Relievers Still Alive Despite Another Blown Matt Garza Game and Other Bullets

Did anyone else see Tom Ricketts standing up behind home plate in the bottom of the 10th yesterday? He was one of the first people on his feet, and had the look of a kid at his first game. It actually put a smile on my face, notwithstanding the absurdity of going nuts about a sweep over the worst team in baseball (while your team stands firmly as the second worst). Now, Tom, don’t go extending anybody or changing any firing plans…

  • Jeff Samardzija is feeling the wrath of Chicago Cubs fans after blowing yesterday’s lead, but it seems a bit unfair. Before the two runs yesterday, Samardzija had gone 12.1 straight scoreless, and his stuff has looked fantastic for over a month. If you’re going to rip on Samardzija, do so for his faux pirate beard.
  • Samardzija got the call because Kerry Wood was out for a day with a “cranky arm.” No word on whether Wood’s arm told Starlin Castro to stop playing on his lawn (ba dum ching).
  • For his part, Matt Garza once again resisted the urge to quench his undoubted and blameless bloodlust after the bullpen blew yet another win for him. “I did all I can control,” Garza said. “There’s nothing else I can do once I’m out of the ballgame. All I can do is cheer and hope for the best. … Every time you contribute it’s a plus.”
  • Jeff Baker, who has been mired in a serious slump, summed up – unintentionally – the embarrassment that has been the 2011 Cubs’ season: “[The win] was big,” Baker said. “It’s been frustrating. The year hasn’t really gone the way we wanted. To finally get three together — and it’s in our division — hopefully we get rolling. Why not four?” Why not four, indeed.
  • Mike Quade says his players should be encouraged if their names come up in trade discussions. “It means they want you,” he said. I agree, and hope “they” do, in fact, want some of “you.”
  • The stories about how awesome Carlos Pena is are piling up. This one is about how he’s always heading over to the mound to calm pitchers down. Sometimes he’s serious, sometimes he’s joking around; but his teammates appreciate it.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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