Ho hum. Another Chicago Cubs-Pittsburgh Pirates game, another Cubs victory. Last night’s 12-3 pounding was the Cubs ninth win in 10 tries against Pittsburgh this season, and kept the Cubs atop the Central Division standings, one game ahead of the pesky St. Louis Cardinals.
The win placed the Cubs 10 games above the coveted .500 winning percentage mark. An accomplishment for sure, considering Chicago Cubs baseball didn’t reach that plateau last season until September 23rd against who else, but the Pirates.
Before Cubdom succumbs to giddiness, it might be a good time to take a look at the math. Removing the Cubs dominance of the Pirates in 2008, Chicago would be a mere two games above .500, good enough for third place in the Central Division.
Not exactly good enough for a division title, little lone a trip to the Show. But that’s not all.
When facing the top division contenders - St. Louis and Houston - the Cubs have a combined 4-5 record and are 2-4 against the struggling Milwaukee Brewers, whom many thought were the chief challengers for the Central title.
The Cubs are no road warriors either. Away from the Friendly Confines, Chicago is 10-11 and haven’t won an away series since sweeping Pittsburgh in early April.
With 17 of the Cubs 27 scheduled games on the road in June, including a West Coast swing against San Diego and Los Angeles, this is a time more for concern than celebration.
Chicago’s starting pitching continues to be a question mark. Beyond Carlos Zambrano, and occasionally Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster, the Cubs have received inconsistent production from the back end of their rotation.
Rookie Sean Gallagher looks to have the tools, but is still learning to pitch at the major league level. Jason Marquis, meanwhile, hasn’t come close to living up to the $6.4 million his salary should dictate.
And it was learned today that Sean Marshall, who was being groomed to return to the Cubs as another left-handed starter, suffered a setback when he incurred a pulled hamstring in his start for Triple A Iowa Thursday night.
As for the Chicago Cub offense, it appears more often than not they’re practicing the binge and purge diet. Last night, for example, the Cubs pounded out a season-high 19 hits - which was only eight shy of what they gathered in their previous three-game set with Houston.
Gaining consistency on the mound, in the field and at the plate will dictate whether this is a banner year for the Cubs or just another milestone in franchise futility.
”We’re a little more of a marked team now because people have predicted things for us,’ Piniella said. “If people feel that way, they should load up in Vegas. But I don’t think that. I prefer to be a little more cautious, a little more sane and play these games one at a time.”
I don’t know about you, but the stock market looks like a safer bet.
Comments 1
Don’t forget, take away the 9 losses (and one win) against the Cubs, and the Pirates are 21-17, 4 games above .500. It isn’t like they are playing a truly poor team. The number of times they have played combined with their dominance makes it appear that way.
I disagree that Dempster has been spotty. He has done a nice job almost every time out. You are correct that our hitting is feast or famine, and Dempster has been the victim of that. Lookup my posts on Dempster and I have repeatedly argued that point.
I don’t think road trips against San Diego and the Dodgers are scary, because those are truly less than stellar teams.
I do believe we have to play better on the road. I do believe we need more consistency. We seem to have different guys hot at different times, but not in one game. We still have a long way to go, but I like the way we are playing.
Posted 24 May 2008 at 5:24 pm ¶Post a Comment
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