Dismal Production From Lineup, Cubs Get Swept By Sox

Photo by Associated Press

The atmosphere became Unwrigley-like today against cross-town rivals the White Sox in Interleague Play. Nothing developed with the offense as the Cubs lost 6-0 behind a tough pitching showcase by Jake Peavy. Only 5 hits total mounted by the Cubs! This contest wasn't worth watching (the 2012 club has yet to give fans a reason to cheer much). Paul Maholm(4-3)left many in the crowd at Wrigley speechless. He went 6.1 innings to allow 5 earned runs on 9 hits with no walks. Yes, one game to truly want to forget. Starlin castro and the boys in blue failed to produce any real offense. This has to sting a bit for the Cubs who just hit their 6th straight loss. Optimism won't be enough to fuel the club until the half-way point in the season. Nothing seems to be working right on consistent basis, bench-hitting, outfield rotation, call-ups from Triple-A, decisions on the base paths just name it. At 15-26 the problems grow for the Cubs. They don't have the veteran leadership or the power in the lineup to make comebacks often. A struggle to reach at least 4th place right now is SERIOUS with no insults being made here. Theo Epstein is the new guy in Wrigley with the power to make all the top decisions so good trades have to be made sooner than later. If he can piece together a contender like so in Boston than it's time to make history positive again in Chicago for once again a uncertain, struggling franchise. The best which can be noted in the recent week is the Kerry Wood strikeout in relief and his farewell (giving a curtain call to a near sell-out home crowd). He pitched with dominance in his early career and led the Cubs to the playoffs twice. Finished out his career with a positive stride while performing at a lesser control level as a reliever. Yet he as a player with his talent will be missed. As for the present time the Cubs don't want to put their season on ice and let everything falter around them. Their goal needs to be to keep working on hitting techniques to prove they can sustain the bad and avoid the real ugly games to get back within .500 ball. The NL Central is shaping up to be a toss up so far. For now the Cubs have to play with intensity and earn runs (average 3-4 per game) truly on offense and pray the starters stay healthy and effective for the best overall results. This club looks to snap the losing streak with new life in the lineup against the upcoming series with the Astros and Pirates.

Lahair, Soto Power Cubs to 5-1 Final Plus Game 2 Predictions

Photo by David Bank/Getty Images   The game last night turned out well to the Cubs' advantage.  With the bats coming around Starlin Castro slapped an RBI single early.  Brian Lahair followed suit with his 8th homerun in the 4th inning.  The pitching proved to be outstanding by Jeff Samardzija who finished the game with this statline:  7 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K. 
That's what the Cubs deserve: a fine starting pitching performance which was backed by ample offense.  In route to the win, Samardzija moves to 4-1 on the season.  Later in game 1 during the 8th Geovany Soto who'd been rotating with Willington Castillo, drove a ball into the bleachers for a 2-run homer.  He went 2-for-4 on the night amongst the lingering fog at Wrigley. 

  The Cubs have a lot of promise in 2012 with young prospects and talented starting pitching.  Making up ground lost in the NL Central will be a true test.  I like the Cubs' chances with them averaging around 4.5 runs per game and maintaining the three staples in the starting rotation: Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, and Jeff Samardzija.  The club needs that appeal from the pitching with their gritty performances as well as having production from third base and the outfield to keep the runs pouring in for a while. 

  As for Game 2, Ryan Dempster(0-1) vs. Randall Delgado(2-3), will be to the Cubs' favor. Dempster is shooting for his 1st win in 2012. He's sitting on a 0.95 ERA, which I'm guessing he only will allow 1-2 runs in this game at home. Predictions for this contest are certain to be close. Starlin Castro must get on base. I believe he reaches 2 times with at least a walk and a hit while boosting his batting average. Alfonso Soriano if inserted in the lineup will get a big hit and drive in around 2 runs. The rest of the lineup must get enough pinetar on those bats as they aim for 10-12 total hits. As for Demp, it's going to fun to watch. He may have a bit of trouble with the Braves' middle of the order. Other than that the savvy veteran right-hander probably will be fine as he tries to keep it close for the Cubbies. Coach Sveum may elect to make a few defensive switches on the infield and outfield. Reed Johnson can have a chance to enter late in the game and get an at-bat. Expect the score to be a 4-2 final for the Cubs. Definitely should be worth the watch as Chicago tries to climb up to .500. Enjoy it while it last Cubs fans because this month may get to be nagging with a challenging schedule. Go Cubs!

