I sure hope that this is one of those cases of where there may be smoke, but no actual fire.

In Phil Rogers’ quick-hits column at the Tribune today (via FanNation T&R), he says that “some baseball people” believe that the White Sox and Cubs could be interested in swapping Jake Peavy and Carlos Zambrano.

Before I show you the excerpt, let me give you my unequivocal initial reaction to this White Sox-Cubs trade rumor, from my perspective as a White Sox fan: hell no!

Here is what Rogers has to say:

Some baseball people believe the White Sox could have interest in the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano, possibly even for the newly acquired Jake Peavy. It would be a way for two teams without much money to spend to shake things up, but wouldn’t Peavy have more value than Zambrano at this point?

You’re damn right Jake Peavy has more value than Carlos Zambrano…at least, as far as I’m concerned. 

Take a quick look at their career numbers:

• Carlos Zambrano: 237 GS, 105-67, 3.50 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, .230 BAA, 1.899:1 K/BB ratio
• Jake Peavy: 214 GS, 94-68, 3.28 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .231 BAA, 3.1:1 K/BB ratio

While their career numbers are not that much different, and while an argument can be made that Peavy’s numbers have been inflated by the home park he’s pitched in his entire career in San Diego, and while Zambrano’s career playoff numbers are actually much better than Peavy’s, there is just something innate about the two pitchers that makes me not hesitate in saying I’d rather have Peavy.

And I promise it has nothing to do with the fact that Peavy has been outstanding in the two starts he’s made for Chicago as the White Sox limp down the stretch in ‘09 (2-0, 13 K, 4 BB, 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP).

For whatever reason, I have absolutely no faith in Carlos Zambrano to come through in big spots and consistently take the mound with the right mindset every fifth day. He is far too much of a loose cannon, and too prone to bouts of wildness, to truly be counted on as an ace.

In Mark Buehrle-Jake Peavy-John Danks-Gavin Floyd, the White Sox may well have the best pitching rotation in the American League next year. I’m not saying that subbing Zambrano for Peavy would necessarily change that, but I like the look of it much better with Peavy.

And do we really want loose cannon Ozzie Guillen managing loose cannon Carlos Zambrano? Something about that mixture just seems to combustible to work.

In the end, there is really no clear statistical argument that separates the two, but I still know I’d rather have Peavy on the South Side. What do you think?

**********

* – Jake Peavy photo credit: Charles Rex Arbogast, Associated Press via Chicago Tribune

* – Carlos Zambrano photo credit: Foul Balls

Let me preface this entire article by saying that I have always been a fan of Lou Piniella, and when the Chicago Cubs hired him as their manager in 2006, I was extremely excited.

That being said the most recent collapse and downfall of the goat franchise of Major League Baseball begs the question: is it time to let Lou go and move on?

With the exception of the 2009 season, Piniella has led the Cubs to Central Division Titles in both 2007 and 2008.

Piniella’s first year as the Cubs skipper brought the team 85 wins with 77 loses, which is not extremely impressive, but was enough to give the Cubs the Central Division title. The Cubs seemed to have a lot of young talent, and pitching pitching to be a strength as Carlos Zambrano continued to emerge as what seemed to be a superstar in the making.

Fortune would, however, not smile upon the Cubs as they would be swept out of the 2007 playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The season of 2008 was a very exciting year for the Cubs and their fans as it was the 100^th year anniversary of the Cubs last World Series Championship.

The Cubs would achieve the best record in the National League with a record of 97-64, second best in the MLB to only the Angels. This was “their year.”

Once again, through poor hitting and inconsistent pitching, the Cubs were swept out of the first round, this time against Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 2009, the Cubs came out to a fast start, taking as much as a 4-game lead in the NL Central just after the All-Star break.

But once again, bad pitching and poor at-bats would become the demise of the Cubbies, this time in the regular season.

The only exciting news to come out of Cubs’ camp in September was the suspension of “Terrel Owens wannabe” Milton Bradley for his remarks against the Cubs and their fans.

