Forget the loss, get ready for the rest of the year
Nam Y. Huh/AP
After Ryan Dempster so boldly predicted a World Series title during Spring Training, Cubs fans the world over collectively stuck their heads into a pillow and screamed. Surely the team’s fate was sealed because, well, it’s the Cubs and they just don’t win World Series.
Well, four months later and Dempster doesn’t seem so crazy. Granted, St. Louis and Milwaukee aren’t going away and two and a half months will feel like an eternity after the break. But if there is any Cubs team that could … you know … it’s this one.
All you have to do is ignore yesterday afternoon’s game, a 4-2 loss to the Giants. Dempster’s bid to start the season 11-0 at home fell short and Chicago will be forced to go into the break with a bad taste in its mouth. Dempster lasted 6-2/3 innings and gave up four runs off seven hits. But let’s forget Sunday’s game and see how the team stands.
1. The Cubs enter the All Star break tied with the league’s best record. That’s a franchise first, which is pretty incredible or depressing depending on your point of view.
2. Chicago enters the break in first place for the first time since 2001. Granted that season didn’t end in a playoff birth, but let’s conveniently ignore that.
3. The Cubs have survived without Alfonso Soriano and will only get better with him.
The pitching rotation has been solid more often than not so far. Dempster is 10-4 with a 3.25 ERA; Ted Lilly is 9-6 with a 4.68 ERA; Jason Marquis is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA; after an excellent no decision, Rich Harden is 5-1 with a 2.19 ERA and finally the crowned jewel, Carlos Zambrano, is 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA. All these pitchers have their moments, but then again, who doesn’t? All Dempster, Harden and Zambrano have to do is maintain their first half play. Obviously Lilly and Marquis need to tighten things up the rest of the way, but I’m relieved I only have to worry about two starting pitchers improving rather than three or four.
The bullpen won’t strike fear into any opponents but it gets the job done. Kevin Hart is the only one with an ERA over five and in during this live-ball era, I’ll take that. It all comes down to the last two gentlemen who get the ball in tight games – Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood. Both have nasty stuff but both also have a nasty habit of melting down worse than Chernobyl. Not something you want in late September.
In terms of hitting, what’s more to say? Derreck Lee and Aramis Ramirez are forces at the plate and both have the experience to turn it up a notch for the home stretch. Jim Edmonds has started very slow in July, but after a monster June, it’s reasonable to believe he can turn things around after the break and be a force down the road. Same thing goes for Kosuke Fukudome. He’s been hitting progressively worse this season, but his Japanese professional pedigree leads me to believe he’ll work through the slump and contribute in September.
One concern with me is with players like Geovany Soto or Ryan Theriot. Both are having great years but in the case of Soto, this is his first full Major League season and fatigue may play a factor, especially being a catcher. As for Theriot, he’s hitting .320 right now. Can he keep this up? Look back to last season. On July 13, Theriot was hitting .320. He finished the year hitting .266.
With both players there is this sinking feeling in the back of my mind that the other shoe will eventually drop. Every team who wins a championship has talent and a little bit of luck.
The other concern I have is Soriano. The Cubs have been alright without him, even with Milwaukee charging back into the division race. But it’s going to be harder for the Cubs to compete without his spark in the lineup. While he is an erratic producer, when he’s on there is nobody more dangerous and that’s someone Chicago needs for a playoff push.
The All Star game will be a welcomed break for us. After a whirlwind first half, we need time to catch out breath and mentally prepare ourselves for another two and a half months of baseball.
So sit back and enjoy watching eight All Stars in New York on Tuesday night. I’ll be back here when the real season begins Friday night at Houston.
