Momma said there’d be days like this.
Carlos Villanueva had a very solid debut against a quality lineup. His stuff didn’t look overly impressive, but he didn’t make many mistakes, and he was mostly in the zone (and it was a tight zone for him, too). The Cubs’ bats kind of woke up … not that it mattered.
If you’re like me, you’re at least as frustrated with the top half of the 8th inning as you are with the bottom of the 8th or the 9th. The Cubs loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 8th, and brought the top of the order up … then scored none. Remember this, if you didn’t already chant it: no lead is too big. 5-1? That’s nothing. Foot on the gas, boot to the neck, whatever your metaphor of choice.
The Braves immediately slapped Kyuji Fujikawa around in the bottom of the 8th, and Carlos Marmol gave up a couple homers to the Upton brothers to lose it.
It makes me sick to my freaking stomach that I don’t get to highlight anything good …