My attitude this season toward my Cubs, and to baseball in general, has been one of hostile indifference. I mean, let’s be serious: the Cubs suck :mad:. I mean, weren’t they some 17 games under .500 and about 21 games back of the Cardinals at All-Star Break?
So yesterday I check the standings, mainly to see how Mrs. Rastahomie’s Cardinals (:rolleyes:) are holding on to first place, and I notice that the Cubs are 7 games under .500 and 8 1/2 back of the Cards.
WTF??? Did they go on some big tear since All-Star Break? Did they sign a bunch of good players that I didn’t bother to learn about? And, most importantly, should I start getting my hopes up again?
Oh yeah, they’ve been struggling the last week and a half, but for the month after the all-star break they had the best record in baseball by some 6 games. They won 19 of 25 games out of the chutes including the 2 of 3 from the ChiSox before the break. Now with Woods down and Girardi down, they’ve slipped the last 6 games or so. Hopefully the addition of White could spark the excitement again. Granted several of those wins were against the Twins, Pirates and Phillies, but they do have a legitimate shot at getting into the post season with how bad the NL Central has been, but they obviously have to keep the pace up, not a likely feat considering the first 62 games.
I am a huge Cubs fan (No, really?) They have been on a pretty good tear. I chalk it all up to Joe Girardi’s All-Star berth.
Seriously, though, it is nice to see that they have a little spurt left in them and it seems like they started getting hot right around the time Ed Lynch was let go. Whatever it is, I won’t question it. I will gladly ride along with it.
However, to say they have a legitimate shot at a post-seaso berth is looking a little too much on the bright side. According to ESPN, the NL Central standing and the NL Wild card standings the Cubs aren’t quite breathing down anyone’s necks just yet. Throw a 5 game winning streak in there and things might change dramatically. But, for right now, I can at least take pride in the fact that they are showing life and winning some games. Just wait’ll next year.
Corey Patterson will help them, big time, in the future.
Especially if he learns to draw a walk.
The Cubs have some decent prospects in their system: Hee Seop Choi, a Korean 1B with power, Ben Christensen, Pitcher (if he can ever live down what he did in college). A sleeper is Jeff Goldbach, a Catcher who is supposed to be a really good hitter (compared to Bagwell, though I take that with a mountain of salt).
Well, the way they won last night’s game against the Dodgers in extra innings was indicative of a good team. One of the most exciting games I’ve listened to this year. They sure are playing with a lot of heart.
Contenders or Pretenders? Next week should tell. They play their next two series against the Reds and Cardinals, the two teams they are chasing.
I love the Cubbies, but lets be honest on last nights game. It was the biggest indication that they have been getting lucky more often than playing “like a winner”. They get the bases juiced with 1 out in the 10th, and tons of runners in scoring position, and can only barely get one run across against a struggling pitcher by virtue of a walk? It was a great at-bat to draw that walk, but the three hitters beforehand should have driven in at least one of those baserunners. Not to mention that weak strike out in the next at bat. Look at the bottom frame, their “star” closer puts 2 men on, one at third with no outs. Loading the bases for the heart of the order and Sheffield. Happily he got a pop out, but he ripped a pitch beforehand that would have cleared the bases. Fact of the matter, the game was between two teams trying to give the game away, and the Cubs made fewer mistakes than the Dodgers. Now, teams have played that way all the way through October and won it all, but they aren’t exactly teams I’d put money on.
I was at the game. Rooting for the Dodgers, unfortunately.
Lieber could be a #1 starter if he could figure out a way to get lefties out. Also, if he’d cut down on the homers allowed.
The Cubs scored three of their runs in one inning by absolutely exploiting Todd Hundley’s arm (2 throwing errors in one inning). They’ll have to figure out other ways to score runs, though–most catchers throw better than Hundley.
The Cubs really could use a third baseman and catcher who can hit, another power hitting OF to replace Henry Rodriguez, and a couple starting pitchers to fill out the rotation behind Lieber. They might be able to contend then, though they have considerably less talent than the Braves, Mets and Cards.