SAN DIEGO. August 17, 2009. In the 9th innings when you are one run to the good the best thing to do is to believe you can win the game. If you don’t do that you will lose. And to my mind that is exactly what happened tonight. The “Guru” Lou Piniella believed that they could win the game and put up his closer Gregg. Now Gregg’s recent form hasn’t been good and Lou knew he was taking a real chance. But what else do you do? You must use the assets you’ve got. Well after tonight it is as clear as a bell that Gregg is not a Cub asset. And it wasn’t the first time this season I thought that!

My belief is that he did not believe in his own ability and allowed nerves get the better of him. He meekly surrendered the home run pitch for Kyle Blanks to hammer straight out over the fence in centre field for the 3 RBI walk off win. Sorry about this but I just have to use it… Kyle didn’t end up firing Blanks all night.

Gregg has been with Anaheim, the LA Angels and the Florida Marlins and where he goes next is a real guess. July/Aug ’09 has done his career no good at all. I feel sorry for him. He must feel very lonely. But I feel sorrier for the Cubs. They really did well defensively tonight and were closing in on what would have been an excellent close game win.

But there is no point in Cub fans moaning about how the Padres celebrated as if they had just won the World Series. It was only natural. They are bottom of their Division with 50 wins and 70 losses. It was their Christmas time coming early. They had been frozen out all night by an excellent Ted Lilly and Grabow and Marmol followed up neatly.

With two out and one on as a result of the first Gregg walk (to Ekstein) the Padres must surely have thought it was over. There was a full count when the Gregg pitch to win the game for the Cubs, a nice waist high 93mph fast ball, was hit to left field by Headley for a double and get the tying run home.

For the Cubs the game was still on and Lou still trusted his closer. He instructed a walk be given to Kouzmanoff to load the bases and have the chance of outs at every base. And I have already told you how it ended. Along with everyone else right now I feel sick. The Cubs backs are really up against it but it is better that it happen now while there are still 46 games to go, 24 of which are in Wrigley Field. Although the Cardinals are 6 clear games ahead 3 are between the Cubs and the Cards. I’m saying it again… it is not over… not yet.

Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you that in the 8th Aramis Ramirez was back and back on song with a the single to get Derrek Lee, who had tripled, home for the potential win.

P.S. What’s this I was recently telling you about support other teams get… the attendance at tonight’s game 23,420 many of whom were wearing Cubbie blue. Remember to have a look at the attendance at the next Cubs home game (25th Aug). My guess is that there will be 30+ thousand even after tonight’s loss.

A.L.

Chicago Baseball Insider