Pinella botches handing the pitchers

Maybe the desert heat got to Cubs manager Lou Piniella. I don't know. I can't think of any other explanation for how badly he has mismanaged his pitchers in the first two games of this series.

In game one, his ace, Carlos Zambrano is going strong after six innings and 85 pitches and Piniella pulled him. Why? He wanted to save him for game four.

What game four? There is no game four. Not yet, anyway, and there may never be one.

This is the playoffs. You never leave anything behind for a future that is not promised to you. But that's just what Piniella did.

Before you accuse me of second-guessing, I was yelling at my television when he came out. I didn't even like the bullpen being busy. One of my pet peeves in baseball is when a manager takes out a pitcher, especially a starter, who is doing perfectly well and who is strong, for a guy, who may or may not have his best stuff that day, just because he fills some role.

Piniella's reason for taking Zambrano out was actually dumber, and it backfired. He went with Carlos Marmol, not knowing if he'd be any good or not. Sure, he had reason to have some faith. Marmol had been about as good as anybody over the last month and a half of the season, but he was a kid playing in his first playoff game, and he gagged.

By the time he had any idea where he was throwing the ball, he'd given up two runs and the Cubs were done.

In game two, Piniella had the opposite problem. He stuck with his starter too long after it was clear he had nothing.

Ted Lilly struggled badly with his control in the first inning, walking two guys. He also struck out two (both on 3-2 counts), so he managed to escape with no damage.

The second inning, after Geovany Soto had given him the lead, was a disaster. The first two guys reached on a single and a walk. After a strikeout of Ojeda and a sacrifice by Davis, he faced Chris Young. Young is the biggest power threat on the team and first base was open, but they pitched to him anyway. When the count got to 3-2, the only thing that could go wrong would be if Lilly grooved one. Throw the ball anywhere out of the strike zone - it doesn't matter. Needless to say, Lilly grooved one and it was 3-2, Arizona.

Now, Piniella knows that Lilly has so little control that he can't miss the strike zone when he needs to. Now is the time to get the bullpen up, specifically Kerry Wood and Jason Marquis, a starter who is working out of the bullpen in this series. Now is the time to send the catcher out to stall. Send the pitching coach out to stall. Give Woody time to warm up.

The reason you get those two guys up is because Wood has playoff experience and is a strikeout pitcher, so he gives you the best chance to kill a rally. Then you bring in Marquis, who, if he's effective, can give you five or six innings because he's used to starting. If he's not, you're no worse off than if you left Lilly in because you know he's not effective.

When Lilly then gives up the single to Drew, you bring in Woody with the plan to go to Marquis the next inning of if Wood tanks.

But, NOOOOO! Piniella left Lilly in to give up a triple to make it 4-2. He got out of the inning because Connor Jackson was swinging 3-0 and grounded out.

The reason you don't worry about going to your bullpen in the second inning is because you have a day off the next day. Also, it's the playoffs. You can't afford to let your starter give up seven runs in an effort to right himself like you can in the regular season.

Lilly pitched the third and got away with it because the D-Backs brain-cramped and went up hacking. A first pitch single, a double play ball and a 1-0 popup to the catcher apparently fooled Piniella into thinking Lilly was OK. He even let Lilly bat with a man on and two outs in the top of the fourth.

But, Lilly was not OK. With one on and one out (on a failed sacrifice attempt), Lilly finally managed to walk Young, except this time he wasn't trying to walk him. Stephen Drew then tripled to drive home two more to make it 6-2.

Finally, Piniella got the message and Lilly got the hook. It was two innings too late, and the Cubs are now in a two-game hole. At least Zambrano should be nice and rested for game four. Or the season opener - whichever comes first.