Yeah, but it's nice to know that there is 4 days left in the regular season and THESE Astros are still in the race...even if for just 1 more day.
They're pretty good at it, but the Astros will give them a run for their money at catastrophic collapses. April, June, and July come to mind. Not to mention 2003 and 1996.
For AJ: Cubs need ace Zambrano to focus, find old form Sep. 25, 2008 By Danny Knobler CBSSports.com Senior Writer Tell Danny your opinion! NEW YORK -- It's hard to say what took more of a hit Wednesday night, the Mets' playoff chances or Carlos Zambrano's chance of starting Game 1 for the Cubs when the playoffs open next Wednesday. Big Z is 2-2 with a 7.93 ERA in his last eight starts. (AP) No, on second thought, it's not that hard to say. The Mets, for all their problems, still have a chance. As for Zambrano, Cubs manager Lou Piniella nearly broke his self-imposed embargo on talking about his playoff rotation. "You look at (Ryan) Dempster, with a home record of 14-3, and that speaks volumes," Piniella said after the Cubs' 9-6, 10-inning win. "Basically, that tells you something. That tells you we're going to have an announcement in a few days." It also tells you that the Cubs are more than a little concerned about the guy who threw a no-hitter just over a week ago. It tells you that if you're comparing Venezuelan aces, Zambrano is no Johan Santana. Piniella had let it be known that Wednesday's start was a significant one for Zambrano, and he let it be known afterward that five runs in 4 2/3 innings wasn't good enough. And while it may come as a shock to people around the country who only remember the no-hitter, those who have watched Zambrano understand that he just hasn't been pitching very well lately. "He just looked like he was out of whack," said a scout who watched one of Zambrano's recent starts. The numbers tell part of the story. In his last eight starts, Zambrano is 2-2 with a 7.93 ERA, and he's allowed 69 baserunners in 42 innings. Remember, that stretch includes a no-hitter. Take out the no-hitter, which came against a sleep-deprived and hurricane-weary Astros team, and Zambrano would be 1-2 with a 10.09 ERA in seven starts. The Cubs are convinced now that Zambrano is healthy. They're also convinced that he needs to be better than he has been, which is why Piniella said Wednesday that he wished there were time for Zambrano to have one more tune-up start before the postseason. "He's obviously better than this," Piniella said. "C'mon. I don't even think that needs to be said." Piniella made a spirited visit to the mound after Zambrano walked Marlon Anderson to start the fifth inning Wednesday. He said later that he constantly has to warn Zambrano against fighting himself on the mound. "It detracts from his ability," Piniella said. "I've tried to tell him so many times. He understands when I tell him, but I think he forgets when he gets out there." To which Zambrano said: "I agree." Zambrano insisted that Wednesday's start wasn't that bad, that he made only one bad pitch, the 3-2 fastball that Carlos Delgado hit for a grand slam. He said he thinks he's perfectly ready for the playoffs. Contrast that with Piniella's assessment of Zambrano's effort Wednesday: "What did I think? I gave it mixed reviews. He's healthy. So let's give him the benefit of the doubt." Zambrano will be in the postseason rotation, along with Dempster, Ted Lilly and Rich Harden. But it's easy to argue right now that Zambrano ranks fourth among those four, at least in terms of how he's pitching now. Zambrano himself suggested that Dempster deserves the Game 1 start. "Whatever they do is fine," he said. "It doesn't matter if I pitch first, second or third." That's nice of him, but the Cubs aren't paying him $16 million this year (and $91.5 million over five years) to be a third starter. He's being paid like an ace, and his 96-61 career record (14-6 this year) suggests he should be an ace. Zambrano's struggles haven't kept the Cubs from establishing themselves as the National League's elite team. The Cubs haven't needed him to shine down the stretch the way the Mets have needed Santana, or the way the Brewers have needed CC Sabathia. Unlike the Mets and the Brewers, the Cubs have this final week of the regular season to take it easy, to get ready for the playoffs and to figure a few things out. They didn't think that one of the things they'd be figuring out was Carlos Zambrano. But they are, and they're still not done with the figuring. "If this were Tuesday, we'd slot him in to pitch again Sunday," Piniella said. "But it's not Tuesday. Maybe we can find a way to get him a few innings." With heavy rain in the forecast for Thursday in New York, there's a real chance that the final game of this Cubs-Mets series will be postponed. With the way the Mets are playing (they're now tied with Milwaukee for the wild-card lead, and 1½ games behind the Phillies in the NL East), there's some chance that game would need to be made up on Monday. Maybe Zambrano can pitch then. After all, it's pretty obvious that the Cubs don't plan on starting him when the playoffs open two days later.
LOL brooksball. Realy does make you think about the mental/physical state the Stros had to have been in to be no hit by this guy. Cue Skip Bayless, who wants an asterisk next to Z’s no hitter.
I am still very proud of this team, this wasnt the best Astros team but they showed a lot of heart fighting back to end the season. Great job Astros!
How incredibly ironic that a Daryle Ward strikeout ended the Astros' postseason hopes for this season.
Let's just hope for a better start out of the gate next season. I feel that we shouldn't blame their wild card playoff spot shortcoming squarely on Ike and their series with the Cubs getting moved to Milwaukee, but the slow start they got off to early on this season.
Absolutely right. Losses in April count just as much as losses in September. "Bud killed us" isn't accurate. It was the 8-game losing streak in June, the 13-16 April, the 10-16 June, and the 10-14 July.