Garza delivers with big 1-hit outing, Cubs route Phillies 5-1

A special day at Citzens Bank park in Philadelphia showed the Cubs earning their second win of the series against the Phillies. The Phillie Phanatic celebrated a birthday. The offense churned about for the Cubs as Tony Campana ignited the team with a 2-hit display in the lead-off spot. He stole a base and went around to score on a sac fly by Starlin Castro in the 3rd. Later the speedy Campana followed up with a run at the plate on a fielder's choice. With small ball offense for support early, starter Matt Garza was excellent all game. He went 7 strong innings only allowing a mere hit. What a huge difference that makes compare to previous weeks where the bullpen faltered with the bats struggling to produce enough runs. With the kind of lineup the Cubs have the starters are going to be needed to go deep into games. The offense is lacking still without another quality outfielder and power from the catcher's position (let's see if Soto can change that).

 Joe Mather got the start in left field today and delivered with a solo homerun. The first for the Cubs outfield. Gave extra insurance as the Cubs welcomed it. In the 8th Jeff Baker added an RBI single which plated Brian LaHair. With the second victory over the Phillies, Matt Garza records a 2-1 record as given the final decision. The bullpen was okay. Dolis made quick work against the opposition in 1 inning and despite walking 3 batters Carlos Marmol closed out the game for the 5-1 final. With new faces all around the clubhouse and guys platooning in the outfield and infield the Cubs still can benefit by trading for a few power hitters. Possibly bringing up from the minors another reliable and consistent hitter to place in the outfield can add to the offense. Another similar player towards Micah Hoffpauir (find him) caliber can steady run production for the Cubs.

 At 8-14 the schedule is going to become more tough heading into May. The guys in blue need to get better at home. They truly owe it to the fans. With injuries and now rehab stints for Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood other young players will have to help carry the load. The two pitchers are scheduled to pitch soon at Triple-A Iowa. Hope all works out well there to have the veterans back as soon as possible. If the Cubs can muster a win Monday to take the series in Philadelphia then they'll catch a break. Luckily the big bats for the Phillies aren't in the lineup due to injuries. The Cubs kinda needed to sweep the Cardinals at Wrigley, but that's okay as there will more chances for the tri-factor this season. To finish out the first month the ballclub isn't doing up to the standards mainstream fans' expect yet the experimentation is there to see how different players can add value with special roles on given days. The best bet for the Cubs before the veterans return is Jeff Samardzja. He's got the best skill right now on the team. Look for him to be a real game changer and home crowd pleaser. With him in May and of course the lineup coming alive it should be an interesting time to see if the Cubs can progress.

Samardzija enables Cubs to avoid sweep with 4-3 final

With the return to Wrigley Field to kick off the season it was a bad start with an unreliable bullpen. Game 1 and 2 didn't go to the Cubs' satisfaction. Comebacks by the Nationals on back-to-back days became an annoyance for fans. Still with good weather and a sure fire starter in Jeff Samardzija the Cubs rebounded on Easter Sunday. A sac fly by Alfonso Soriano in the 4th got Chicago blue on the board. Later another hit by the left fielder drove in the second run.

Jeff Samardzija did more than what was needed for the win. He hit an 110 pitch count into the 9th, nearly capitalizing on a complete game. Yielding only 4 hits and one earned run through 8 quality innings the big right-hander played well to the home crowd's approval. It wasn't until a error from Starlin Castro in the 9th off a Ryan Zimmerman ground ball put a bit of uncertainity into the air. The next batter, Adam LaRoche connected on a 2-run homer to make a 4-3 game after the Cubs got 2 insurance runs with an RBI double by Castro and a line drive single for a run off Ian Stewart's bat.

