The Cubs were shut out a day after Carlos Zambrano threw his own shut out. That's the second time this season that Big Z has turned in a shut out, only to have the Cubs offense blanked the very next day. But this wasn't just a shut out, this was a blowout.
The Reds offense put up nine runs, all coming off home runs. Seven home runs to be exact, three of them by Joey Votto. Four of them in the second inning. That inning put a quick end to Jon Lieber's first start. He gave up seven hits, four home runs, and five earned runs in that short stint.
From that point on, I believe the Cubs may have been on cruise control. The Reds were too, especially Votto, but I think the Cubs phoned this in after two innings. The only time they put two hits together in an inning was in the fifth, and that was after we already had two outs.
Have you ever been on a long business trip, and on the last day, you just can't give the last meeting your best performance. All you can think about is getting home. I think that may be where the Cubs were today. They have played 11 of their last 14 on the road, with little success. Following today's game they head home to spend a day off and start a ten day ten game homestand. I have to believe that most of the guys, while still actually trying, chalked this one up after that rough second inning.
Unbelievable to me is the continual win one, lose two streak we have been on, and we kept that pattern going today. Oddly enough, we also kept up the pattern of getting shut out the day after Big Z throwing a shout out. I tend not to believe in fate, but these trends are weird. It forces me to look for a positive somewhere, and I've found it.....In 1908, through 34 games, the Cubs had been shut out twice, the same as the 2008 Cubs! Okay that is a stretch but at this point I am grasping for anything.
1 comment:
15-6 is a distant memory. We suck right now.
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