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(Even if you do not, you can scroll down on this page most likely.) I lobbied for a certain reliever to get eighth inning duties. Well I must thank said reliever for making me look stupid so soon after I made an argument for him. Though at this point, you can really make an argument for anyone in that bullpen to be the setup man. It is just that volatile. OK, award time. For the third straight day, the starter comes through, and the Jason Bere Player of the Game award goes to Carlos Silva. If there was ever more of an encouraging sign for the Cubs, this was it. Silva pitched his game. He was quick, he kept the ball down and he was effective. He is making his case for staying in this rotation when Ted Lilly returns, and I think no matter what, he has a good shot at sticking. Now to temper expectations, a man who struggled as mightily as he did in '08 and '09 is not going to magically become Cy Young. He will have bad games in a Cubs uniform. But tonight he showed that he CAN still be effective, and that was really, really important. This rotation has been impressive in the first week (so long as you exclude starters whose names begin with Z). And there is an obvious "Hang Your Head" winner tonight. I said two nights ago he would probably win his share, and tonight Esmailin Caridad looked horrible. He showed no composure when it was clear he was not getting his bread and butter pitch called a strike. It was Zambrano-esque how he showed his frustration. What's more, he was getting behind EVERYONE, and obviously that will be disastrous. Just not a good night at all. I will say, though, that I agreed with Lou's decision to make Caridad tough it out. I still believe Caridad has some good stuff, but it looks like his mind hasn't caught up. Tonight was really the first time he has faced trouble in his big league career, and he failed the mental test. I have also made a new rule for myself: be very slow to criticize bullpen decisions made by Piniella. The entire crew down there is such a crapshoot as to who will have a good outing or who will blow up. And I get that most bullpens are like that, but with all the rookie arms and wild veterans down there, this one is particularly buggy. On a positive note, D-Lee's home run is still flying. That was at least fun to watch. Posted in: Carlos Silva, Esmailin Caridad The art of losing. Okay, that is melodramatic. But with a blowout loss yesterday and a terrible late meltdown today, we are getting a taste of all the different ways we can be frustrated. The only thing missing now is a walkoff. To the awards: The Jim Bullinger Player of the Game award goes to Ryan Dempster. Demp looked like the 2008 version tonight, and he also got it done at the plate (though Glaus did help him out on the error). His success hinges on his control. Tonight he was able to put his pitches in places the Braves just could not lay off, and nine strikeouts in six innings is evidence of that. We will see if he can stay as consistent as he did in 2008, but for tonight, good job Dempster. The obvious choice for the second 'Hang Your Head' award is John Grabow. Now anything negative I would say would come off as knee-jerkish so I will say this: go back to an older post 'Grabbing Grabow'. He is not a terrible player, and he will have good outings obviously. In my honest opinion he should not be paid what he is being paid, and he should not be the set up man for this team. Who should it be? I would try Esmailin Caridad. He looks like he has some really good stuff. I am sure he will get shelled some nights and will win his share of the 'Hang Your Head' awards. But he looked good last September, and he looked good (in one third of an inning) tonight. My bottom line: John Grabow is alright, but he is far from good. And more importantly he is far from what the Cubs think he is. Monday the pitching faltered big time. Tonight the offense sputtered and one bad outing cost the Cubs the game. It is a long season, and things will get better. I really do not want to see an opening series sweep though. Things could get ugly around here. This is my second warning, Cubs. Do not think I am bluffing. Posted in: Ryan Dempster, John Grabow, Esmailin Caridad | ||