As I write this article, I see on ESPN that the St. Louis Cardinals have just secured the NL Central Title with their win tonight, and the Cubs are 8.5 games behind them.

They aren’t even mentioned in the NL Wild Card race.

So what we must ask ourselves is: how successful have the Cubs really been under the direction of Sweet Lou?

Yes, we have two division titles, but not even one appearance in so much as an NLCS, let alone a World Series.

With his original three-year contract coming to a close in just a couple of weeks, but with the Cubs already having picked up his option for 2010, what should the Cubs do? Should they keep or extend Lou, even though the results we have seen over the last three years have fallen short of the goal?

Or, should the Cubs let him go and move on to greener pastures?

Personally, I feel that his time has passed. The fire isn’t in his eyes the way it used to be. The emotion is no longer there.

Yes, the occasional “Lou Rant” shows itself. But seemingly, the days of kicking dirt and spitting and stealing second base are over.

This team needs a face lift. They need pitching, badly. Zambrano is a great #2 or #3 guy, but his inconsistency and poor attitude leads me to believe he is not an Ace.

The good news is, there is a lot of young talent on this Cubs team.  Jake Fox, Tyler Colvin (who has replaced Bradley and done quite well), Jeff Baker, the list goes on.

It’s time for a new look, and a new era.

Lou, I love ya man, but its time for you pack your bags…and while you’re at it, why don’t you take Fukudome, Zambrano, and Bradley with you?

You can follow BigMB on twitter at www.twitter.com/mylesb3269

**********

* – Lou Piniella sipping champagne photo credit: The Cubs Brickyard

* – Lou Piniella staring photo credit: AP via SI.com

Lou Piniella told reporters to blame him for this dismal season, and while you usually do blame the manager for a bad season, you can hardly blame Lou for the Cubs’ problems this season.

The only problem I have with the job Lou has done this year is his inability to build up chemistry between the players. I don’t see any between the Cubs players. They look like a bunch of strangers out on the field. Without good chemistry between players, teams often lack that go-to spirit that is needed to win ballgames. The locker room just doesn’t seem to be a happy and laid-back locker room, which has hurt the Cubs all season long.

After telling reporters that he thought fans were racist, Milton Bradley has be on a tear. While there might be some racist fans, most of the fans are angry at him because he has failed to meet expectations, not because he is black. And fans should be angry with him. He has failed to meet any expectations. And I mean FAILED. He is batting a dismal .167 with runners in scoring position. That is unacceptable in baseball. If you wan to make fans and managers happy, you need to produce with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Another problem player is Carlos Zambrano. When he said he wasn’t trying his hardest, I was infuriated. The Cubs pay this guy loads of money and he isn’t even trying? That is the worst possible stunt a baseball player can pull. I would axe him in a minute. No wonder his numbers are bad this year. He wasn’t even trying! I am sorry if I sound harsh, but that is unacceptable for any pro athlete to just give it half-assed effort. You can’t do that to a team that is paying you to be their #1 starter. Just a really dumb thing to do.

Despite these issues, while you can say the Cubs are out of the division race, they still have an outside chance at the Wild Card. The Cubs are a manageable 5.5 games behind Colorado, with three other teams (S.F., Atlanta, Florida) ahead of the Cubs as well. This is their only light at the end of the tunnel. The Cubs have one month to get it in gear and win games.

Though it is perhaps unlikely, 5.5 games is still a manageable number to overcome. We’ve seen it done before during the last month of a baseball season. It’s just a question of how much to do they want it?

1) Yes, I have an agenda. I hate the Chicago Cubs with every fiber of my being.

2) I’m well aware that the Cubs are actually 1/2 game better than the White Sox as I write this. (I’m also aware that the White Sox are 1/2 game closer to first place in their division, so suck it.)

