Ominous start to Cubs' season
Lou Piniella better run out quickly and patent the term "Cubbie occurrence."
There was a Cubbie occurrence for every occasion in Monday's wet and wild 4-3 loss in 10 innings to the Milwaukee Brewers on the brand new lawn at good old Wrigley Field.
Piniella coined the term in spring training, and it couldn't have fit any better on a gloomy afternoon.
It's a new Cubs season, but some of the same zany kind of stuff that has happened over, oh, the last century, was on display Monday:
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bull; That's "zany" with a "Z" for Carlos Zambrano. The big Cubs righty was matching Brewers righty Ben Sheets pitch for pitch until being beset with a recurrence of forearm cramps that forced him out of the game in the seventh inning.
bull; Newcomer Kosuke Fukudome immediately won over the crowd of 41,089 by doubling on the first pitch he saw. He saved his best for last, with a game-tying, 3-run homer to right center with the Cubs down 3-0 in the ninth.
bull; Freshly minted closer Kerry Wood, who was sharp all spring, hit Rickie Weeks with the first pitch he threw in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Milwaukee to grab a 3-0 lead.
bull; Bob Howry continued his struggles of spring, giving up a leadoff double to Craig Counsell in the 10th and a go-ahead sacrifice fly to Tony Gwynn.
"It was a good ballgame," Piniella said. "Well played. Tough conditions."
The game began 41 minutes late because of steady rain, but the new field and drainage system looked to handle the water just fine, even though players said the field played must faster than the old thick grass at Wrigley.
Rain hit again after Zambrano struck out in the bottom of the third. Both pitchers went back out after a 49-minute delay, and neither looked any the worse for having to sit.
Sheets kept the top of the Cubs order off the bases completely, and Zambrano didn't face serious trouble until Bill Hall doubled with one out in the seventh. After a game of cat-and-mouse, Zambrano picked Hall off with a toss to second baseman Mark DeRosa.
After the play, Zambrano shook his right hand and finally came out with the cramping that has bothered him the past two years.
"It's good," Zambrano said. "I have to take care of myself and do the right things to not let this thing happen again. I think in the last inning it was worse."
No one scored until the ninth, when Wood made his much-awaited debut as the closer, even though the game was tied and it wasn't a save situation.
Wood hit Weeks in the back with his first offering but said he wasn't overly amped.
"No, actually I was the opposite," said Wood, who was waiting for reporters at his locker. "I was surprised I was able to keep the adrenaline under control. It didn't work out for me."
After Gwynn bunted Weeks to second, Piniella elected to walk left-handed hitting Prince Fielder to get to right-handed swinging Ryan Braun.
"Yeah, it really was a tough choice," Piniella said. "They're both really good hitters. What can you do? We tried to set up a double play. It didn't work."
Wood gave up a broken-bat single to Braun, and after Hall struck out, Corey Hart doubled home 2.
Derrek Lee singled off Eric Gagne in the bottom of the ninth, and Aramis Ramirez walked. Fukudome worked the count to 3-1 before driving the ball over the wall. The crowd's reaction forced Fukudome out of the dugout for a curtain call.
"It was great to hit a home run to tie the game, but since we lost, the feeling is a little less," Fukudome said through his translator. "We were down 3 runs and I just wanted to get to the next hitter and I saw something to pull, was looking for it and it just happened to be a home run."
Howry, who has a history of early struggles, faced six batters in the 10th, with Counsell's double setting the tone. Piniella said he'd keep running Howry out there so he can get sharp.
Brewers 4, Cubs 3 (10)
At the plate: Kosuke Fukudome was the star of the day, going 3-for-3, including a game-tying, 3-run homer in the ninth. He doubled on the first pitch he saw in the game and added a single and a walk. Nos. 1 and 2 hitters Ryan Theriot and Alfonso Soriano were a combined 0-for-10. The Cubs managed 5 hits.
On the mound: Carlos Zambrano was sharp until right-forearm cramps felled him in the seventh inning. Zambrano worked 62/3 innings of 3-hit ball, walking one and striking out five. Carlos Marmol struck out three in 11/3 innings. Kerry Wood and Bob Howry (0-1) both struggled, with Wood allowing 3 runs and Howry the game-winner.
-- Bruce Miles