It's not a great day to be Mike Quade, newly non-interim manager of the Chicago Cubs. Saturday he didn't intentionally walk Albert Pujols in the 12th inning of their game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and Pujols took a golf swing at a Jeff Samardzija pitch, seemingly out of the strike zone, to give the Cardinals a walk-off victory. The result: Sunday, Mike Quade said he couldn't get any sleep after the loss, but that Sunday was a new day and he would be sure to deal with Puiols differently—which might mean being more aggressive or less aggressive, depending on the situation.
↵On Sunday Pujols homered to beat the Cubs again. The slugger's season-long dormancy apparently lifted just in time to make Quade, who had Rodrigo Lopez in to pitch against Pujols in the suddenly tied game, look terrible for a second day in a row.
↵Cubs fans are likely to be less forgiving than I am, but Quade was in an incredibly awkward position both days. You might not want Albert Pujols to beat you in extra innings, but with the Cardinals lineup currently featuring a number of players who you wouldn't want to beat Jeff Samardzija or Rodrigo Lopez, what's to be done about pitching to a guy in the worst slump of his career who will nevertheless proceed to hit three long home runs when it counts?
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