3) I am fully cognizant of the fact that reveling in someone else’s misery is a really lame and pointless exercise that no doubt makes me seem like a jealous twerp with a massive chip on my shoulder.

So be it.

Now that we have that out of the way, it’s time to revel in the continued misery of the underachieving Chicago Cubs and their annoying fans.

Last night when I got home and made my now consistent first move — turning the TV on and immediately changing the channel to the MLB Network — I was met with Matt Dillon look- and sound-alike Greg Amsinger informing us that Cubs pitcher Randy Wells had a no-hitter going through the 6 innings. The Cubs led 3-0 at the time and it looked like they would cruise to a much needed victory over the Braves.

However, Chipper Jones broke up the no-no with two outs in the 7th, and then an inning later – after the Cubs had tacked on two more runs to take a seemingly commanding 5-0 lead — the Braves opened up the floodgates and scored five runs over the next two innings. A few extra innings later Chipper Jones singled home Yunel Escobar for a 6-5 victory.

“With a five-run lead in the eighth inning, it shouldn’t get away,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “We gave that one to them, with a nice little ribbon.”

Indeed they did. And on a night when my own team was shut out at home against a rookie pitcher, the Cubs’ collapse at least provided me with something to smile about last night.

But when I woke up this morning I found out that there was more!

Not only did the Cubs give up a 5-0 lead to the Braves, but they continue to have problems with their big, raging, doofus of an ace Carlos Zambrano. Big Z, as everyone knows, is currently serving a six-game suspension for acting like a spoiled, demonstrative brat last week.

To make matters worse, reports surfaced late last night from the Chicago Tribune that Zambrano also missed the team flight to Atlanta. This morning in the Trib, it was reported that Piniella and Zambrano met to discuss the issue but that no reason was given for Zambrano missing the team flight. As explained by Paul Sullivan, add this to the litany of Zambrano missteps and the Cubs are beginning to grow weary of Zambrano’s petulance and apparent selfishness:

This isn’t the first time Zambrano has ignored team rules, but the Cubs appear to be wearying of his act. He’s expected to be fined for this latest incident and may be asked to apologize to his teammates.

Last Sept. 2, Zambrano left Wrigley Field during the middle of a game after a poor start and didn’t see his teammates fight back in a 9-7, 11-inning loss to Houston. Management reprimanded him afterward and he seemed contrite. Twelve days later he threw a no-hitter against the Astros at Miller Park in Milwaukee, and all was forgiven.

And that last line, of course, is the reason why the Cubs continue to put up with this nonsense from Zambrano.

Say what you will about him, but no one will dispute that he can be among the top handful of pitchers in baseball when he is focused and throwing the ball at his peak level. However, Carlos Zambrano has a 4.22 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP this season and has won only three games. And since his great four-year stretch from 2003-2006, during which he went 59-32 while never pitching less than 209.2 innings or having an ERA higher than 3.41, Zambrano has not posted an ERA better than 3.91.

The truth of the matter is that if Zambrano is taking the ball and dominating every fifth day, the Cubs have no choice but to put up with his shenanigans. If he is just an average pitcher, then he becomes increasingly detrimental to their chances with every new outburst of controversy he creates.

So, obviously, if I have my druthers, Zambrano will continue to act like a clown, keep pitching like Dave Bush, and the Cubs will stay mired in the middle of the NL Central pack.

Sadly, every story about the Cubs makes national headlines because, for some reason, our nation believes that consistent losing and a tradition of failure somehow warrants love, adoration, and attention. So, for dumbfounded and admittedly jealous White Sox fans like myself, its always nice when that national spotlight shines on the negative.

And come to think of it, with the Cubs, the national spotlight usually shines on something negative. Because, well, they are the Cubs.

What else is there?

