One day after enduring criticism for taking out Carlos Zambrano too early, Cubs manager Lou Piniella might have allowed Ted Lilly to stick around too long.
Lilly struggled from the outset Thursday night in the Cubs’ 8-4 loss to Arizona in Game 2 of their National League Division Series, putting his team in an 0-2 hole as the teams head back to Chicago for a day off Friday before Game 3 on Saturday.
Only three teams have bounced back from 0-2 deficits to win a division series: the New York Yankees over Oakland in 2001, Boston over Oakland in ’03 and Seattle over the Yankees in 1995.
Piniella was the manager of the Mariners team that came back off the mat in ’95, so at least he knows firsthand that it can be done.
Can the Cubs pull off a miracle? Or will their wild season come to an end this weekend at Wrigley Field?
Rich Hill will face Livan Hernandez in Game 3 at 5 p.m. Saturday as the Cubs try to stave off a sweep.
Before Game 2, Piniella was asked whether it was a must-win affair for the Cubs.
“I thought [Wednesday] night’s win was more important for their team than ours,” he replied. “We would’ve loved to have won the game, but tonight, yeah, we’d love to go home 1-1. Our objective was to go out of here 1-1, and we get a chance.”
Lilly took the ball for Game 2, knowing the fate of the Cubs’ season very well could be in his hands. But the veteran left-hander allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks in only 3 1/3 innings, leaving with the Cubs trailing 6-2.
The Cubs cut the lead to 8-4 in the sixth when Daryle Ward’s pinch two-run double off ex-Cub Juan Cruz made it a four-run game.
The expectations on Lilly were high before Game 2 because he had gone 9-1 following Cubs losses this year. But he couldn’t live up to them, and one night after taking flak for giving Zambrano the hook after only 85 pitches, Piniella could be questioned for allowing Lilly to struggle through a 79-pitch outing.
Lilly walked two batters in the first inning, getting off on the wrong foot, but managed to strand a pair of runners when he struck out Mark Reynolds. But after Geovany Soto’s two-run home run off Doug Davis gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead in the second, Lilly blew a gasket in the bottom of the inning.
With runners on second and third and two outs, Lilly grooved a 3-2 pitch to Chris Young, then slammed his glove down to the mound in disgust as Young launched a three-run, 421-foot home run to deep left field that gave the D’backs a 3-2 lead.
Alfonso Soriano misjudged a catchable ball at the wall later in the inning to give Eric Byrnes an RBI triple, and by the time Lilly got out of the inning, he already had thrown 58 pitches. Kevin Hart finally was called on in the fourth after Lilly gave up a two-run triple to Stephen Drew.
As the Cubs took the field in the fifth inning, former Cubs first baseman Mark Grace, now an analyst on D’backs radio broadcasts, blasted them for having “bad body language” and for hanging their heads.
“They’re looking at their toes instead of being on their toes,” Grace told his radio audience.
Davis allowed four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings and left with an 8-2 lead.
He had beaten Lilly and the Cubs at Chase Field on Aug. 25, throwing seven innings of one-run ball while striking out eight. Piniella had called him a “crafty lefty” after that game, which seemed like a harmless choice of words. But apparently it ticked Davis off afterward, and he told reporters he didn’t like being labeled as such.
Nevertheless, Davis is the kind of pitcher who has confounded the Cubs all season long. He has a slight delay in his delivery and a fastball that looks eminently hittable as it floats toward the plate like a batting-practice pitch.
Piniella will be under the spotlight this weekend with the Cubs coming home after letting the D’backs get the upper hand. His moves will be talked about all winter if the Cubs go down in three games.
“I’ve had bad games as a manager,” he said.
“But I’ve been doing this a hell of a long time, so I’ve had a lot more good games than bad games.”
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psullivan@tribune.com
