Cubs Cruising = Eight is Great
The Cubs just wrapped up a 10-game homestand where they went 8-2, with the only two losses being nailbiters that they easily could have won. To say they're playing good ball would be an understatement. They're playing great ball, but I must also point out that they're taking advantage of a favorable schedule.
There's nothing to apologize for in beating Pittsburgh. The Cubs simply have to beat who they are scheduled to play. But this month featured 17 home games, and its these extended stretches at home where you really need to put the foot on the gas. The Cubs have, and its a good thing, too, because the rest of the schedule is a bit of a head scratcher. Both June and July are largely on the road, and September is an absolute killer. But if they can somehow build a big lead in April-May, and then really get on a nice run in August, maybe September won't matter. At least thats what this Cubs fan is hoping for.
Oh, and the player of the week? How about Alfonso Frickin' Soriano. Holy scorched earth, is he hot. My wife told me to mention on my blog that he's sending a big "F-U" to all the Cubs fans that said he was overpaid (myself included.) No argument there. He is just so fun to watch when he's hot. He literally can carry the team by himself. More notes:
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Props to Ryan Dempster, too. He's continuing to prove me wrong, and with every start he appears more and more legit.
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Michael Wuertz has really been good lately. Long, productive outings. He should step into the Howry role, which thus far has been largely bunk.
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Ryan Theriot has been playing way over his head. .410 OBP? Ridiculous. I hope he doesn't crash too hard when he comes back down to earth.
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I'm starting to get a man-crush on Geovany Soto. He absolutely crushes the ball, has a gun for an arm, and plays great defense. He's everything you could want in a catcher. And he's young. The only thing I'm concerned with is his playing time. It seems he plays 9 games out of 10. Should maybe cut that back to 6 of 7. Don't want to wear him out too soon, as its a long season.
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D-Lee has been ice cold after a blistering April. He's the bizarro Soriano. I'm not worried, because they've still been winning. Ramirez hasn't done a whole lot either. Can you imagine how they'd be doing if those guys were hitting?
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For the first time this season, Big Z became the big head case yesterday. Busting the bat over his knee, walking the world. Bad times. I hope it was just a one game blip, because they can't afford a three or four week stretch of Bad Z. Not with the next two months predominately on the road.
And that's about it. I can't really complain about anything, as its tough to complain when your team has the second best record in baseball. Just gotta keep going so there's no surprises in September. Till next time...