middle and Floyd ripped it, fine, maybe he's done.

 

But nothing after the hit by pitch said Suppan should be out. He was picked up for just this spot. He was only at 82 pitches. Linebrink has struggled. Suppan has kept the Cubs guessing in each start. After DeRosa (who was 0-2 with a K), the Cubs hottest hitter would be up, Jacque Jones, a lefty. Then you can use Shouse, who is tough on lefties and terrific with inherited runners. Even if Pinella counters with Monroe, you still succeeded in getting their hottest hitter out and you still have your most reliable reliever as of late on the hill. And, by the way, Kendall would have followed. His numbers against lefties .193/.250/.263/.513.

 

Yost failed in the clutch (as did Linebrink) and I am close to believing he is a major cause of the Brewers second-half collapses the past few years.

[sheethead]

It seems as though any decision Ned Yost makes turns out to be the wrong one. Bad luck, juju, or whatever it may be, the dude cannot do anything right. Give this man a wide berth okay, because he is what you call a born loser.

[Brian the Automator]

Apparently, Yost made up his mind that if one guy gets on base, Suppan is out. However, pulling Suppan for letting one pitch get away is equal to yanking him because a defender made an error on a routine play. If Floyd would hit a weak grounder and someone boots it, no way should you punish Soup. Had he hung a curve or laid a fastball down the middle and Floyd ripped it, fine, maybe he's done.

I couldn't have said it any better. If you're going to keep Soup in, keep him in until he gets in trouble, not when he goes 1-2 and then nips a guy. If you're going to PH for him because he tells you he's gassed, or Maddux tells you he's gassed, you do it.

 

[pretendastronaut]

Didn't know where else to post this, but did anyone notice that woogie hasn't been able to regularly do the IGTs since 7/19? The wheels have pretty much been coming off since then. If Bennie is coming back tonight, anyone know woogie that can see if he has a chance to make and IGT tonight? Maybe that'll be all the luck we need. Maybe.

[TauPentaRei]

I hope that is the last time Uecker considers performing the stretch. The crowd was down, the ballpark deflated. I don't know why he'd voluntarily step in front of a firing squad. I did not hear a single sylable of his rendition because the ornerous crowd was drowning him out, growing agitated and getting galvanized, prompting an impromptu re-chorus of their own once he scurried back to his 620 mic. The crowd got up, the energy of the stadium completely changed to the positive. Cue bottom of 7th micro-mismanagement / chopper hijinx implosion.

 

Yanking Suppan was clearly the wrong move in retrospect. Soup was dialed in, mowing em down. He had his control. Third time through the order, nobody was tagging his pitches, fouls or otherwise. But here is what I haven't seen any mention of in this whole thread: Soup was all too happy to get off the mound. No contest. Punching his timecard, he jogged to the dugout. There is a fine line between disrespectful standoffishness, and holding the ball and declaring with stare "Ned I am getting out of this." That is what is upsetting me the most. Yes, have Maddux run out there.

 

As far as any of the comments on "the scout whose neck is on the line vouging for Linebrink"... evaluating talent is one thing, but can any reasonable outside-the-box person have predicted and therefore expected the drop-off mentally because of the move away from his family and baby's birth? I can see Scott going to a hotel or rented apartment at the end of the night - feeling like a rental himself - and just not caring.

 

Dempster might have it back. I see the Cubs bullpen as a significant strength. And as long as blame gets distributed - what we do best here afterall - some has to get lopped on Selig's mop for blocking the Jacque Jones - Florida deal. lemon juice in paper cut.

 

Prematurely turning the calender page, September Soupan is the real deal. This ain't over, it's like one of those pictures in 'Back to the Future' that has faded to 5% of its full color glory.

[FriarHouketh]

This, as they proverbially say, is it. We have no more room for error, period.

[packer4rob]

That pitch to Jacque Jones by Linebrink in the 7th was the fattest pitch I'd ever seen in my life. Fastball right down the middle. No major league hitter is gonna miss that pitch.

 

No major league hitter except Bill Hall, Johnny Estrada, Rickie Weeks.......

[HOF4canrake]

By the way, even some boys at the northside baseball forum give credit to Yost for aiding in the blown game last night...LINK

 

http://www.northsidebaseball.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?t=43725

[davego]

Billy would have missed it. Estrada would have already driven the 1st pitch to 2nd base and been thrown out by 1,000 steps. Rickie would have k'd looking.

[Fatter than Joey]

I'm going to pick out a couple of positives out of the game.

 

McClung threw a couple of awesome breaking pitches.

[kgbaseball]

Rickie had a nice play, too.