Cubs' opening loss really stings
For those of you keeping score at home, the honeymoon lasted 1 hour, 57 minutes.
And then at 3:22 p.m. Friday at Wrigley Field, Mike Quade was booed for the first time as Cubs manager.
A smattering of the annoyed fans announced their displeasure as Quade strolled to the mound to retrieve his starting pitcher.
They had fair reason to think Quade waited too long to lift Ryan Dempster, though perhaps some of the reaction was just general aggravation as yet another campaign in a century-plus battle began with a loss, 6-3, to the worst team in the National League.
“Normally he finds a way to get out of it,” Quade said of Dempster, who gave up a 2-run homer on his 114th and final pitch in the seventh. “He's earned the right to do that.”
The Cubs were up 2-0 with two out in the fifth when Dempster walked Jose Tabata to load the bases. On a 3-2 pitch, the Cubs' starter then grooved a 92-mph fastball that Neil Walker launched onto Sheffield Avenue for a grand slam.
“Two mistakes and they left the ballpark,” Quade said. “But we did too much good today for me to be upset about one game.”
It began poetically enough with Wayne Messmer singing the anthem as the National 9/11 Flag was unfurled in the outfield.
Robert Redford threw out the first pitch to Kerry Wood, who received a thunderous standing ovation for being able to find the baseline during intros.
And Ron Santo's children were fighting back the tears as the game began, forcing thousands of others to do the same.
The setting was perfect for a Game 1 victory in support of Quade, the hometown boy making his triumphant return to the dugout after getting the full-time job in October.
“No storybook ending,” Quade said with a crooked smile. “But I don't believe in those things anyway.”
That's good, because amid the optimism of the NL Central's best teams backing up to the Cubs due to a ridiculous rash of injuries — the latest being an appendectomy for the Cards' Matt Holiday on Friday — the Cubs then reminded us that they finished 12 games under .500 a year ago and 16 out of first.
Friday's contest looked frighteningly familiar, though it's only one game and the Cubs seem convinced it was not the continuation of a trend.
“After a loss like this, I try to look for the positives,” said Carlos Pena, who immediately emerged as one of the few Cubs who will stand up after tough losses and answer questions. “I thought we played a good game today, but there's some things we can do better.”
Pena was one of the bright spots, saving 3 errors for his teammates with scoops at first base and going 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
But Pena also missed a sign, an uncharacteristic mistake for someone with a sterling reputation.
Down 4-2 in the sixth with a man on and nobody out, Pena swung at a 3-0 pitch and popped into a fielder's choice.
“In the American League, that's a green light without even looking,” Pena said. “I just missed the sign.”
And the Cubs missed a chance to get off to a great start against a terrible team and amid a very soft schedule to begin the season.
“If we played poorly I'd be disappointed,” Quade said. “But I think we'll get it right.”
So after a sweet start, the Cubs fell victim to a pair of Pirates homers and the fans left early after enduring bone-chilling rain and wind for most of the game.
But at least they got to see a legend throw at Wrigley Field.
Redford practiced in the tunnel under the stands before his ceremonial pitch — which was high but made it on the fly — before praising Chicago as a city he will always remember fondly after filming “The Sting” here nearly 40 years ago.
“I love this city and I love baseball. Always have, but I'm not gonna say who my favorite team was. I liked a lot of teams,” Redford said. “See, I grew up in L.A., but there was no major-league ball there when I was growing up.”
There are generations of cynical Cubs fans who hit the pillow Friday night thinking the exact same thing.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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