ZambraNo-No! Big Z no-hits Astros
Today has been the exact opposite of last Sunday. Last week, the Cubs blew a miserable game to Cincinnati in the 9th inning before the Bears had a shocking upset at night over the Colts (and thus rescuing my day). Today, the Bears blew a lead and lost to the Panthers, and then Big Z goes and throws a no-no tonight against Houston -- in Milwaukee of all places. Couple that with the deluge of unprecedented rain and redacted and you have yourself one heckuva weekend.
It was the first no-hitter the Cubs have had since Milt Pappas in 1972, and of course the first Cubs one that I've ever seen. (I've seen the ninth inning of non-Cubs no-nos a few times on ESPN.) The closest any Cub has been since I've been watching is when Jamie Moyer made it to the 9th hitless in 1986. I do remember watching that one. There's been a number of other guys who went 7+ innings through the years, but none got especially close.
This wasn't some clunky error/walk riddled no-no either. Nine innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 10 SOs. Probably the best Cubs pitching performance I've ever seen live. (Kerry Wood's 20k game in 1998 was probably better - with the one infield single - but I actually didn't see that one live. Stupid work got in the way so I had to watch that one on replay later that night.) Zambrano was masterful. Full command of his pitches, painting corners, never once in a jam. I guess his arm is ok, huh?
This couldn't have come at a better time for the Cubs. After that wretched stretch of play earlier this month, with the hitters struggling and various pitchers on the shelf, the Cubs needed a dominant performance to set the tone for the rest of the regular season. Enter Houston, or rather "enter Hurricane Ike." MLB needed to get the games in so they sent the teams to Wrigley Field North. 23,000 Cubs fans made the last minute trip, and at least 20 Houston fans. Who could imagine a weirder scenario for the Cubs to get their first no-hitter in 36 years? Derrek Lee even had a big hit.
The whole situation did kind of suck for Houston. Hurricane at home to worry about; last minute long travel plans; zero home field advantage; long winning streak. Could this no-no been partially the result of some Ryan O'Malley type of hangover? Maybe a little. But Z was dealing and legitimately good. I'll take it.
This awesome Cubs high almost made me forget about the Bears. The Bears lost today for three reasons: 1) Penalties, 2) Turnovers, and 3) Orton. Way, way too many penalties. They killed drives, called back great Forte runs, and surrendered excellent field position. Then, Olsen had to go and fumble the ball twice. Both times led to a Carolina score, and the comeback would not have been possible without those turnovers. Simple as that. Then, there's Kyle Orton. Orton didn't make many mistakes - no fumbles, no picks - but he also didn't do anything to help the Bears win. He couldn't make plays when they needed him most. We all know that the long ball isn't his strength, and that couldn't have been more obvious today. He had open receivers deep and just didn't come within a mile of any of them. After two weeks, I've seen nothing to change my mind that "Kyle Orton doesn't lose games, and he doesn't win them either." I don't think the Bears need to bench him or anything, as I'd like to see him start at least another four or five games before the Bears do anything rash. If he continues to not win games, it might be time to develop some sort of "bullpen" strategy. Let Kyle start and not screw things up. Down in the fourth in need of a comeback? Put in the gunslinger. It's quickly becoming obvious that Orton is not the next Elway.
Ah, but who cares. Big Z!! No-No!! I can't believe it!