Aisle 237

On the DL...

2011-06-11T18:12:00.001-07:00

So, also joining the disabled list with what seems to be a growing list of Cub players, I’ve decided to take a temporary hiatus from my series updates (retroactive to May 10, 2011). I’ve decided to pause mostly because I just haven’t been able to keep up with the pace of writing and covering a sports team. It doesn’t help that the product on the field has been less than desirable, but as an eternal optimist, I still see hope for this group, and if they could just put together a string of victories, and more importantly a return back to .500, they can still make some noise in the NL Central.

My hopes for the team for the month of June include the following:

a series win over the visiting New York Yankees
the return of Cubs starters 1-4 (namely Matt Garza now that Randy Wells has come off the DL)
continued success from the most promising duo of Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney
fewer errors on the field and better running of the bases
a power surge with the warmer weather, particularly Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena
oh, yeah, a 3-game win streak would be really nice

We shall see how the hot summer treats the Cubs. After two months and the constant back and forth dance that the team engaged in during April, things seemed to unfortunately turn South as the team hit a low point during May and now one of the worst records in all of baseball. June will be a telling month and may ultimately be the last chance for the team to play itself into contention once again.

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Cubs Series Recap: To Dusty, We Lose Two

2011-05-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: To Dusty, We Lose Two on Blogcritics.

The first of two huge series for the Chicago Cubs (15-18) came and went as the team dropped two of three to the Cincinnati Reds (19-16). There's still reason to hope for the team, and with the Chicago weather heating up a bit, so too will the bats, or so we hope.

How many men can you leave on base in a game? For the Cubs, the answer for the team combined would be 23. All the team needed was to drive home two of those and Matt Garza would have gotten his second win of the season. Instead, he notches his fourth loss of the season, as he gave up five runs in six innings. It's becoming rapidly apparent that he'll need to allow under four for any chance of a win this year, the way the offense has shown how clutch (or un-clutch) it will be this year.

Casey on the mound - Casey Coleman pitched six solid innings, scattering four hits and giving up two runs. Things didn't look that good with the only offense being Blake DeWitt's solo shot into the wind, giving the team a 1-0 in the seventh. That's when FOX showed a statistic of how the Cubs were 10-0 this season when entering the 7th with the lead, and 1-14 when trailing. Kerry Wood promptly gave up the lead, and some fans assumed that Coleman's strong outing would be wasted. And then another stat came - 0-16 when losing in the ninth. Not anymore. Carlos Pena, with a bunt single earlier in the game, became a hero of at least one game by tying it in the ninth with a solo shot. Jeff Baker's ground rule double (really? in Wrigley?), and Kosuke Fukudome's walk off single ended the game on a high note. As stated before (link), this team has a lot of heart, and for now remains undefeated when leading after 6 innings.

Making Johnny Cueto's mother would be proud - In his first start after four minor league starts, Cueto's return was strong as he lasted six innings while giving up only five hits. A shutout loss can only be salvaged by Ryan Dempster's earned run average dropping another point (down to 7.20!) and Carlos Pena's batting average approaching the Mendoza line (.198 after a 1-for-4 performance).

Keeping Score - Another series, another broken sounding record for this Blogger as the Cubs drop to three games below .500 for the season. They are now flirting with a more permanent departure from my predicted 85 wins, and will need a winning streak (they are one of five teams without a three game win streak) soon.

On Deck - And what better time for their first three game sweep? The NL Central Division leading and dearly beloved St. Louis Cardinals will be in town. We'll call this a "statement" series just to mix up the terminology. Regardless of what it's called, the Cubs need to make it known that they are going to be competing, and now's as good a time as any to prove just that.

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Cubs Series Recap: Capping Off a Winning West Coast Trip

2011-05-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Capping Off a Winning West Coast Trip on Blogcritics.

The Chicago Cubs (14-16) finished a seven game West Coast trip with a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-17) which solidified a winning record on the trip as the team comes home for two straight divisional series against the Cincinnati Reds and then the beloved St. Louis Cardinals. First, a look at the good that came out of the trip to L.A.

