The Daily Goat – July 26, 2009

White Sox

Poor Rick Porcello.  The Detroit starter was robbed, darn it.  He gave up five runs in the first two innings, and by the time he was yanked in the sixth his team had already gotten one back.  But in an unbelievable twist of fortune, Sox closer Tony Pena didn’t blow a four-run lead.  So Porcello gets the loss, even though he did nothing any worse than his other lucky-to-get-a-win-or-at-least-not-a-loss teammates who beat the South Siders the past two days.

For his second start in a row, Clayton Richard gave up one run in eight innings.  The fire is still under his ass, folks.  I don’t know if it’s the real deal or just a temporary, luck-induced surge.  If the Sox have any inclination it’s a surge, they have to trade the 25-year-old lefty immediately for more than he’s worth.  Either way, there’s no way in good conscience – or even in bad conscience – I can consider him the the Goat today.

Another youngster isn’t so lucky.  Rookie Chris Getz went 0-4, with two of his outs ending innings.  In the sixth, after Carlos Quentin – who was also 0-4 – advanced A.J. Pierzynski to third on a ground-out, Getz lined a shot right to third to end the inning and ruin a chance to extend the lead.  In the eighth, with Pierzynski on first and one out, Getz grounded into a double play.

Being up 5-1 is great, but in this series not enough.  The way the Sox were blowing late opportunities, the team had to score any way it could.  Stranding a runner on third and getting doubled up are solid methods of squandering.  And it’s Chris Getz’s fault.  He’s the Daily Goat.

Cubs

I come from the “blame pitching first” school of baseball analysis.  It’s an established fact that pitching is 80% of the game.  (Okay, not “established” so much as “made up by me right now.”)  So it saddens me when I can’t blame Rich Harden, who like Clayton Richard gave up one run (albeit in six innings), or Jeff Samardzija, who also gave up a run (and two hits in two thirds of an inning), because neither ever really put the Cubbies in any real danger of a loss.

So instead I’ll blame the fielding.  In the top of the eighth, ahead only 3-1, Angel Guzman loaded the bases with Reds with just one out.  Enter pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston, Jr., who stepped in and skied a pop-up to center, a can-of-corn fly ball that Kosuke Fukudome fielded easily.  Two out.  At third base, Edwin Encarnacion tagged up and whizzed for home plate.  Fukudome’s throw was off, not on the third-base side of the plate, and by the time catcher Koyie Hill could turn around to try the tag, Encarnacion had scored, the Reds were down only one run and there were still two baserunners.

Except the home plate ump didn’t see it that way.  He called Encarnacion out, which was fun because we got to watch Reds manager Dusty Baker come out and get all huffy.

Encarnacion wasn’t really out, though.  The replay made it obvious:  it was a blown call.  Fukudome, whose arm is supposed to be so reliable, couldn’t put the ball where it needed to go when the game was on the line.  A lucky call excuses bad play on the scoreboard, but The Daily Goat is not so forgiving.

Goat Note:  The next two days the Daily Goat will be in the hands of David Just, while I take the Illinois Bar exam.  I’ve watched David lose at poker many times, and have full confidence in his ability to place blame with others.