Starting tonight in Cincinnati the Cubs begin a stretch of 29 consecutive games against teams that were under .500 last season. A lovely little fact that was brought to my attention by csnchicago.com . If the Cubs can feast on these guys it could be enough to catapult the Cubs into the postseason race till the very end of the season. Confidence is an amazing motivator.
Of course, some of these teams may have improved like our next opponent the Reds for example. Many people actually have them picked over the Cubs. Mainly because of the young flame throwers they have on their staff. But if they do have Dusty as manager chances are those flame throwers will flame out before too long by the ruin-er of promising young pitching staffs. Something Cub fans know all to well unfortunately.
I'm not going to back off of my "they don't have a chance at the series" prediction, but if Wells is the real deal like last night, and last season, this will be the deepest staff in baseball probably. Then we'll have a legitimate shot at postseason play on the North Side. Now if only we can get the bullpen, offense, and defense on board we'll have something here.
Now if Colvin could continue to be a pleasant surprise, and Castro comes up in about two months, and kills it, that could be enough to keep this team competitive. That would really help offset the ineffectiveness of Soriano should he continue to slide. But, it would be a big plus to have some left handed pop with Colvin in the lineup to go along with better athleticism on the paths, and in the field from both Colvin, and Castro.
Is there a chance Colvin replaces Soriano on a regular basis this season? It would be a tough pill to swallow to bench Soriano.
It's just both amazing and depressing to think he has five more years left on his contract. It's just tough to watch him flail away at low and outside sliders without adjusting. It was encouraging to see him beat out a double play, and run first to third on a single though. It does appear that knee is one hundred percent, and should give him a better chance at a comeback season. That would be huge, and completely change the complexion of the season.
The LSU connection isn't impressing anyone this year. That has to be addressed because we are mediocre' up the middle which is not a good thing. Soto and Byrd are average defenders, but can contribute at the plate as run producers at least. Fontenot and Theriot can not.
They need to play steady if not spectacular defense, and get on base to justify their presence on this team. Not a good start with these two, considering they don't have the job security to play through prolonged slumps.
Call me crazy, but I'm kind of anxious to see Silva pitch tonight. He could be a valuable swing guy, and member in the pen once Lilly returns, if he can find his form. No pun intended.
Which leads to the Lilly back issue. Its discouraging to hear he'll be pushed back in his progress which means he's further off his return then expected, but its even more troubling to hear he has a back issue. Especially for an older pitcher. The last thing we need is a valued member of our pitching staff battling back issues all year long.
Pitching, as we all know, puts incredible stress on the back. It could also lead to arm issues if he tries to compensate for the pain in his back with his mechanics. I worry about this, because of Lilly's high competitive nature. I just hope he remains smart about it, and doesn't push it too far. Especially after cleaning up the shoulder through surgery this off season.
Speaking of big contributions in the pen, I would like to give Marshall his propers as well. He has been his usual reliable, and valuable self so far early in the season.
I was glad to see Pinella gave Grabow the hook after he gave up that walk. He gave him his shot at redemption, and then thankfully removed him from the mound. I was against signing him to two years at that price in an obvious cost conscious season. I thought that money could have been better spent elsewhere like with Wagner who looked very dominant against us, and/or Kiko Calero who had an awesome year in Florida.
Marmol is his typical exciting self I see, but what stuff! I loved the three pitch strike out to baseball prodigy Heyward. Just nasty!
I like to hear that Maddux is breaking down tape of our pitchers. I can't think of anyone better to do that that's for sure. People talk about adding Jaramillo to the mix being big, but I think the addition of Maddux is every bit as big if not bigger. It kind of flew under the radar.
But you can never have too many good teachers, and mentors around. Especially with the young arms we'll be counting on this season, and more to come in the days ahead with guys like Cashner, Jackson, and Gaub.
That was a very shrewd hire by this organization. Of all the grief I give Hendry for his errors I have to tip my hat to him for the good stuff he's done like the Maddux/Jaramillo hires. Hopefully those additions along with a revived and thriving farm system will fuel this season, and many more in the days ahead to prodigious success.
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