Another Russell loss - What has grown to be an unfortunate pattern for this season, fifth starter James Russell gave up some early runs, the Cubs could not muster any run support for their pitcher, and the game never really felt like a competitive matchup from the beginning. Alfonso Soriano continued to add to his homer total (11), but it was another solo shot. The entire lineup struggled today, and Carlos Pena's batting average dipped to .157 after an 0-for-4 performance (spoiler alert: it goes up soon). The best news of the day came when Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells both threw off the mound, though the two starters are still not due back for at least a few weeks.

Welcome back Carlos Pena - The off season free agent pickup made Cubs fans rejoice with his first home run of the season, a solo shot that tied the game. Perhaps, that was just enough of a momentum boost to give the team some swagger as it produced three runs in the top of the ninth, including a two-run double from Geovany Soto to seal the victory. Ryan Dempster bounced back off a miserable performance to pitch seven innings allowing one run and watching his earned run average drop nearly 1.5 points.

Chicks dig the long ball - The team went yard three times in this game, including Pena's second (cross your fingers that his power surge continues this weekend), Soto's third, and Marlon Byrd's first (a big three run blast). Carlos Zambrano added a hit, but more importantly, pitched eight strong innings scattering five hits yet only striking out four batters. He was efficient, which is more than can be said of the Cubs' baserunning skills. The trip has revealed some mental lapses, none discussed more by Cubs fans than Aramis Ramirez's pickoff in this game. Hopefully, coach Bobby Dernier will reinforce some concepts with the team.

Keeping Score: With a series win, the Cubs climbed closer to .500 again, and that's what they'll need to overcome in order to reach my targeted 85 win prediction.

On Deck: Here we go - fasten your seat belts. It's divisional match up time with the second place Cincinnati Reds followed by the first place St. Louis Cardinals at home for a pair of three game sets. If the Cubs are going to be serious contenders this season, they'll need to win their division, and it all starts with beating your divisional rivals. We'll call this weekend's series a "must win." I know, it's early, but I really believe it, and I hope it will be a vibrant atmosphere at Wrigley starting on Friday.

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Cubs Series Recap: Hot and Cold in the Desert

2011-05-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Hot and Cold in the Desert on Blogcritics.

The Chicago Cubs (12-15) finished their season series with the Arizona Diamondbacks (12-15) by splitting a four game set, though the team had a chance to take 3-of-4 in the finale. After winning two of three in an earlier series, they finish 4-3 on the season against the D-Backs.

Not a good start - The four game set did not get off to a good start as Ryan Dempster got torched for seven runs in the first inning, before getting removed after just a single out. The performance did wonders for his earned run average, now hovering close to ten (9.58). There wasn't much to expect from the hitting when down ten runs after three innings, as the bats scraped five hits and two runs in the game. The most noteworthy stat was backup catcher Koyie Hill getting one of those hits.

Not a good start #2 - After surrendering two runs in the first inning, things seemed to be headed south for the Cubbies fast. However, two solo homers by Alfonso Soriano, another by Geovany Soto (the second half of a back-to-back jack with Fonzi) and an RBI by Aramis Ramirez gave the Cubs a much needed victory, and one of the come-from-behind variety. Carlos Zambrano settled down after giving up the 2-run homer, pitched well overall, and he was supported with a solid effort by the bullpen.

The kids are all right - Despite seeing their averages return to earthly numbers, Darwin Barney and Starlin Castro drove in key runs to give the Cubs a big lift in Saturday night's matchup. Matt Garza gave up a 3-1 lead, but stayed in the game long enough (8 innings) to keep his team in it, and he was still the pitcher of record when the kids helped the Cubs take the lead for good. I love the energy and enthusiasm that this team has, wth Barney and Castro seeming to provide the sparks for the rest of the team. Add Garza's great personality, Dempster's lighthearted attitude, and the clubhouse appears to be a fun place again. Hopefully, the energy will keep the team's spirits up as they shook off their longest losing streak by winning 2 in a row.

Opportunities lost - You take that energy, enthusiasm, and excitement on the bench, the guys standing on the steps cheering for their teammates, supporting them, and you just hope that the clutch hits will start coming. And then Jeff Baker grounds into a game ending double play on the first pitch of a pinch-hit at bat. Again, the blame can't be pinned on one player, as the team left 18 men on base and Casey Coleman allowed four in five innings (underlining the need to shore up the fourth and fifth starter spots). The team dropped another one run game despite having a real chance to win it in the end.