I listed out all of the current MLB pitchers that I consider to be aces. Here is the list:

• Roy Halladay
• C.C. Sabathia
• Josh Beckett
• John Smoltz
• Mark Buehrle
• Zack Greinke
• Justin Verlander
• John Lackey
• Cole Hamels
• Johan Santana
• Chris Carpenter
• Yovani Gallardo
• Roy Oswalt
• Carlos Zambrano
• Chad Billingsley
• Jake Peavy
• Brandon Webb
• Tim Lincecum

Of all the guys listed on there, the one that gave me the most trouble was Carlos Zambrano. Certainly he is a talented pitcher and has put up very good statistics over his career. But what made me pause when listing his name was Zambrano’s famous propensity to completely lose his cool, especially in big moments.

Well, the day after I posted the above list, Carlos Zambrano blew another gasket and not only embarrassed himself and his team, he was ejected in a big spot and will probably be suspended. The Cubs were leading 2-1 in the 7th inning at the time, and luckily for Zambrano his teammates bailed him out and held on for the 5-2 win. Still, with the Cubs struggling and their purported ace on the hill, you would like to think he could be counted on to keep his emotions in check and not be removed from the game for such a silly outburst.

Here is the video of the Carlos Zambrano ejection if you have not seen it yet:

While driving in to work today, Tim Kirkjian was on the radio and he was specifically asked if Carlos Zambrano was an ace, if his teammates trusted him. Kirkjian said that he talked to a former Cubs player who said he loved Carlos Zambrano, and obviously thought he was a great pitcher; but, that he would not trust him to control his emotions and put his team in a position to win in Game 7 of a playoff series or any other big game.

I defined an ace very much that way: a guy that the manager, teammates, and fans expects to put his team in a position to win every time he takes the hill, regardless of opponent or circumstance. It looks like I was wrong to include Carlos Zambrano on that list.

In other sports news…

The Memphis basketball program is facing some major trouble regarding possible impropriety in regards to the SAT test of a prominent member of the 2008 National Finalist team. Though his name is not officially included in the NCAA report, all of the speculation is surrounding former Tiger and current Bull Derrick Rose. Looks like John Calipari may have gotten out just in time. I wonder if he knew this was coming down and if that was any motivation to leave?

In other feel-good John Calipari news, his latest phenom recruit John Wall plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of breaking and entering. The charges don’t sound egregious by any means, but made all the more interesting as the stench of Calipari continues to envelop college basketball.

Zoner Sports has decided to make a list of the five coaches most likely to be “Sprewell’d”. Coaches from two of my favorite teams made the list: Lane Kiffin and Ozzie Guillen. And if Bob Knight were still coaching, he might have made the list too. What is it with me being a fan of teams with loose cannon coaches?

I wish I could shoot pool like this kid.

You can feel the court of public opinion starting to trend in Michael Vick’s favor. The latest and greatest to jump on the “give Vick a second chance” bandwagon is JM Van Horn at MoonDog Sports.

While they are waiting, the guys over at WFNY wonder if tonight’s game impacts LeBron’s future in Cleveland. If it does, all I can say is I hope the Cavs win. I do not want to see him playing anywhere else…but this series has definitely proven that he still needs more help. Robert Littal BSO likens the current version of LeBron James to MJ circa 1989. It is an apt comparison.

It’s Thursday and she’s hot, so why not?

The player ratings for the new Madden video game have been released. I wonder what LaDainian Tomlinson will think seeing himself at 94…but former backup Michael Turner at a 95. And does anyone else have a problem with Calvin Johnson being below Anquan Boldin and Roddy White? Those are both great receivers, but I think I’d rather have Johnson.

And that’s a wrap for this morning. Have a great day everyone.

The expectations of a team coming off a 97-win season, team MVP being your rookie catcher, and a giant payroll are typically reserved for realists becoming idealists all becoming optimists. Following the Cubs, optimism leads to heartbreak and after an 0-6 stretch in the post-season, there is more pessimism than anything else.

