Chicago Cubs Baseball

I believe in Karma. Both the good and the bad varieties.

Right now Chicago Cubs baseball is getting a dose of the bad.

Since leaving Toronto last Sunday with a 7-4 win our Cuddly Cubs have become the bad news bearers. All within the span of a short - or depending on how you look at it - three very long days.

Nevermind the Cubs just finished being swept by the upstart Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After having beach sand kicked in their face since their inception, the D’Rays have learned how to punch back. They’re young, hungry and have nothing to lose.

On the other side of the field, the Cub batters forgot it was June and swung like it was April. The pitching staff wasn’t much better, seemingly having left their best stuff in some Toronto hotel.

Prior to the sweep, Chicago had not lost more than two games in a row at any point of this season. Nine times to be exact.

You knew it was going to be a bad series when Cliff Floyd, the ex-Cub who couldn’t hit straight, kept one in play and jacked his sixth home run of the season in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss. It only got worse from there.

Cub outfielder Reed Johnson aggravated his already bad back and was sidelined for the final two games of the series. He hopes to be back in the lineup when the Cubs meet the Chicago White Sox this weekend.

Jim Edmonds also was bit by the injury bug, leaving Wednesday’s game with sore left arch. He was available for pinch-hitting duty but his status as an everyday player is uncertain.

The most disconcerting injury of the series belongs to Cubs ace, Carlos Zambrano. He left Wednesday’s game in the seventh inning after suffering discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Zambrano will miss his next scheduled start (Tuesday against Baltimore) and will undergo an MRI today (Friday).

“I hope it’s not serious,” Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. “I hope we find out what’s wrong and we can take care of it in short order.”

Speaking of short order. That would describe the Cubs bullpen Thursday. The usually dependable Carlos Marmol suffered his worst shelling since 2006, surrendering two walks and four earned runs without retiring a batter.

Scott Eyre nearly replicated Marmol’s feat, giving up three earned runs on four hits. He did manage to get one out.

Bad luck or Karma? I’m going with Karma.

As you know, the Chicago Cubs were scheduled to play the last Hall of Fame exhibition game on Monday. It was a scheduled day off and Cub players approached the affair with the same enthusiasm one might expect with sticking their hand in a black hole.

”No one’s really going to enjoy [today’s schedule] too much, but once you get there and the game starts and everything, guys will find a way to get through it,” said Johnson prior to the Hall of Fame game.

Did I mention Johnson is sidelined with a bad back?

Or how about Dos Carlos - Zambrano and Marmol? Neither thought the game important enough to get out of their street clothes.  Now  one  might be sidelined and the other just got shelled.  Hmmm.

Of course, all of it could be coincidental. Then again, it might just be karma.