Bullpen Breakdowns

They hang on by the red threads of a baseball for their post-season lives. I’m talking about the Chicago Cubs, who last night, staved off playoff elimination and extended their hopes one more day by defeating the San Francisco Giants with late inning heroics. Bay area closer, Brian Wilson, gave up the game-winning homerun in the top of the ninth to Cubs struggling second base slugger, Jeff Baker. Baker doubled to left in the top of the second off San Francisco starter, Brad Penny. He was doubled up in his next at-bat, and flied out to center field for the first out of the seventh inning. Baker came to bat for the fourth time in the ninth with the opposing team clinging to a one run lead. His long ball put the Cubs ahead 3-2 for good, and sent a stunned San Francisco team packing and trailing the NL wildcard-leading Rockies by four games.
The Giants were a strike away from gaining a came on Colorado before the two out bomb banished their opportunity. Penny pitched eight innings of one-run ball before handing the game over to Wilson. Wilson began the inning by walking veteran Chicago swinger, Derrek Lee. Lee stole second after Wilson retired the next two batters on popups. Baker smacked a fastball over the left field wall, and the Giants quickly fell behind a run. The home team put two runners aboard in their half of the ninth. Cubs’ hard-throwing reliever, Carlos Marmol, struck out two Giants to end the game. Former New York Met, Aaron Heilman, ascended to victory for his fourth of the year as Marmol picked up his 15th season save. Wilson suffered the loss, but his summoning from the bullpen was hard to argue. The closer’s miniscule ERA of 1.27 over his last nine outings justified Bruce Bochy’s move. Chicago starter, Ryan Dempster, was outpitched by his former teammate from Florida. Dempster lasted seven innings but scattered seven hits and two runs.
The outcome of the Rockies-Padres game was posted on the scoreboard when the Cubs and Giants were tied at 1-1 in the fifth. Each team scored one run in the fourth inning. Micah Hoffpauir scored when Baker grounded into a double play. Left fielder for the Giants, John Bowker, crossed the plate on shortstop Juan Uribe’s double in the bottom of the fourth to even the score. Bowker replaced Nate Schierholtz in the lineup. The southpaw slugger sat because of food poisoning. The manager’s decision payed off when backup Bowker homered off Dempster into McCovey Cove in the seventh.
The Giants are now 82-71 and four games back with nine remaining. San Francisco plays six more home games against Chicago and Arizona before finishing the season in San Diego. The Padres are poised to play spoiler. Smug San Diego set aside the Rockies 5-4 Thursday night. The Rockies lead was trimmed to 3 ½ games over the idle Atlanta Braves. The Braves probably have the easiest schedule of the remaining wildcard contenders. The NL Central is all but over as soon as the Cardinals win and the Cubs lose another game. But this wildcard race is an intriguing one that should come down to the final day of the regular season. The Rockies play the Cardinals next in a possible preview of the post-season. Matt Holliday will return to Corrs Field for the first time since he was traded to Oakland last winter. He will arrive in a Redbird uniform to face a Rockies team that has lost 7 of their last 11, including last night. Joe Beimel took the loss for Colorado and a shaky bullpen, but hope to reconvene and regroup this weekend. Jason Hammel tossed a gem through six ½ excellent innings, but his bullpen collapsed after being handed a 3-1 advantage. The Cardinals will start two CY Young candidates in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and plate All-stars, Holliday and Albert Pujols in the three game set beginning Friday. Both teams will embark on the last weekend of September with still a lot to prove.

Parting Points: Yankees-Red Sox, the final round starts tonight.
Song of the day-: “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morisette