The NL Central is a miserable division as Milwaukee has regressed from a playoff contender with a legit #1 starter in Sabathia and an oft-injured but extremely effective Sheets (as of now), and STL won 86 games in what was likely LaRussa’s best coaching job in his HoF career only to be stalled by a GM/ownership unwilling to make a big splash. Pittsburgh and Cincy are rebuilding and Houston, even with two of the 3 best players in the division in Oswalt and Berkman, are stuck in mediocrity given Houston’s inability to develop from within as well overspending again on veteran FAs.

The pieces are still in place for the Cubs to win the division for a 3rd straight year but from winning, the huge expectations and bitterness are magnified when disappointment occurs. The mindset of a Cubs fan has changed and this is a positive effect of success, although I disagree with fans booing, throwing garbage on the field, racial slurs, and all the other stuff we’ve seen since 2003.

Realistically, the Cubs have the 2nd most talented team in the NL behind the Phillies, despite an off-season that is dependent on another team that will determine whether or not the Cubs will improve or regress into next year because of inflated and back-loaded contracts that have strangled the ‘09 roster.

Players I expect to improve:

Fukudome: (I expect him to hit around .270/.360/.440) 15HRs 35DBs which will suffice in a platoon role in CF.

Hart: I doubt he will end up as the #5 starter as there are several more qualified and talented pitchers ahead of him, but he was awful last year and if they don’t yo-yo him, he can carve out a role as in long-relief and save the back-end of the pen from additional usage.

Gaudin: Another reliever like Hart that will improve from his Cubs’ numbers of last year. One of Lou’s greatest strengths is maximizing bullpen production and given the Cubs’ marginal talent in half of the pen, it will be tested again. Like Hart, they both have the command that will allow them to avoid staying in Lou’s doghouse for any significant period of time

Zambrano: I expect a slight improvement and obviously more IP given that he remains healthy. I doubt we’ll see the same production of 3 years ago when he was a legit #1, and given the wear and tear at such a young age, he should be able to be around 15-16 game winner, 190-200 IP, 3.7ERA. There is a great concern from me that he doesn’t have the stuff to miss as many bats as he once did and maybe would be better off going the Webb or Lowe type of route and revert back to being mainly a heavy FB/sinker type of pitcher first with the breaking ball/splitter as something to keep hitters off-balance rather than an out-pitch.

Tomorrow, I will address which players I feel are likely to repeat what they did in 2008 as well as those who are likely to regress.

P.S. I have more likely to regress next year than improve.

Part of me wants to say that I saw this sweep coming because of the Cubs’ history.

Part of me wants to say that I think Cubs fans brought this sweep upon themselves with their pathetic display of “support” during the first two games in Wrigley.

But for the most part, I just want to say that Cubs were swept in the NLDS by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and I will be cheering and rooting and believing as much as I possibly can in hopes that the same fate does not befall the Chicago White Sox tomorrow night when they face the Rays at U.S. Cellular Field.

I really don’t feel like gloating, or rubbing it in, or publicly reveling in the misery of Cubs Nation. I feel justified in doing so, because sometimes arrogance and holier-than-thou attitudes come back to karmically bite you right in your ass. But honestly, it’s almost too easy at this point. Like I said when I started out this post, what can I say? The Cubs are cursed, their fans didn’t believe in them, and the self-fulfilling prophesy foretold by the lack of energy and support in Wrigley Field came true.

If you’re a Cubs fan, you can’t even say “Wait until next year.” Your “savior” manager Lou Piniella is 0-6 in two postseason series with the Cubs. One of your top offensive players, Alfonso Soriano, is statistically one of the worst posteason hitters in the history of baseball. Your ace pitcher Carlos Zambrano cannot control his emotions enough to deliver in key spots. Your other “great” pitcher Ryan Dempster shit the bed at Wrigley Field, where he had been light’s out all year long. Your emotional center and calm, steadying influence, first baseman Derrek Lee, was forced to express his frustration with bat tosses and helmet slams.