Keeping Score - A split keeps the Cubs just behind pace of my predicted 85 wins. They'll need to pick up a series or two sometime soon before they fall too far behind the surging Cardinals for the Central Division.

On Deck - The team is off to Los Angeles where hopefully the warm weather will continue to inspire Soriano's bat and carry over to others in the dugout. The team is deserving of a series win, so we'll call this yet another "critical series."

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Cubs Series Recap: Colorado Rockies Horror Show

2011-04-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Colorado Rockies Horror Show on Blogcritics.

This recap is going to be a short one as we lost a game to Mother Nature on Wednesday. It's probably for the better since the Chicago Cubs (10-13) lost the series early on Monday and Tuesday. Monday's loss marked the first time the team would not be able to reach the .500 mark as they had previously attained the 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, etc. records. Aside from fun with numbers, there was not much else fun with the series and the team finds itself at a critical junction for the season.

No Love for Garza - I'm not talking about me, as I still like the Matt Garza signing, and I think he brings a great personality to the team. In return, the team has only given the pitcher something like 8 runs combined in his five starts. So, you would think that a three run lead to start Monday night's game would be enough, right? Well, when you have Starlin Castro commit three errors in one inning and then Garza adding another on his own, the result is Garza's third loss of the season. It's hard to get down on Castro since he is clearly the future for this team, but he'll need to learn the Wrigley Field grass along with the not so friendly April weather that comes with Chicago very soon. Seems like the Rockies were able to handle the elements just fine as they committed zero errors for the evening.

Russell gave us a chance - There's been a lot of talk on who should start in the Cubs' vacant fifth spot as a result of the injuries to Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner. James Russell got another chance on Tuesday, and although the Rockies scored four in four innings, the bats were really to blame for this game and yesterday's as well. With 24 runners left on base in Monday's game, the Cubs continued this extremely disturbing trend by leaving 19 stranded on Tuesday. Thus, the focus should be on how these hitters can start being more clutch. Manager Mike Quade continues to juggle the lineup in search of the right combination, and although he's getting production out of Kosuke Fukudome (5-for-5 on Monday) and Jeff Baker (.400+ for the season), the team is simply not producing enough runs on a regular basis.

Keeping Score: My prediction of 85 wins may start getting less hopeful if the team continues to play like this. At three games under .500, the Cubs will need to bounce back in order to stay in contention early for the division.

On Deck: The Cubs go on the road for a four game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Wednesday's postponement (rescheduled for June 27) may have been what the team needed to regroup from two losses in a row and the longest losing streak (3 games) of the season. This make winning this series extremely "critical" for the success of the season.

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Cubs Series Recap: Curing the Dodger Blues

2011-04-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Curing the Dodger Blues on Blogcritics.

Easter weekend delivered some sunshine and slightly warmer weather for the city of Chicago. Unfortunately, although the Chicago Cubs' (10-11) bats heated up as well, the pitching couldn't keep the team in games long enough to take advantage of the number of hits produced. A day-by-day analysis of the three game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-11).

Good Friday - not so much. The holy day did not live up to its name for the Cubs, as Casey Coleman proved that his victory over Colorado last week was soon forgotten as he was knocked around for six runs early and got pulled after 2 2/3 innings. The drubbing continued as the bullpen surrendered six more courtesy of Jeff Stevens and Marcos Mateo. The bats never really came alive in this game despite Kosuke Fukudome going 3-for-4 with a walk, and the team left eleven runners on base.

This team has heart - The bats did come through for the Cubs on Saturday, in front of a sun drenched crowd that finally looked like the announced attendance matched what was seen in the stands. Despite giving up a 5-1 lead, the Cubs came back from an 8-5 deficit by scoring the final five runs of the game. Manager Mike Quade continues to add to discussion board fodder with his decision to let Ryan Dempster bat with the bases loaded in the fifth (end result: strikeout) and then to allow Jeff Baker to swing against a right-handed pitcher with slugger Carlos Pena available as a pinch hitter (end result: game winning RBI). I appreciate the gut instincts that Quade displays, as Pena is clearly struggling and Baker has earned some playing time. Pena is still the starter, so he'll get his at-bats and hopefully will start hitting homers soon, but it was nice to see Baker get the job done and make Quade look good.

