We finally broke out 6 game losing streak with 3 runs in the first inning off Kerry Wood, who left after the third inning with shoulder pain.
Man, it was COLD out. I’d bet that at LEAST 10,000 of the 41,600 fans were Cub fans. And today, at least we managed not to look like a AAA team.
Bad news:
1) Jason Lane is STILL in a slump
2) Craig Biggio is STILL in a slump
3) Again, the reliever let Backe’s MOB score
4) Adam Everett, Brad Lidge are STILL out sick with the flu
5) I can NOT understand why local boy Jeromy Burnitz, who called the team this winter, asking to play here, couldn’t get his calls returned. I mean, with Berkman out, who would need a lefty power bat with a good glove on an all righty team???!!!!
Good news -
1) Bagwell hit 3 singles and had a walk.
2) Taveras stretched a single into a double
3) Backe looked GREAT
4) Mike Lamb (yes, you read that right) made an incredible diving catch in right to save 2 runs.
5) For the second night in a row, Willy Taveras threw out a runner at home.
6) For some reason, Dusty Baker hates rookies and won’t play DuBois, who looks pretty good, don’t he….
Best news:
WE WON!!!!!
WE BEAT THE CUBS!!!!!
Gonna be tougher tomorrow with Prior on the mound.
Looks like Phil will continue to play Lamb in left instead of Burke/ Scott, don’t ask me why.
Tags: Cubs, Houston Astros, MLB
Well, Lisa, neither of our teams has really started the way we had hoped. But it is a very long season and we are a very short way into it, so let’s not give up hope yet! ~ Rich
I’m hoping the Astros will rebound too – Marlins are doing pretty well (D-train is 5-0 thanks to the rain-shortened game tonight) and my Dodgers are looking like they will go on a longggg win streak if Jim Tracy can shut up and play Hee Seop Choi every day. All players have slumps, even the great ones, and apparently Mr. Tracy thinks no player on his team should be in a hitting funk. Play ‘em even if they’re slumping, you never know when they’ll go on a tear like Mr. Choi’s been having, and Baggy too.
hi rich!!!
well, i had HOPED for .500 – but like you said, youneverknow. i’m just hoping that hitting is as contagious as that flu everyone seems to be catching…
hi jared!!!
choi’s got the bad rep.
even barry bonds Himself gets slumps. sometimes, hit DOESN’T happen….
lisa
We already know from the research of sabermetricians such as Bill James, that a team’s margin of victory (or defeat) is significant, in that team’s which win the majority of their
lopsided games are invariably strong, contending teams. Expanding upon that area of research, an extended survey I have done has confirmed something I have long suspected, which is that WHEN a team wins a game is also a significant ability indicator.
By WHEN, I refer to the (complete) inning the team which went on to win the game (any game being analysed) took a permanent lead and was not tied nor headed at the completion of any inning, thereafter.
Game Winning Inning values for the National League, tabulated so far this season, are as follows:
Inning: 1. 53+235 = 4.43 (This refers to 53 games being “won” in the
first inning, with the 53 winning teams outscoring their opponents by a total of 235 runs, and average margin of victory for a 1st inning “GWI” of 4.43.
Other inning values are as follows:
2. 23+105 = +4.56 6. 12 + 24 = +2.00
3. 21 + 77 = +3.67 7. 16 + 38 = +2.38
4. 21+ 81 = +3.86 8. 18+ 39 = +2.17
5. 15 + 49 = +3.27 9. 19 + 26 = +1.37
10+ 17 + 22 = +1.29
This generally descending values chart tells us that the earlier in a game a team takes a permanent lead and holds it at the completion of every full inning, thereafter, the more
significant the victory.
Now let’s look at the Astros GWI record by inning to see if there are any telling clues…
1. 3-3 2. 0-1 3. — 4. 2-2 5. 3-0 6. 1-1 7. 0-2
8. 1-2 9. 1-1 10+ 0-3.
The Astors look like a team in trouble, with a record of 3-4 in games decided in innings 1/3. And while the later innings have a much lesser impact from the standpoint of GWI run values, the Astros record of 2-8 from the seventh inning on gives this team the double
whammy of a team which can be beaten early and late. Being 3 games above .500 in games decided in the middle innings is not nearly enough to overcome the early and late inherent weaknesses.
Other, telling GWI records include the Cardinals at 9-5 over innings 1/3; the Braves at
10-3. The Mets, bless their little hearts are 1-9 in the 1st inning, a mountain of a deficit to overcome, 6-12 over innings 1/3. No return on the Carlos Beltran deal for them, until at least 2006, the way the trend is going. This holds especially true as 53 of 215 National League games played to date, 25 %, have been decided in the first inning.
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