CubsChic

The Cubs got the raw end of the deal in Atlanta this weekend.  Braves pitcher Tim Hudson nailed Alphonso Soriano, almost in the head, on the first pitch of Saturday’s game.  Soriano had hit the previous day’s first pitch out of the park and preceded to hit three straight home runs.  Of course his beaning was intentional, but both teams were given a warning and nobody got tossed.  Then yesterday, after striking out the first two batters, Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly hits Renteria and is immediately ejected!  It’s not Lilly’s fault that both benches emptied.  Major League pitchers need to pitch inside to be successful.  There was no clear intent and no prior warning.  The ump, Jim Wolf, said that he ‘expected something to happen.’  If that was the case, then both teams should have been warned before the game, not after the fact.

Despite little warning, the bullpen managed to pitch well most of the game.  Everything was fine until Dempster came in to handle the 8th and proceeded to give up 3 runs, taking the 5-4 loss.  It will be a shame if Lilly has to wait another 4 days to pitch again.

Mike Fontenot is trying to make it hard for the Cubs to send him back down to AAA.  He hit his first home run of the season, as well as an RBI triple, in yesterday’s game.  Of course, it didn’t help that he hit into a double-play with the bases loaded in the 8th inning, squelching a potential game-breaking rally.  It seems that every time the Cubs miss opportunities like that this year, the other team comes back to make them regret it.