One streak ends - No, it's not the (1-1, 2-2, 3-3, etc.) .500 record streak, though the Cubs will be hard pressed to get a win on Monday versus the Rockies in order to keep that streak alive. Instead, it was Carlos Zambrano's win streak that ended at 10 and dated back to June 25, 2010. Big Z was roughed up early on with the suddenly hot hitting Dodgers putting up a five spot on the board in the first inning. Although the Cubs showed some resiliency on Saturday, the team could not break through with any big hits on Sunday. Quade continues to juggle the lineup around, as we saw Fukudome back in the leadoff spot, Starlin Castro hitting in the 3-hole, which meant that slumping Marlon Byrd moved down in the order. I liked the move, but I hope that Pena's bat gets hot soon, as the team needs some power from the left side (or any side for that matter.)

Keeping Score - A minor setback, as the Cubs will need to win a series versus the Colorado Rockies to keep pace with .500 and on track to achieve my predicted 85 wins.

On-Deck: The Rockies come into town for the second series meeting between the two teams. Who should start on Tuesday night (currently slated to be James Russell) is the talk of the town, as the Cubs can't afford to give up every fifth start. Still, Monday's game may be the most important, as Matt Garza goes for the Cubs as they attempt to get back to .500 for the 11th time this season. We'll call this a "critical" series since they dropped 2-of-3 to the Dodgers this weekend.

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Cubs Series Recap - A Chilly Return to Chicago and .500

2011-04-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap - A Chilly Return to Chicago and .500 on Blogcritics.

The Chicago Cubs (9-9) managed to continue their strange obsession with the .500 mark by returning to 8-8 and then 9-9 after taking two of three from the visiting San Diego Padres (8-10). The pitching staff got the team off to a solid start in the first two games before spot starter James Russell struggled to prevent the team from getting their first series sweep of the year.

Big Z goes sleeveless - Carlos Zambrano showed off his toughness (or craziness) when he went sleeveless on one of the coldest days that Chicago has seen in awhile. Big Z was dominating and the crowd appreciated how he made quick work of the Padres, giving up only three hits and striking out ten in eight innings. Two of the "three animals", Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol kept the team in it at the end, and Tyler Colvin drove in the game winning run in the bottom of the tenth. I liked manager Mike Quade's use of Marshall and Marmol to give the Cubs the best chance to stay in the game and the offense rewarded him with a clutch hit in the extra frame. This move also made Kerry Wood available to close out the game on Tuesday.

Garza finally delivers - Of course, Tuesday came and rain forced the game to be played on Wednesday as part of a day-night doubleheader. Former Tampa Bay Devil Ray Matt Garza pitched in the day game and delivered his strongest performance yet. The free agent acquisition struck out nine while giving up six hits, and he should have earned his fist win as a Cub until Marmol blew his second save in the ninth. The bullpen held the Padres from scoring (there was a head scratcher when San Diego did not try to tag on a sacrifice fly late in the game), and Reed Johnson delivered a walk off homer to guarantee the series win for the Cubs.

Missing Wells and Cashner - It is unfair to blame the loss in the nightcap on James Russell since he was not expecting to be the Cubs' fifth starter so early in the season. Thus, we'll focus on the bats, not for their lack of hits (13 in the game), but for the lack of clutch hitting (7 men left on base) as well as a questionable base running decision by Reed Johnson, the hero of game one. The Cubs need at least one of their starters (Randy Wells or Andrew Cashner) back in order to break through and stay on the other side of .500.

Keeping Score - Back and forth yet again, a .500 winning percentage is no longer a surprise as we inch closer to the predicted 85 win mark.

On Deck - The Los Angeles Dodgers (10-10) come to town with a new owner (MLB) and a mediocre start. A series win will put the Cubs two games above .500, just in time for the NL leading Rockies to come in and take two of three. We'll call this a "critical" series for that point alone.

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Cubs Series Recap - Rocky Mountain Road Trip

2011-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap - Rocky Mountain Road Trip on Blogcritics.

