When you are 5-8 like the Cubs are, including a sterling 2-5 at mostly (but not completely) full Wrigley Field, you figure there are a lot of guys to blame. That’s true of the Cubs.
Cesar Izturis can’t hit to save his life and spent one day punting the ball around the infield like Brad Maynard and Pat Summerall playing with their chiropractor.
Jock Jones has now been equally lousy in all three outfield spots.
Wade Miller has made two starts and in the whopping nine innings he’s made it through he’s allowed a baserunner (or many many more) in seven of them.
Alfonso Soriano plays the outfield like a lot of guys. A lot of nine year olds. When he catches a flyball and does that little one foot hop you half expect the team to have orange slices and VitaminWater laid out for him on the bench.
But even beyond that (and Ronny Cedeno’s relative worthlessness), one guys stands alone as the posterchild for Cub incompetence so far in 2007.
I’m not going to blame all of the Cubs failings on Will Ohman. That would be wrong. I’ll just blame a lot of them on him. On the recent homestand he was on the mound when the eventual winning run scored in two of the five losses. In another he came in with an 11 run lead and managed to hold it. He only gave up three. In one inning.
Since Bob Howry crapped his pants and gave up a game-losing homer to Adam Everett in the home opener on April 9, the Cubs’ bullpen has been asked to pitch 27 innings.
They have given up only four earned runs in those 27 innings and they have only allowed two inherited runners to score.
It’s not going to shock you to find out that during that span, Will Ohman has allowed four earned runs and allowed two inherited runs to score.
That’s right. If you combine the numbers for Michael Wuertz, Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Ryan Dempster, Angel Guzman and Neal Cotts you get 25 innings pitched, no earned runs, 13 hits allowed, six walks and 27 strikeouts.
On the homestand, pitchers not named Ohman had a combined ERA of 0.67.
Will’s was 18.00.
But it goes beyond the numbers. How about his sterling performances in key situations so far?
In a game in Cincinnati he entered the game with runners at first and second, tied at two, with two outs. He was facing Adam Dunn.
Here’s the pitch sequence.
Ball
Ball (wild pitch – runners to second and third)
Foul
Ball
Swinging strike (ball had to be saved by Barrett from going to the wall which would have been a tragedy because the go ahead run would have scored.)
Ball (a tragedy because this one got past Barrett, it was ruled a passed ball, but it caught a lot of field before it actually got to him and the go-ahead run scored.)
So bounced curveballs put the runners in scoring position, then another allowed a run to score. Of course, the next pitcher, Angel Guzman got a harmless flyball to end the inning. If Ohman could have merely walked Dunn without throwing court-length bounce passes it still would have been a 2-2 game.
Then, how about his infamous appearance last Friday against the Reds?
Staked to a five run lead (in great part to his own homer and two runs scored), Carlos Zambrano inexplicably craps his pants in the fifth.
Brought in with the bases loaded and nobody out to face back-to-back lefties, Ohman really cranked it up. He threw nine pitches. Eight of them were balls. Six of them didn’t make it to home plate. The tying run scored. The eventual winning run scored. Mike Wuertz then came in and struck out the side on 11 pitches.
So, when Soriano hurt his hamstring and the Cubs needed to open a roster spot for Felix Pie, they decided to send down a relief pitcher. Ohman apparently has an option left. So does Angel Guzman. Hmm. Tough decision.
So they sent down Will. His reign of terror ending until he can get things straightened out (if ever) in Iowa.
Wait. Huh? Oh yeah, they sent down Guzman. Brilliant.
Wait until you hear the reason. With Wade Miller sucking ass, the Cubs are thinking about replacing him in the rotation with Guzman, especially with Mark Prior seemingly out until 2011. They wanted to send Guzman to Iowa to get a start or two in preparation for maybe joining the rotation.
This is so Cub. In yesterday’s game, Miller and Ohman (two guys who shouldn’t be on the staff right now) pitched in six of the game’s 14 innings. They allowed runs in three of those six innings. Cotts, Wuertz, Howry, Eyre and Dempster pitched in eight innings and didn’t allow any runs. The Cubs lost 4-3.
Bra-freakin’-vo!
When you find yourself looking at stats and thinking, “Hey, maybe Les Walrond would be a better option,” it’s time to load Will Ohman into the catapult and give him a launch to the west.
New year, same old sh**. I’ve been diehard since 1983 and I keep telling myself, “they can’t suck forever” and they keep finding new and improved ways to prove me wrong. I’m still in shock over the fact that they had 2 phenom pitchers, once upon a time, and they screwed both of them up. How typically Cub.
I couldn’t believe they sent Guzman down while D’Ohman remains in the ML pen. There HAS to be a better pitcher at AAA that could contribute more than Ohman: I say send him down and bring someone else up, anyone.
However, some of the other L’s (aside from Ohman’s putrid performances) have to be blamed on the (until recently) anemic offense. These guys are paid to HIT and they simply haven’t been delivering when it counts.
Use me instead, better distance. The direction is good, as the winds are mostly off the lake these days.
Can we light him on fire prior to the launch?
I’m not so good in Iowa, though. I gave up the game tying runs last night when we led 3-1. It’s the second time I’ve done that this year. I’ve also bounced my share of balls to the plate.
Maybe I could use Ohman’s influence to learn how to screw up more!
I’d like to throw my name into the hat for said Will Ohman launching.
heres whats going to happen, in 10 days the cubs will put soriano in left, pie in center, floyd/murton combo in right. then trade jock jones, release wade miller and make guzman the fifth starter.
What’s going to happen is that the Cubs release Wade Miller. Five days later, the Brewers pick him up to steady the backend of their rotation; they promptly print up “It’s Miller Time” souvenirs in gleeful anticipation. On April 23rd, they come to Chicago for a three game series. Wade puts up a perfect 8 and 2/3, efficiently running up the first 26 batters on 97 pitches.
Lou sends in Daryle Ward to pinch hit for Ohman (who came on in relief in the 8th). Miller, although at the pinnacle of his game, can’t thread the needle and he hangs a curveball that catches in the gravity of Ward’s ass–HBP. The perfect game over, but the no-hitter is kept in tact when Fonzie strikes out on 4 pitches (all out of the zone).
Afterward, we trade Jack Jones for Miller straight up to make sure that we have him on “our side.” Miller proceeds to go 5-12 and Jones goes on to make a run at the batting crown.
Can I throw my hat in too? Besides having the ability to launch Ohman actually off the continent, my name is appropriate as well.
Whatever happened to Rocky Cherry?
Besides the comment on my utter worthlessness, I’m glad Andy left me out of this one!!!
I hate myself…..
told you so on soriano. the guy is a freakin’ DH. hate him so much (not as much as wilkerson, but a lot).
i agree ohman sux but don’t you think jacques shoulda caught that one? i think even fat brad wilkerson gets to that or at least dives/falls and makes it appear as if he gives a shit.
you guys are as pathetic as we are, that’s why i like you guys…only we have sammy sosa in our lineup, i think we get the nod. seriously though, i know you guys enjoyed sammy last night.
The runner would have scored even if I had actually caught that ball. Plus your boy The Riot screwed even worse on the previous batter. Funny how no one brings that up. Why don’t you drop the pretenses and put the white hoods on, you buncha racists!
khalil was on second right?
That’s the Sammy I know and [s]love[/s] loathe.
You wanted to type….
That’s the Sammy I know and love loathe.
Dammit Andy and your weak-ass coding on this site. YOU can use strikethrough but we can’t? WTF?
What are you talking about?like prior we should have traded jock while he still had value now we would be lucky to get don imus’ half eaten bagel for him
dude i am white in fact i am whitey white white so calm down jock 12
Forget this Walrond character – I would be a better option.
Walrond is the wave of the future.
Yeah, well it doesn’t always work
See?
The Yankees wanted me last year. THE YANKEES! Just wait till the trade deadline when a real team needs a seasoned outfield with a medium bat and a bad ass homerun pose. Then you can trade for something of value. Like a AAA pitcher. Mwahahahahahaha!