Piniella hands one to Mets
Honestly, is this legal?
Piniella hands one to Mets
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
My night began with a post about how Cubs manager Lou Piniella was resting three of his biggest bats -- Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano -- in a game with huge implications for the Mets, Phillies and Brewers. And how it kind of mocked the notion of the integrity of the pennant race that everyone in baseball loves to talk about.Then they played the game and it got worse.
The big bats stayed on the bench, right to the end. Daryle Ward was the pinch-hitter Piniella called on in the top of the ninth inning with two runners on base and two outs in a tie game. Yes, Daryle Ward.
And the bullpen? Bob Howry blew the save in the eighth inning. Kevin Hart lost the game in the ninth inning. Carlos Marmol? Kerry Wood? Nope and nope. They stayed dry as the Mets scored one in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to come from behind and win, 7-6.
Yes, it was wet at Shea Stadium. Yes, you are entitled to give some people some rest after you have clinched your own business. But propriety suggests that you rest one or two guys at a time and no more. Common decency suggests you don't take the field with the Iowa Cubs and then do nothing as the game slips away in the late innings.
But that is what Piniella did. And because of that, the Phillies' lead over the Mets is one game with three to play.
Comments (54)
From above: "I'm thinking sweet Lou wants no part of the Phillies in the first round so he's going to help a beatable team like the Mets out" If this were the real case, then he would have used his starters. The only way the Phillies play the Cubbies in the NLDS is if they are the Wild Card.— Hazy
Comment removed.
Marlins will not behave like Pinella's Cubs— Joe Gonnelli- Piniella showed absolutely no class in resting virtually all of his offensive stars in the same game and then not even using ANY of them to pinch hit in crucial 9th inning situations. I will be spending post season rooting for ANYBODY who plays the Cubs. Bring back Bartman.— archie
- Some of you are such pansies. Do any of you realize that the guy Pinella played instead of Derrick Lee had 5 rbis????? If the Phillies miss the playoffs, they have nobody to blame but themselves— duffers
- Jesus, Rich, you want some cheese with that wine? Give me a break. Lou Pinella, or any other manager for that matter, doesn't care about anyone but their own team. You are a smart enough to know this. "Mocked the notion of integrity of pennant races?" Is this a pennant race or an election? I don't hear anyone from Broad and Pattison whining, why should you?— GiggsOho
- If I'm not mistaken, Lee's replacement at 1B had 5 RBIs...Pinella is a good manager and it is outrageous that Rich Hofmann would suggest that he "handed one" to the Mets...I'm sorry I read this article— DanMaas
- You people are all missing the point! It is sooooooooooo annoying! if any of you followed the game, you would see Rich's point. We all understand that Lou has every right to rest most, if not all of his players. Any manager would do that. But once your triple A team has a 3 run lead going into the 8th, can you not use one of your regulars as a pinch hitter with two men on and no out? Is it really going to tire out Soriano, or Derrek Lee, or Aramis Ramirez, or Mark DeRosa, to come up for one ab? Do you know who batted there? Koyie Hill who was batting .111, and he used Daryle Ward(around .216) as a pinch hitter for the pitcher. I forget the other guy. As far as pitcing, could Marmol not have come in to pitch one ining(or even one batter), instead of using his 3 highest ERA guys in the pen. Marmol has not pitched in about 4 days. Is he actually gonna let him go without pitching in 10 days? But the worst part of the whole thing, Pinella was interviewed, and he said he would play his regulars, because of the integrity of the game!!!! Get off of Rich's back, and know what you are talking about!— scars73
- how lame ur r rich, phils control their own destiny, if they cant wins 2 of 3 from the nats, they do not deserve to go to the post season!— eagles2010
- Phillies should have been 4-5 games up at this point. They are the reason they're only one game up not Lou Pinella. You own the Braves all year - you pitch two of your top three pitchers and you lose both games...The pitching is going to make or break this team...AGAIN!!!— MrJimmy
- I AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED THE WAY LOU P MANAGED THAT GAME LAST NIGHT CUBS VS METS. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE DIDNT WANT TO WIN THE GAME. THIS IS WHAT MAKES ME SICK--CHARLEY M SHOULD COME OUT AND SAY WHAT A DISGRACE THIS WAS TO BASEBALL INSTEAD OF ALL THE ANSWERS WE ALWAYS HEAR. COME ON TELL THE TRUTH HOW YOU REALLY FEEL. LET ALL CHEER AGAINST THE CUBS. MICKEY JC, MEDIA PA— mickeyjc
- You know, I completely understand why Lou Pinella would do this. Can't blame him, why wouldn't you save your best players for the important games? PSU does it all the time in football when they have a big lead. The Phillies have no one to blame but themselves for the situation they are in right now.— PhillySportsFan123
- While I agree that the Phillies have their own destiny in hand, it is very troubling that the Cubs will be playing the Brewers this weekend. Even if we win 2 out of 3 from the Nats, there is a serious chance that we don't get in. I don't like how this team has once again failed to take advantage of what they earned by winning 10 of 11 and then played such sloppy baseball the last two nights. Maybe it's because I'm a lifelong fan who has come to expect the worst, but I don't have a good feeling about this weekend. If they play and lose tonight the anxiety levels are going to go off the charts, primarily because the Mets hold the winning cards if there is a tie because we played so sloppily against them all year.— Yorker
- Yes, the Cubs have earned the right to rest starters and get their rotation set for the playoffs, but throughout the game's history, the unwritten rule is that you don't do anything like a wholesale playing of reserves that would influence a remaining playoff race. If the situations were reversed and Charlie Manuel was resting Utley, Howard and Rollins against a team the Cubs were fighting against to make it into the playoffs, Pinella would be the first one griping. The Phils just have to go out and take at least two of three this weekend - hopefully all three. Then they have to take the lineup and box score from last night's Cubs game and post it on the bulletin board should they meet the Cubs in the playoffs. And, if it was me, I'd be aiming the first pitch of game 1 against the Cubbies at Soriano's ribs.— jdrushton
- Once a whinner always a whinner! Haven't you heard the expression just take care of what you can control. The Phillies and Manuel have not done that. They are lucky to have a one game lead.— Jhunchar
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