The Chicago Cubs (7-8) held their own against the Colorado Rockies (12-3), the National League team with the best record, though the Cubs let the series slip away despite a strong rally in the rubber match. A few items of note as the season's first road trip comes to an end:

Garza's interesting streak stops - With 20 hits and 20 K's in his first two starts, Matt Garza gave up two extra hits this time around and more importantly, spotted the Rockies with four runs in the second inning. Mustering only six hits and no runs, the Cubs did not offer Garza any sort of support, but the team will need the former Devil Rays star to keep them in future games long enough for the bats to heat up.

Casey Coleman gets help - One would think that the Cubs had a better chance to take a game from the Rockies with Garza or on Sunday with Ryan Dempster, but it turned out that Casey Coleman was going to be the only Cub pitcher to pick up a win at Coors Field. The Cubs' hitters decided to support their pitcher by racking up 17 knocks, with every starter getting into the books save for Marlon Byrd. Starlin Castro was his usual self going 4 for 5 with 3 RBI's, backup catcher Koyie Hill got into the stats book for 2011 with a hit, and Alfonso Soriano continued to provide power with a homer and 2 other hits in 5 trips to the plate.

Rally comes up short - Although the Cubs lost on Sunday, the game represented an encouraging sign that the team can come back from an early deficit. We've seen the Cub bats go silent when the starting pitcher gives up early runs this season. However, on Sunday, the team rallied from a three run early deficit to actually take a brief lead before starter Ryan Dempster gave it right back in the bottom half of the frame. Still, the game was within reach until the 8th when Marcos Mateo surrendered four earned runs to let Colorado take the series.

Keeping Score: As predicted in the last recap, taking one game from the streaking Rockies was meeting expectations and the Cubs were close to taking two of three. They remain behind on my projection of 85 wins.

On Deck: Coming home one game under .500 and only two games trailing the cooled off Cincinnati Reds puts the Cubs in good position to start a winning streak at home against the San Diego Padres who are also 7-8 going into Monday night's matchup. The Cubs need to start a long homestand with a series win, so we'll call this a "critical" three game set.

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Cubs Series Recap: Houston, We Are Back to .500

2011-04-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Houston, we are back to .500 on Blogcritics.

First, the city of Houston was left out of the NASA Shuttle giveaway, and the bad news continued as the slumping Astros (4-9) dropped two of three to the Chicago Cubs (6-6) in this early season series. The two wins evened up the Cubs on the road trip and for the season.

Dempster gets a W - I love the decision to use Ryan Dempster in the opening game as opposed to using what would have been the fifth starter spot, formerly occupied by the injured Andrew Cashner and instead filled by James Russell and the bullpen. Indeed, the "bullpen night" that we saw on Tuesday resembled just that as the Cubs gave up early runs and didn't stand a chance in a miserable 11-2 loss. With a limited offense (finally breaking through for nine runs in the following game), the Cubs can't afford to give up too many runs early on, nor can they concede every fifth start.

Station to Station - This series marked the first stolen base for the team as Starlin Castro swiped a bag on Monday and then followed up with his second in the rubber game. The top of the lineup is looking pretty well solidified with Castro, Barney and Byrd, as those three are averaging .389, .353. and .345 respectively. Add in Jeff Baker's .385 average, and you've got some solid hits coming at the top of the order. Although there may not be the traditional speed on the bases at the top of the lineup, the Cubs' leadoff hitters are atop the National League in batting average and on-base percentage.

Putting up the hits - Manager Mike Quade put together a great lineup on Wednesday with the top of the order as mentioned above followed by streaking Aramis Ramirez, Jeff Baker, Geovany Soto, Alfonso Soriano, and Tyler Colvin. It never hurts to have Carlos Zambrano as the ninth hitter, and he actually delivered what turned out to be the game winning homer for the team. In total, the lineup delivered 9 runs on 14 hits and most importantly, a 5-0 lead for Big Z early on. It was good to see Soto get a pair of hits, though we're still waiting for Carlos Pena and Colvin to up their production.

Keeping Score: A series win brought the Cubs closer to my predicted 85 wins.

On Deck: A visit to Coors Field begins on Friday and the Colorado Rockies (10-2) are red-hot. With Dempster and Big Z just pitching in the Houston series, we'll get Matt Garza, Casey Coleman and then Dempster again on Sunday. I'm hoping for at least one win and taking the series would be a "bonus."