I checked mlb.com and the Tribune website and couldn’t find any quotes yet. Perhaps that is because it still too soon after the game. Or perhaps that is because there is really nothing to say when your franchise, your team, your manager, and your fans deliver one of the all-time postseason choke jobs I have ever witnessed.

Well, I guess you can call me a hypocrite. I started off this post by insinuating that I wouldn’t rub it in, that I didn’t know what to say. Apparently I had plenty to say. But the most significant thing I have to say is this:

The White Sox are down 0-2, the exact same position that the Cubs found themselves in today. I fully expected the Cubs to lose, and based on their actions in Wrigley this week I think the vast majority of Cubs fans expected the same thing. But when the White Sox take the field tomorrow and Monday night (and there will be a Monday night, as well as a Wednesday night) I fully expect them to come out fighting, paws up, and play like they always do when their backs are against the wall: like champions. I haven’t talked to one White Sox fan, even after we went down 0-2, that was not completely confident in the White Sox chances to win this series.

That is the difference between White Sox fans and Cubs fans; not just that we believe in our team, but that we actually have a reason to believe.

When it’s been more than 100 years since you’ve tasted a championship, it’s hard to expect a franchise and its fans to believe.

And yet, something is missing with that statement. Because in 2005, the White Sox hadn’t tasted a championship in 100 years, yet the entire theme that drove us to a World Series win was “don’t stop believing.” Faith is defined is believing without seeing. The White Sox and its fans had faith in their chances to win, without any past experience to dictate that they should to foretell a positive outcome. But faith won us a World Series, and it will take our series against Tampa Bay back to Tropicana Field. We just won three games last week without backs against the wall, and we’re about to do it again. I have faith. I know the rest of the White Sox fans have faith, and will show it tomorrow night and Monday and support their team. And I know that Ozzie Guillen has faith, and that our team has faith.

My question for Cubs fans is: where is your faith? If you’re always waiting to be given a reason to believe, you just may be waiting another 100 years. If you can find a way to believe without seeing, and if the loser franchise you love can do the same, perhaps some season in the future can actually fulfill the cliched prophesy of being that elusive “next year” you’re waiting for.

Otherwise, there’s a big bandwagon of faith down on the South Side with plenty of room for converts. It might be the only chance you’ll have to experience a championship in your lifetime.

(And if you think you can handle it in the early midst of your harrowing sweep hangover, this is what that experience feels like.)

[tags]chicago cubs, chicago white sox, mlb, mlb playoffs, baseball[/tags]

Carlos Zambrano, the emotional ace for the Cubs looked early on as if he was the same pitcher that shut down the Houston Astros in September for the teams’ first no-no since the blue glove of Milt Pappas. But after what would turn out to be a costly miscue from one of the most reliable second basemen in the league (Mark DeRosa’s boot of a routine grounder that kicked out of his glove forcing a wide throw to second), the Dodgers scored their first run of the night and kept rolling from there. After the miscue Zambrano was visibly shaken, jumping up and down shaking his head, and if you looked close enough you could even see his spirit being drained.

“It just got on me good,” DeRosa said of DeWitt’s ball. “He hit it good. It’s probably a play I should’ve taken a little bit more time on. I’m sure he wasn’t out of the box before that ball got to me. I should’ve backed up on it and given Ryan a nice, easy feed.

“We were the best team in a marathon,” Chicago’s Mark DeRosa said. “Now we have to win a sprint.”

The very next play on another potential double play grounder off the bat of Dodger outfielder Casey Blake was knocked down by Cub first baseman and Gold Glove candidate Derrick Lee but was unable to corral the hard hit grounder to load the bases.

“We kicked the ball all over tonight,” Lee said. “I have no explanation for it. We haven’t played well all around. Tonight, I don’t think we gave ourselves much of a chance. We shot ourselves in the foot from the get-go. Tonight was defense.

“I’m not surprised, I’m shocked,” Zambrano said. “We have a good defense.’D-Lee,’ for me, is the best first baseman. He had an error. Also Ramirez. It’s weird. I think it’s the first time you see four people in the infield make an error.

