Cubs Update: Just what the Doctor ordered
The Cubs beat the Pirates tonight behind great pitching by Sean Marshall and a game-winning single by Matt Murton. I gotta say, Marshall's been awesome these last two starts. Yes, it was only the AAA Marlins and the AA Pirates, but you still have to make your pitches. It's starting to look more and more like the kid's here to stay, and I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong about him. I liked what I saw in Spring Training, but I thought he could use some time at AAA before being thrown into the fire. Guess he didn't need it.
And it's a good thing, too, as the Cubs needed him to break out like you wouldn't believe. Carlos Zambrano just hasn't been getting the job done, and I really don't know what the problem is. Maybe he needs to put some of that weight he lost back on. He's too skinny to throw strikes!
Thanks to the draft and the Bulls playoff games, I thankfully missed the last two Cubs games that they lost to the Brewers by a combined score of 25-2. It looks like Glendon Rusch was pulled from the rotation, Aardsma was sent to AAA, and Rich Hill has been called up to take Rusch's spot. It's about time. Rusch had a really good 2004 filling in for the injured Kerry Wood, and his 2005 was adequate. But this year he has regressed to his Milwaukee form, and that two year deal is looking worse and worse with each gopher ball. I'm all for Rich Hill getting his chance. I wanted to give him the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, but the Cubs (correctly) went with Marshall. Since then, Hill's been absolutely dominating AAA, and it's now or never for that kid. Let's see what he's got.
Matt Murton continues to hit, and these days it seems like he's the only Cub to do so. They've scored a total of four runs over the past 27 innings, and that frankly ain't enough to beat a major league club. Thankfully the Pirates are in town for a two-game set. We can afford another cool day with the bats, so long as we keep playing the Pirates. After that, the Cubs are headed to Arizona, and hopefully the bats will awaken by then.
Oh, and I've got to ask, how long before we start worrying about Aramis Ramirez? It's MAY. Time to start hitting. That's all. Good night!