With the pesty injuries to Prior and Wood the Cubs still start the season off right. They slapped the Reds around at Great American Ballpark Monday, winning 16-9. Outfielder Matt Murton went 3-for-4 with a single, double, and 3-run homer. Hopefully this kid will get the everyday starting job in left field. Derek Lee collected a hit and two RBIs. Though, it was a windy day in Cincy with Adam Dunn struggling to handle fly balls, this Cubs team definitely appears to show signs of scoring plenty of runs. Juan Pierre reached base 3 times. If he can do this all season the Cubs should be in good shape with run production output.
The one thing I didn't like is that Dusty Baker yanked Zambrano out of the game with 2 outs in the fifth inning. Sure, he had a high pitch count and the game was tied 5-5, but he could have picked up the win with one more out. I guess the coaching staff was worried about Zambrano overthrowing, running a risk of straining his arm. Oh well, maybe Carlos will have better luck in his next outing. It's a shame it looks like Zambrano will have to carry the load once again in the starting rotation. It's not a bad idea for the Cubs to keep their eye out for another bonafide right-hander or lefty. (Ben Sheets would make a nice catch if he wasn't already injured)
Wednesday the Cubs will start Glendon Rusch in the second game of the series. I'm not sure if this is Dusty's way of experimenting, but I'd go with Jerome Williams. He's seen more action as a starter plus he's got better command of his pitch selection. Griffey and Dunn may be left-handed hitters, but that won't stop them from teeing off on Rusch. If it's another strong breezy day in Cincy expect another high-scoring affair from both sides. Let's just hope Chicago does most of the damage.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment