Houston: Brandon Backe 1-1, 4.03
Cubs: The Franchise 3-3, 4.73
Thanks, Morpheus..
Astros
The Beege, LF
Carlos Beltran, CF
Jeff Bagwell, 1B
Lance Berkman, RF
Jeff Pornstache, 2B
Morgan Ensberg, 3B
Jose Vizcaino, SS
Brad Ausmus, C
Brandon Backe, P
Cubs
Corey Patterson, CF
Derrek Lee, 1B
Nomar Garciaparra, SS
Moises Alou, LF
Sammy Sosa, RF
Aramis Ramirez, 3B
Todd Walker, 2B
Michael Barrett, C
Mark Prior, P
Let’s see, this is an even start, so it looks like I will dominate today.
Just here to help, Andy… sort of like Gabor Bako II without the power…
Can you believe Baker is sitting Bako? What is he thinking? The guy’s red hot! He’s 1-15 with a homer and an RBI!
I’m leading off? Wheeeeeeeeee! I’ll Salkow those Astros to death.
Or whatever gymnasts do…other than binge and purge, of course.
By the way, I’m strangely attractive, aren’t I?
And I was born in 1988!
I defer to the Sloth when it comes to the attractiveness of gymnasts…
http://uncouthsloth.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_uncouthsloth_archive.html#109301645048074356
Anyone else keeping track of the Padres/Mets game? Eaton vs. Trachsel, 0-0 in the 5th, a grand total of 2 hits and 5 baserunners combined.
Woof.
Uh, did someone say 1988, the year I broke into the National League with a shutout of Pete Rose’s Reds? Ah, that was the year…
Um, yes sir, Pump 9? And a pack of Winstons? $39.22 please.
Yeah, what a year….
I had to say something. 2-0 Padres now…
Looks like Adam Eaton just doubled in the 3rd run…
Let’s hope the Mets lay down for the Cubs in late September like they have against the Padres. Pitiful offensive display the last three days. Good thing they went out and got Kris Benson.
I remember seeing Jeff Pico and Mark Grace in Peoria when they played for the Chiefs…
Off to a great start… double by the Beege, then Beltran sacrifices him to third…
Sacrafice with Beltran? Not even I’m that dumb.
…but I am…
That’s going to hurt the old ERA…
Sounds like Prior has another case of the Straight-Fastball Syndrome. Somebody’s got to get Barrett and these guys (ie. Hawkins) to mix things up a little.
I sure fixed my mechanics
Notice that I’m not called the Franchise anymore. That’s cuz, well, you know.
I hereby claim the title of "The Franchise" for myself.
You’re the new Estes, thats what you are Prior. Plus you’re a baby.
Remember when I was talking about playing the Cards in the NLCS this year? That was great.
Sorry guys, I was so shocked to see Jeff Bagwell hitting third that I accidentally grooved one to him.
"Remember when I was talking about playing the Cards in the NLCS this year? That was great." Yeah Mark remember that outing you had against the Cards when Renteria hit a grand slam off you? What a joke.
Has Prior been struck by a line drive yet? If not can I rescind that wish? My new hope is that he continues to turn into Frank Castillo.
Obviously, Lee should sacrifice here…
Will we hit Backe today?
No.
No.
We love the infield pop up.
…and the outfield pop up…
We call them infield flyouts
Pop up? That was rocket shot…
Oh my!
Who is this guy, and what has he done with the real Mark Prior?
I’ve got my A stuff yet again
Let’s hope the cubs get n a roll starting today
So does Prior look bad, or is this another umpire thing?
Hang on, I mean – I’m going to get it stuffed in my A again.
Maybe I should be in the bullpen? I fit in perfect with those guys.
Will Steve ever talking about going to Kent State?
Will Steve ever stop talking about going to Kent State?
Yeah, after that long string of wins we really need to kick start things.
We need those umpires we had yesterday.
Hey Skip, I’m ready for another long stint if you need me. I own the Astros.
It’s not an umpire thing, unlike it was in the afore-mentioned start against the Cardinals earlier this season.
Prior’s not putting his fastball in good spots. Instead of hitting the corners or going off them, he is leaving them in the middle of the plate or inner-half.
The curve looks pretty good however.
Prior’s fastball has been 93 on most of the fastball pitches according to FSN’s gun.
Hero time, buddy.
Zero time. Buddy.
Zero time buddy
I’m hungry, Andy. Any chance of you sending me a Pizza?
I am the best there is.
Prior is like watching our bullpen. Not as fun as it used to be.
Good job Sammy, we love you!! What would our team be like w/ out you this year. You mean so much!!
Why can’t we hit this hack?
Do you think we will be able to feast on the Reds like the Cardinals have been?
Feast mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
We can’t hit this guy cause he doesn’t pipe fastballs down the middle of the plate. He throws 70% offspeed and has our whole team out on their front foot.
Dammit, I should’ve let Bako play today.
I like walking people
I also like high pitch counts early on
that mechanical flaw it was B.S. I couldn’t tell him he sucks.
That’s right you whining idiots, Prior sucks. Why not trade him over here for Josh Stewart or Felix Diaz? Dumbasses.
I’m wondering if Mark Prior is glad he has his degree now.
I’m gonna throw a 183 pitch complete game
Prior’s given up 2 runs. He’s had control issues today and most of the year. He’ll probably have them the rest of the year. The real issue here is that we can’t get a hit off Brandon f’n Backe.
Shut up, Chuck.
Time to earn my pay.
Time for the pattented check swing DP.
Uh oh…
Way to show off those wheels Prior
I’m thinking we should have waved him home there… Biggio has no arm and had to run 25 feet to get the ball.
…Sammy is on deck…
Double play or pop up??
Sorry guys there are men on base. No luck.
Sacrifice?
Strike out looking or swinging at a ball in the dirt?
Got to get me more Todd Hundley tapes.
That’s not how I taught you!
Wow, I went to right field and hit a homer… imagine that.
See. I am a gladiator. Buddy. I can’t do it alone, but the team needs me. This is my house.
Hey buddy, your "boos" sound like "yays" to me, buddy!
You wankers should be banned from celebrating when we actually DO score a run, bases loaded, one out. Jesus, I’ve never heard such a bunch of negative pr1cks.
My juice is finally kicking in. yesssssss
… WWWHHHAAAATTTTT????
Buddy, buddy.
Or when Sammy clears the bases, for that matter… took me a while to type that, I was too cross.
Back to back jacks….Whoa yeah!!
When do I get to hit 4th?
The Cubs with another rally killing home run. They just can’t score without the homer, it’s a disgrace. And now that Mark Prior had to circle the diamond, he’s probably too exhausted to come out for the next inning.
Lighten up, Francis
Finally the great Brandon Backe is falling apart. Bring on David Weathers!
Day game with a lead, better put in the black guys.
Will the great baker basher show his ugly head today?
Hah! Now Backe has thrown more pitches than me.
No need to sub Dusty, it’s overcast enough for the white guys.
Seems more like today is the day for Prior bashers.
I love Cubs pitching…
Wankers? Bloody Naysayers? Cross? Are you Trent Durrington?
Leave it out, you pillock. Strike a light.
Five may not be enough to win this one.
Fortunately, I don’t think we’ll be held at 5.
As a Cub, what position did Gary Gaetti play well?
We didn’t have to worry about Brad Ausmus coaxing a 9 pitch walk out of Mark Prior?
I’ve given up 4 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs. And you are ready to call me washed up? We are up 5-2 and rolling and half the crowd here is chalking me up as the next Frank Castillo?
Lay off and enjoy the 3-run lead, whiners.
So, an ERA of 4.25 through 4 innings. Are you going to cut me some slack now?
It’s the lack of control that bothers us..You’re throwing like Matt Clement last year.
Now that sequence to Craig Biggio was the Franchise we used to love and know.
Remember when all you guys thought I would be walking on water after I returned? Aren’t you all the same ones who are now calling for my head on a pike?
Pipe down, please, and let me pitch.
As mentioned elsewhere here, I’ve been injured all year, haven’t been 100% yet, and I am still gutting it out there every 5th day to help my team win.
Would you rather I go back on the DL and let you watch the comedy stylings of Glendon Rusch?
Either back me fully when I am nutting up a so-so game, or leave me the hell alone.
Or 4.5, even…
And that’s the Michael Barrett we all know and love.
Believe it.
It’s time to trade me, right? At least that’s the slant I am getting from this board today.
God, some of you guys are an ungrateful bunch of jackasses…
How can Chip not say the Astros’ bullpen is vaunted?
That’s his line!
Don’t worry Mark, they wanted to trade me earlier in the season too.
yeah, they hated me until June.
is just frustrated with him since we were spoiled for a year and a half of lights out pitching
Nope, we’re not one and the same, but I can’t disagree with what he’s saying.
Mark,
Cheer up. I got traded by those ungrateful jackasses in Boston and wound up on the Cubs. That could happen to you. They could trade you to… uh, like Tampa Bay or something.
Is a 5-run lead safe with me, fellas? Put down your razor blades over my 4-inning, 2 run outing thus far and let me know if I have enough to win this game or if I should be waiting for a trade to the Expos…
As long as Prior gives up one run less than the opponent, he’ll always be The Franchise to me.
Hey man. By that standard, I suck.
I think it’s safe to say that we know how good Prior really is. What I wonder is, just how bad is his stuff on the days he struggles?
It’s either (oh, no Andy’s pontificating) that he’s so used to having dominating stuff that it’s hard for him to make the adjustments on days that his fastball doesn’t move and his slider just kinds of hangs there…
or his stuff is horrific on days like this and because he’s so freakin’ good, he’s still able to get most of the guys out.
I guess that’s for us to decide.
Don’t worry, if they start to catch up, I’m ready in a pinch!
Time for my first pinch homer since 1976!
Tee ball. Left center. Got it all.
When will Pussy Groin Oswalt be suspended?
Afterall, Kerry got suspended 5 days for throwing at a batter. Just ask Dave Duncan.
Didn’t Gabor step it up last August through September? I remember him getting severals extra base hits..Or was I dreaming?
Bako had seven extra-base hits from August through September last year, in 80 AB. He also had 1 IBB during that period…
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Ibakop0010082003.htm
He also had 6 RBIs in that time, as many as he had in one game against Cincy.
Am I coming back out for the 6th?
I’m out, but I’ll be back in before the 6th is over.
Yes I am…
Bako’s a Swede. It’s just now summer in Sweden. That’s why he’s heating up.
Who are we rooting for in the FLA/SF tilt? Obviously SF is closer to the Cubs, but FLA makes me a little more nervous. I’d like to see them buried before the Cubs head to Miami.
Anyone else?
Take a lude, bro. Wood threw at someone 4 months ago, Oswalt less than a week.
Go back to complaining about the umps or something else.
Have I talked about how much the Cardinals miss Orlando Palmeiro yet? They’re only 40 over without him.
Wood didn’t throw at anybody, he just incited a riot.
Suck on that, bitches.
115 tosses for Mark. I guess he’s healthy.
And done for today.
Am i the Manager of the year or what.
Im pretty good once I settle down…I need to take lessons from Maddux on how to keep my pitch count down.
Men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, and Prior gets out of the jam. Even when he’s bad, he’s good.
Hey, we needed a lefty PH. Why am I still on the bench?
That sound you heard was my batting average plummetting.
Good lord!
I’m on base!
It’s 7-2 Paul, I’m saving you for a more crucial at bat.
Remember Milwaukee last week when I played..I was a spark plug at the top of the order.
I don’t understand how we’re losing this game, the Cubs haven’t sacrificed once!
So, am I gonna get another 3 inning save?
We’re putting these bitches on Ice.
See you in hell, Beltran … Come again!
Not a promising start for the Ice Man.
I’ve shaved my head. The hair pitched badly, you know. I was an innocent victim.
I agree with the a couple of the guys from yesterday. Jon Leicester should be the closer.
To be fair, is there anybody in our bullpen who hasn’t given up a homer to Beltran?
What about Matt Clement as a closer? We could give him a try in the playoffs. Then sign him next year for the full-time job.
This is horrible this idea.
Ah, just pick up Billy Wagner on the cheap for next year.
It’s pretty fool proof
Who the hell invited my wife??
I see a "This Old Cub" plug coming up.
Speaking of plugs… you should have seen what came out last inning…
Thanks for making me clean that mess up Pat
Sorry Janitor Guy, it’s in my contract.
Hmm, that’s not a bad clause. Maybe if I pitch next year, I’ll have my agent add something that allows me to leave the game to take a dump whenever I want, leaving Andy Masur to pitch that inning.
Why was there 5 whole goldfish floating in the crapper? along with alot of corn..Explain that Pat!!
We did it. We won. Now, you can watch to see if those NBA fuckjobs can win.
And Nomar? I’m on my way home. And I’m ovulating on the 13th.
The front that’s passing over the city should give us some considerable rainfall pretty shortly, so I would expect a ninth-inning rain delay. Which would be OK for the Cubs, of course, since the rain delay has been a big part of this current winning streak.
It’s reached a surprising 75 degrees for a high in Bozeman, Montana today, however.
…and I want my baby to be born in Chicago…
Aren’t we tied 1-1 in extra time? It says it’s being broadcast live.
Abby Wambach, the player who might just break Hamm’s records one day, scored in the 112th minute with a powerful 10-yard header off a corner kick from Kristine Lilly. It was Wambach’s fourth goal of the Olympics and 18th in her last 20 games.
I want us to name the baby Clark Addison Garciaparra.
Does Old Style make baby formula?
Now I’m talking about the weather again. I want Skilling’s job. Maybe we can have a daily contest to see who can predict the high temperature at O’Hare for the day.
Yes. It’s called, "Special Export."
In that case, I’m having a six-pack of Special Export delivered to your house, Chuck.
Am I black? Am I white? You don’t know.
Better question Eric, who the hell are you?
Lay down the bunt dammit!
Woof.
Thanks, Corey. Please have it delivered close to October 26th. Baby #3 is due on that date and we’ll need it.
If you buy extra, please give it to the Desipio talkbackers who don’t like to discuss how high strikeout rates for leadoff hitters are… uh… bad.
God forbid a little unsantized facts are discussed.
Intentional walk to Lee to get to Nomar?
Intentionally walk the guy in front of me? I kill you Garner!
I’m emulating the Genius…
HA! Score one for old scrap iron.
Hi! I’m sanitized for your protection!
Move Patterson down to the eighth spot in the order! His strikeouts have been killing us all month!
Face it Chuck, you’re the whipping boy on the boards until BC posts another article.
My turn… is a 5 run lead safe?
Hey, my initials are CT too…
I had to walk the leadoff man in the inning, because I feel as though the fans haven’t gotten their money’s worth of adrenaline today.
… and I thought that the wild pitch would be a nice touch as well.
Where is my hair? Did a line drive in Houston buzz it off?
No problem, CT. They can whip me all they want because they were bashing every-fifth-day Bako while I was bashing the guy who was killing this team every day. Hell, if Corey had a $17 mildo contract he’d have drawn more flack than Sosa has.
Corey has been a 140 or so strikeout guy for his career. He cooled on that rate for a while, but now seems to be back in his old groove. His bat is still hot, and he has been carrying this team since the second week of August. But the K’s make me worried that this is another hot stretch just like last year. Which cooled into general suckiness.
I see the Corey bandwagon and I wouldn’t mind getting on it. Just don’t sell me a ticket until he does this for about 8 weeks or so. Each time he’s done this before, he’s disappointed soon.
All that said, the glovework he’s flashed has been huge. Nice to see considering how he started the year. He seems to have finally learned the field. It’s been about 2 months since he played a single into a triple. Let’s hope the defense never cools.
Gametracker said Bagwell advanced on "defensive indifference." What’s that? I thought it was a typo for "defensive interference."
Stolen base that wasn’t challeneged. Bags gets no credit for a steal.
Defensive indifference is when you don’t hold a guy on and he steals a base without a throw from the catcher. You don’t get a stolen base.
As for Corey "dragging the whole offense" down with this strikeouts, that’s a tad bit extreme.
That’s like saying Molly Brown’s fat ass took down the Titantic. Hey, it didn’t hurt, but it didn’t cause it.
Much like Stella, I got my groove back!
I’m when no one gives a sh1t whether the guy on first steals second.
I sunk after hitting an ensberg.
Molly got off the ship and it still went down.
Uh, Chuck, Patterson was tearing the cover off the ball until he blew out his knee last summer.
Hey Houston, just lie there while we kick the rest of the dirt on you.
Is that good?
Da Farns for closer!
How come I’m not even mentioned and I get slammed (Indirectly anyway)?
Take that, Desipio naysayers!
And tonight I’ll pull more Lincoln Park trixies than the rest of you combined. Chew on that one for awhile.
No matter how goofy my hair looks, I rock!
Defensive indifference is why I stopped talking to the media.
"Patterson was tearing the cover off the ball until he blew out his knee last summer"
Wrong. Over his last month and a half of 2003, C Pat hit .264 OBP .310 SLG .331. with 8 walks and 29 strikouts.
That’s suckiness. His May 2003 was huge and that’s what everyone remembers.
And that’s why I want to see him hot for more than a 4 week stretch before I’m a believer.
Didn’t mean it as a knock on you BC, but you know that’s what will happen.
Good win today. What’s going on here? I see the Sosa bashing has eased up a bit after that big homerun. Prior wasn’t so lucky. You guys didn’t take it easy on him. Then you got Chuck getting bashed about Corey.
I have to admit, it was a well played game today. Prior wasn’t his best again, but any time you beat the Astros like that you have to be happy.
So from me, you won’t get much bashing today. I just couldn’t pull the bash trigger on Farns today, although he did walk the lead off batter and threw that wild pitch. Also, he did have a nice 5 run cushion. A win is a win.
Let’s continue it tomorrow.
Agreed, BB. This team, after losing 6 of 9 against the NL West, needed to come back and win about 9 out of 13. Well, they’ve won 8 out of 10.
Nice work.
It always feels good to crush the Astros. Believe it or not, they are still entertaining the fantasy that they can win the Wild Card. Time for the Cubs to crush that notion once and for all this year.
Hi, Cubs fans! Tell that idiot MacPhail to get a team! He doesn’t know what he’s doing unlike Kenny "The Wheeler Dealer" Williams. The book says you don’t have a team unless you have Carl Everett taking up space.
Now, listen.
I hope you’ll enjoy watching the Cubs play at the Cell, or at Miller Park, or Elfstrom Stadium, or at Thillens Stadium (heh heh), because I’m shutting you down tomorrow!
Read this:
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-040826cubsstatement,1,7626670.story?coll=cs-home-headlines
Hahahahahahahaha!
I’ll have to act fast. You know, protect the public and all.
It’s time to look at one of my greatest hits:
I have my vision for Wrigley Field:
Enjoy your season, Cubs fans!
I’m Richard M. Daley and I approved this message.
We just got 3-hit by Aaron Harang. We lost the series to the woeful Reds, and were very lucky to not get swept.
You can’t catch us, though, we swear. So, uh, stop thinking about it.
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