Being a thorn in the Astros' side

If the Cubs can't enter the postseason at least they can be spoilers for other teams gunning for the wildcard. Thanks to Derek Lee's 45th homerun of the season and Jeromy Burnitz's 2-run dinger the Cubs defeated the Astros 3-2 Sunday afternoon. Andy Petitte and Jerome Williams went head to head for a good six innings in a pitcher's clash. It looked to be a show of urgency for Houston like, "We've got to win this freaking game or our season may come to an end soon." Petitte gave up 1 run until he was replaced by a Houston reliever. Note: Nice snow cone catch in center by Corey Patterson today. Now if he could get his swing back for next year and not let us Cubs fans down again.

With the loss, the Phillies move up a game in the wild card. At this point desperation sinks in for these National league teams. The best thing about it is the Cubs don't have to sweat it since being out of the race. They can come to the ballpark relax, clear their mind, and have fun playing baseball while earning those big, fat paychecks. Well, for all the regular starting players anyway. Being pressure free should make these guys loose. Time for the management to work on off-season deals and restructure. THERE IS NO NEED TO RETRIEVE LOW-MARKET PLAYERS! Such players have never helped put this team at the top so forget about the notion. A close eye can be kept on up and coming prospects since they're the future of this club. The team owner must shell out the big bucks to get better star talent. Hendry, don't act like the revenue is not coming in because attendance is always high. Dump Kerry Wood if he's still not healthy and get rid of Jeromy Burnitz, Jose Macias, and Todd Walker. That'll free up enough money for payroll. Let's stop going through the same crap each season.

Inching down to the final two weeks

With summer coming to a close soon the regular season of baseball is almost over. Well, it's been another disappointing season for the Cubs, but what's new? There is not much to talk about here except for the outstanding year of Derek Lee and Carlos Zambrano. These are the only guys worth mentioning. I'm sure the hate mail and postings on the WGN blog are still piling up. That's what happens when key star players get injured for most of the year, role players don't perform on a regular basis, conflicts arise with coaches and management, and team again is unable to clinch the playoffs. Man, it sure does suck to be a Cubs fan right now. Usually some fans would say this every year, but I was content with their last two season performances. They did finish 89-74 in 2004 even though they didn't make the playoffs. That's how things unfortunately worked out. Their record won't be as good in 2005.

The Cubs play the Brewers starting tonight in Milwakee. This a team they've had slugfests with in the past. Both clubs might as well continue the routine because neither is facing any pressure to win. I'd like to see Corey Patterson start to look like a hitter again instead of swinging wild at pitches at eye level, low and away, or that land in the dirt. He's better than his performance has shown. Doug Davis pitches for the Brewers as Jerome Williams gets the start for Chicago. I guess the two teams will fight out for third place in the Central division as if it hold significance. That's one motive to win if nothing else. So hitters, swing for the fences and crank out those runs.

Cubs struggle to get back to .500

Failing to sweep the Reds has put a dampen on the Cubs record. Of course they've had their opportunities to win more games at home, but this is not apparent in the 2005 season. Another bummer of a lost struck the Cubs last night in the 12th inning. The night game on Tuesday, the Cubs won an extra inning game in the 10th. It seems like they've played 20-25 extra inning games so far. Some of which were 1 run decisions. This team has lost around 25-30% of their games this year by such a slim margin of defeat. In my mind there is no reason why the Cubs shouldn't be at least 3 games over .500 at this point. The desire to win crucial games just isn't visible. Anyway, besides all the bad news and normal struggles the players still have a job to do. Whether they're happy or not is not important now, all that matters is performing to their highest ability like professional athletes are supposed to do each day. These lackadaisical efforts on the field by infielders who fling the ball across to first and second or don't make enough contact because they swing at bad pitches all the time are deplorable.

The Cubs play the Cardinals for a 4 game series at Wrigley. Mark Prior takes the mound for Thursday's game. Derek Lee continues to sparkle in a career year as he builds on his homerun total, now at 42. He's been to the Cubs what Sammy Sosa was to them in 1998, a lone hero. Other guys have not stepped up besides Aramis Ramirez(injured) to deliver the team from the desolation on offense. Finishing the year on the high note is what's best for the Cubs. There is no room for any resentment or bitterness on the team, this is reserved for the fans. (Oh, they're so loyal the disappointment will be forgiven before next season). My hat is off to the pitching staff. They've done a terrific job of keeping games close and displayed some notable pitching performances. Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux definitely deserve props. It's time to handle those lucky St. Louis Cardinals.