Carlos Marmol, having stinging outings in the opening series, came in to relieve Samardzija with 1 out to record. His mechanics and control looked off as in the previous 2 games at Wrigley. Luckily he got a pop-up to end the game. As a result the starter, Samardzija picked up his first win. Kerry Wood and Marmol must be reliable in the coming months ahead as they both were shaky prior to Sunday. The rest of the bullpen will probably see enough action to get tested in the next series against the Brewers. Chicago needs to pick up the intensity to give proper run support for the starting pitchers.

All and all the Cubs didn't prove much in the opening series versus the Nats. They definitely should have got a sweep. They'll really have to strengthen the bullpen and find good results from a platoon outfield. Fans expect to see smart improvements. The Cubs under new manager Dale Sveum have to find ways to pack their offense with rally hitters and have the bullpen be under control. It won't be easy in April where they play the Cardinals on the road and at home plus contend in the division with the hard-hitting Reds and Brewers.

Cubs end season on bad note, brief year in review

The season finale didn't go to the Cubs' advantage. They lost the series to the Padres on the road. Only producing 2 runs in the last game wasn't a good strength to end it for the franchise. Their offense lacks too much execution without enough run support. The team will have to find a solution to the runners stranded dilemna they face almost every year. In good news Carlos Pena finished the year strong with 28 homeruns and over 80 RBIs. He's eligible for free agency again this off-season. A smart move would be to sign him again to a new contract.

The young arms didn't stick around long in 2011. Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman, Chris Carpenter, Jeff Samardzja, and other pitching prospects didn't get much time in due to injuries. The starting pitching didn't have a terrible time on the mound yet couldn't keep the ERA to around 4.00 or lower as a rotation. In the lineup Starlin Castro produced over 200 total hits with 10 homeruns, having his best season as a Cub. He became the real bright spot for the young blood as did Darwin Barney who served well in the no. 2 spot in the lineup.

The Cubs finished 2011 with a 71-91 record. They fell well below .500 after July and wasn't able to rebound to get within 10 games if not better of the Cardinals and Brewers. They end up 5th in the NL Central. Another big year for Aramis Ramirez who took leadership for the offense as he totaled 26 homeruns with 93 RBIs on 173 hits. Ramirez also notched a .306 batting average. Not much else went to high favor in Wrigleyville. The Cubs let the Pirates get in front of them. They need to desperately sign key off-season acquistions and possibly make a few trades with their bullpen extras. Most of all they need to work on their offensive strategies and find a way to juice up the power connection in the linuep. That's all for 2011, better luck next year.

Pena takes charge with homerun, Cubs route Reds 6-3

The Cubs battled the Reds yesterday with Pena and the lineup taking advantage of good opportunities. Starlin Castro had 2 hits to move his league leading total along the way. Carlos Pena struck for his 25th homerun and notched 3 RBIs. Aramis Ramirez also did fine work in an at-bat to pick up a 2-run single when the Cubs needed it. The pitching held up enough as Ryan Dempster proved to be effective. Yet he didn't qualify for the decision, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks.

Kerry Wood came in during the 8th inning to record his 2nd win this season. Carlos Marmol sealed the victory with his 33rd save. With their record at 62-81, the franchise has endured injuries with new decisions being made by management and the team President. With room on the roster a few minor league call-ups have been made. Nothing exciting for the most part as the franchise will search for a new GM in the off-season since the Jim Hendry firing. The big turnaround may take making at least two big signings after the season ends. That can give the Cubs the firepower they need.

4 dingers completes win for Cubs, Wells records 6th win in San Francisco

The ball sailed right for the Cubs on the West Coast Monday evening. With the score 0-0 in the 5th inning, Blake Dewitt hit a 3-run shot over the right field wall. Alfonso Soriano followed by drilling his 23rd homerun thereafter. Later in the 7th, Carlos Pena and Geovany Soto both hit homeruns. The star first baseman collected his 68 RBI while Soto picked up his 14th homerun with 41 RBI for the season. Smooth from that point on as Randy Wells pitched a real gem, a 2-hit shutout. He struck out 7 batters. With the victory the Cubs improve to 58-77.