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Cubs Series Recap: Losing Two to the Brew Crew

2011-04-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Losing Two to the Brew Crew on Blogcritics.

The first visit to Wrigleyville North (aka Milwaukee) came early for the Cubbies, and although the series looked promising with a victory in the first game, the Brewers responded by taking two of three and ultimately the series. A few more thoughts in this series recap between the Chicago Cubs (4-5) and the Milwaukee Brewers (5-5):

Baker, Barney & DeWitt - Could this be the Cubs' new law firm? Guess again. Instead, it's the second base by committee group that has surprisingly gotten off to a good start. With Darwin Barney hitting .333 to start the season, Blake DeWitt adding a key pinch hit double versus the Pirates, and Jeff Baker nearly singlehandedly winning Friday's series opener, the team appears to be set on the right side of the infield.

Garza vows for change - Hopefully, this won't be a signature statistic for Matt Garza, but the pitcher managed to extend his hit/strikeout ratio streak by giving up eight hits while striking out the same number on Saturday. Of course, it's the number of runs that matter most, and Garza gave up five in the loss. The Cubs didn't offer any run support, though Matt, to his credit will not offer any excuses. He realizes that it starts with him, as seen in this quote from the Chicago Tribune:

"I'm a fastball guy, and six of their eight hits were breaking ball pitches, or off-speed pitches, and that's uncalled for," he said. "That's not my style. That's not who I am, and something is going to change. I haven't had bad outings. I just don't give up 20 hits in two games. That's not me."

Are three animals too many? Manager Mike Quade referred to his bullpen closing trio as the "three animals", and I will admit to buying into the hype of having Sean Marshall, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Marmol deliver the 1-2-3 knockout punch to finish off opponents. On one hand, there may be reason to be concerned as both Wood and Marmol are susceptible to control issues. If these three consistently are thrown in the mix night in and night out, doesn't that increase the chances that one of them will have a bad outing? On the other hand, it is quite a formidable option to take six innings from your starter and then go with Marshall and Wood, each having three holds and then Marmol who has already notched three saves.

Keeping Score: Failing to take the rubber game caused the Cubs to fall under .500 for the season and puts them behind pace for my projected 85 win season.

On Deck: Chicago takes a trip to the Lone Star State to face the 2-7 Astros. I'd say that this is another "critical" series to win, and the Cubs should be able to aim for a sweep over the struggling Astros.

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Cubs Series Recap: Win 2 of 3 Games, Lose 2 of 3 Pitchers

2011-04-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Cubs Series Recap: Win 2 of 3 Games, Lose 2 of 3 Pitchers on Blogcritics.

Series two is in the books, and although the Chicago Cubs (3-3) did take 2 of 3 from the Arizona Diamondbacks (2-3) with the possibility of a sweep, the team placed two starting pitchers on the disabled list, both of whom had solid starts during the series.

Headed to the DL: Randy Wells, coming off a strong preseason, and Andrew Cashner, the Cubs fifth starter replacing Carlos Silva, both will be out for at least two weeks after which their injuries (forearm and shoulder strain respectively) will be reevaluated. Wells was coming off a strong preseason, and he carried that momentum into his first start by throwing six innings of one-run ball. Cashner made Cub fans and management quickly forget about Carlos Silva by going 5 1/3 innings allowing only two hits and walking one. Both pitchers represented key parts of making the Cubs starting rotation a formidable one from top to bottom.

Big Hitters: Marlon Byrd broke out with a huge hit on Tuesday. Hopefully, this will get him going as his above .300 average is slightly offset by his team leading six strikeouts. Alfonso Soriano now has half of his hits as homers, so he's on pace for about 90 or so. Aramis Ramirez looks to be off to a much better start than last year (can you say contract year?), and Starlin Castro remains solid despite going 0-for-4 with four left on base on Wednesday.

