CHICAGO SPORTS BLOG - CHICAGO CUBS BOAST THE BEST RECORD IN BASEBALL
Although the
Cubs fell to the Dodgers last night, they go into today's action with the best record in baseball. Having followed the team through this road trip, I've come to the conclusion that the Cubs, despite their record, have some question marks.
Let's begin with the starting pitching. Outside of Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster, the starters have been very inconsistent. It is certainly a concern that this will remain true for the rest of the season. If so, Cub manager, Lou Piniella, might have no choice but to use his bullpen much more than he'd like which could be a major negative for the stretch run. The Cubs' bullpen has logged major innings for far and we're not even near the halfway point of the season. Will the Cubs begin to look for a bona fide fourth or fifth starter? Hey Cub fans, didn't Greg Maddux look awfully good the other night when he left the Cubs looking baffled at the plate?
How about the Cub offense? Soriano continues to be hot or cold and isn't running as well as Piniella hoped. Will Ryan Theriot have the second half fade like last year? He's been a terrific two hitter and if he can remain effective on getting on base, the Cubs offense will certainly benefit. Derrek Lee is in a major slump and has been fed a steady dose of breaking pitches lately that he hasn't proven he can hit. If the Cubs are going to continue their rise in the division, they need Lee to step it up. I'm also concerned about Geovany Soto who missed last night's game with a swollen finger on his left hand. He, too, has been fed a steady dose of breaking pitches by opposing pitchers and has struggled at the plate.
The Cubs offense has carried this team for the first 62 games and is the main reason the Cubs have flourished. To win the Central Division, the Cubs will have to win 55 of their next 100 games and to do so the Cubs will need the offense to remain potent and the starting pitching to go deeper into games so that the bullpen doesn't get burned out.
JEFF ARDITO & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
