..:Official 2008 NL Central Thread:..Congratulations Chicago Cubs...:

[jdcurt2]

Votto is a good ROY candidate too, but Soto will get it.

 

[wildkycat]

Originally Posted by aRog27

Volquez has been tremendous, but Soto is the rookie of the year.

if the season ended today, yes. but if Volquez wins his last 3, i'd say he'd win (and that's the only way he wins.) that kind of finish wouldprobably place him 3rd in the NL Cy Young voting.

 

[wildkycat]

EV labored thru the 1st...walked 2 guys, but got outta of it unharmed. threw about 22 pitches though.

 

[CP1708]

^ fair enough man thanks for the imput.

Sorry, but I hope that Soto gets it simply because he is pretty much the only Cub that has any shot at any award for a team that pretty much led the NL allseason. We have no MVP candidates, no Cy young guy, no nothin. Just a strong team all around I guess.

 

[wildkycat]

well god damn, stop being greedy. y'all got the division, let us at least get an individual award.

(light work for EV in the 2nd, 9 pitches.)

 

[wildkycat]

god damn you Albert Pujols.

3-1 Cards.

 

[jdcurt2]

Well Albert is no longer hitless... Volquez has no control tonight.

 

[wildkycat]

he's gotta stop walking people, that's 4...both the runners who scored on Pujols's bomb were put on. hopefully the bats can pick EV up againstthis fraud Kyle Loshe. i really want to get Volquez another W.

 

[arog27]

Soto Hits HR to Tie It, Lee Ends It
Cubs Beat Brewers 7-6
Magic# = 2
Geovany Soto and the Cubs can almost taste the champagne after one of their sweetest and most improbable victories of the season.

Soto hit a tying three-run homer with two out in the ninth inning, Derrek Lee singled in the winning run in the 12th and Chicago beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6on Thursday to move closer to the NL Central title.

The Cubs' magic number for winning their second straight division championship was reduced to two as they sent the Brewers to a crushing defeat.

"Wow," Soto said. "This year's been really, really crazy. I'm just here for one reason. I want to win and keep going."

Chicago was trailing 6-2 with two out and nobody on in the ninth, with just three hits to that point, before scoring four runs off closer Salomon Torres.

Now, the Cubs can clinch Friday if they beat the Cardinals at home and the struggling Brewers lose in Cincinnati.

"The beauty of baseball is you never know what is going to happen until that final out," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "It's uplifting tous and got to be deflating to the other team. … Let's win tomorrow if we can and whatever happens on the road (to the Brewers) happens."

Milwaukee, which began the day just a half-game back of the NL wild card-leading New York Mets, was on the verge of winning two of three at Wrigley Field andrestoring some momentum under interim manager Dale Sveum.

Instead, the Brewers have dropped 13 of 17 during a skid that cost manager Ned Yost his job on Monday.

Milwaukee has nine games left but this will be a tough defeat to shake off.

"A real nice day kind of went haywire right away," Sveum said.

"You're running out of games. It gets to the point, whatever the Mets do, you start thinking you have to win seven out of nine or eight out of nine.That's what it's getting to."

Pinch-hitter Daryle Ward led off the 12th with a walk and was replaced at first by Jason Marquis, who moved up on Reed Johnson's sacrifice. Alfonso Sorianowas intentionally walked before Ryan Theriot flied out, sending Marquis to third.

Lee then singled to center off Carlos Villanueva (4-7), leading to a wild celebration.

"It shows the character of our team," Lee said. "All of a sudden in the ninth off a good closer we score four runs and like that's it a tiegame. We kept chipping away and grinding it out."

Kerry Wood (5-4) pitched two innings, escaping a second-and-third, no-out predicament in the top of the 12th for the win.

J.J. Hardy singled leading off the 12th and Corey Hart doubled for the Brewers. With the infield drawn in, Craig Counsell grounded out with the runnersholding. When Jason Kendall hit a bouncer to third, Aramis Ramirez threw home and Hardy was caught in a rundown and tagged for the second out. Pinch-hitter JoeDillon then grounded out.

"We had a good chance to win still," Counsell said. "But I didn't get it done."

With the Cubs down to their last out in the ninth, Ramirez hit a sinking liner to left that got past Ryan Braun for a double, and Jim Edmonds followed with anRBI single. Mark DeRosa singled and Soto hit the next pitch deep into the left-center field bleachers as the crowd erupted.

