The Cubs lose again, and, paired with the Minnesota Twins’ win, now have the worst record in baseball. Neat.
Travis Wood did just about everything you’d want him to do tonight, other than to be a bit more economical with his pitches. He worked deep into counts regularly with guys he eventually retired, and was pulled in the sixth after 97 pitches. When he left, there were two outs and a runner on first. That runner scored after Shawn Camp threw a ball away, walked a guy, and then gave up a hit. But the run gets charged to Wood, which totally makes sense. (Seriously: why is there not a sabermetric movement to implement a system for apportioning runs when inherited runners score? For example, in this instance, Wood gets 1/4 run, Camp gets 3/4 run. Pretty simple to calculate, and far more fair and accurate.)
Starlin Castro made a tremendous diving play at short, but he really struggled at the plate, striking out four times. Call it one of those baseball hunches unsupported by logic or the numbers, but I think it’s time to move him out of that three-hole. I just don’t like the way he’s looked at the plate this year (or last year when he was batting three).
At least Travis Wood’s start was promising.