Carlos Marmol bounces back: I love how Carlos addressed the media with the following after his disappointing blown save on Sunday: "I want to see you guys back here tomorrow when I strike out the side." This is how you want your closer to talk, and better yet, I love the fact that he was able to record the save on Monday, despite only striking out one batter. He was forced to watch Sean Marshall get his first save on Tuesday due to pitching three days in a row. Manager Mike Quade is catching some flak for his managing of his pitchers, but I think he's trying out different players in different scenarios, and it's better to do this early in the season as opposed to late in the summer.

Keeping Score: Standing at .500, the Cubs are just a bit behind my prediction of 85 wins. With their #4 and #5 starters out for a few weeks, it will be interesting to see how the team is able to adjust.

On Deck: The team hits the road to Wrigleyville North (aka Milwaukee) to face the Brewers in an early season meeting between the rival teams. The Brew Crew opened up 0-4 but bounced back to win two in a row against Atlanta. Don't look now, but Cincinnati is running away with the division, so this series could give us a preview of who's going to stay hot on the Reds' trail. With that in mind, this remains a "critical" series, especially with Carlos Zambrano and Matt Garza taking the mound for the first two games.

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Three Observations from the Cubs' 2011 Opening Weekend

2011-04-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Three Observations from the Cubs' 2011 Opening Weekend on Blogcritics.

Well, opening weekend has come and gone, and the Chicago Cubs managed to play to most critics' expectations by dropping the first series to their recently established nemesis, the Pittsburgh Pirates. No longer the team's go-to for easy wins, the Pirates showed resilience by coming back in the ninth of Sunday's rubber game against what many had assumed was the Cubs greatest strength in closer, Carlos Marmol. A look at what was learned in games one, two, and three.

1) Starlin Castro is the real deal. Manager Mike Quade played around with Castro as the leadoff hitter on Sunday, and Cubs television broadcasters Len Kasper and Bob Brenly mentioned that Starlin may eventually be a candidate for the 3-hole, but what I really want is for Castro to bat first, second, and third. Today, he worked the count from 0-2 to earn a walk to lead off the game. This came a day after the Cubs showed horrible patience by going through several seven pitch innings as a team. With regards to leadoff hitters, I think Fukodome has shown some patience, but Castro provides more of a speed threat. Two triples today and a .615 batting average to start the season ain't half bad. I say give him as many at-bats as possible, so that equates to another start at lead-off.

2) The Cubs starting pitching may keep them in contention. All three starters (Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, and Matt Garza) made it through six innings and they were able to keep the Cubs in each ball game. True, Dempster gave up the two big homers, but Friday's weather was less than desirable, and Quade will probably pull him in similar situations later in the season. Big Z overcame some early jams to settle down, and Garza, despite giving up 12 hits (all singles), struck out an equal number and has already contributed to a happier clubhouse. With Randy Wells coming off a strong spring training, and the first three starters each going past the sixth, the Cubs should be able to rely on their biggest strength coming into 2011 which is...

3) The Bullpen, or is it? Yes, the big three of Sean Marshall, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Marmol will be fine. Woody was bailed out today by a strong throw from Tyler Colvin (a strong defense also bodes well with only one error on the homestand), and Marmol obviously cost the Cubs a win. However, most teams would kill for these fearsome threesome, and if the Cubs bats can muster some additional run support, a 2-3 run lead, and hopefully most 1-run leads will be protected by the pen.

Keeping Score: I made the preseason prediction of 85 wins, and the Cubs could have been ahead of schedule with a win today.

On Deck: Of course, with 160 games remaining, we haven't reached the must-win stage of the season. However, the Cubs need to take series in April, or else their confidence may take an early hit. I'll call the next three game homestand against Arizona a "critical series."

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Let's Play Ball!

2011-04-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. I heart the Cubs. And when my number on the season ticket waiting list finally got called, I couldn't help but say "yes." After all, it wasn't too long after the last time I jumped on the season ticket bandwagon that a certain team went out and brought home the Stanley Cup just two years later. I don't expect the Cubs to perform a similar feat in such short order. However, as an eternally optimistic fan, I can't help but think that someday during my lifetime, there will be an opportunity to witness a World Series played and won here in Wrigleyville. Aisle 237 represents my home for this season and possibly many more seasons to come. Similarly, I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the season, the team, and the experience all right here as well. Welcome to the Aisle.

For series recaps and more thoughts about the Chicago Cubs, please subscribe to the feed here.