IGT 08/15 -- Cubbies at Metsies

[Guest d'Kong76]

d'Kong76 wrote: This game is kinda suckin' ... no IGT starts again for me until a five game winning streak is ended.

Fuckit!!
-2snFUcVP8Y

[Guest d'Kong76]

One of the better live renditions of that metal classikc!

Chi. Cubs at NY Mets
When: 7:10 PM ET, Friday, August 15, 2014
Where: Citi Field, New York City, New York
SportsDirect Inc.

New York Mets captain David Wright and Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro carry 13-game hitting streaks into their teams' opener of a four-game series at Citi Field on Friday. While both players are faring well, their respective clubs have seen better days as New York was swept at home by Washington while Chicago sits comfortably at the bottom of the National League Central. Wright collected five hits versus the Nationals but went 0-for-10 as Chicago swept New York at Wrigley Field on June 3-5.

Castro played a significant role in one of those victories, avenging a costly error by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the Cubs' 5-4 win on June 4. The 24-year-old Dominican has reached double-digit hitting streaks on 10 occasions and sits one shy of the third 14-game run of his career. Chicago has won 10 of its last 17 but settled for a split of its four-game series with division-leading Milwaukee after dropping a 6-2 decision on Thursday.

TV:
7:10 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP:
Cubs LH Travis Wood (7-9, 4.86 ERA) vs. Mets RH Zack Wheeler (7-8, 3.53)

Wood settled for his fourth straight no-decision and remained winless since June 15 despite allowing just one run on four hits in six innings versus Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 27-year-old also received a no-decision against the Mets after permitting two runs and five walks in five frames on June 5. Wood has struggled mightily with his control, issuing five free passes on three separate occasions this season and 61 walks in 139 innings.

Wheeler settled for a no-decision after allowing three runs on as many hits in six innings against Philadelphia on Sunday. The 24-year-old is 4-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his last eight outings, yielding two or fewer runs in seven trips to the mound. Wheeler received a no-decision in his lone career start versus the Cubs on June 3 despite scattering two hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

WALK-OFFS:
1. Chicago 1B Anthony Rizzo has gone 4-for-10 with two homers in his last three games but is 0-for-3 lifetime against Wheeler.
2. New York RF Curtis Granderson is mired in a 1-for-15 stretch over his last three contests and is 0-for-5 versus Wood.
3. The Cubs reportedly plan to recall RHP Dan Straily from Triple-A Iowa to start Saturday's game versus the Mets.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Granderson, RF
Murphy, 2B
Wright, 3B
Duda, 1B
d'Arnaud, C
Campbell, LF
Lagares, CF
Flores, SS
Wheeler, P

[Guest d'Kong76]

Coghlan, LF
Baez, 2B
Rizzo, 1B
Castro, SS
Castillo, C
Alcantara, CF
Sweeney, RF
Valaika, 3B
Wood, P

[Ceetar]

I want Wright to leadoff.

[Edgy MD]

I could think of worse ideas.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: I could think of worse ideas.

I want Bartolo Colon to leadoff and play SS.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I want to bring back David Newhan.

[Edgy MD]

I want Bartolo Colon to leadoff and play SS.

That's one.

It's two, in fact!

[Guest d'Kong76]

[youtube:8h5oqfio]CHUqE5p15C0[/youtube:8h5oqfio]

[Frayed Knot]

We owe these guys an ass-kicking.
Of course we owed one to the Nats too and look how that turned out.

[Guest d'Kong76]

[youtube:3b2flpbp]7f2qj6jozcU[/youtube:3b2flpbp]

[ashie62]

Throw strikes Zack...it's only the Cubs...

[Guest d'Kong76]

Caught the last two seconds of the Matlack
interview. *&$^%!

[bmfc1]

It would be nice if d'Arnaud could catch the ball given that he's a catcher.

And Murphy should have made that play. SNY guys said "tough chance for Murph." BS.

[ashie62]

We're losing to the Sclubs? Oye...

[ashie62]

Granderson is basically washed up...likeable, but expensive toast...

[Guest d'Kong76]

CampBOOM!!!

[Frayed Knot]

We needed that one, if for no other reason than I was about to start unloading my frustrations on this forum and you poor folks would have had to put up with it.

[Edgy MD]

Mets lead.

And hey, Wood: Don't be coming in on Laggy.

[Edgy MD]

Man, Woodie threw a LOT of meatballs that inning.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Frayed Knot wrote: I was about to start unloading my frustrations on this forum and you poor folks would have had to put up with it.

Us here, and you there

[Edgy MD]

Castro got all curveballs and it wasen't even fair.

[Edgy MD]

If Terry sees Granderson as ideally the number two hitter, that doesn't suggest Terry's expecting Daniel Murphy to be around.

[Edgy MD]

Wood being the only one who had a shot at that should-have-been routine popup shows how easy it'd be to bunt against this shift.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Torn on whipping out Combination for the 7th
inning stretch.

[Zvon]

d'Kong76 wrote: Caught the last two seconds of the Matlack interview. *&$^%!

Very good chat. Matlack looks and sounds great. He spoke about pitch counts, his times with Seaver and Kooz, charting game one of the '73 NLCS and watching Seaver pitch his amazing game and lose. He said Tom Kd 15 (close-13) and after watching that he had no idea how he was going to pitch the Reds the next day. And then, of course, Andy Kosko came up.

During the interview SNY put up a Jon Matlack baseball card. It was not his real Topps cards but a custom one that John Hogan made (Cards That Never Were). This is the second time this week that a baseball telecast showed one of his works. Actually the other one was put up on the scoreboard in Baltimore (Cal Ripkin), not as a TV graphic like tonight.

Personally I think that's pretty awesome.

I guess they just googled Jon and picked an image w/o checking where it came from.

[Zvon]

There's Matlack behind the plate.

[Zvon]

Soupy hits a HUGE homer, and then does that. WTF? And what did he do...keep going all the way to third? The way the Cubs flubbed the throw in I thought he'd have time to make it close. But they had all the time in the world. Jeez.

[Frayed Knot]

Let me see a Chris Valaika get rung up
it helps to keep your teammates warm