While They Rest, Why Not Review Part 2

When last we reviewed, the Cubs were in the middle of a slump. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they were basically a steaming bag of goose excrement. Their highest paid player was being booed daily while many people suggested he be benched or sent to the minors (these people were insane, but that's neither here nor there). On May 8th, they stood at an unimpressive 19-15 after struggling through a dismal road trip. With the "red hot" Arizona D-backs coming to town, things weren't looking good.

So what happened?

Well, they beat the snot out of the D-backs over the next 3 days, Soriano started hitting everything he saw out of the park and they proceeded to finish a 10-game home stand 8-2.

So much for the bag of poop analogy. Wow.

Then, as the same "experts" who wrote the Cubs off were now ranking them as the best team in baseball (I'm looking at you, Phil Rogers), the Cubs headed out on another road trip. Not good news since they hadn't won a road series since they beat the Pirates in April. After taking game one, they blew two leads in two days to Fat Elvis and the Astros. Ugh.

So after 47 games, they are now 19-8 at home and 9-11 on the road. 28-19. Pretty good by most standards. Not mine. Since I addressed some positive things this team had going for them last time, I thought I'd address the negatives today. Enjoy.

Two Things About the Cubs That Keep My Up At Night

1) Hitting is Contagious, Unless Your the Cubs

One of the most frustrating things about the Cubs last year was that they NEVER seemed hit as a team. If Aramis was hot, D-Lee was swinging like he had early dinner reservations. When Soriano remembered that actually putting the bat on the ball was key to getting a hit, Jacques Jones was...well, let's just forget about what J-squared was doing.

This year, especially on the road, they are doing the same thing. One or two guys appears to be a professional baseball player while the rest just run up to the plate, take three hacks at balls in the dirt and go sit down. It's possibly the most frustrating thing to watch night after night. Not as frustrating as say...Pinella's obsession with pitching Marmol in consecutive innings, but it's up there.


2) Centerfield Auditions Held Daily! .200 Hitters Preferred, But Not Required.

This is where I wish I could say, "What does (FILL IN BLANK) have to do to earn the everyday starting CF job!" I can't say that right now because the answer to that query is simple...hit the god durn ball!

So how did we get here?

In Jim "Do You Sell Pants With Elastic Waistband" Hendry's infinite wisdom, the Cubs realized coming out of spring training that Felix Pie wasn't the answer, so they got Reed Johnson to platoon with him. After it seemed apparent that Reed Johnson wasn't the answer, they sent the "can't miss" kid to the minors and signed asshat poster boy Jim Edmonds.

Sadly, even with all these roster moves, they still had no one who can play center AND hit the ball out of the infield. If the only requirement was to make highlight reel catches, all three would be in virtual dead heat. Unfortunately, fancy catches don't win ball games.

So as this giant hole in lineup continues to get bigger, Hendry can do one of two things. He can either stand pat and take his lumps with Pie and Johnson or he can make an ill-advised deadline deal to get a "veteran" in center. I wonder which he'll do....

I'd suggest preparing yourself now for this from Pat Hughes:

"And hitting 8th, in center, Coco Crisp."

I wish I was joking.

Go Cubs.