Dodger’s catcher Russell Martin emptied the bases with one of the most crowd quieting doubles that you will ever see to give the Dodgers a heart wrenching 5-0 lead rendering Zambrano to nothing but a shell on the mound.

“I don’t think you can win 97 ballgames playing that way,” said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, whose team clinched the National League Central with a 97-64 mark. “It wasn’t good baseball. In fact, the last two days, they’ve probably been the worst games we’ve played all year from a walking and errors standpoint. It wasn’t fun to watch, I can tell you that.”

The Cubs lost any hope of a comeback in the top of the fifth when Manny Ramirez cracked his second round tripper of the playoffs over Jim Edmonds head and into the basket for a 6-0 lead shattering any hopes of a rally at the friendly confines’

“I can’t explain it,” Jim Edmonds said. “I don’t know — it’s pretty embarrassing. We just haven’t been playing like we normally play. We’ve made some mistakes and when we’ve gotten a guy on, we haven’t moved him over and we haven’t driven anybody in. That’s what you have to do in the playoffs and that’s what good teams do, and we haven’t been good yet.”

After the smoke cleared, Zambrano left the game after the Ramirez homer giving up six runs (four unearned in the second) and seven strikeouts.

The Cubs are hopeful of a game three comeback behind the arm of mid season acquisition Rick Harden, who ironically the Cubs picked up to shore up their rotation for a World Series run. The Cubs are looking to try to avoid a three game sweep (AGAIN!!!!) for the second year in a row.

[tags]chicago cubs, los angeles dodgers, mlb, mlb playoffs, baseball, carlos zambrano, lou piniella[/tags]

Dodger first baseman James Loney silenced the crowd connecting on a 3-2 pitch that sailed over the center field fence for a heartbreaking Grand Slam and a 4-2 lead. The Cubs suffered their seventh straight post season loss as Chicago coach Lou Piniella’s refused to pull the plug on starter Ryan Dempster who had clearly struggled through five innings on the hill.

The Billy Goat, Black Cat, or even Bartman were no excuse for any manager to keep a struggling pitcher on the mound, hoping to dodge bullets from the bats of the lethal Dodger’s lineup. The Cubs danced around a bases loaded third inning before outfielder Andre Eithier struck out to end the threat.

Dempster was on borrowed time all night giving up seven walks through five innings of work and never looking comfortable before Loney put an end to his night, and possibly the Cubs hopes to advance in the playoffs.

“I felt like I really let the guys down today,” said a solemn Dempster in the lock room after the game.

The lone bright spot for the Cubs came with one out in the second inning when Mark DeRosa put the Cubs up with a two run blast off winning pitcher Derek Lowe.

DeRosa, making his return after a calf injury forced him to miss the Cubs final four regular season games came out in grand fashion later came to the aide of his teammate. “You’re surprised by the walks,” Chicago’s Mark DeRosa said. “When you consistently put yourself in jams with walks, eventually somebody’s going to get a knock. That’s just the way the game is. I’m hoping he gets another chance. I want to give him that chance to get on the mound and redeem himself.”

The final dagger in the backs of the Cubs faithful came in the bottom of the ninth inning as Dodger manager Joe Torre trotted out two time Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux to close out the game.

Maddux was welcomed by the still respectful crowd that had remembered Maddux’s career in Chicago, but proceeding to ignore the accolades putting down the Cubbies in order to end the night and give the Dodgers the 1-0 game lead ending the Cubs home field advantage.

Another sidelight came when Alfonso Soriano ended the night going 0 for 5 and walking back to the dugout amidst a chorus of boos. The Cubs send their Ace Carlos Zambrano to the mound tonight in what should be a do or die game for Chicago, and given the hit or miss style of Zambrano, the Cubs might be in for a long night and an even longer off season.

[tags]chicago cubs, los angeles dodgers, lou piniella, mlb, mlb playoffs[/tags]