"It was my fault," Torres said. "I should have sealed the deal. I felt like I let the team down, especially given the nature of thisseries."

The Brewers appeared to have Thursday's game under control with four unearned runs in the sixth off reliever Jeff Samardzija.

Samardzija gave up a one-out walk to Counsell before second baseman DeRosa misplayed Kendall's grounder for an error. Mike Cameron, Ray Durham and Braundelivered consecutive two-out RBI singles to give the Brewers a 4-2 lead.

Prince Fielder drew his second intentional walk as the Brewers loaded the bases for the third time in the game. Randy Wells relieved and walked Hardy on fourpitches to force in a run.

Hart added an RBI double in the ninth but the Brewers missed a chance to score more.

Hardy was thrown out at the plate on a relay from shortstop Theriot trying to score from first on Hart's hit, and Hart was later tagged out trying to reachthird on a ball that got away from catcher Soto.

Dave Bush went five innings, giving up just two hits-solo homers to Ramirez and Edmonds.

Chicago starter Rich Harden was pitching for the first time in a week and just the second time in 20 days. He had control problems and lasted just five inningswhile throwing 115 pitches. He gave up only one hit but walked six-one intentionally-and struck out seven, giving up a run in the first.

 

[jdcurt2]

Originally Posted by wildKYcat

he's gotta stop walking people, that's 4...both the runners who scored on Pujols's bomb were put on. hopefully the bats can pick EV up against this fraud Kyle Loshe. i really want to get Volquez another W.

Kepp needs to come through here so Voluez can get the W

 

[jdcurt2]

 

[wildkycat]

Congrats to Soto on winning ROY.

Volquez took the L tonight...allowing 4 runs in 7. gave up a 3 run jack to Pujols (every other runner that scored besides Albert got on base courtesy of awalk.) walked 6 (career high) struck out 5, giving up only 3 hits.

had a chance to tie it in the 9th, Kepp couldn't do it.

 

[GTA 809]

I wi be rooting for the Chicago BabyBears for the rest f this series. But they bomb 9/22-9/25 (crosses fingers)

 

[pacmagic2002]

Where is that elmo just do it pic when you need it.......W4L needs some instructions on what to do when his team doesn't make the playoffs for the 2nddecade in a row......sucka

 

[am 1 fiend]

Originally Posted by pacmagic2002

Where is that elmo just do it pic when you need it.......W4L needs some instructions on what to do when his team doesn't make the playoffs for the 2nd decade in a row......sucka

 

[flintgrey]

We'll clinch tonight or tomorrow.

Eddie Vedder "All The Way" song getting radio airplay:


I'll be dancing in the streets of Wrigley this weekend after the clincher; PM me if you will be around....

 

[tylerdub]

^^
Flint, Man i wish i could be up there. I will be dancing in the streets of Bloomington/Normal. LOL, I told my friends that if the Cubs clinch today, we will goout and fight some cards fans.

 

[flintgrey]

^ are you a Redbird? I graduated Dec 1999 from ISU.

 

[Retroballer]

well we had another good last season run, myabe we can not play like crap in the first half again next year..all i know is im pulling for the NL in the worldseries.

 

[tylerdub]

Flint, I am not. My wife is though.
She graduated in 2000.
I am a trinity international Trojan. Deerfield ftw.
I will however be running amok on ISU's campus as part of my celebration. Things get crazy down here when the Cubs are in the playoffs.

 

[jch3]

Originally Posted by AM 1 FIEND

Originally Posted by pacmagic2002

Where is that elmo just do it pic when you need it.......W4L needs some instructions on what to do when his team doesn't make the playoffs for the 2nd decade in a row......sucka

Amen.

 

[am 1 fiend]

Originally Posted by tylerdub

Flint, I am not. My wife is though.
She graduated in 2000.
I am a trinity international Trojan. Deerfield ftw.
I will however be running amok on ISU's campus as part of my celebration. Things get crazy down here when the Cubs are in the playoffs.

I imagine they do, especially when they choke

 

[CP1708]

^
You forgot to include, "until this year".

 

[mks33]

uhmmm.. zambrano is getting ROCKED.

i guess he had to make up for all the runs and hits he didn't give up last game.

 

[mw2889]

I guess the clinching will have to wait until tomorrow.