Cheers and Jeers for 6-29-11

Cheers:

2.5 for Ryan Dempster's Performance. That's what an Ace is supposed to do.

2.0 for Kosuke Fukadome's diving catch.

2.0 for Aramis Ramiez's walk-off hit.

1.0 for Blake (The Twitt) DeWitt's RBI single.

0.5 for Tony Campana being the winning run.

Pretty well played game today, however there were a few jeers that did not get over-looked.

Blake the Twitt's TOOTBLAN was just sad. He had no business heading to third with first open and the ball hit to the left side of the infield. Also, by staying put, we would have at least seen Fukodome in that inning instead of ending with Ryan Dempster.

Tony Campana's diving muff at the top of the ninth. Had he stopped the ball, Dempster might have been able to finish the game.

Carlos Marmol's blown save. Once again Campana factors in. Had the ball been thrown to the catcher, Marmol might have got the save with Dempster getting a well deserved win. Instead, Dempster gets a no decision, Marmol gets the win DESPITE the blown save.

All in all it was a good win against the defending World Champions. Enjoy it while you can, this might not happen again this season.

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Now THAT'S A Quality Start! (Game Final 6-29-11)

For almost the entire first half of the season we Cubs fans were asking... Well... many questions. However, the question we've been asking since midway through the first game was: "Where the hell is our ace?!?!" Today, we had one.

Ryan Dempster, unquestioningly, had the best damn outing of all the damn pitchers in the entire damn pitching staff tonight. The proof:

Dempster allowed only three hits.
Dempster allowed no walks.
Dempster had only 1 ER in 8+ innings of work
Dempster retired 20 batters in row

You have to admit, such a performance is a welcome relief as compared to the two starters yesterday. (One of which is now happily, for us, unemployed.) The only bad thing about the game was Carlos Marmol blowing the save which cost Dempster a well deserved win.

In a season that started out bad and quickly went to shit, there are not a lot of reasons to celebrate. For tonight (and probably tonight only) I celebrate the coming of our Ace.

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Doug Davis Dropped

Remember back in March when we Cubs fans were excited for the upcoming 2011 season? What was the one thing that was being touted as being our one, sure-fire saving grace?

If you said: "The pitching staff" give yourself a cigar for your good memory.

Fast forward to April: After a shaky start from the first three starters, we were delighted at the performance of Randy Wells. We were enjoying a decent start from Andrew Cashner... then it hit. Cashner left the game early from a shoulder strain and Wells was reported to have a shoulder strain. Both were going to the DL. So far only Wells has returned.

So there we were, 40% of our rotation on the shelf. Carlos Silva, who had both a bad second half of 2010 and a piss-poor spring, left in a huff rather than taking an assignment. Panick was setting in and Jim Hendy's legendary buffet table was in danger of being removed from him. The pitching staff needed help and in a hurry.

So what did Hendry do to help? Why he got Doug Davis.

Yes, Doug Davis. Doug Davis, who's last stint with the Milwaukee Brewers garnered him a 1-4 record and a 7.51 ERA. Oh yes, he spent the majority of the season on the Brewer's shelf. The Brewers had the good sense to send him packing after 2010.

To no one's surprise, Doug Davis comes here to Wrigley and totally stinks up the field. His one win (and incidentally good performance) came against the New York Yankees. That probably saved his job as we all knew that a Davis start equals a Cubs loss.

The straw that broke the whale's (Hendry's) back was yesterday when he made the San Francisco Giants look like the infamous "Murders Row" of Yankees legend. Davis raised his ERA from 5.01 to 6.50 in just that game. He allowed 10 runs before manager Mike Quade yanked him because the suicide rate was sky-rocketing on the North Side.

Look, I'm not expecting to get Nolan Ryan from free agency in April. However, there had to be someone who's career was heading down the toilet faster than last night's burritos. Hell's Bells, I'd take that Cirque Soleil guy over Davis. Yes, Davis is just that bad and doesn't deserve to be on a Major League team.

Today, Hendry decided that no help is better than bad help. Too bad he didn't realize that back in April.

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