Hits hard to come by in loss at Wrigley

The theme of the season for the Cubs this year is 'lack of run performance.' This offensive struggle was still apparent on Monday night in the 5-2 loss against the Reds. Greg Maddux pitched a good game for a 38-year-old veteran who's seen better days. Going 7 strong innings and giving up 2 runs didn't help the cause as the Cubs offense failed to produce. Maddux(12-12) has put together a fine second half of the season even though his record shows otherwise. The run support has just not be there for him or other starters for that matter. Where would this team actual be in the standings now if they'd averaged 4 or 5 runs a game? If Nomar didn't get injured? The Cub's road record is better than their home record. This doesn't make sense for a home ballpark where homeruns fly out left and right on windy days. They also have the Cub fans full support.

Yesterday's loss was crucial for the Cubs in their reemergence back in the NL wildcard. At 71-73 they're trailing 6.5 games behind the Marlins, Phillies, Nationals, Astros, and Brewers. Their focus should be finishing the season with a respectable record. Obviously the team is in dire need of third basemen, Aramis Ramirez and Kerry Wood is out for the year due to arm surgery. The young guys like Ronnie Cedeno and Matt Murton ought to be playing most of the remaining games. Dusty Baker needs to let them get the exposure. This opportunity will allow them to show their value and creditability to the team. Corey Patterson and Jose Macias are in a slump anyway and not contributing much. Carlos Zambrano(13-5) will try to improve his record tonight in game 2 of the series. Do your thing Carlos.

Next Stop: San Francisco

Making quality efforts to finish out the regular season is what every team should do. The Cubs are sure trying as they come off a 3 game series in St. Louis, winning 2 of 3. This strikes me as incredible for this 2005 team who got dismantled by the likes of low level competitors such as the Rockies, Reds, Mets, and Dodgers. What the hell happened to this team in those games? Though they can beat the Cardinals, taking each series at home and away and also win 2 of 3 against the World Champion Boston Red Sox in an interleague series in June. I just don't understand it. Maybe the players didn't feel any pressure to perform in the first few months or other teams didn't give as much a shit as they do in late July through late September. This is an issue of motivation and bad decision making by management.

Standing at 67-71, the Cubs look like a more relaxed team. (I guess after any team blows their chances of entering the playoffs they'd feel the same way). Derek Lee hit his 40th homerun Wednesday night. Tonight Chicago matches up with the Giants, another team who has been Bond-less for much of the season and suffered some of the same problems the Cubs have. They're also out of the playoff picture. Carlos Zambrano(12-5) takes the hill in San Francisco and will have to work his strength in power pitching to avoid giving up the longball in the bay area. One thing is for sure, nobody will be chasing after record breaking homerun balls hit by Barry Bonds. That will have to wait until next year unless Bonds decides not to play because of the negativity brought on by the media. Go Cubs!

Zambrano: the pride of Wrigleyville

Time after time Carlos Zambrano continues to go the extra mile and impress. Despite the outcome for the team, this animated Venezuelan is having another defining season. With the 9-5 victory today over the Pirates, Zambrano earns his 12th win of the season. Sure this isn't comparative to the records of pitchers like Chris Carpenter(20 wins) or Dontrelle Willis(19 wins). Unlike these guys Zambrano pitched 5 or 6 excellent games earlier in the season and didn't get a decision. That was his teammates fault because they didn't provide decent run support. In the future, Zambrano will be a candidate for the Cy Young. There is no doubt about it if he can stay healthy. His intensity and determination on the field is a testament to his top quality overall performance. With the win at Pittsburgh he finally got more than 1 or 2 runs from the Cubs offense. While he did give up 4 ER, the Bucs' hitters were rung up for 9 strikeouts. The man was on point. Well, it's good to see at least 1 or 2 players striving for excellence. We all know the team as a whole is not. The good news is Todd Hollandsworth was traded to the Braves. Good riddance to a wasted position in the outfielder. The Cubs retrieved 2 minor league pitchers. Maybe they'll materialize into resourceful talent in a few years. One can only hope.