Tumbling in losing skid

With the extra bat in the lineup and sure handed shortstop Nomar Garicipara back the Cubs' problems are yet to be solved. With 2 losses to the Mets at Shea Stadium this weekend, Chicago is losing sight of their ultimate goal in the regular season: reaching the playoffs. Greg Maddux (8-5) pitched a well-rounded game Saturday, but it wasn't enough. The middle of the Cubs' order went 0-4. The starting pitchers are simply not receiving the necessary run support to win games. It also helps when the defense doesn't make errors due to mental mistakes. Second basemen Todd Walker and Nomar know how to make smart plays on the field, though against the Mets they made bad judgment calls. Throwing home on a ground ball instead of to second for a double play and trying to make a difficult throw to third rather than first lacks clear thinking. Mistakes do happen, but the team can't afford to make but a few. With Saturday loss the Cubs drop to 54-56. The Brewers have a better record as they moved into third place in the Central division. The Cubs concentration is wavering, not focusing on the little intangibles which wins games.

Now is a good time, more than ever for Dusty Baker to do some hollering, slamming, and verbal lashing with occassional cursing to get points across and ignite a fire in this team as a form of motivation. Either that or start docking each players' pay(There really ought to be a rule for this in baseball). Singling out one or two players never works nor is it right. Throwing a chair against the wall, causing it break then telling all the players that's going to be their ass if they don't start playing to their total capacity will have a strong influence. (Still seething a bit over the recent offensive scuffling). Players need time to redevelop their skills and abilities and they will have their opportunities to redeem themselves. The problem is time is running out. 50-60 game are left in the season and it's absolutely essential that this team rebound and make a run. Luck may change tommorrow as Carlos Zambrano(9-3) gets the start at Shea against Victor Zambrano (No relation). His passion and performance might motivate his teammates to play harder. We'll see what happens.