Cubs Lose, Season on the Line, Lou to blame

I've been pretty easy on Lou this season here because I think he's been dealt a questionable hand this season. Jim Hendry had a disaster of an offseason, and that combined with under performing players means Lou can say "Look whaddya want me to do?" a few times. It's become a nasty habit though, and that combined with his using the Aramis Ramirez injury as his excuse for the entire first half was concerning.

Tonight he officially lost me as a supporter. All season he said he wanted a LOOGY in the bullpen, somebody who can come in and get a left handed batter out. He got it at the trade deadline with Jon Grabow, meaning there is no excuse for what Lou did tonight. With Carlos Marmol showing his real ugly side hitting his 11th batter of the season with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez coming up. All left handed hitters, all guys that Grabow should be facing, especially with Marmol not being very good. Instead Lou let Marmol walk Utley AND Howard, putting the lead run in. Grabow didn't even start warming up until Howard got to the plate. Then he gets Grabow to come in, and 3 pitches inning over.

Milton Bradley's heroics in the ninth inning to drive in the tying run sure made us all happy for a few moments, but Lou tempted the fates again by using Kevin Gregg, just coming off a tired arm, for two innings. Shockingly Gregg gives up the go ahead homer and the Cubs lose 4-3.

If this is the way Lou is going to manage the rest of the season, then forget it. I'll be quitting the season this time tomorrow night anyway, but I would have enjoyed the Cubs winning a game at home where the starting pitcher was great (Harden had a perfect game into the sixth, blew it on a 2-run homer, still pitched great). 

The offense still seems to blow it every chance they get. Runners on all over the place the first two innings, and nothing to show. Bases loaded no outs and a run already in, and all we get is a Soriano sac fly. Jeff Baker picked the wrong at bat of his four hit game to make an out. Then JA Happ settled in and the Cubs went quiet until Bradley's ninth inning hit.

Its full out disaster time for the Cubs and Jeff Samardzija is the farthest thing from a stopper major league baseball has. The Cardinals lost tonight, and the Rockies are losing so we shouldn't lose any ground. Three games back in each race, plenty of time to make it up, just don't know if the hitting and pitching is there.